Mondelēz opens $90m facility in Bahrain

US-based food company Mondelēz has opened its new biscuit manufacturing plant in the Kingdom of Bahrain with a $90m investment.

Dubbed as the ‘Factory of the Future’, the new facility will be producing Oreo cookies and Barni soft cakes for the local consumers.

The new factory will also serve as a hub for exporting its products to Africa, the Levant and the Gulf regions to improve product freshness and reduce delivery costs.

Located beside Mondelēz’s existing manufacturing site, the new 250,000m² manufacturing facility has been designed to produce 45,000t of food products a year.

The existing facility produces Kraft cheese and Tang powdered beverages.

Mondelēz Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa executive vice-president and president Maurizio Brusadelli said: “The Middle East and Africa are priority markets for us, and we’re confident in our selection of Bahrain as the preferred location for our plant, due to its business-friendly environment, skilled local workforce and excellent transport links, all of which will be instrumental to the success of our growth plans.

“We thank the Government of Bahrain for their continued support. This site is our second major investment in the Kingdom over the past ten years, further strengthening Bahrain’s position as a strategic business hub and contributing to national economic growth.”

The new plant is expected to create 150 direct jobs and help sustain more than 12,000 indirect jobs in the region.

Mondelēz integrated supply chain executive vice-president Daniel Myers said: “This investment in Bahrain is a great example of how we’re building a world-class supply chain, with Factories of the Future in strategic locations around the world designed to simplify operations, increase flexibility, improve productivity and meet the growth demands of our Power Brands.

“We’re keenly focused on winning with our consumers and customers, as we simplify and modernise our operations and production capacity.”