Seoul Milk Cooperative, Completion of 'Yangju New Factory'..."Asia's Largest Integrated Dairy Processing Facility"

At the completion ceremony of the new Seoul Milk Cooperative Yangju factory on the 14th, Kang Suhyun, Mayor of Yangju City (fifth from the left), Lee Hangyu, Deputy Governor of Gyeonggi Province for Administration (sixth from the left), Moon Jinseop, Chairman of Seoul Milk Cooperative (seventh from the left), and other officials are cutting the tape. Photo by Seoul Milk Cooperative

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] Seoul Milk Cooperative announced on the 14th that it has completed the construction of the 'Yangju New Factory,' the largest comprehensive dairy production facility in Asia, and has begun full-scale operations.

About 1,500 officials attended the completion ceremony held in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, including Moon Jin-seop, chairman of Seoul Milk Cooperative, executives and employees, Lee Han-gyu, Deputy Governor of Gyeonggi Province, and Kang Soo-hyun, Mayor of Yangju. The ceremony was conducted simultaneously online and offline using the metaverse.

The Seoul Milk Yangju New Factory was built by integrating the existing Yongin and Yangju factories on a site of approximately 70,000 pyeong (234,364㎡) in Yongam-ri, Eunhyeon-myeon, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi Province, with a five-story building above ground. The construction period was seven years, with a total project cost of 300 billion KRW. It can process up to about 1,690 tons of raw milk per day, which is about one-third of the total daily production from all farms in South Korea.

The new factory was designed with safety and eco-friendliness in mind, introducing the advanced milking method called the 'One-Way System' to secure fresh quality raw milk and enhance hygiene. The reduction in milking time also improved energy savings and reduced emissions of air pollutants caused by idling. A solar power generation facility covering 1,400 pyeong was installed on the factory roof, capable of producing up to 800,000 kWh of electricity annually. An eco-friendly boiler system applying ultra-low NOx burners was also established, minimizing nitrogen oxide and carbon emissions to less than 50% of the standard. To prevent water pollution, the discharged water quality is strictly controlled within 15% of the legal standards according to internal company criteria.

The factory operates as a smart factory integrating IT technologies such as monitoring and traceability systems throughout the entire process of raw milk collection, production, and shipment, producing over 60 dairy products including Seoul Milk’s flagship products ‘Na100%’ milk and ‘Biyotte’ fermented milk, as well as powdered milk, butter, condensed milk, and dairy beverages. Through an automated logistics warehouse system, it can manage inventory in real time and actively respond to diversified packaging. Seoul Milk plans to promote the Yangju New Factory as a representative industrial tourism complex in Gyeonggi Province by building a visitor center with various experience programs.

Moon Jin-seop, chairman of Seoul Milk Cooperative, said, "I sincerely thank everyone for making it possible to hold a ceremony celebrating the successful completion of the Yangju New Factory on the 85th anniversary." He added, "We will continue to firmly maintain our position as the number one dairy company in Korea and leap forward as Seoul Milk, a future top-tier dairy specialist company, embarking on a new 100 years."