Arla completes mega-expansion Pronsfeld

The expansion of production capacity in Pronsfeld required an investment of €190 million. Arla started construction of the new factory in 2019. It was recently completed and was festively put into service on May 30. The factory is located on the site of the former Milch-Union Hocheifel (MUH), which was taken over by Arla in 2012.

To 1,5 billion kilos in Pronsfeld
The addition of the new installation will allow Arla to process an additional 685 million kilos of milk annually, bringing the total capacity of the factory to 1,5 billion kilos. The location employs approximately 1.000 employees.
The milk required for the factory is supplied from Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium.

Other choice
By opting for further expansion in milk powders, Arla is taking a clearly different course than FrieslandCampina. This is actually phasing out powder production. 

In addition to milk powder, many other long-life dairy products are also made in Pronsfeld, such as UHT milk, cream, condensed milk and butter. Most of the powder production is intended for export. Arla ships products to dozens of countries from Pronsfeld. In addition, products are also made for other companies in the food sector.

Gas-fired with certificates
The new factory is fueled by gas. Arla has no other more sustainable alternatives for this. Due to the application of the latest techniques, the factory is much more energy efficient than a normal factory.

In order to meet set sustainability goals, Arla is purchasing green energy certificates on a large scale and the plan is to eventually have a quarter of its energy consumption generated with hydrogen. However, things are not that far yet.