Irish dairy giant Glanbia plc has announced that it intends to open a new production facility in 2020 in the city of St. Johns in Michigan in the US.
The facility will be dedicated to cheese and whey production.
According to Glanbia, the new facility will be commissioned in the fourth quarter of 2020 at a cost of $470 million (€413 million) and is expected to process 3.6 million litres of milk per day for making cheese.
Massive Output Targets
It is expected to produce 135 billion tonnes of cheese annually, in addition to whey products for the US and international markets.
The facility is expected to employ around 250 people, when in full operation.
Proliant Dairy Ingredients will invest $85 million (€75 million) in an adjoining facility for processing whey permeate, where another 38 job positions will be created.
Brian Phelan, chief executive officer of Glanbia Nutritionals said, “The finalisation of the preferred location is a critical step in our journey to deliver a new ultra-modern dairy facility in Michigan. We want to thank the state and city authorities for their continued support as we move to commence construction as soon as possible.”
A Strategic Location
Though the deal is not yet definitive, the company said that they selected the location for 'its strategic location relative to milk supply, strong transport links, positive business environment and labour availability.'
Also a part of the agreement, Greg Wickham, chief financial officer at Dairy Farmers of America added, “The construction of this plant in St. Johns will not only address a growing industry need for Michigan plant capacity, but it also adds value and supports our local dairy farm families in this area."
The move comes after Glanbia recently unveiled plans for a new mozzarella cheese manufacturing facility in the Republic of Ireland.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Matthieu Chassain. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine
