The joint venture between Muntons, a leading British malted ingredients manufacturer, and Southeast Asia life science ingredients specialist Jebsen & Jessen, invested US$17.5m in the new plant, which will have a production capacity of 7,000 tonnes a year.
Located in Chonburi, near Bangkok’s deep sea port, the plant will manufacture specialty malted food ingredients to supply a growing market of food processing customers in Southeast Asia.
“This joint-venture underscores our strategic desire to play a greater role in the value chain of the products and services that we provide to the market,” said Heinrich Jessen, chairman of the Singapore-headquartered company.
For Muntons, which has had a long tradition of supplying ingredients across Southeast Asia, the joint venture facility is “the realisation of a dream that started some years ago,” according to Alan Ridealgh, its managing director.
The manufacturing flexibility and economies of scale at the facility are also unmatched in the industry, according to Colin Whitehouse, general manager of the joint-venture.
“The vacuum drier is one of the largest ever built. All process equipment is very much automated, which is why we only need 23 staff, including 15 direct production operators, to operate the factory 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
The site will be supported by its own quality assurance facility, a dedicated Muntons regional innovation center as well as Jebsen & Jessen’s regional application laboratory in Bangkok.