The new production and filling line has been developed exclusively for dairy products such as milk and cream yogurts and puddings. The new facility features Tetra Pak technology production equipment, and the company believes it now possesses a state-of-the-art plant compatible to anything in western Europe.
Almix and Tetra Therm Aseptoc Flex units from Sweden and a Hassia filling line from Germany are being used. The capacity of the yoghurt filling line is 5,000 kg per hour, and the machine forms 125 g cups and enables aseptic filling.
WBD says that the Kharkov Dairy Plant will produce a range of four-cup milk yogurts under its Frugurt trademark along with milk and milk-cream yogurts under the Chudo trademark. These products were previously made at Wimm-Bill-Dann's manufacturing facilities in Russia and imported to Ukraine. Wimm Bill Dann believes that by investing in its Ukrainian facilities, it can better serve its customer base there and cut down on transportation costs. The investment also fits with the company's strategy of enhancing operating efficiency through the introduction of the latest technology.
The Kharkov dairy plant is one of the largest milk processing facilities in Ukraine. It was built in 1973 under a special project designed by the Ukrainian State Meat and Dairy Industry Design Institute. Its input design processing capacity is 500 tons per day. In September, 2002 theKharkov dairy plant became affiliated with Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods, which purchased 76.8 per cent of its shares. Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods is a leading manufacturer of dairy and juice products in Russia. The company was founded in 1992 and currently owns 24 manufacturing facilities in 20 locations in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
It also has affiliates in 26 cities in Russia and the CIS and distributes its products in Canada, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, the UK and the United States through both its own distribution network and independent distributors.