Food Union (FUN), a dairy brand with origins in Europe, is changing the landscape of the dairy market in China with the completion of two new, state-of-the-art greenfield plants in Dong Ying and Hoh Hot City.

The dairies, which started production in June 2018, offer fresh and long-life European-style products, including yogurts, milks, fresh cheeses, and flavored nutritional beverages, designed to entice Chinese consumers with fresh tastes, high nutritional value, and premium quality. The new plants are in line with the strategy and work defined by the Chinese government to enhance local dairy capability in terms of safety, quality, and sustainability.

The two liquid dairy plants were simultaneously designed, engineered, and constructed, leveraging SPX Flow experience and technology to deliver premium products, while adhering to strict food safety practices. They incorporate advanced breakthrough technologies in dairy processing, including the one-step LeanCreme microparticulation process and Infusion ultra-high temperature (UHT) sterilization system. 

Efficiency and sustainability were fully considered and planned for during the design stages. Meanwhile built-in flexibility ensured highly competitive production with the ability to double capacity in the future. A further part of the project included a multi-year preventative maintenance contract, based on integrated services to keep the plants optimized and running smoothly. This strategic move by FUN also provides it with an additional level of protection for product consistency, consumer experience and, ultimately, its brand reputation for premium, safe, and innovative dairy products.

Simultaneously delivering two complete dairies geographically far apart took a great deal of experience, seamless collaboration, and highly professional project management skills. The huge success and interest surrounding the projects, which raised the bar in terms of China’s dairy processing capability, has led to SPX FLOW releasing an overview video on how the project was handled, technologies involved, and what this means for China’s dairy market. 

“Few companies have the global capability to deliver projects such as these and it has been delightful working with FUN, which is an innovative and forward-looking company,” said Jason Westwood, VP, food & beverage Asia Pacific at SPX Flow. “The success of the project required global collaboration with the transfer of European dairy processing concepts into solutions to meet the needs of the Chinese market."

With its new dairies, FUN has the capability to locally produce and introduce new dairy products to the Chinese market. 

“It is an exciting time for China’s dairy industry,” said Westwood. “We are part of helping to set new standards to move the industry forward, which is why we thought a video to share our two-year journey and the story of the project would be of interest. The new plants are very much in line with local government policy to enhance dairy capability, efficiency, and food safety in China. It will be interesting to see just how much impact FUN has on consumer trends and what developments follow in China.”

Find out more about the FUN China Dairy Projects and how they were delivered.