Nordmilch chooses SIG for dairy innovation
lines from SIG Combibloc to help it develop the added value dairy
products it needs to be competitive.
The production lines will include a new packer capable of working through 12,000 cartons per hour. They will be used as part of the Nordmilch Innovation Center at the group's Zeven factory.
The deal extends a so far successful partnership between Germany-based Nordmilch and SIG, as the dairy group looks to take advantage of emerging added value markets.
The firm said it had also bought SIG's combiSwift closure system, which can be used for high volume production of dairy drinks - and area of the market forecast for strong growth over coming years.
"We aim to build a portfolio of high quality products, which is perceived as unique in the market and at the same time helps us attain cost leadership through lower unit costs," said Manfred Feldmann, head of Nordmilch's production centre for dairy products.
He said Nordmilch has chosen SIG's filling machines because their high speed combined with "enormous flexibility both in terms of product and volume changes".
Production on the four new SIG lines is expected to begin early next year.
The expansion again shows how Nordmilch, which made around £2bn in sales last year, has increased its efforts to capture added value markets.
The firm signed a strategic partnership with Finnish dairy group Valio earlier this year, in order to develop 'special products' like functional milks and probiotics.
The alliance is driven by changes in the dairy industry's operating environment, which include reduced subsidies for commodity dairy products as part of reform of the EU's common agricultural policy (CAP).
