Tuesday 1 March 2011

Guan Chong expands cocoa grinding capacity to 140,000 tonnes annually

Guan Chong expands cocoa grinding capacity to 140,000 tonnes annually
Written by Joseph Chin of theedgemalaysia.com
Tuesday, 01 March 2011 14:19

KUALA LUMPUR: GUAN CHONG BHD [] has expanded the capacity for cocoa grinding to 140,000 tonnes a year with the successful commissioning of its plant in Batam, Indonesia.

The company said on Tuesday, March 1 it had invested about RM70 million in the first phase of CONSTRUCTION [] and installation of the new plant which has an initial annual grinding capacity of 60,000 tonnes.

“With the new facility, Guan Chong now has a total annual capacity of 140,000 tonnes, adding to the group’s 80,000 tonne facility in Pasir Gudang,” it said.

The Pasir Gudang plant processes cocoa beans mainly from Indonesia, which recently started to impose export tax of up to 15% on Indonesia-produced cocoa beans on a schedular basis.

Guan Chong said with a grinding plant in Indonesia, it would benefit from processing zero-tariff raw materials.

The Batam plant houses an office, warehouse, and production floor containing state-of-the-art production equipment of cocoa presses and filters to produce the whole assortment of cocoa butter, powder, liquor, and cake.

Subsequent two phases of the construction and installation will enable the plant to have a final annual capacity of 120,000 tonnes.

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