Goodman Fielder to expand UHT milk plant in New Zealand

Australasian food company Goodman Fielder has announced plans to invest NZ$27m ($23.37m) to expand its ultra heat treated (UHT) milk plant in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The new project will enable the company to meet the growing demand for its dairy products across the Asia Pacific region, particularly in China.

As part of the project, the company will extend the existing UHT building, install a new pasteurising, sterilising and palletising line, and install a new 250ml high-speed filler.

The project will boost production at the site by around 32 million litres per year, an increase of 50% on the plant’s existing UHT volume, and will eventually create 12 new production roles at the site.

Goodman Fielder CEO Chris Delaney said that the premium UHT category in Asia Pacific is expected to grow by around 50% over the next five years.

"This project will provide us with additional capacity to address this growing market through our iconic New Zealand Meadow Fresh brand and distribution capability.

"We are seeing increasing demand for our Meadow Fresh products in Asia Pacific, particularly China, as we continue to build on New Zealand’s natural, high-quality dairy credentials. We are investing now to meet that demand and also plan for future growth.

"It is also very rewarding to be able to commit to a major investment at Meadow Fresh Christchurch given the impact that natural disasters have had on our site and our people over the last three years."

Construction work is expected to be completed by October 2015.

Currently, the company employs 230 people at the site, which produces fresh milk for delivery throughout the South Island and UHT milk products predominantly for export markets.