UAE food giant NFPC begins construction of factory in Abu Dhabi Ports' Kizad

Energy-saving facility will be one of the first fully automated in the world

Abu Dhabi, UAE - 25 February 2016:  Abu Dhabi Ports, the master developer, operator and manager of ports and Khalifa Industrial Zone (Kizad) in the Emirate, announced the launch of construction activities of National Food Product Company’s (NFPC) new 752,000-sq metre production facility in Kizad.

NFPC is one of the largest food producers in the UAE, known for its market leading products such as Oasis, Blu, Milco, Lacnor and Gulf & Safa. The facility, which will manufacture most of NFPC brands, is expected to start operations in the first quarter of 2018.

The factory will be constructed at Kizad’s food cluster where many global and regional food-industry clients have already set up their businesses.  It will feature advanced technology solutions in par with the world’s leading water, juice and dairy facilities. It will also be one of the first fully automated facilities in the world.
 
The ground breaking ceremony was attended by senior management officials from both companies including key partners of NFPC. The ceremony coincides with Abu Dhabi Ports’ and NFPC participation at Gulfood, the largest gathering of food, beverage & hospitality suppliers in the region.

Commenting on the occasion, Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports, said: “By hosting NFPC as our anchor tenant, Kizad’s food cluster will significantly contribute towards the efforts to meet the growing food demand in the GCC, especially in the UAE.  NFPC’s ambitious expansion plans are timely as the food consumption in the GCC is expected to grow at a 3.5 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2014 and 2019 to reach 51.9 million metric tonnes (MT),” he said.

“Kizad’s food cluster along with Khalifa Port’s multimodal connectivity is fully equipped to support the UAE’s efforts to increase food production to meet this growing demand,” Al Shamisi added.

NFPC key Partner, President and CEO Fady Antonios said: "The start of construction of the mega facility at Kizad is a key milestone in developing our operational capabilities to enable a new paradigm of growth for our market leading brands in the food and beverage sector.”

Faraj Bin Hamoodah, Chairman of the board and key partner of NFPC added: "The location of Kizad between the two largest economies of the UAE coupled with access to Khalifa Port’s excellent infrastructure and connectivity of NFPC facility to the future Etihad Rail will create a strategic advantage for us to efficiently reach existing and new markets."

The first phase of the NFPC facility with energy and water saving features will comprise of 5-gallonwater bottling plant, MILCO dairy, LACNOR juice, and OASIS small water bottling plant under one roof.

The 120,000-sq metre MILCO/LACNOR/OASIS plant will comprise of modern amenities and operate as a green building using solar panels to generate hot water and thermal energy.

Additionally, a waste water treatment plant, a 10,000 sq. metre office building, and a 2800 sq. metre central district cooling plant with a total capacity of 18,000 tons of refrigeration and a plot-wide infrastructure and roads network shall also be constructed under Phase-1.

The 45,000-sq metre, 5-gallonwater bottling plant has an hourly capacity of 12,000 bottles (20 litres) and is set to be one of the biggest in the world. The bottling plant of Oasis retail bottles (1.5 litres, 0.5 litre, 0.33 litre) with hourly capacity of 72,000 bottles and fully integrated lines, will produce minimum bottles and caps weights not yet reached in Asia.

The second phase of the project will comprise of a fully automated packaging factory producing tailored containers for the food industry, a modern recycling plant to manufacture products using waste materials, and the largest fully automated cold store with a capacity of about 150,000 tons to serve Khalifa Port customers and other ancillary buildings. The total built- up area of the second phase is approximately 150,000 sq. metres.