DMK Group opens new 145m euro baby food plant in Germany

DMK Group has opened a new high-tech baby food facility in Strückhausen, Germany, after investing €145 million to convert a former DMK dairy plant.

The new plant will act as the main production site for the company’s Humana baby food brand, and will be capable of processing up to 40 million kg of GM-free milk per year once the site is fully operational.

DMK says that the significant investment has outfitted the plant with cutting-edge technology, high-quality infrastructure and energy-saving processes and equipment, guaranteeing that baby milk formula produced at the site will consist of the highest-quality powder.

Baby milk formula produced at the site will be used for products for both the German market and for other international markets such as Spain, Poland and Italy.

Approximately 170 employees are already working at the site, and DMK plans to increase this to around 230 employees by 2020.

Ingo Müller, CEO of the DMK Group, said: “The conversion has enabled us to fulfil the requirements for further strategic alignment between the DMK Group and the Humana brand.

“The investment will allow us to meet the requirements of state-of-the-art baby food production in the future too, both in terms of our own production capacity and our customers’ quality, sustainability and flexibility requirements.

“The investment in Strückhausen is also a clear commitment to the northwest region for us, where we are creating jobs for people in structurally weak, rural areas.

“The DMK Group makes its contribution to the continued economic development of the region in terms of its plants in Strückhausen, Edewecht, Zeven and the administration location in Bremen, which overall provide more than 2,500 jobs.”

The new site will also allow DMK to increase production of the resealable, protective baby formula packs used for its myHumana brand.

COO of DMK’s Baby food division, Stefan Eckert, added: “This [new plant] paves the way for further growth. Since October 2018, the myHumana Pack has been available for our Humana mothers on the shelves in Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Poland.

“The feedback we have received has been beyond positive. I am therefore even more pleased that we can continue to get the new Humana brand home base in Strückhausen off to a flying start.”