Kerry Group is the world’s leading taste and nutrition company serving the food and beverage industries, has now invested €20m in an advanced manufacturing plant in Tumkuru, Karnataka.
The new, state-of-the-art 40,585sq m facility, located 120km from Bengaluru, will serve Kerry Taste and Nutrition’s global and regional customers in the South-West Asia (SWA) region, with Kerry Taste and Beverage systems for the fast-growing retail and foodservice markets.
The facility is the group’s fourth significant investment in India, and supports 150 new jobs in factory management and production, with further expansion and an additional 150 jobs planned when running at full capacity in the future.
“Our Tumkuru facility will enable Kerry to offer a broader range of technologies, and more comprehensive scientific research and innovation and application expertise across Kerry’s taste and beverage systems, to our customers with unrivalled speed,” said Scott Scharinger, vice-president and general manager, SWA, Kerry.
Further, the facility also supports Kerry’s ambition for sustainable production. The site is equipped with energy-efficient LED technology and maximises natural light to reduce energy consumption. Utilities make use of solar power, and the site has been constructed with capacity to deliver more of its future energy needs from renewable sources.
Water harvesting measures reduce water intake and the facility will deliver significant water efficiencies, with waste water treated and re-used on site to achieve zero liquid discharge. The site also operates as zero waste to landfill, with waste volumes segregated and sent for recycling and recovery of resources.
The new site was officially opened by Brian McElduff, Ireland’s ambassador to India, who reinforced Kerry’s commitment to the South-West Asia region.
“The investment serves as a welcome vote of confidence in India, and further supports growing business relations and bi-lateral trade between the two countries,” he added.
Activities at the official inauguration included a traditional welcome and lamp lighting, a ribbon cutting ceremony, the unveiling of a stone plaque, and speeches by chairman Philip Toomey, McElduff, Kerry Group’s vice-president, corporate Affairs, Catherine Keogh, and president and chief executive officer, APMEA (Asia Pacific, the Middle-East and Africa), John Savage, amongst other regional leaders.
The opening was also attended by local government officials from Tumkuru, members from Enterprise Ireland and some of Kerry’s customers and distributors in the region.
