Vita Food Products Company, part of Saudi Arabia’s Pan Gulf Holding (PGH), is expanding production capacity and building a new market identity to attract a wider customer base following the acquisition of the company by PGH last year.

The company has announced it will soon double its production capacity at its plant in Dammam and eventually build a new state-of-the-art factory. 
Vita is now busy preparing to install German equipment for two new lines.
The company specialises in a range of frozen products including minced meat, burgers, kababs, nuggets, shuwarma and frankfurters as well as cold cuts such as mortadella, peperoni and salami.
One of the new lines will be dedicated to mince meat products while the other will produce formed items such as burgers and nuggets, said Vita quality assurance manager Faisal Ahmed Khan.
“We’re working towards establishing a new image by introducing new and diversified packaging to suit the requirements of customers,” he said.
“We’ve started enhancing our installed capacity by commissioning new machinery and lines. At present our annual production capacity is around 10,000 tonnes, which we plan to double in one year.
“In the first quarter of this year, much attention was given to plant renovation and installation of new machines. We have started implementing the ‘prerequisite programme’ for food safety standards like ISO 22000 and HACCP.
“We are continuously striving towards improving quality in products and services. We use high-quality raw materials subjected to rigid laboratory clearance. We source world-class materials from the US and Europe that comply with international standards of safety and quality.”

Logistical support
The company receives logistical support from Pan Gulf Holding which has branches across the kingdom along with warehousing and storage facilities.
Vita has mobilised a fleet of vehicles for distributing its products within the kingdom and into other Gulf states.
Khan said sales had registered steady growth every month since PGH took over the company in May 2008 and sales expectations for full-year 2009 were SR25 million ($6.6 million).
Seventy per cent of the sales have come from within Saudi Arabia with most of the remainder coming from other GCC states.
Vita is optimistic about the future of the food industry in the kingdom. It notes that the purchasing power of Saudi nationals and expatriates is increasing and people are realising the importance of healthy and nutritious food.
It highlights that a major challenge is the maintenance of equipment. As machine suppliers are scarce locally, the company sources equipment from the US or Europe which means it has to rely solely on overseas suppliers’ support services.
Within the PGH fold are companies engaged in diverse fields including steel, building and plumbing materials, steel fabrication, valves and piping systems, fire safety and security, welding solutions, custom-made grating fabrication products and food products.