Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy Industry (Group) Co Ltd, a leading
Chinese dairy producer, will open its 200 million yuan dairy
research institute in Huhhot, capital of North China's Inner
Mongolia Autonomous Region on Sunday, the company said on
Friday.
The institute is the first of its kind in the domestic dairy
industry and is part of Mengniu's bid to meet the challenges of
fierce competition from home and abroad, said Zhao Yuanhua,
Mengniu's vice-president and spokeswoman.
"It is one of the few highest-level research institutes in the
global dairy industry," she said.
In the partnership with 11 dairy organizations, including
equipment suppliers and academic research institutes, the Mengniu
facility will undertake research and development that meets
international standards, she said.
"More than 100 million yuan has been spent on advanced equipment
and we will continue to add to the investment," said Zhao.
The remainder of its initial investment went into building the
12,000-square-meter facility and other ancillary costs, she
said.
There will be 40 staff members working at the institute, 90
percent of whom have advanced degrees from China's
agriculture-related universities.
Mengniu formulated plans for the research institute last April
as part of the company's efforts in overseas expansion after
holding the position as China's top milk producer for four
consecutive years.
Niu Gensheng, Mengniu's founder and chairman, said Mengniu's top
priority is to become one of the top 20 international dairy
producers.
But the company still lags behind its international peers in
corporate scale, management and especially hi-tech innovation,
admitted Zhao.
(China Daily July 21, 2007)
