Bel Group
Bel Group meets demand with groundbreaking South Dakota site
Bel Group
BEL GROUP
meets demand with groundbreaking South Dakota site Written by: Matthew Staff Produced by: Craig Daniels
2
New plant in Brookings
Bel Brands USA is capitalising on the US’ worldleading snacking market as it brings the best of the wider company’s processes and technologies to produce its Mini Babybel brand in Brookings 3
Bel Group Boosts efficiencies through lean optimisation
B
el Group is three months away from beginning production at its new Brookings site in South Dakota as the company’s latest international expansion promises to meet ever-growing demand. The new plant will produce Bel’s world-renowned Mini Babybel brand, capitalising on the extensive healthy snacking market in the US and further bridging the gap between the manufacturer and consumers. Bel Americas & Asia Pacific’s President and Bel Brand’s Chief Executive Officer, Frederic Nalis is excited by the size and volume of
Xxxxxxxx 4
productivity that the new plant will offer when it opens its doors in July. “We have a portfolio of brands in the US made up of the group’s core international brands and the Brookings project came from the ambition to build new capacity in the US to meet demand for Mini Babybel,” he said. Bel Group has now entrusted its US subsidiary, Bel Brands USA with the investment and global support to replicate the manufacturing success of the product in Europe, in the US, where Brookings will prove to be a model for quality, security, cost efficiency and competitiveness.
We have a portfolio of brands in the US made up of the group’s core international brands and the Brookings project came from the ambition to build new capacity in the US to meet demand for Mini Babybel” Frederic Nalis
Group benchmark The plant was constructed with a potential second phase in mind, the expansion of which is contingent on anticipated increased market demands. The land available to Bel Group in Brookings is large enough to double the capacity of the initial plant when needed. “We have essentially constructed phase one of the plant but everything has already been
—Frederic Nalis, President of Bel Americas & Asia Pacific and Chief Executive Officer of Bel Brands USA
prepared to double the capacity of the plant if the demand is there,” Nalis said. “For now, we are focusing on the start of production this July. “The construction is complete, and between now and July we’re qualifying all the equipment, qualifying the formulations and carrying out all the pretests required before going into production.” Once fully utilised, the plant will 5
Bel Group Supplier Profile
Bosgraaf Group Bosgraaf Group strives after the most innovative tailor made solutions for cheese pressing, brining and treatment systems. We combine 35 years of experience with high performance, hygienic design and sustainability to offer you modern and state of the art cheese production lines for hard and semi-hard cheese. Whether you need our special whey optimal system to collect a maximum of high quality whey or you would like to use robots in your mouldhandlingand treatment lines, both resulting in low energy consumption and minimal cleaning, we offer you the best suitable solutions fitting your needs. From first ideas to the realization of a green field plant or optimizing an existing cheese system, Bosgraaf Group offers the total package and is your international specialist in solutions for mouldhandling and pressing systems, rack brining, cheese treatment- and maturation installations. Visit us online:
account for a 10,000 tonne capacity in the manufacturing of its Mini Babybel product, complimenting the sheer volume with best-in-class machinery and technologies. “All the machines inside have already been commissioned and have been tested from a mechanical standpoint, and we have started to actually run milk through different parts of the machines to qualify the different sub-components for cheese production,” Nalis explained. “We have taken 35 years of continuous improvement from our leading facility in France and applied those progressive learnings into the Brookings site. “This plant has technologies from the same generation so are fully harmonised and automated where possible, while dual technologies help us utilise everything we could to encourage efficiency.” Transferred knowhow From a personnel perspective, the same preparations are taking place with the 50 employees already recruited from the surrounding area. Nalis predicts that the workforce will be mostly domestically sourced and, where possible, the company will look to capitalise on the industrial capabilities of South Dakota itself to aid employment opportunities in the region. 7
Doeschot bv from Alkmaar congratulates the Bel Leerdammer Company with their new robotic controlled cheese treatment line.
We develop in close cooperation with our robotic suppliers a customized line for the treatment of cheeses of several sizes, such as turning, coating, labelling, banderolling, scrubbing and waxing. It is the most advanced line in Europe. Please visit our website for more information.
Koelmalaan 326, 1812 PS Alkmaar T: +31 (0)72 54 11555 • www.doeschot.nl
of several sizes, such as turning, coating, labelling, banderolling, scrubbing and waxing. It is the most advanced line in Europe.
Bel Group
Please visit our website Supplier Profile for more information.
Doeschot Doeschot located in Alkmaar, the Netherlands, is specialized in developing, producing and installing of cheese treatment systems, including stand alone machines, inline machinery and robotic lines. A diverse range of machinery for waxing, coating, shelf scrubbing, labelling, washing and drying, all customized to the needs of the customer and for several cheese dimensions. Since 1896 our company is familiar with cheese as located in the cheese city of Holland, Alkmaar. During the last 100 years we have specialized in the cheese business. We deliver according to the standards of the HACCP or the American FDA standards. Other activities are fire fighting systems for traffic tunnels and Core Scanners for automated analysis by X-ray Fluorescence spectroscopy. Doeschot has 35 employees and produces machinery for all over the world; from Norway to Tasmania and from China to the USA.
Website: www.doeschot.nl
Visit us online:
Working for an organisation of Bel Group’s reputation requires a committed level of investment from both employer and employee Koelmalaan 326, 1812 PS Alkmaar though, which, once again, has T: +31 (0)72 54 11555 • www.doeschot.nl already been put into motion. “All of the managers we have recruited so far have been trained and several have been sent to France to learn in the most up-todate facility we have so far in the world,” Nalis said. “We also have people from that plant coming over here to train people on the ground, which has also essentially been completed in line with the commissioning of the machines. “There is a lot of transferred knowhow across the Group and we will be looking to replicate the processes from our lead facility in France to the new facility here in Brookings.” Environmentally certified A key issue taken into account through the design phase of the plant’s construction is the implementation of environmentallyfriendly processes, staying true to the principles of efficiency and lean optimisation synonymous with the Bel organisation. To this end, Brookings will have environmental certification from the offset, once again ensuring that 9
Can you guarantee the source of your raw materials?
Are you in compliance with regulatory requirements?
What is the status of my order?
What timeframe can you give me?
Do you want to know how Actemium answered these questions for Bel Leerdammer? Contact Peter de Wit, peter.dwit@actemium.com
YOUR FOOd & LIQUIdS SpecIaLISt INdUStRIaL aUtOMatION Operational improvement, increase in efficiency, process optimisation by functional industrial automation and IT, building related systems and service & maintenance.
waxes, coatings and packaging adhesives
caLIBRatION More than controlling the measurement device. Your calibration partner for pressure, temperature, (mass) flow , weight and conductivity but also for the validation of your processes and producing energy balances. StORk techNIcaL SeRvIceS T +31 (0) 314 684 545(Industrial Automation) T +31 (0) 58 284 4600 (Calibration) www.storktechnicalservices.com
Bel Group Supplier Profile
Actemium Our expert teams specialise in electrical engineering, industrial automation and IT, as well as instrumentation and mechanics, design and extend pertinent proposals, from the consultancy phase through to implementation, commissioning and assistance. Website: www.actemium.co.uk
Visit us online:
production gets off on the best foot possible, but also, with room for further improvement as the site develops. “From an environmental standpoint, we will be at a very high standard from day one and will continue to look into progress areas once the plant is running,” Nalis said. “When you compare it against other sites we have around the world though, we are already at that great standard.” This focus revolves around two key areas; namely, water and waste management. The wider Group’s sustainability report highlights these as pivotal to the overall energy
Babybel peeling technique 11
Your Partner in Quality Assurance in Agrofood Milk and dairy product analysis Reference and pilot samples Proficiency testing Inspections, audits and certification +31 (0)88 754 70 00 info@qlip.com www.qlip.com
Bel Group Supplier Profile
Hylkema RVS B.V. Hylkema RVS is your reliable partner in advising, guiding, constructing and editing all your process engineering projects. • Process plants • Pipe systems • Maintenance & Overhaul • Project support
Website: www.hylkemarvs.nl Visit us online:
There is a lot of transferred knowhow across the Group and we will be looking to replicate the processes from our lead facility in France to the new facility here in Brookings” — Frederic Nalis
consumption of the business and efficiency of the manufacturing process. Nalis continued: “We have made significant progress on these two fronts across the whole group, so in the designing of this plant we have tried to implement all the elements that we knew would deliver good performances in those areas. “As we begin operations, we already have a great water treatment plant in the perimeter of the plant, while also capturing the physical waste. All the latest improvements the group has in this area have been incorporated into the design of the Brookings plant.” Overcoming challenges The protection and management of the environment is also seen through the management of the workforce through its indepth People First programme, particularly in the area of safety. While Safety is a top priority across the entire Group, Nalis has been specifically encouraged by the way challenges have been dealt with so far in the Brookings development. He explained: “The first challenge simply relates to the size of the project. “With most industrial sites, you construct for a certain level and then build up the phases, and at the 13
Bel Group Supplier Profile
Solving Efeso Solving Efeso is a top management consultancy firm with a leading reputation for connecting strategy with action. Our mission is to support client organisations in releasing the opportunities “locked� in their value chains to raise company competitiveness and provide substantial, tangible and lasting gains. Website: www.solvingefeso.com Visit us online:
end of 20 to 25 years, you may end up with an optimal site from a flow standpoint. However, this site will be big from day one.� Physical stature is one thing, but filling the plant with technologies and techniques worthy of such a large construction presented Bel Group with another challenge. Again, the challenge has been risen to with all equipment ready to work simultaneously and collaboratively to ensure the plant begins more quickly than with any other Mini Babybel factory throughout the history of the Group. Finally, being relatively far removed from a large city, attracting the required niche skills presented a
15
Bel Group
We made several visits to the Midwest and places that we thought had a business-friendly environment while also having longterm potential for milk accessibility and the overall package in Brookings was the best we could find” — Frederic Nalis 16
potential issue in finding necessary mechanics, electricians and skilled labourers in such an important mass hiring operation. “This is a work in progress, but so far we’ve managed to overcome these challenges and we are confident that we have the means to bring the most qualified workforce possible together in time for July,” Nalis explained. Enabling growth As the final preparations are made, Nalis is now able to reflect on the hard work that has occurred in getting the Brookings site to the exciting position it is now in, and remains just as confident about the plant’s potential as he was when the Group decided upon the location.
STATISTICS
“Brookings is a great area because it is near to a good university, a thriving dairy industry in the state, and the business environment in general is very favourable,” he said. The South Dakota State University has a strong dairy science programme that will help ensure the ongoing talent flow in the region, naturally complimenting the extent of dairy farming that occurs locally. “The Midwest is one of the key regions in the US increasing their milk production right now and we see this trend continuing in the long-term,” Nalis continued. “We made several visits to the Midwest and places that we thought had a business-friendly environment while also having long-term potential for milk accessibility and the overall package in Brookings was the best we could find. “It is a site focused on serving the US market and is also a huge part of our overall industrial strategy for the Americas. “Brookings will be a key part of the overall US entity in continuously sustaining growth. This new Mini Babybel factory will enable us to satisfy the growing local demand and ensure proximity with our consumers.”
Industry: Food and drink Founded: 1865 Headquarters: Paris (France) Key People/Titles: Frederic Nalis, President of Bel Americas & Asia Pacific and CEO of Bel Brands USA Products: Mini Babybel, The Laughing Cow, Boursin, Kiri, Leerdammer Revenue: €2,720 million in 2013 at Group level Employees: Nearly 11,000 across the global Group Website:
www.bel-group.com www.belbrandsusa.com Visit us online:
17
Bel Group 30 South Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606 Tel: 312-267-1840 kmulcahy@belbrandsusa.com www.bel-group.com
Powered by:
http://digitalmediamarketing.com/
FIND OUT MORE >>