Design for Vičiūnai Group's new facility in Plungė, Lithuania.
Image: Vičiūnai Group.
European seafood processing giant Vičiūnai Group has announced what it describes as its "largest investment" to date, with construction commencing on a new salmon processing plant in Plungė, Lithuania.
The development, which the group says represents an investment of €100 million, is described as "one of the largest and most modern salmon processing plants in Europe".
The facility is expected to significantly increase the company’s production capacity, with Viciunai Group aiming to rank among the top five salmon and salmonid processors in Europe.
Once completed, the facility will boost the Group’s annual processing volume from 18,000 to 50,000 tonnes, and is projected to triple annual revenue from €150 million to €500 million. The plant will be built adjacent to the group's existing production and warehouse facilities and will cover a total of more than 29,000 square meters, including over 16,000 square meters of production space - 4.5 times larger than the current unit.
According to Vičiūnai Group board member Dainius Matijošaitis, the project represents one of the most significant greenfield manufacturing investments in Lithuania in recent years, amid a broader decline due to geopolitical uncertainty. "An export-oriented project of this magnitude is of great significance for the country's economy," he said in a press announcement.
The new plant is expected to create around 900 jobs and will export more than 95% of its production to markets in Western Europe, the United States, and beyond.
"When designing our new plant, we focused not only on state-of-the-art production technologies, but also on sustainability and environmental solutions. We hope that the plant will be certified according to the international BREEAM New Construction standard for sustainable buildings," Matijošaitis said.
The new facility will feature a 1.5 MW rooftop solar installation, eliminate the use of natural gas in operations, and utilise surplus solar energy for heating. The facility is also planned to include state-of-the-art automation and robotics in order to streamline processes and improve efficiency and worker safety, the company said.
"The new production solutions will not only allow us to significantly increase production volumes, but also to expand our product range. We are responding to the trends in salmon products and consumer habits in the major Western markets, which will lead to a significant increase in the number of packaging types and methods, more fresh and frozen salmon products with spices, and new slicing methods," Matijošaitis explained.
Founded in 1991, the Viciunai Group is one of the largest surimi producers worldwide, and a leading producer of fish and seafood products in Europe.