Glanbia Nutritionals' new $470 million (€396.5m) state-of-the-art cheese and whey plant in Michigan, US, has begun production.
The facility began receiving milk on Wednesday, marking the first day of operations for the facility and beginning the commissioning phase.
When fully operational the 375,000sq ft plant will process 3.6 million litres of milk per day into a range of block cheese and value-added whey products for US and international markets.
The facility is a joint venture between Glanbia Nutritionals, Dairy Farmers of America and Select Milk Producers. The three are also partners in another joint venture in Clovis, New Mexico, called Southwest Cheese, which is the largest cheese and whey manufacturing facility in the world.
"We are very pleased to reach this important milestone on our journey to deliver a new ultra-modern dairy facility in Michigan for our customers as we enter this key commissioning phase and begin production at the plant," said Brian Phelan, chief executive of Glanbia Nutritionals.
