Snack-maker Mondel?z International inaugurated a HUF 4.5-billion expansion at its biscuit plant in Székesfehérvár, in central Hungary.
Three new production lines have been installed, producing Milka and Cadbury chocolate biscuit sandwiches exclusively, mostly for export, but more recently for the Hungarian market. Exclusively in the whole world, the chocolate biscuit sandwich products of Milka and Cadbury TUC, LU and Ritz biscuits are now all produced in this plant. These products became huge successes of the snack giant right after their launches.
Hungarian Economy Minister Mihály Varga, attending the inauguration ceremony, said that the government would spend some HUF 300 billion (€955 million) on food-industry developments in the next few years. The government is committed to making Hungary a successful and competitive country with sustainable growth and secure jobs, “but we will only have a chance for that if we significantly increase the proportion of high-value-added or highly processed products within the food industry through strong support for those sectors,” the minister said.
More than 90,000 people are employed in Hungary’s food production, an industry that generated revenues totalling 3,200 billion forints last year, accounting for more than 30 per cent of the country’s exports. Mondel?z International has invested about $50 million in Gy?r over the past three years, installing three new production lines and creating more than 350 jobs.
"Mondel?z International is investing big to ensure that its power brands are manufactured on state-of-the-art equipment. Our company invested more than $1 billion worldwide in our supply-chain capacities since 2012, and we have plans to do even more. Our Székesfehérvár investment put this plant on the confectionery map of Europe. We are committed to realising its full potential to create delicious moments of joy for our consumers,” said Philip A. Hodges, senior vice-president of Mondel?z Europe.
Mondel?z International, Inc. is a global snacking powerhouse with 2013 revenue of $35 billion. Selling its products in 165 countries, Mondel?z International is a world leader in biscuits, chocolate, gum, candy, coffee and powdered beverages, with billion-dollar brands such as Oreo, LU and Nabisco biscuits; Cadbury, Cadbury Dairy Milk and Milka chocolate; Trident gum; Jacobs coffee and Tang powdered beverages.
© 2014 European Supermarket Magazine – Europe’s grocery retail magazine, for all your breaking supermarket, convenience-store and FMCG news. Article written by László Juhász.
