Unilever to expand ice cream facility in China

Global FMCG firm Unilever has reportedly initiated construction works for expanding its ice cream manufacturing site in China.

The company is said to invest $112m for expanding its ice cream manufacturing facility in Taicang, Jiangsu Province.

With this investment, Unilever intends to further strengthen its position in the consumer foods segment.

Unilever North Asia executive vice-president Rohit Jawa said: “Unilever has always been optimistic about China’s economy, and will continue to increase investment here, especially in the Yangtze River Delta.

“We will build the new Taicang manufacturing site into the world’s first ice cream factory integrating automation, intelligence and agility.”

Covering an area of 6,000m², the new facility will be feature factory lines, warehouses, offices and an annexe building.

Once operational in 2022, the new facility will have the capacity to produce approximately 150,000t of ice cream annually.

Going further, the new factory will also manufacture tea bags and seasonings.

The latest investment is said to be one of Unilever’s biggest move in China’s ice cream market in decades.

Unilever North Asia supply chain vice-president Han Fangjun said: “As the world’s largest ice-cream seller, Unilever looks forward to combining its world-class ice cream production capacity with China’s digital intelligent technology to build a brand new flexible production line.”

Last November, Unilever unveiled its plan to close its Weis ice cream production facility in Toowoomba, Queensland, and move the manufacturing operations to its Minto site in New South Wales, Australia.

The move to close the facility follows the company’s extensive review of its Australia and New Zealand ice cream business.