The renovation and expansion project is almost completed!
2020 was a very difficult year for the potato industry and we all felt the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Nonetheless, the renovation and expansion of the Pomuni site in Ranst continued unabated.
At Pomuni Frozen, the major works were completed some time ago. We now can fully focus on the optimisation of the new production and packaging lines. We also intend to continue investing in our current products and develop new products.
The potato washing line has been fully up and running since the spring of 2020. The potatoes are then stored in the automated warehouse until they are ready to be packed and shipped to our customers.
“In June 2020, the last old buildings on the Ranst site were demolished. These were built sometime around the transition from the 2nd to the 3rd generation of the Muyshondt family. A new building has since been erected on this site. Following the installation of the new-build, the last phase of the major construction project that we launched in 2017 has now been completed”, says Bart Muyshondt.
“All potatoes that are shipped to Ranst for Pomuni Trade and Pomuni Frozen, whether they arrive in crates or in bulk, will be centrally received in the new building. This enables us to optimise our supply chain in several respects,” says Tim Van Meer. “As the lorries can now be unloaded inside the building, we can work in optimum conditions 24 hours a day. We have also added short-term storage, enabling us to process our potatoes in optimum conditions.”
The works in Ranst mean we can capitalise even better on the newest food industry trends. At the same time, we have made decisions throughout the entire investment process with a view to increasing the sustainability of our operations. Besides the solar panels that were installed on the roof of the Pomuni Trade packaging hall in 2018, we added solar panels on the entire roof of the new building where all the potatoes arrive. Following this expansion, our total electricity yield is the equivalent of the electricity consumption of 220 households.
We want to thank everyone for their commitment and flexibility throughout this project, which is finally drawing to a close after almost 4 years. Both of our companies are future-proof and ready to be handed over to the 4th generation Muyshondt and the entire Pomuni team, who will continue to process our fresh potatoes and frozen mashed potato products with the same enthusiasm!
