December 9, 2013
Fonterra held the official opening of the world's largest milk powder drier at the Co-operative's Darfield site in New Zealand.
The milk powder drier, which has already produced more than 50,000 tonnes of whole milk powder since it kicked into gear, was officially opened by Selwyn Member of Parliament and minister for the environment, Amy Adams as part of a public open day.
Fonterra's director of New Zealand operations, Robert Spurway, said the completion of Darfield's second stage was great for the local community and means that Fonterra can make the most of the Co-operative's milk produced in the South Island.
"Canterbury is New Zealand's fastest-growing dairying region. The completion of Darfield Stage Two means that Fonterra can continue to process the increasing milk volumes and meet the growing demand from customers around the world for quality New Zealand dairy nutrition.
"The milk powder produced at Darfield will be exported to more than 20 markets worldwide including the Middle East, China and Southeast Asia, offering Fonterra the opportunity to continue to build its global presence overseas."
Spurway said the addition of Darfield Stage Two supports the Co-operative's strategy of optimising its farmers' milk, whilst streamlining its operations and supply chain.
"Drier Two will help us to process more milk and optimise production to ensure that we are getting the best value for every drop of our farmers' milk - even during times of peak milk flow."
Darfield's Drier Two is the world's largest milk powder drier, which has the capacity to produce up to 30 tonnes of whole milk powder per hour, and 700 tonnes per day.
Fonterra is a global leader in dairy nutrition and the preferred supplier of dairy ingredients to many of the world's leading food companies. The farmer-owned New Zealand co-operative is the largest processor of milk in the world, producing more than two million tonnes of dairy ingredients, value added dairy ingredients, specialty ingredients and consumer products every year.
