SAZÓN® celebrates its birthday and gets exclusive plant
New plant operates with the concept of mass production and will increase the current capacity by 40%
Given the steady growth in demand, Ajinomoto Brazil invested R$ 47 million in the creation of a new production line in the unit of Limeira, São Paulo, where SAZÓN® seasoning is produced. Since its launch 25 years ago, SAZÓN® has grown solidly and consistently year after year. Currently, the product is a market leader in the category of seasoning powder, with 64% market share and present in 55% of Brazilian homes (Source: Nielsen/KantarWorldPanel).
The new line will be bigger and more modern, and will start to operate with the concept of mass production, that is, the capacity to produce larger batches of the product in less time. With this expansion, the 11th ever since the product was launched, the production capacity of the plant will be increased by approximately 40%.
“The new plant, exclusively for the production of SAZÓN® seasoning, is an important milestone for the product in a special moment of its trajectory, when it completes 25 years. The plant will have a higher level of automation, allowing increased productivity and maintaining the high quality standards of the current lines,” says Carlos Takata, industrial director of Ajinomoto Brazil.
The investments are intended for the manufacturing structure, with the construction of a new production area next to the current building, and the installation of modern machinery and equipment, appropriate to the concept of mass production, equipment for the online monitoring of quality and advanced operating security systems. The training and qualification of new employees will be conducted by the internal training team of the existing plant, with the support of supervisors, technicians and employees experienced in the production of SAZÓN®. The unit in Limeira has approximately one thousand employees only in the food division, dedicated exclusively to the production of retail.
“The State Government draws up public policies and measures that enable the operation of large companies in the market. In addition to boosting the economy of the region, the increased production of Ajinomoto will allow new jobs and contribute to the development of São Paulo,” said the secretary of Economic Development, Science and Technology, Rodrigo Garcia.
Investe São Paulo, an investment promotion agency associated with the Department of Economic Development, Science and Technology, has been providing support to the project of the new plant of SAZÓN® since September 2012. The consulting services of Investe SP allowed Ajinomoto Brazil to better target investments in the state of São Paulo, both for the creation of the new unit of SAZÓN® and for improvements in other plants of the company.
“Ajinomoto believes in São Paulo since 1977, when it inaugurated its first plant in Limeira. Today, there are four production units and five plants, all in the state. Investe SP and the State Government are responsible for encouraging this important Japanese industry, which generates jobs and income for the population of São Paulo,” said the president of Investe SP, Luciano Almeida.
One of the advantages of the new operation is that the entire production of SAZÓN® is ecoefficient, since automation ensures the smarter use of energy, – it produces more and faster with a lower consumption of energy – and is environmentally clean. That is because the company takes measures to minimize the two main impacts that this type of production has on the environment: generation of equipment noise and the release of dust. In noise control, all the equipment was designed to comply with the Brazilian standards. To control dust emissions, efficient filtration and exhaust systems were installed, in compliance with the strictest standards of environmental emission of Ajinomoto Group (Ajinomoto Group Zero Emission). Emissions of industrial effluents and solid waste are also scaled to comply with the standards determined by the parent company.
The new plant will operate at 100% capacity up to the end of 2014.
Many stories to tell
SAZÓN® hit the market in 1988 to meet the Brazilian consumer demand for practical seasonings that were easy to use and also added color and flavor to food. Unlike the existing seasonings, the product innovated the market by facilitating the act of cooking, allowing the consumer to add something special and particular in food preparations.
With the brand positioning focused on the benefits of the product, among them, making the food more tasty, adding more love to dishes, the seasoning became famous among housewives and became Brazil’s sweetheart – this is proven because today it is leader in the segment and a synonym of the category. Currently, SAZÓN® dictates trends and modifies the dynamics of the Brazilian market with its launches and line extensions, in addition to being the most important product of Ajinomoto Brazil.
With 99% brand awareness in Brazil and 64% market share, the product is present in 55% of Brazilian homes (source: Nielsen/KantarWorldPanel). The regions that most consume the seasoning are the Southeast and Northeast, which account for approximately 45% and 25% of sales in Brazil, respectively. Over these 25 years, nearly 220 tons of SAZÓN® seasoning were sold. It totals more than 3.5 billion floppies and over 43 billion sachets.
Exclusively produced in Brazil, the product extrapolated the national territory and is now present in Latin America. Currently, its production, manufactured exclusively in the plant in Limeira, São Paulo, also supplies Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Bolivia, Colombia, French Guiana, Panamá and Costa Rica.