Nestlé commits to long-term investments

TO SECURE its position in the highly competitive ice cream industry, Nestlé Philippines Inc. (NPI) has last week inaugurated its new P700-million ice cream and chilled dairy factory in Pulilan, Bulacan. The new facility is expected to considerably improve the firm’s production efficiency and competitiveness in this product segment.
The new plant is manned by about 200 employees and is currently running on full capacity.
Nestlé did not divulge the capacity of the plant, although a company official said it will boost the efficiency and competitiveness of the firm’s ice cream and chilled dairy business.
Nestlé invested P700 million for the new plant, including allocations for state-of-the art production equipment and processes.  It is situated in a 4.5-hectare property in Pulilan and was completed in record 14 months.
The new facility replaces the old plant on Aurora Blvd. in Cubao, Quezon City. Nestle decision to move out of the old was also due to the expiring lease contract for the property.
In a statement, Dizon said the speedy completion of the factory was an organizational feat, considering that while construction was ongoing, production at the old Aurora factory continued, inventories of stocks had to be built up, and 220 personnel were transferred to the new site.
Van Beek said the company did not encounter bureaucratic problems with the local government of Pulilan that allowed the quick completion and startup of the factory. Miller said the company’s investments in Pulilan and elsewhere in the country are made with a long-term view. He said Nestle is committed to continuous innovation and renovation of its products, “make them affordable and available wherever, whenever and however, and by communicating their nutritional benefits.”