Atria’s Nurmo poultry plant expansion investment rises to US$183M

FINLAND – The Finland-based poultry company has inaugurated a new poultry facility in Nurmo, expanding its existing site with a €165 million (US$183.3 million) investment. 

This figure surpasses the original budget of approximately €130 million (US$145 million) projected in 2019.

The new three-hectare plant, which was completed on schedule, boasts a processing capability of 15,000 birds per hour. 

According to Atria, the new facility can process chickens from arrival to delivery within a span of four hours, ensuring next-day delivery to customers.

This expansion marks Atria’s largest investment to date. 

The company has emphasized that the increased capacity is essential due to the long-term growth in demand for poultry products in both domestic and international markets. 

The new plant is expected to enhance Atria Finland’s poultry production by roughly 40%.

Additionally, Atria has closed its poultry plant in Sahalahti and consolidated processing operations at the new Nurmo site. 

The company also completed the acquisition of Gooh, a prepared foods firm previously owned by Swedish agribusiness Lantmännen, in May.

For the first half of the year, Atria reported a 1.6% decline in sales, totaling €871.2 million (US$966 million). 

However, earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) increased by 26%, with the EBIT margin rising to 3% from 2.4%. 

Net profit after tax also saw an 18% rise.

Sign up to receive our email newsletters with the latest news updates and insights from Africa and the World HERE