OCEANIA DAIRY GLENAVY FACTORY UPDATE
Overview of Project Progress
Construction of the Glenavy milk factory has stepped up another gear, with the installation of the dryer and the calandrias in the 47 metre dryer tower. The generating bank and final boiler components have arrived in New Zealand and are being completed in Timaru prior to delivery to the Glenavy site in late March.
The overall project is on target for completion in time to take milk in August 2014.
Although the dryer tower is the most visible sign of progress, construction of other buildings on site, including the site offices, services building and the drystore are all well advanced.
Work on the water treatment contract and the refrigeration contract within the services building is now underway.
11kV and 33kV electricity supply works being undertaken by Alpine Energy are on schedule and installation of transformers is about to get underway.
Work on the underground services on site is now complete and roading preparation works within the factory site have commenced. Roading has commenced at the drystore entranceway from Cooney’s Road and the central car park, and this will continue across the site in coordination with access requirements of contractors completing other site works.
At full capacity, the Glenavy processing plant will be capable of processing 300 million litres of milk per year, generating 47,000 tonnes of milk powder.
Employment
To date, more than 350 people have applied for positions at the new Oceania Dairy Glenavy factory.
The vast majority of applicants are from the North Otago and South Canterbury regions.
“We have filled 31 positions to date and have been really pleased with the level of interest in our roles,” said Aidan Johnstone, Chief Executive Officer for Oceania Dairy.
“Applicants are entering our recruitment process from a wide range of employment backgrounds and bringing a great diversity of skills to the table.
“We are very focused on the quality of our workforce so the depth of the applicant pool is really encouraging,” he said.
A further 40 roles are expected to be filled at Oceania Dairy over the next five months. When operating at full capacity, the factory will employ approximately 70 permanent staff.