Construction has started on the Mondelēz International’s $90m biscuit manufacturing factory in Bahrain with scheduled completion expected later this year.
Mercury Middle East WLL (Mercury Mena) is the project's general contractor who is in charge of the development of the plant.
The manufacturing facility has been designed and engineered as a multi-category plant with capacity to handle large scale production with advanced technology and modern components.
It has been designed similar to the specifications of Mondelez's other manufacturing plants across the world.
In its first phase, the biscuit factory will produce six distinctive types of biscuits including Oreo, Ritz, belVita, Prince and TUC biscuits, with a 90,000 ton capacity. The company is likely to add more production lines in future.
The food company said that the factory would source all raw materials and other supporting services from companies located close to the facility, reported Bahrain News Agency.
The construction of the facility is expected to create around 400 direct jobs and hundreds of indirect jobs. Once the project is completed, the products manufactured at the facility will be exported to other countries.
Mondelez Bahrain Biscuits WLL project director Dmitry Shachenok said: "Accelerated construction activities are fast underway in the project's strategic location at the Bahrain International Investment Park in Salman Industrial City.
"The facility is one of our most ambitious plans on tap for this year, a landmark initiative that will significantly increase the manufacturing supply chain of Mondelez International, to address the rising demand for our popular products such as Oreo, Ritz, belVita, Prince and TUC across the MENA region."
Bahrain Industrial Affairs, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Under-Secretary Osama M. Al Arrayed said: "The Ministry and other government bodies are delighted to be working with Mondelez International and Mercury MENA to make Mondelez International's vision come to fruition.
"Mercury's experience will prove invaluable to making this project a reality. Once completed, this facility will make a significant contribution to the economy of Bahrain and I am pleased Bahraini's can see the project is making progress".
Mercury Mena vice president Salman Tahir said: "Our innovative approaches and technology infrastructure are being applied on all fronts to fast track construction of the facility. Project completion on schedule is a critical issue, and all resources are being utilized to full capacity to deliver the project to Mondelez International on time. We have always set the benchmark and we would like to maintain our position as a developer of iconic projects."
Mercury Mena is planning to adopt Building Information Modelling (BIM) system in the construction of the facility. The system is believed to provide increased efficiency, minimize risk and improve decision-making process throughout the product lifecycle, reported Bahrain News Agency.
Global snacking company Mondelez which has a presence across 165 countries manufactures biscuits, chocolate, gum, candy and powdered beverages, and owns brands such as Oreo, LU and Nabisco biscuits, Cadbury and Cadbury Milk and Milka chocolates, and Trident gum and Tang powdered beverages.
Last month, Mondelez announced plans to close Schiller Park manufacturing facility this year. Schiller park plant operates under Enjoy Life Foods, the allergy-free food division of Mondelez.
This plant will be closed and operations will be shifted to southern Indiana in the second quarter of 2016.
Image: Mondelez's Bahrain facility to produce Oreo biscuits. Photo: Courtesy of Evan-Amos/Wikipedia.
