Lithuania's Viciunai and Partners (VIP), a subsidiary of the Viciunai Group, one of Europe's largest producers of surimi and fish products, has started construction on a new salmon processing complex in Plunge, worth €100 million.
"With the completion of one of the world's most modern specialised plants, VIP will steadily increase its salmon and salmonid processing volumes from 18,000 to 50,000 tonnes per year, placing it among the top five European producers of similar products," said Viciunai.
The company said the expansion is expected to increase VIP's annual revenue from €150 million to €500 million.
The factory is being built next to the existing production and warehouse complex of the Viciunai Group in Plunge, with an area of more than 13 hectares and a total area of more than 29,000 square metres of new buildings.
The area for production alone is planned at more than 16,000 square metres, 4.5 times larger than the current production facilities.
The new building will be equipped with a 1.5MW solar power plant on the roof, eliminating the use of natural gas and using all surplus energy for space and water heating.
The production process will focus heavily on automation and robotisation of the supply, preparation, packaging and storage processes, not only to reduce manual labour but also to maximise employee safety.
"The new production solutions will not only allow us to significantly increase production volumes, but also to expand our product range," said Dainius Matijošaitis, member of the board of Vičiūnai Group.
"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.
"However, Lithuanian consumers remain cautious and conservative in their choice of high-value fish products, so no major changes are expected on the shelves of the country's supermarkets, at least in the near future.
"This is a bit of a shame, because the demand for salmon, which is farmed under strict rules and has a very high nutritional value, is growing steadily and rapidly in the Western world. We hope that a change of attitude in the Baltic countries will also take place in the coming years."