Yes, if the change to a managerial or executive position is approved before the five-year limit with, under USCIS policy, at least six months of L-1B time remaining, and if the new role is primarily managerial rather than a senior technical post.
A real promotion, filed with time to spare
L-1B status is limited to five years in total, and L-1A to seven. The regulation and USCIS policy permit a specialized-knowledge employee who is moved into a managerial or executive position to be classified as L-1A and to benefit from the longer limit, provided the L-1A petition is approved while she still has L-1B time remaining; the policy specifies that the change must be approved at least six months before the five-year mark for the seven-year limit to apply. In the hypothetical, eighteen months remain, so the amendment can be filed now with margin.
The substance must be real: the production director role must be primarily managerial, meaning she manages the creamery’s production through subordinate supervisors or professional staff, with authority over hiring, discipline, scheduling and budget, and does not spend most of her time performing the affinage work herself. The affiliate relationship must continue, both companies must be doing business, and her L-1B years count toward the seven-year total.