July 21, 2003

CJ Corp's Corp Main Soybean Crushing Line Restart Operations After Recent Fire

South Korea's biggest food company, CJ Corp., started operating its main soybean crushing line in Incheon Monday after a fire damaged the line more than a month earlier.

"We started crushing today (Monday). Both lines are now operating," said an official from the oilseeds section.

In early June, a fire at CJ Corp.'s main crushing facility in Incheon damaged one of its two production lines. The affected line normally crushes 1,150 metric tons of soybeans to produce 800 tons of soymeal a day. Soymeal is an ingredient for animal feed.

After the fire, the company said that it would take about a month before the line can start running again.

"The line is operating at 60% capacity now. I think it will take five more days before it can run (at) full" capacity, said the official Monday.

The fire had minimal impact on the smaller line that crushes 700 tons of soybeans for 500 tons of soymeal a day.

Shindongbang Corp., South Korea's other crusher, expanded its capacity temporarily to help take over some of CJ Corp.'s crushing volume when the latter was in the process of repairing its affected line.