Consumers across China are getting a taste of the freshest imported ultra heat temperature (UHT) milk due to a Fonterra program aimed at delivering UHT to them at world-leading speed.
Fonterra’s project to align and enhance its supply chain from New Zealand to China has seen a dramatic reduction in the time it takes to get UHT products to market from more than 100 days to 34.
This makes Fonterra UHT the freshest imported UHT milk in China.
The time spent shipping and transporting products can be the difference between good and great tasting dairy nutrition, says Robert Spurway, chief operating officer global operations.
“When it comes to dairy, there is no substitute for freshness and this is something Fonterra takes great pride in.”
“We produce some of the purest dairy in the world, from grass-fed cows living on quality pasture and you can taste that quality in our milk.”
The 70% reduction in lead-time took the team just under four months from start to finish, with every aspect of the supply chain streamlined from production, sailing time and schedules to customs clearance.
“We’ve put all facets of our supply chain under the microscope to shave off every additional hour,” says Spurway.
“Processes that delayed products from leaving our site have been analyzed and refined, resulting not only in our UHT reaching port sooner, but also an improvement in our consistency and quality.”
“Waiting time at port has also been minimized, with all production now aligned with shipping schedules between Tauranga and Shanghai.”
Freeing up the final leg of the journey, Fonterra has worked closely with regulators in China to get a deeper understanding of how it can better meet customs requirements to make sure there is no hold up on arrival.
