Shepparton UHT milk facility to cash in on Asian demand

Pactum Dairy Group’s new UHT milk facility in Shepparton was officially opened today by Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss. The facility’s four lines include Tetra Pak processing and packaging equipment which will handle UHT milk for proprietary and private label customers in Southeast Asia.

“Three of the filling lines are Tetra Pak A3/Speed lines, capable of filling 24,000 portion packs per hour. These are the fastest lines we offer, which combine speed with reliability, robustness and optimised operational costs,” said Tetra Pak Oceania Managing Director Noel Ayre.

“Oceania represents 40% of world dairy exports, and the export of liquid dairy products to China and ASEAN is growing at more than 10% per annum.

“Asia is experiencing increasing GDP, urbanisation and westernisation, with demand for liquid dairy products set to increase by more than 30% during the next 10 years. As families earn more, they will spend money on better nutrition, particularly for their children.

“Pactum Dairy Group is in a strong position to maximise export milk opportunities in these growing Southeast Asian and Chinese markets.”

The Shepparton factory will fill a range of Tetra Pak cartons for contract packing, including: Tetra Prisma Aseptic 250 mL, Tetra Prisma Aseptic 330 mL with DreamCap, Tetra Brik Aseptic 250 mL Slim with straw, Tetra Brik Aseptic 1 litre with SlimCap and the one-step-opening HeliCap.

Pactum Dairy Group is a joint venture between Australian Consolidated Milk and Pactum Australia, part of the Freedom Foods Group.