FMCG giant Nestle has announced the opening of a new pet food plant for its Purina brand, located in Teno in the Maule region of Chile
According to Economia y Negocios, the company has invested $120 million in the new plant, which it expects to produce 65,000 tons of pet food per year. This will enable the firm to supply 80% of its local market, instead of being reliant on imports from Brazil and Argentina as at present.
Among the features of the new plant is a distribution centre more than 10,000 sq m in size that is said to be semi-automated, enabling the optimisation of storage and logistics.
Laurent Freixe, Nestle’s executive president for the Americas, said: “We are proud of having accomplished this important project. Nestle sees great potential in Chile, and that is why the pet food that we previously imported is now going to be produced locally. We know that the country has the suppliers, workforce and technology that will enable it to be a focus of innovation in the region”.
The new factory will be exclusively focused on producing dry products from Nestle brands such as Dog Chow, Cat Chow, Doko, Gati and Purina Excellent. As well as serving the local market, the plant is expected to supply other countries in Latin America.
Source: Economia y Negocios