GBPH: now one of the biggest bakeries in Asia

Laguna / PH. (gb) Bakery operations of Singapore-based QAF Limited covers Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and the Philippines. In January 2008 Gardenia Bakeries Philippines Inc. (GBPH) had announced plans to invest 700 million PHP (11,65 million EUR in 01/2008) – to expand its production capacity and distribution network across the Philippines.

This month the Philippines´ leading bread manufacturer inaugurated its newest manufacturing plant at the company´s facilities located in Laguna. The new, state-of-the-art bread manufacturing plant is capable of making 6’000 loaves of bread per hour or nearly 150’000 loaves per day, almost doubling its production capability.

Nearly 150’000 loaves per day

The new facility features advanced equipment that adheres to globally-accepted baking industry standards. Its advanced dough making and proofing system ensures the right structure and consistency in the texture of breads. It uses one of the world´s most technologically-advanced and environment-friendly large-scale ovens – said GBPH president and general manager Simplicio Umali to local journalists. A new pan handling system that uses robotic pan-feeding and stacking equipment allows the baking pans to be stored automatically and vice-versa.

Essentially, the new plant uses state-of-the-art machines imported from Germany, the Netherlands, Japan and the United States. The new plant also adheres to current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), and follows the highest globally-accepted food quality and safety standards through the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP).

The country´s biggest distribution system

From ingredient preparation to mixing, to the make-up process and oven baking, to the bread depanning and cooling, and finally, to the automated slicing and packaging, each step is closely monitored by highly trained, quality controllers who do visual and physical inspection, an important aspect in the whole process to ensure quality breads are delivered to the market. The whole process ensures that every loaf produced is of consistent superior quality and constantly meets customer expectations when it comes to their daily bread.

Finally, the finished products pass through a metal detector to check that there are no metal contaminants and then placed on clean trays for dispatch. From there, Gardenia´s renowned delivery and distribution system, the country´s biggest, takes over. It can dispatch 650’000 loaves and buns daily.

Putting up a factory in Cebu

Additionally Gardenia Bakeries Philippines Inc. is putting up a factory in Cebu to better serve the Visayas-Mindanao market of the Philippines. GBPH is currently looking for a property that is between one and two hectares. The machines to be used in the Cebu factory will be shipped from Laguna, where the company has replaced its low-capacity machines with new ones.