Danisco Reaffirms its Presence in India and Opens New Units

01 Mar 2008

This latest investment will strengthen our presence and commitment as a serious player in the region,’ says Anders Wilhjelm, Executive Vice President of Gums & Systems in Danisco.

With an investment of USD 6 million, Danisco is opening up two new separate manufacturing units for functional systems and for enzymes to serve South-Asian customers.

The investment consists of manufacturing plants, laboratories and offices and will employ additional 20 people in India. The laboratories will provide dedicated and tailor-made support to our local customers and deliver products specific to the needs of the Indian industries.

‘The SAARC region has been showing sustainable double-digit growth in Danisco, and the new functional systems plant will give us an edge to become one of the first international functional systems plants in the region. This latest investment will strengthen our presence and commitment as a serious player in the region,’ says Anders Wilhjelm, Executive Vice President of Gums & Systems in Danisco.

India, being the largest milk producer in the world with an annual production of more than 100 million tonnes and a growth rate of 3.8%, has a huge potential for value-added dairy products; the functional systems plant will initially produce blends for the ice cream market and will then move on to other dairy products.

‘India is an important growth market to Gums & Systems. It’s exciting to witness a market of 1 billion consumers experiencing good economic growth. As an ingredient leader we want to be at the forefront of this development and assist the Indian food industry in this growth story,’ says Anders Wilhjelm.

The industrial enzymes segment, of an estimated worth of USD 75 million, is another quickly growing market in India. Danisco wants to seize this opportunity by opening an enzyme manufacturing plant, operated by its Genencor enzyme division.

The plant will primarily produce enzyme blends to service the markets of animal nutrition, food and beverages, fuel ethanol, grain processing, laundry detergents and textiles.

The India textiles industry is a major market for Genencor, and the country’s second largest employment generator after agriculture, contributing about 14% to the country’s industrial production.

In addition, the opportunities presented in the various other industrial enzymes market segments are a key driver for Danisco to strengthen its position in the Indian market and add local capabilities and production capacity through its Genencor division.

‘Genencor has continuously been increasing its presence in India and investing in this market to satisfy quickly growing opportunities for its enzymes business,’ says Tjerk de Ruiter, CEO of Genencor division. ‘We have ambitious plans to take the expansion further with this important step, as the new plant will provide even stronger and reliable support to our local customer base.

We also consider it a first step in a series of developments that will enhance our commitment to the various industries we serve in India – by adding more of our industrial biotechnology capabilities and enzyme manufacturing capacity, our goal is to expand significantly in this emerging market.’

Source: Food Ingredients First