Lipton Jebel Ali Tea Factory Celebrates 10 years of Excellence
Production volumes increase by 400% within 10 Years of operations
Unilever, one of the world's largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies, is celebrating the Lipton Tea factory's 10 Years of Excellence. Unilever’s Lipton Tea factory, located at the Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai, is the company’s leading tea production facility in the region and is the second largest Unilever tea production facility worldwide.
Until 1998, the tea for the Arabian markets was sourced from the United Kingdom. The strategic geographical location between tea growing areas and the world’s largest tea markets encouraged Unilever to establish its first fully automated tea factory in 1998 in Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai. While the factory was originally conceived to supply to the local markets, the site has since grown in capacity and geographic reach. With production volumes increasing from 5000 Tons to 25,000 Tons in 10 years, the site is today a global sourcing hub exporting to 53 countries worldwide.
“Our focus on systems, quality and high levels of efficiencies is what has allowed us to build a global customer base spanning across 53 countries”, stated Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman Unilever North Africa Middle East.
Unilever recently received the MRM business award in the Manufacturing (Free Zones) category for its Lipton Tea Factory which was recognized for its performance on strategic initiatives, leadership perspectives, quality imperatives, corporate culture and corporate social responsibility.
The award was presented by his Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice President of the U.A.E. and ruler of Dubai to Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman, Unilever North Africa Middle East.
The Lipton Tea Factory has also received a number of certifications to internationally recognized standards of quality and consumer safety and has also been awarded for its excellence by the Japanese Institute of Plant Maintenance. In 2007. the factory was awarded gold in the " Health and Safety Award-2007" from EHS, the Environment, Health and Safety regulatory arm of Dubai World.
The Lipton Tea factory is the strategic hub for innovation and development for Unilever’s tea production within the region. The factory is a pioneer in Pyramid flavour tea bags production and technology development.
The factory has also pioneered a recent environmental initiative which saw Lipton introduce ‘slip-sheets' to replace wooden pallets in the transportation of the tea raw material from the plantations in Assam, India to Jebel Ali, Dubai. This new eco-friendly initiative enables Lipton to save wood while also minimizing shipping costs by increasing loadability per container. The ‘slip-sheets are much thinner than the traditional wooden pallets and thus help cut down transportation and fuel costs while reducing the impact on the environment.
Over the last 10 years, the Lipton Tea Factory has developed tremendously, not only in terms of the volumes it generates but also with regards to its manufacturing excellence. Quality & consistency remain the cornerstone of the site’s manufacturing strategy which ensures that loyal Lipton consumers receive a great product every time.
