URC puts up new flour mill in Quezon

MANILA, Philippines —  Gokongwei-led Universal Robina Corp. (URC) is bolstering by more than half its production capacity for quality flour with the opening of a new mill in Quezon province.

The new facility in Sariaya town will raise URC’s Flour’s capacity to about 3,500 metric tons daily from 2,180 MT per day. Located on a 10-hectare property, the new mill will provide at least 150 additional jobs.

URC chairman Lance Gokongwei said the group’s P5.4-billion investment is an affirmation of its confidence in the economy and conducive investment climate in the country.

He said it is also a concrete manifestation of URC’s steadfast support to improving the country’s food security.

“With the launch of this new flour mill, we are helping lay a solid foundation in advancing food production and security in our country. The addition of this new plant, which is our largest, brings our total milling capacity to an extraordinary 3,470 tons per day, which is equivalent to over 104,100 bags daily,” Gokongwei said. 

“This achievement reinforces URC’s standing as the foremost flour producer in the Philippines, helping ensure a steady supply of premium-quality flour that will, in turn, boost food production particularly for the communities we serve here in South Luzon” he said.

URC president and CEO Irwin Lee said the flour mill would allow the company to meet rising demand as well as maintain the quality of its products and keep its price point competitive.

“We are seeing an ever-growing demand for our products. URC Flour Sariaya is a testament to our unwavering dedication to innovation, quality and growth,” Lee said.

URC Flour is one of the top flour millers in the country. It started commercial operations in 1970 with its first plant in Pasig and then opened its second plant in Davao in 1991.

The company’s new facility utilizes a fully automated flour-milling technology that fully integrates the roller mill’s control and monitoring system in the main station, a first in the Philippines.

To speed up the production process and reduce wastage, it has the capability to do fully automatic packing operations.

URC said that the technology upgrade maximizes efficiency at the plant, reduces costs and overall cuts the company’s carbon footprint.

The company said that this is in line with its push to bring down the amount of energy and other resources it uses to manufacture its products.