Firmenich Unveils Its Largest Flavors Plant To DateFirmenich Unveils Its Largest Flavors Plant To Date

Scents and flavors manufacturer Firmenich opened the company’s largest flavor production plant across its global footprint on Friday in the Zhangjiagang Free Trade Zone in China as part of a move to meet increasing consumer demand within the Asian country. 

“This significant investment in Zhangjiagang reinforces our long-term commitment to China, our second-largest market worldwide,” Gilbert Ghostine, chief executive officer of Firmenich, said in a statement. “This world-class plant massively scales-up our capacity to meet our customers’ demand for innovative and fast-to-market taste solution.”

The new site includes advanced manufacturing systems and was designed to meet high quality, health, safety, security, and environmental standards, the company said in a release announcing the debut of the plant. 

“This digitally-advanced and highly sustainable plant marks a critical milestone on our journey to shaping the factory of the future,” said Firmenich’s chief supply chain officer, Boet Brinkgreve, in the release. “With a 70% automation rate, this new plant will boost our customer service, without any compromise on quality, safety, and environmental performance, which is non-negotiable for us.”

Firmenich said the Zhangjiagang facility contains zero waste-to-landfill technology that enables the firm to purify and recycle all waste water generated at the plant. The company also installed integrated air treatment, lighting, and building components to lower the site’s energy needs and recover heat. 

“We’ve been working to delight Chinese consumers with our broad range of local flavors in everything from dairy drinks to tea and noodles for many years,” President of Flavors Emmanuel Butstraen said in a statement. “This will enable us to produce locally highly differentiating technologies that can meet Chinese consumers’ new discerning tastes.”

The company also operates manufacturing sites in Shanghai and Kunming in China, as well as a network of commercial facilities in the country. 

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