Valio opens 170m euro dairy production plant in Finland

Dairy manufacturer Valio has inaugurated its €170 million plant in Finland as it aims to become a more competitive exporter.

Located in the southern town of Riihimäki, construction of the five-storey building took three years. Around 440 people are employed at the facility and the company estimates it will have an annual production capacity of 120 million kilos.

In the first phase, the plant will manufacture products that are already familiar to Finnish consumers, such as the Valiojogurtti series. With its modern technology, Valio said the site will enable it to expand its product development, providing benefits to customers in the form of innovative snack products.

The plant uses about 30% less energy per unit of production than the old Riihimäki factory. It is said to make efficient use of the waste heat generated during manufacturing. In the new refrigerated warehouse, products are cooled by a free cooling method so that in colder weather the low outside temperature is used to make the process more energy efficient. More than three-quarters of the thermal energy used comes from renewable resources.

Material flows are also more efficient as there are ‘no unnecessary intermediate steps’ with products going from one stage to another without excessive handling.

Valio CEO Annikka Hurme said: “Innovativeness, a wonderful taste, and responsible manufacturing practices – these are the things that people expect from their snacks, and our new snack plant meets these needs.

“The plant is a concrete example of how seriously we take our responsibilities, since many loss-reducing and natural resource-saving choices were made in its planning and construction. The new plant also combines Valio Riihimäki’s 50-year tradition of yoghurt manufacturing with the most advanced technology.”

Valio chairman of the board Vesa Kaunisto added: “This modern snack plant makes us even more competitive, both in Finland and on the export market.”