NEWS 20 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE December 2023 Entobel opens largest insect protein production plant in Asia Entobel, one of the global leaders in the production of functional insect protein for animal and plant nutrition, celebrated the opening of its new black soldier fly (BSF) production plant, the largest of its kind in Asia. Entobel’s state-of-the-art facility was constructed in an industry record time of 12 months and is currently the world’s most CAPEX-efficient BSF production facility. The facility features 50 levels of vertical rearing, incorporating automation via robotics, cutting-edge sensors, and data analytics that enhance productivity. Leveraging a US$33 million Series B funding round raised in 2022 and backed by Mekong Capital, Dragon Capital, and The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Vung Tau facility marks Entobel’s second industrial-scale production facility in Vietnam and will have an annual production capacity of 10,000 MT of insect protein. The facility will serve as an economic and community anchor, creating 150 jobs in manufacturing and operations. “Today marks a major milestone in our journey to transform the insect protein landscape and supply sustainable feed ingredients to the rapidly growing aquaculture and pet food industries,” said Alexandre de Caters and Gaëtan Crielaard, co-founders and co-CEOs of Entobel. Read more>> Kormotech, one of the leading Ukrainian pet food producers, announced plans to expand its manufacturing operations in Kėdainiai, Lithuania. Having significantly exceeded its initial hiring plans in the country, the company is now looking to add another 200 specialists to its Lithuanian team, investing more than €60 million in four production stages that will be put into operation during 2025 – 2028. Kormotech first entered Lithuania in 2020, when it launched its 4500 sq. m. manufacturing facility in the Kėdainiai Free Economic Zone (FEZ). The company had first planned to hire a 70-strong team but soon surpassed the initial plans to employ more than 170 specialists. With the new expansion project, Kormotech will double the current headcount in Kėdainiai, adding 200 jobs in five years. "We consider Lithuania our second home market. While we plan to build new production facilities in Ukraine once the war is over, Lithuania currently serves as our gateway to the world. The plant has proven to be a reliable support system, consistently operating at full capacity and bridging the gaps when our Ukrainian plants experience disruptions. We are committed to expanding our facilities in Lithuania further with the construction of four additional production stages by 2028," said Rostyslav Vovk, CEO and co-owner of Kormotech. “Since the start of our Lithuanian operations, both our production and sales goals have been achieved and exceeded, and we hired twice the number of employees originally planned,” said Andrii Berezyuk, Director of Kormotech UAB. Read more>> Kormotech to expand Lithuanian operations
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