Listed chemical and food manufacturer D&L Industries Inc. has started the commercial operations of its PHP10.5-billion plant in Batangas on Monday.

In a statement, the company said the new plant’s production lines are now running, with full commercial operations expected in the next couple of months once it finished the final fine-tuning works.

“Today, we celebrate an important milestone. After facing several challenges in the form of a pandemic, strict lockdowns during the construction, and global supply chain bottlenecks, our next generation facility in Batangas has finally started commercial operations,” D&L president Alvin Lao said.

The manufacturing facility is located on a 26-hectare property inside the First Industrial Township-Special Economic Zone in Batangas.

Lao said the new plant aims to provide customized solutions and a simplified supply chain for its customers given the ongoing global logistical challenges.

He said the Batangas facility will help the firm in its goal of “putting the Philippines on the map as a quality manufacturing hub for sustainable, natural, and organic products”.

“The company is gearing up towards launching a full range of shelf-ready products for its customers, made from coconut oil, for the personal and baby care, cosmetics and beauty care, household cleaning, health and nutrition, and food and vegetable oils categories that are sustainable, natural, and organic,” it added.

D&L said this initiative will help global brand owners beef up their sustainable product offerings.

“This marks the beginning of an exciting journey as we venture into global markets and manufacture higher value-added products. Our Batangas plant puts us in a good position as global demand returns, ” Lao said. (PNA)