| 43 Market diversification aimed at growth T T Hugh de Lacy New Image Group is celebrating its 40th year in business. NIG Nutritionals: 40th Anniversary REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT That all-important Chinese market for baby formula might be in the doldrums, but New Image Group has rolled with that punch and is rapidly diversifying its mostly goat milk production as it celebrates its 40th year in business. NIG Nutritionals runs a sprawling new processing facility on a nearly 60,000 m2 footprint site in Paerata, Auckland, that was built in 2017 to produce its internationally established proprietary brands, including New Image, Babysteps, Bioshine and Symbiotics. The facility not only manufactures food supplement products especially their famous colostrum products from cow’s milk, but also is more and more specialized in nutritional dairy products from goat milk in the recent years, it processes about 15 million litres of goat’s milk, servicing markets around New Zealand and the world. The dominant market for infant formula products before the Covid outbreak was China, but its subsequent economic slump has launched NIG Nutritionals into a diversification strategy taking in a range of countries from Vietnam, Singapore, Egypt, Mideast to Trinidad and Tobago. It’s also expanding its core range of products from child to adult formulas, all dairy products marketed by NIG Internationals.NIG Nutritionals is the domestic arm of the New Image Group, founded in 1984, established by former champion shearer Graeme Clegg, to take high nutritional value milk products to a global market. It acquires its goat’s milk under contract from about a dozen farmers running flocks of up to 6000 nannies, though most flocks number between 1000 and 1200. NIG Nutritionals Ltd employs 170 staff operating state-of-the-art equipment that includes evaporation and drying plant, blending and packing plants, boilers and water treatment, chillers, pumps and valves. The Paerata plant also produces organic cow’s milk product for global clients, including Fonterra. Until the Chinese downturn prompted a vigorous market diversification programme, NIG Nutruitionals’ products were exported mainly there, and to Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia. “There are promising signs that the Chinese economy is in recovery, and we’ve been able to hold our own in the meantime, but China’s declining birth-rate is dampening the long- “There are promising signs that the Chinese economy is in recovery, and we’ve been able to hold our own in the meantime, but China’s declining birth-rate is dampening the long-term prospects in that market” term prospects in that market,” says CEO Leon Fung. “Our market diversification is broadly aimed at other countries, not just in Asia but around the world, and we’re confident that our strategy will set us on a course of further production and marketing growth.” Leon, who is bi-lingual in Chinese, has a 20year history as a management professional in multi-national food and beverage companies, and has been steering the NIG Nutritionals ship in the last two years or so. “We’re excited about reaching our fortieth birthday and we can see a lot of upsides in our growth potential in the coming years,” he says. In mid 2022 New Image Group added a further entity to its stable in the form of the high-profile 54-year-old Nutrimetrics health and nutritional company from American-owned Tupperware Brands. Group owner Graeme Clegg said at the time that the acquisition was a “perfect fit” for New Image Group, with Nutrimetrics skincare products in particular offering a new niche for the group to expand into. He has since introduced new business systems to grow Nutrimetrics marketing and sales. NCI is a privately owned packaging company. Founded in 1954, we have grown from being a specialist manufacturer of cans to become a key product partner to many of Australasia’s leading milk powder, food, paint, and aerosol brands. NCI manufactures a vast range of containers in many sizes, both metal and plastic , for many uses including a wide range of foods such as milk powders, butter, AMF, recipes and abalone as well as paint, aerosols, chemicals, petroleum, and retail packs. We are ISO 9001 and FSCC 22000 certified. Visit us at www.ncipackaging.com NCI congratulates NIG for 40 years of success As we raise our glasses to toast for NIG’s 40 years of success, we couldn't be prouder to stand by them on this momentous occasion! Through two decades of shared triumphs and challenges, our partnership has flourished, driven by a mutual commitment to quality, excellence, and unwavering dedication to customer satisfaction. As we reflect on the milestones we've achieved together, we are filled with gratitude for the opportunity to be a part of NIG's remarkable story. At NCI, we take immense pride in the role we've played in NIG's success story. From providing top-quality products and services to delivering unparalleled support and reliability, we've strived to exceed expectations and contribute to the continued growth and prosperity of our valued partner. Here's to 20 years of shared accomplishments, and to many more milestones yet to come! Please contact Customer Service (New Zealand) 0800 220 120 customerservicenz@ncipackaging.com
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