Dutch Lady RM540mil factory set to begin ops

Dutch Lady Milk Industries Bhd managing director Ramjeet Kaur Virik.

SEREMBAN: Dutch Lady Milk Industries Bhd’s (DLMI) state-of-the-art RM540mil manufacturing facility here is set to be fully operational by July, says its managing director Ramjeet Kaur Virik.

The plant, located on a 13.2ha site at the Bandar Enstek halal hub and which is thrice the size of its present facility in Petaling Jaya, will also double the existing production capacity once it is fully commissioned.

“I am delighted to announce that we will be operational by this year after several years of hard work together with the relevant stakeholders to bring the project to fruition.

“DLMI@Enstek is our strong commitment to nation building and at the same time, rapidly embracing the latest food technologies on par with global best practises,” she said at the official opening of the facility by the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir.

Its inauguration was also held in conjunction with World Milk Day, which falls on June 1.

DLMI, which is the country’s leading dairy company, started operations in Malaysia in 1963 following the opening of its plant in Petaling Jaya.

Ramjeet said three lines were already fully operational at the new plant and the remaining ones would be commissioned next month.

“The construction under phase one has been completed and most of our employees are already here, with the last batch moving in by next month.

“Once we have stabilised and all goes live, we will decommission the Petaling Jaya facility in the third quarter of this year,” she said, adding that the new manufacturing facility was integrated with Industry 4.0 technology to meet Malaysian and regional demand.

Ramjeet said although the new plant has doubled the capacity compared to the one in Petaling Jaya, there is sufficient land at DLMI@Enstek for future expansion.

“We also have extra land next to the current main building, so actually we can have four times the capacity we have in Petaling Jaya if there is higher demand in the future,” she said, adding that DLMI is the largest purchaser of local fresh milk, as it sources 55% of its supply from local farmers.

Ramjeet said DLMI’s significant investment in Negri Sembilan was its commitment towards building long-term public-private partnerships to help improve Malaysia’s dairy sector, particularly in raw milk production as well as to combat the triple burden of malnutrition in different segments of society.

Ramjeet said with new technologies and processes, DLIM @Enstek is poised to become Malaysia’s first smart-dairy factory with innovations from the lowest to the highest levels.

She said DLMI, which had been exporting its products to a few countries, may also look for new markets once it is able to increase production capacity.

“We belong to FrieslandCampina, which is operating in over 100 countries. And since we are part of its supply chain network, we hope to be able to export to more markets,” she added.

Ramjeet said DLMI@Enstek will also be open to the public where they will be able to learn more about the processes, animal welfare and the dairy industry.

Also present at the event were the Netherlands ambassador to Malaysia Jacques Werner and FrieslandCampina chief executive officer Jan Derck van Karnebeek.

FrieslandCampina is the main shareholder of DLMI.

Karnebeek in his speech said the group was proud of its investments in Malaysia and the new facility will enable DLMI to continue producing high-quality dairy products for Malaysians and the region.

He added that the Netherlands-based FrieslandCampina has consistently aided and supported local dairy farmers with the latest techniques and technology in collaboration with local authorities.