GEA Process Engineering has received an order in excess of EUR 24 million from Almarai, the leading dairy foods company in the Middle East. The order implies engineering, manufacturing, supply, installation and commissioning of a complete and ultramodern processing plant for manufacturing of baby food (infant formula) in Saudi Arabia. Almarai’s overall budget for the whole project is approx. EUR 100 million. The factory is expected to be completed late 2010.

From the start, the processing plant design and specifications was established in close co-operation between Almarai and GEA Process Engineering’s leading specialists within infant formula process technology, health and safety, intelligent automation, hygienic process design and building design to meet the strict demands of baby food production today. The process and progress are the results of a close teamwork between Almarai, the GEA Process Engineering office in Riyadh and GEA Process Engineering’s international companies around the world.

Almarai is the largest integrated dairy foods company in the world and an important player on the markets of fruit juices, processed cheese and butter. The company has more than 100,000 cows and handles the whole milk handling process including milking and processing of the milk on their own farms.

Almarai is quoted on the Saudi Arabian stock exchange, Tadawul, and has an annual turnover of EUR > 900 millions.

“GEA Process Engineering is continuing its strategic focus in the Middle East. After many years in the market, our GEA Process Engineering Middle East Office was established in Riyadh in 2007. This prime location has enabled us to expand the services and long term support; not only to customers in Saudi Arabia but to the whole Middle East region. GEA Process Engineering Middle East is run by dedicated staff with long working experience in the Middle East, allowing GEA Process Engineering to provide services and technologies most suitable to its customers. The Almarai order is a clear proof of that,” says Anders Wilhjelm, President of GEA Process Engineering.

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