98 | nzdairy And inside the factories walls is a real meltingpot of ethnicities and cultural experiences, something David believes gives strength to the business. “We have 28 nationalities working in this business and we understand different cultures have different values. I do see when we employ a new staff member sometimes there’s a culture shock but here they can quickly relax. Our people manager’s work very hard to create an engaging and welcoming work space.” While the factory physically is a big entity in the Pokeno community David says the business is relatively small, enabling those working in it to see the full picture, rather than being part of a big machine. A key focus for Yashili now that it has well and truly settled in form and function in New Zealand is to add value to its product offering and to actively search out new markets, such as the USA and increase its presence in places such as the UK, which David says is full of potential. “South-East Asia will also be my focus as we transition from a supplier just of infant formula to a fully functioning dairy factory.” Embracing and supporting the local community is also a priority. Key staff from Yashili have started visiting local schools to talk about the work of the factory and work opportunities. The company has created a Community Engagement Of cer to help nurture these relationships. “We very much want to be a good business here and we want to bring employment to the local community. We want to be an employer of choice.” Ten years has come and gone since Yashili established here and for David and the team those foundation years have been critical to the success the company is now poised to realise. DAIRY PEOPLE » Yashili NZ Dairy Co Whole and skim milk powder produced at the Yashili plant in Pokeno. • from page 96 Moving from being a supplier of just infant formula to a fully functioning dairy factory is a major focus for Yahili NZ, says Managing Director David Song. COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL REFRIGERATION & AIR CONDITIONING Excel Refrigeration & YASHILI NEW ZEALAND DAIRY CO. Ltd Free Phone: 0800 392 351 Email: wkoffice@excel.co.nz www.excel.co.nz Office: 07 847 9551 Adding value to product offering
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