Podravka Group has completed its first major investment as part of the restructuring of Žito’s business. This concerns a new bread production line at the Vič Bakery in Slovenia, with a total value of around five million euros. The modern automated bread production line, with a capacity of up to 2,400 pieces per hour, will be fully operational during June, while the launch of the first products on the market is expected in the second half of July this year.
The new line is also characterized by low energy consumption, and a 20 percent reduction in maintenance costs is expected. Subsequently, recuperation will be implemented on the oven, which will allow the use of excess energy from hot water for technological needs and space heating.
The new line in Ljubljana was also visited by members of the Supervisory Board and Management of Podravka, who were briefed on all the details by members of the Management of Žito, led by Tomislav Bujanović, and the head of the Vič Bakery Matjaž Breznik.
– The completion of this five million euro investment at Vič is an indicator of the successful restructuring process of Žito. Additional investments in the modernization of the bakery in Maribor worth 10 million euros are also underway, including a new automated line and the expansion of frozen product storage capacity. Therefore, I thank everyone at Žito for their dedicated work and implementation of the entire restructuring. This requires a lot of energy, perseverance, and joint engagement, and I believe this is a guide for an even stronger and more efficient Žito – said Martina Dalić, CEO of Podravka.
