Hochland plans expansion in Europe
German dairy group Hochland SE has set aside more than €100 million for investments and extensive construction projects, which are already underway at many locations in the Hochland Group. In the coming years, production buildings and additional capacities will be created in order to be prepared for further growth, the company says.
Over the next few years, a flexible production facility will be built in Dieue-sur-Meuse, France, where different types of milk can be processed into soft cheese, cream cheese, and hard and semi-hard cheese. The plant is set to become a best practice example in terms of sustainability throughout the group due to its processing of recyclable packaging and the reduction of carbon footprint, Hochland noted.
In 2021, not only were the milk receiving lanes renovated and the gallery for milk buffer tanks expanded, the soft cheese ripening rooms also underwent renovation, and the wastewater treatment plant was renewed. Finally, the construction of a new employee parking lot has been implemented.
In Schongau, German ground was broken in mid-March 2021 for the new, fully automated high-bay warehouse. It will be equipped with two climate zones and around 10,000 pallet spaces for refrigerated finished goods, non-refrigerated auxiliary and operating materials, more than tripling the existing storage capacities at the site. Completion is scheduled for July.
The production of Gervais cottage cheese was additionally relocated to Schongau last year. To this end, existing production facilities were converted, and new equipment installed. So capacities to produce white cheese will be expanded by 2023.
In Heimenkirch the preparatory work has begun on a new shipping building, a high-bay warehouse, and a parking garage with over 700 parking spaces, all part of an overall concept with which Hochland is taking its development into its own hands for the next ten years.
Hochland is not only investing in its sites. In the coming years, many millions will be used to further expand, for example in the areas of sustainability and animal welfare, the company noted. To ensure that this can be implemented effectively, Hochland farmers will receive appropriate supplements on their milk payments.
