Mondelez International’s Manufacturing Plant Expansion

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Mondelez International opened a new state-of-art chocolate production line in its Skarbimierz facility in September 2015. Credit: Mondelez International. Mondelez’s production plant in Skarbimierz is one of its seven production plants in Poland. Credit: Mondelez International. The expansion involved an investment of $30m. Credit: Mondelez International. Mondelez International, a multinational confectionery, food and beverage company, opened its expanded production facility in Skarbimierz, Poland, in September 2015. The expansion involved the installation of a new state-of-the-art chocolate production line, one of its kind within the company’s Polish manufacturing network and second in central Europe. Dubbed as the ‘line of the future’, the new production line is Mondelez’s first major investment in the plant since its inception in 2010. It will support the growth of the company’s chocolate and biscuit categories by producing innovative snacking products for various brands, including Milka, Oreo, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Terry’s Chocolate Orange, and 3Bit. It will specifically serve growing demand in European and Polish confectionery markets. The $30m investment is part of the company’s supply chain reinvention journey, which is aimed at transforming its manufacturing facilities and processes to reduce costs and improve productivity. It followed a $15m investment to develop a global research and development centre in Wroclaw, Poland. The Skarbimierz production plant was chosen as an ideal location for the expansion due to its strategic location at the heart of Europe and the availability of a skilled workforce. The expansion created an additional 90 jobs at the plant. The new production line is one of the five ‘lines of the future’ implemented across Europe, as part of the company’s strategy to implement such lines in up to 30 strategic locations worldwide. The strategy envisages the installation of identical and modular technical solutions across all plants to ensure the unification of the same products produced in different plants. Individual modules in production lines can be exchanged based on the product, eliminating the need for hefty investments in additional production lines. The new line in Skarbimierz is different from the existing operating lines. Individual modules in the line can be adjusted to produce cakes, fillings and nuts using the same chocolate that is used to produce chocolate bars. It can produce approximately 700,000 chocolate bars in a typical eight-hour shift. The production line incorporates modular design, advanced technical solutions and improved safety standards to ensure increased production volume, efficient performance and greater flexibility. The Skarbimierz facility is one of the most advanced chewing gum factories in the world. The Skarbimierz plant is one of Mondelez’s seven production plants in Poland. The plant has been operational for five years and is regarded as the most modern chocolate factory in Europe. It is the first plant in Poland to implement the integrated lean six sigma quality management programme to improve team capabilities and foster a high-performing culture. Employing more than 400 people, the plant produces chocolate bars, chewing gums and wafers, which are marketed in both domestic and international markets. The product portfolio includes Double Decker bars, Curly Wurly, Trident and Stimorol gum. Mondelez Poland has been in the Polish market for 23 years. Its product portfolio includes Milka and Alpen Gold chocolates, Prince Polo wafers, 3Bit candy, Milka, Oreo, belVita, Petitki, Lubisie, Delicje, San and Lakotki biscuits and Halls candies. It has seven manufacturing sites in the country that produce chocolate products, biscuits and wafers.

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