Aller Aqua opens China plant
DANISH feed group Aller Aqua has opened a new feed plant in China, just months after its Zambian factory became operational.
Aller Aqua Qingdao, the company’s sixth factory, will be headed by Anders C Bylling, the son of Hans Erik Bylling, who is Aller Aqua’s group president.
The latter said: ‘Inaugurating two factories in two months is exceptional. We have had a few busy years leading up to the inaugurations and now we are finally ready. I am proud of what we have achieved.’
Anders Bylling said at the official opening in Qingdao that the process of building a factory in China had been long.
‘We have had some delays along the way, but we reached our goal. Our Chinese team has worked exceptionally hard to have everything ready for the inauguration.
‘It has been a very good day with almost 200 participants for the opening itself, and almost 300 participants in the International Cold Fish Aquaculture Technology Seminar we organised the day before.’
Aller Aqua chose to establish itself in China without a Chinese partner, like other feed companies have done.
Hans Erik Bylling said: ‘We chose to establish the factory without a local partner to ensure that we can continue to deliver the products that the customers are familiar with.
‘We have delivered high quality aquafeed to China for the last 20 years, produced under European standards, and we will continue to run the factory like we would in Denmark.
‘We will do this by sourcing the raw materials in Europe, and ensure a highly trained local team which knows how to comply with the European standards.’
The factory in China will focus on growing cold water species in the aquaculture industry in China, and the seminar was hosted by the Heilongijang River Fisheries Research Institute (HRFRI) of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Science.
The programme included speakers from China and Europe, a visit to Aller Aqua Qingdao and concluded with a shuttle bus to China Fishery Expo.
Aller Aqua Qingdao will have a production capacity of 45,000 tonnes annually. The factory is Aller Aqua’s first in Asia and Hans Erik Bylling considers it essential.
‘The factory will increase our competitiveness in China, with shorter delivery times to key markets.’ The factory will export to both Korea and Vietnam. The company was recognised at the recent IFFO annual conference in Washington DC, when it won a Leadership and Innovation Award for its expansion work in Africa.