Huyanghe – Y61 factory entranceFollowing continued intensive investment in processing facilities, Chinese tomato company, TPFTZ Bositeng International Trade Co., expects to become the third largest tomato processor in China this year. With more than 20 years’ experience in the industry, the firm has gone from a trader in tomato commanding 20% of China’s total yearly exports, to a major producer of tomato products. In 2008 Bositeng undertook to boost quality and established its own factory in Xinjiang province (Xinjiang Huyanghe Factory, code: Y61), at the heart of the Chinese tomato production industry, which became operative during that year’s crop. Bositeng has consistently invested in extra capacity and new equipment in an effort to increase its export sales, and will continue this programme into the future.
In 2008 the factory produced 7 000 tonnes of tomato paste on its Ing. Rossi production line, purchased new, which has a daily capacity of 1 000 tonnes of fresh tomatoes. A new, larger Ing. Rossi production line, equipped with flash cooler, was added in 2009, which has a capacity of 1 500 tonnes of raw material.
This was operational in time for the 2009 harvest, allowing the factory to reach a total outoutput of 30 000 tonnes of tomato paste. Earlier this year on a visit to Italy, Bositeng chief executive and sole proprietor, Kang Yi, signed a contract for the purchase of additional new Ing. Rossi production lines, in order to add to the existing factory an extra capacity of 750 tonnes of fresh tomato, with a pre-concentrating system, bringing the production capacity up to 5 000 tonnes per day.
New Ing. Rossi evaporator in Huyanghe - Y61 factory The agreement will also furnish two new facilities that Bositeng is building with Ing. Rossi equipment. Both the new plants are located in Xinjiang, within 50 km of the already established Huyanghe factory. Northern Sun Tomato Processing and Liugouhong Tomato Products will each have three lines, equipped with a tube-in-tube system, flash cooler system, preconcentrating system and dekanter system. The total capacity of each site will be 5 250 tonnes of fresh tomato per day. As well as new production lines, Bositeng has imported grading equipment from Italy in order to test raw materials on entry to its factories, enabling it to accept or refuse the fresh tomatoes immediately.
In response to the special requirements of some important clients, Bositeng also decided to upgrade factories with a cyclone system located at two different stages in the production process, with the main aim of eliminating all sand particles in the product.
Currently Bositeng is the only company in China to boast this unique characteristic in its facilities. In order to further guarantee product quality and avoid claims, a metal separation group equipped with metal detector has also been added, to separate out any contaminated product.
Continuous training of local farmers allows Haohan Group to implement Good Agricultural Procedures from the first steps of the tomatoes cultivationIn addition, Bositeng hasimported specialised laboratory equipment from abroad which is not normally present in factory laboratories: gas chromatograph and spectrometer, liquid chromatograph and a water purification analysis set all aim to allow better quality control of its final product. Owning its own factories will also enable the company to personally check not only the management, but the entire production process, guaranteeing quality of goods, as well as their traceability, to the client. With the additional plants, Bositeng believes it can achieve a production capacity of around 150 000 tonnes in 2010, which would position it as the third most important processor in the country.
Specific roller conveyors of the raw material at the entrance of the companies which can guarantee the traceability of each fresh tomatoes batchAs of 2010, Xinjiang Haohan Group has been created, comprising all factories, both existing and to be completed, as well as the Bositeng company. The Group collaborates directly with local farmers, renting land rights from the Chinese government and giving farmers its use. This allows the Group to have more control over the implementation of international good agricultural practice such as three-year rotation with commodities like corn, rice and livestock; the yearly inspection of underground water sources and registration of every step in planting flow. It also means the Group has firm control of key factors such as the purchase and distribution of allowed pesticides and fertilisers. All pesticides and fertilisers used conform to new European and Japanese regulations.
Trained Haohan Group personnel effect the first selection of raw material by hand according to strict regulationsMany years’ co-operation with seed companies mean the Group is strongly supported in the first stages of rearing tomato plants.
Mainly imported seeds are used, including from Japan, which have early-ripen and lateripen dates in order to satisfy the production needs of the various factories and allow detailed planning of raw material deliveries.
Bositeng sees its use of unique seed types as its main point of strength, as they result in raw materials of the best quality, with low acidity, high Brix and high lycopene.
The association with seed companies also gives the Group the opportunity to train local farmers in the use of greenhouses, drip irrigation, planting, trays and subsequent transplantation.
In light of the co-operation with seed companies and consequent higher productivity, the company imported new Checchi & Magli transplanters, already tested and approved, which will be put into use in the present crop to transplant directly on film. At present, the areas providing raw material to Bositeng’s factories still harvest by hand, but a new contract has just been signed with Italian company Pomac for the import of a new mechanical harvester from Italy. This has two electronic selecting machines, rather than just one, which read the top and bottom of the fresh tomatoes, allowing much more accurate selection of tomatoes that have reached the correct stage of ripeness.
As regards the finished goods, a stricter quality control regime has been implemented, starting with the outward appearance, as the company has introduced conical drums with a thickness of 0.8mm., as opposed to the 0.6mm. drums used previously.
Pallets comply with European and Japanese standards of 1.1m x 1.1m, and are strengthened and wrapped in plastic film covering the four drums per pallet, guaranteeing the cleanliness of the packaging and avoiding additional costs in warehouse management.
Packaging of the goods: Haohan Group factories can pack tomato paste in 300-gallon aseptic bags in bins and 55-gallon aseptic bags in drums, but also 5kg, 10kg and 20kg aseptic bags in cartons, as well as 310-gallon aseptic bags in steel binsThe firm is now able to pack not only standard 300-gallon aseptic bags in bins and 55-gallon aseptic bags in drums, but also 5kg, 10kg and 20kg aseptic bags in cartons, as well as 310-gallon aseptic bags in steel bins. Goods are packed in multilayer aseptic bags produced by Goglio Spa. The Haohan Group factories and companies have obtained international standard certificates including ISO9001, ISO14001, GAP, HACCP, KOSHER, HALALand BRC. Organic JAS, Organic (EC) 834/2007 and (EC) 889/2008 certification is pending and will be available by the 2010 crop.
With the aim of demonstrably improving its product quality and playing an active part in the development of the western regions of China, Bositeng has decided to establish a Tomato Project Centre in Xinjiang Shihezi City University.
This centre will have three main departments investigating different areas: tomato seed research, greenhouses and a technologically advanced laboratory.
Bositeng participates in the most important food industry exhibitions worldwide with a company booth, and sends specialised staff to visit other events and collect information.
Haohan Group factories are all supplied with big yard for the correct storage of the finished products before delivery to the port warehouseThe company principally supplies tomato paste to Europe, Middle East, South America, Southeast Asia and Japan, and provides clients with updates on production as well as market reports and news with a multilingual service. In order to further enhance the service provided to customers, the Group IT department is also setting up a traceability system which will be available from the coming crop and will provide accurate information to clients in three languages (Chinese, English and Japanese). The information, from satellite images of the field to the final product, and all stages of the agricultural process in between, will be presented through a web portal, accessible to customers with a password. TPFTZ BOSITENG INTERNATIONAL TRADE Co., Ltd. |
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