Nestlé has announced the inauguration of two new production units at its Purina pet food factory in Hungary, resulting in a significant 66% increase in output.
This expansion will raise the annual production capacity of the facility from around 150,000 tonnes to 250,000 tonnes.
Nestlé has injected nearly Ft90 billion ($245.5 million) into this project, bringing the food giant’s total investment in the Purina pet food factory to Ft268 billion over the past 25 years.
The expansion has led to the creation of approximately 280 new job opportunities, and it will also introduce an additional 100 robots to the factory’s machinery lineup.
Situated in Bük in north-western Hungary, the factory exports a staggering 95% of its products to 50 different countries. Nestlé has characterized this plant as the “central hub” of its European pet food production.
Péter Noszek, the CEO of Nestlé’s business in Hungary, said, “As one of the largest employers in the region, the Nestlé Purina factory in Bük will create more than 500 new jobs in the city between 2020 and 2025, thanks to its vigorous development and continuous investment.”
Nestlé operates three manufacturing facilities in Hungary, including a chocolate plant located in Diósgyőr and a beverage powder facility situated in Szerencs, which also houses a sensory testing center.
In its July announcement of first-half results, Nestlé noted that its Purina Petcare division had played a pivotal role in driving the company’s organic sales growth on a global scale. The division achieved first-half sales of Sfr9.37 billion ($10.28 billion), marking an increase from Sfr8.59 billion compared to the previous year. Furthermore, the unit’s underlying operating profit for the first half of 2023 reached Sfr1.96 billion, a significant improvement compared to Sfr1.64 billion in the corresponding period of 2022.
So far in 2023, Nestlé has revealed its plans to invest in expanding production across its range of product categories in several key markets, including Italy, Egypt, Brazil, and India.
