Synlait's licence for China exports renewed
By Gavin Evans
Jan. 11 (BusinessDesk) - Synlait Milk said registration of its Dunsandel plant in the South Island has been renewed by
Chinese authorities for another four years.
The company, which makes about 8 percent of its sales in China, said the registration by that country’s General
Administration of Customs – GACC – will enable the firm to continue exporting canned infant formula.
Chief executive Leon Clement said re-registration required Synlait to prove it has robust systems for change management,
pathogen management and food incident management. A three-day onsite audit conducted by the Ministry for Primary
Industries on behalf of the GACC also included a full traceability exercise from raw materials through to export.
“GACC has strict criteria overseas manufacturers must meet to maintain registration, and I’m pleased to say Synlait
Dunsandel continues to meet these high standards,” Clement said.
Synlait shares rose 2 cents to $9.22 and have gained almost 32 percent the past year.
The company, which almost doubled its profit to $74.6 million in the year ended July, is currently spending $260 million
building a second infant formula plant at Pokeno in Waikato.
The first dryer at the Pokeno site is expected to have an annual capacity of 40,000 metric tonnes. The increased
capacity is needed to feed growing demand for infant formula from customers including a2 Milk Co, New Hope Nutritional,
Bright Dairy and Munchkin.
(BusinessDesk)