Nestlé invests in Dubai and Indonesia factories
Swiss-based food giant Nestlé has opened a new production facility in Dubai. Worth $136 million (SFr134 million), it will employ 555 people and serve as Nestlé’s Middle Eastern headquarters.
The factory, which opened its doors on Thursday, will produce a variety of products such as powdered milk, chocolate bars and bottled water. It is located in the same place as the company’s microbiology lab, which specialises in salmonella research.
Nestlé has been active in the Middle East for the past 75 years and has invested more than $400 million there since 1997. Its 17 plants and 37 branches there employ more than 7,000 employees altogether. Nestlé’s turnover in that region was $1.4 billion in 2009.
Meanwhile, the Swiss company has also decided to boost its Indonesian operations. For the second time this year it is investing $100 million in a new factory there, this time in West Java.
Worldwide, the Nestlé group had annual sales of over SFr100 billion in 2009, while its HealthCare Nutrition unit had a turnover of SFr1.6 billion.
In September Nestlé announced that it would open a Health Science subsidiary.
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