Mazoon Dairy Fulfilling a Vision

FULFILLING A VISION

Mazoon Dairy embodies technological innovation and economic diversification, positioned as a leading light for Oman’s Vision 2040

Writer: Phoebe Harper | Project Manager: Ben Weaver

Oman’s admission to the World Trade Organisation almost two decades ago marked a crucial milestone in the country’s history; a fundamental symbol of national progression.

Oman has been highly dependent on its extensive oil reserves in recent years. And, to an extent, this is still the case, the hydrocarbon sector contributing 35.5 percent of GDP in 2018.

Yet a stark shift has begun to emerge since the latter part of the 20th century, emphasised by the Sultanate’s WTO admission, owed to the government’s emphasis on liberalising, privatising and modernising the country in numerous ways.

Indeed, it has been a gradual process – such a monumental transition wasn’t ever going to happen overnight. But the country is heading in the right direction and will continue to pursue a similar roadmap of achieving development while upholding the country’s rich cultures and histories.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, economic diversification is a critical part of this vision.

Forming one of Vision 2040’s 13 priority areas, widespread progress has already been made, the country’s manufacturing, tourism, logistics, mining and agriculture industries all having taken major strides.

And in the case of the latter, Mazoon Dairy stands as a perfect example.

“Mazoon Dairy is a first of its kind project in Oman, both in terms of size and scale,” explains Dr Arjun Subramanian, the organisation’s CEO.

“The company, set up using OMR100 million ($260 million) provided by the Oman Food Investments Holding Company and other investment funds, has a single-minded goal of supporting the Sultanate’s mission to build a national food security programme.

“We aim to do this by bringing honest and quality dairy and juice

Aerial view of Mazoon Dairy’s facility in Oman

products to the people of Oman, and today are close to fulfilling this vision as our technologically advanced, fully-integrated fairy company based in As’Sunainah takes shape.”

REPOSITIONING OMAN

With such astronomical sums invested, it may come as no surprise that Mazoon Dairy’s esteemed site has become one of the most technologically advanced in the region.

The dairy farm houses not only the cowherd (currently 3,500 strong), but equally a 50,000-square-metre fully-integrated centralised processing plant and dairy facility, equipped with a state-of-the-art automated milking parlour and chilling and storage facilities.

“We’ve implemented stringent quality controls which require zero human intervention,” Subramanian adds.

“Meanwhile, an integrated bottle production unit will also produce the required packaging materials inhouse to ensure that the quality of our produce is monitored and maintained from start to finish.”

In every sense, Mazoon Dairy is set to completely transform Oman’s dairy industry.

MAZOON DAIRY’S MISSION

Mazoon Dairy is the largest integrated dairy project in the Sultanate of Oman. As the flagship dairy business set up under the aegis of the National Food Security initiative, its objective is to support the Sultanate’s mission to build a national food security programme by:

• Improving self-sufficiency in dairy production in the Sultanate of Oman.

• Improving the per capita consumption of milk, focusing on the nutritional wellbeing of children.

• Stimulating an environment for food manufacturing with high quality systems.

• Developing skills in food manufacturing.

• Generating local employment and SME opportunities.

Mazoon recently launched its first dairy product in Oman in October 2019, barely 24 months after the stone laying ceremony in 2017. The nationwide launch was well-received and is in line with Oman’s strategy to achieve self-sufficiency in the food sector and produce farm fresh dairy available to customers a few hours after production. The factory has the capacity to produce one million litres of dairy products per day.

Mazoon’s wide array of products include fresh milk, long life milk, flavoured milk, yoghurt, laban, ice cream, cheese and juices that will eventually reach consumers across the GCC region.

The company is ISO 9001:2015, ISO 22000:2018, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2017 compliant, ensuring these high-quality products are comparable to global standards.

Oman-based Al Adrak Trading & Contracting Company is in the news after delivering in record time its prestigious Mazoon Dairy project. The project spread across a 16-squarekilometre greenfield site houses an integrated facility for farms and a world-class central processing plant.

Since inception in 1986, with consistent hard work, dedication and an eye for the future, Al Adrak has been transformed into an award-winning, internationally recognised integrated engineering and construction services firm. Today, with an orderbook that tops $1 billion globally and an operational footprint that covers the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent, the company is well-positioned for strong growth domestically as well as internationally.

Dr. Thomas Alexander, CEO, underpins this stellar growth story with a simple theory on ‘responsibility’. “Being responsible to those you belong to is a simple but powerful statement to make, whether be it the customers, financial institutions, vendors, employees, family or the country we operate in. All these years I have kept the promise intact and which is why today Al Adrak is one of the most trusted and valued brands in the industry.”

We have driven in deep to understand how the organization, especially in the crude construction sector, has evolved so finely and is posting consistent results, especially in a segment where the majority of the players are in the red. The answer lies in adopting its founder’s simple theory of being responsible and embracing the latest technologies in construction and, surprisingly, IT. Al Adrak brings to the table unmatched competencies in civil, electrical, mechanical and infrastructural engineering across all sectors, backed by top-flight EPC and project management expertise. Its forte lies in delivering endto-end solutions that respond to today’s client needs, especially quick delivery.

Al Adrak’s Indian arm is currently delivering projects in the power and hospitality sector and its UAE arm is setting up a base in Dubai to offer turnkey construction solutions to the highly competitive market. Apart from diversifying into outside markets, the group has ventured into real estate development projects in partnership with government and private investment agencies as well. The flagship housing project in partnership with the Ministry of Housing and Supreme Council for Planning in Oman is set to transform the housing sector by providing world-class design and facilities to the masses at an affordable price range.

Al Adrak group is focusing currently in the development of hotels and resorts. On board is a team with extensive experience with renowned hotel brands, which is developing such properties across the GCC and India with a basket of designers and operators. The project, right from feasibility to detailed design and construction, is handled by the Adrak group of companies, which shows its exposure to the industry and ensures a one-stop service which enables cost effectiveness and a better engineering result. Al Adrak is gradually positioning itself in the niche markets of technically challenging sectors like hotels, hospitals, data centres and smart housing complexes, holding true to its core values.

Post Box 1840, P.C.130, Al Azaiba, Sultanate of Oman | www.aladrak.com

Right now, roughly 30 percent of dairy products consumed in Oman are locally produced. Yet this has the potential to increase these proportions drastically during the course of the next decade, and Mazoon Dairy has ambitions plans to contribute to this bold target.

“By 2028, we’re hoping to drive national self-sufficiency up to 86 percent,” the CEO states, “expanding the size of our cowherd to 25,000 in the process.

“We are honest, open, friendly and passionate about the future of this country. We are more than just a new consumer brand on the shelves. Our goal is to position Oman as a regional hub for high quality food products.”

COMBINING LOCAL KNOWLEDGE AND INTERNATIONAL EXPERTISE

Subramanian is not blind to the sheer size of the job that the firm has tasked itself with.

However, he remains entirely confident in the company’s ability to meet its targets, pointing to the close working relationships that it has formulated with key strategic partners and vendors as a key reason for this.

Here, the Chief Exec references a contract signed with global packaging specialist Tetra Pak that will ensure the supply and installation of all its dairy processing equipment, as well as its work with Saudi Arabia’s ARTAT – an organisation facilitating the provision of livestock feed mixing equipment.

THE BRAND STORY

Mazoon Dairy’s brand is built on proudly Omani principles, telling a passionate story of national growth and development.

This has been reflected in its visual identity that aims to showcase a vibrant, progressive and dynamic society. The goal is to transfer knowledge of what is needed to live a healthy and active life, leveraging expertise to create a powerful brand synonymous with wholesome and fresh dairy products.

The company also provides fertile ground for budding dairy farming, production and sales professionals to explore a new challenging working world as a result. This responsibility is taken seriously, its 400-plus staff, considered to be crucial assets to the business, providing with coherent opportunities to help them prosper and grow.

Technica

When Dr. Arjun was presenting his dream project of building a complete dairy to cater for the needs of Oman, we could feel the passion behind the dream.

Dr. Arjun has been working on his dream project for five years, and finally it has come to reality.

Technica is proud and honoured to have contributed to the achievement and the success of this dream project.

Technica’s contribution extended to all the packaging lines and the full automation of the factory.

1. Crate and pallet washing and distribution.

Crates coming from the market are de-palletised by robot and fed to a washer; crates are inspected and distributed automatically to the point of use in the factory.

This way Mazoon will ensure high quality crates for packaging with no defects and will eliminate the traffic of forklifts and labour inside the plant.

2. Complete bottling lines for milk and juice.

The bottling lines are fully automated with no operators required on the line till the warehouse.

This way Mazoon ensures a hygienic environment and zero contamination of the product while reducing the operating costs.

3. Complete cup lines for yogurt.

Technica supplied the new innovative compact packer, (3 in 1).

This compact packer packs the cups in trays, the trays in crates and the crates on pallet in a single, low-cost machine.

Mazoon will thus increase the OEE of the plant and reduce its investment.

Mazoon requested a state-of-the-art, fully automated lines, and this is what Technica installed at the Mazoon dairy plant.

www.technicaintl.com

“The former agreement includes milk reception and storages, tanks, homogenisation and pasteurisation machines, as well as refrigeration and other utility requirements,” he explains. “Meanwhile, our work with ARTAT will ensure we receive high-quality feed that improves and increases the performance of livestock and production efficiency.”

Standing as two of the firm’s flagship partnerships with international players, Mazoon equally places great emphasis on involving the broader Omani business community, also considering local firms as being of huge importance to its success.

“We want to be a catalyst for generating business growth and prosperity for hundreds of Omani businesses and suppliers and create partnership opportunities for Omani companies,” Subramanian affirms.

In the way of its employment practices, a similar approach is taken. Here, the firm opts to maintain diversity across its workforce by balancing its commitment to improving the future of the region with the international expertise required to get off to a flying start.

Subramanian continues: “Currently, roughly half of all our 400 staff are Omani, and we plan to grow this in the coming months.

“We believe it is our responsibility to create attractive employment opportunities for talented Omanis in the dairy sector and empower them to lead the country towards self-sufficiency.”

GATHERING MOMENTUM

This belief in local business and people is also translated into Mazoon’s community-centred efforts, the organisation giving back to Omani society in a number of other ways.

Initiatives under this remit include a strategic partnership with Sultan Qaboos University in which the firm uses facilities for the research and development of new products while engaging with staff and students, providing something of a win-win relationship.

“We are engaged in encouraging an active lifestyle as well,” Subramanian reveals, “helping people of all ages, especially school children, to maintain their health by adding fresh dairy to their daily diets.

“Waste to energy bio-gas systems and processing technologies that conserve water usage are also an area of interest for us at the moment, helping to reduce our carbon footprint and enhance our practices in the way of sustainability.”

Encompassing everything from technological excellence to grassroots efforts, Mazoon Dairy is poised to not only embrace but in many ways facilitate the vast changes that the country will experience in the coming years.

Having just completed its grand entry into the market, Subramanian’s own excitement speaks volumes of the monumental role that the business will begin to play as its operations ramp up moving forward.

“We’re optimistic that our locally-produced products will comparable to the best in the world,” he states.

“With the momentum provided for national food security, Oman could soon find itself as a production and technology hub for quality food systems.”

Teknoice

Mazoon Dairy’s production includes a full range of ice cream products: Teknoice – thanks to its strong and long experience – has been able to provide all the necessary equipment.

From cups filling to stick products, Omani people have now the chance to find on the shelves a big variety of ice creams. The cooperation between the two leading companies ensures quality and efficiency: this allows Mazoon Dairy to grow constantly, with Teknoice able to offer tailored solutions to any new need or market request.

www.teknoice.com

MAZOON DAIRY

Tel: +968 2251 6611 www.mazoondairy.com