Goodman Fielder announced today that it will expand and upgrade its ultra heat treated (UHT) milk plant in Christchurch, New Zealand, increasing its capacity to meet growth opportunities across the Asia Pacific region.
The NZ$27 million (US$23.4 million) project will extend the existing UHT building, install a new pasteurizing, sterilizing and palletizing line and a 250 ml high speed filler.
The work is expected to be completed by October 2015 and will boost production at the site by around 32 million liters per year, an increase of 50% on the plant’s existing UHT volume.
CEO Chris Delaney said the project would enable the company to leverage its existing export capacity to Asia Pacific by meeting the growing demand for dairy products across the region and particularly in China.
“The premium UHT category in Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow by about 50% over the next five years. This project will provide us with additional capacity to address this growing market through our New Zealand Meadow Fresh brand and distribution capability,” said Delaney.
The construction of the new building and production line will require 40 full time equivalent roles for the eight month construction period, and the resulting increase in volume will eventually see 12 new production roles created at the site.
The company currently has 230 employees at the site, which produces fresh milk for delivery throughout the South Island and UHT milk products predominantly for export markets.
