SATS has commenced the construction of its central kitchen in India on Nov 12.
The 20,000 sqm kitchen is located at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru. It will be the largest and the first of its kind in India.
The central kitchen will cost SATS $37 million to build. It is expected to be operational in 2023.
According to SATS, the kitchen will incorporate automation and smart technology to produce nutritious, tasty and safe food in a cost-effective manner.
Examples of advanced technology that will be used include an automated rice line that can produce up to 600kg of different types of rice within an hour and Internet of Things (IoT) devices for monitoring food temperature.
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The building has also been designed with sustainability and safety in mind. It is the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified frozen food manufacturing facility in India with an IoT building management system to enable utility consumption to be proactively tracked and regulated.
In addition, the kitchen will house an innovation centre that will be connected to the SATS Innovation Hub in Singapore.
Sagar Dighe, CEO, SATS Food Solutions India Private Limited, says, “We received good response to the news of SATS setting up a technologically innovative kitchen of this scale in India, and have already started collaborating with other reputable industry players to commence piloting new product developments with strategic partners. These pilot projects will allow us to fine-tune our product offering across various customer segments and scale up production once our kitchen is ready.”
Shares in SATS closed 6 cents lower or 1.43% down at $4.14 on Nov 12.
