INDONESIA – Chinese dairy products producer Yili Group has opened a new ice cream in Indonesia, its first in Southeast Asia, to enable it better meet demand for its ice cream products.
Yili says that its Joyday ice cream brand which was introduced in the Southeast Asia nation in 2018 has enjoyed a surging popularity and today it is nearly available in almost all regions of the country.
The state-of-the-art facility was thus established to meet this demand. Yili says the second phase of the project will make the facility the country’s largest ice cream factory with a daily production capacity of four million ice cream products.
“Local consumers’ clear preference for and trust in our products has reinforced Yili’s confidence about our long-term investment and development in Indonesia,” said Pan Gang, chairman and president of Yili Group.
As Yili’s first self-built plant in Southeast Asia, Yili Indonesia Dairy has adopted cutting-edge technology and equipment, including the Internet of Things and big data analytics, to build an innovative and smart factory.
The production base also integrates advanced digital technologies throughout its entire production chain. Robotics solutions are introduced to provide automated packing, palletizing, and warehousing.
Enhancing community impact and sustainability
Yili has a total of 383 employees in Indonesia and expects the project to create more than 5,000 new jobs for local communities, directly and indirectly.
“Yili is always dedicated to following the highest standards to drive quality, sustainable development over the long term and establishing localised operations that benefit the communities where we operate,” Gang added.
“This ensures that we can better serve local consumers and make deep contributions to socio-economic development throughout the region.”
As part of its efforts to build a sustainable and environmentally friendly production facility, Yili Indonesia Dairy has built a wastewater treatment system with a daily treatment capacity of 2,800 tons.
Reclaimed water is then used for the irrigation of plants in the factory which has already passed the ISO22000, HALAL, and BPOM certifications and been rated A grade by LPPOM MUI, the largest food and drug certification agency in Indonesia.
To ensure high levels of visibility and transparency, Yili says the site will be open to the public whenever the factory is in full operation, and consumers can watch the whole production process as it unfolds.
Liked this article? Subscribe to Food Business Africa News, our regular email newsletters with the latest news insights from Africa and the World’s food and agro industry. SUBSCRIBE HERE
