August 31, 2007

 

Betagro Group to expand further in Thailand
 

Press release
 

 

To achieve its targeted level of international competitiveness, Betagro Group's management decided in 2003 to build a state-of-the-art feed manufacturing plant. The plant is located in Thailand's Lop Buri province north-west of Bangkok.

 

Designed solely for making broiler and breeder feeds, the new plant complies with highly stringent sanitation regulations to allow export to the United Kingdom and Japan.

 

Following detailed planning, Switzerland-based Buhler was awarded the contract in July 2004 to supply the new facility with a capacity of 80 tonnes/hour. The order comprises the conveyors, two grinding lines, one blending and mixing line, and two systems for pelleting and shipping the chicken feed.

 

During installation of these facilities, Betagro also ordered a third grinding and pelleting line, forming three advanced HYSYS pelleting systems.

 

The first stage of the new feed manufacturing plant went into service in the summer of 2005, and final construction work was completed in the spring of 2006.

 

In November 2006, the plant's operating personnel underwent training in Uzwil, Switzerland. On Jan 19, 2007, Betagro Chairman Dr Chaivat Taepaisitphongse officially inaugurated the new facility in the presence of high­ranking government officials.

 

In addition to the new export facility for chicken feed, Betagro Group also constructed a Buhler­equipped factory for producing aquafeeds in Lop Buri.

 

Betagro now operates a total of eight Buhler­supplied feed manufacturing plants with a total monthly output of 120,000 tonnes, which is equivalent to the entire formulated feed output of Switzerland. Broiler feeds account for 50 percent of total production, pig feeds for 30 percent, and layer feeds and petfood for dogs, cats, and fish for 20 percent.

 

The construction of two new factories and the expansion of an existing feed manufacturing plant have already been decided. In addition, a new in­house study is in progress for the construction of two more feed mills in the south and in the north-west of Thailand.

 

Official forecasts predict that demand for animal feeds in Thailand will increase in 2007 by 7 percent to 11.5 million tonnes. Chicken feeds account for the bulk of this volume at 6.325 million tonnes or 55 percent. Betagro Group's market share of this total is 15 percent. As a comparison, China produces between 80 and 100 million tonnes of formulated feeds annually.

 

With Thai chicken farmers aiming to export about 300,000 tonnes of poultry meat in the current year, domestic demand for chicken feed is high.

 

Buhler is a global leader in the supply of process engineering solutions, especially production technologies for making foods and engineering materials. The group is present in over 140 countries and employs some 6,600 people. In fiscal 2006, the group generated sales of CHF1.613 billion (about US$1.338 billion).

 

 

                             Betagro Group's new chicken feed factory in Thailand's Lop Buri province

 

For more information on the Betagro project, please contact:

 

J¡§¹rg Solenthaler, Area Manager at Buhler Uzwil

Tel: +41-71-955-30-61

Fax: +41-71-955-28-96

E-mail: juerg.solenthaler@buhlergroup.com

 

Urs Baumann, Sales Manager at Buhler Bangkok, Thailand

Tel: +66-2-367-1102

Fax: +66-2-367-1108

Mobile: +66-1-819-3774

E-mail: urs.baumann@buhlergroup.com