Vadodara/Anand: Amul is all set to reach Mumbaikars’ doorsteps with one of its most modern dairy plant at Virar. “This will be the first dairy plant with fully automatic traffic management system using robots for milk packing. It will be inaugurated next month,” Amul Dairy’s managing director Rahul Kumar told TOI. It has many firsts in India including a 50,000 litres milk reception, processing, automatic online standardization and homogenization line and dedicated fermented milk products manufacturing facilities. The Virar facility will be Amul’s sixth plant in India. Operations such as conveying of crates, packed pouches from high-speed packing machines and filling of pouches in crates are fully automated and controlled through centralized computer monitoring system. High-speed packing machines have been integrated with online check weighers, robotic operations to avoid human touch of products. “The Rs 160 crore facility is spread over 11 acres of green mountain surroundings just 2 km away from NH-8 and easy approach from Virar, just 7km away,” said Kumar. Amul has decided to procure milk up to two LLPD (lakh litres per day) locally by setting up cooperative services on Amul pattern in the areas between Manor, Virar-Vasai regions to improve socio-economic conditions of poor farmers, who presently are not involved in dairying activities. MILKING TECH The new plant in Virar will have: Capacity to process 8 LLPD milk, 1.5 LLPD buttermilk & 50,00 litres curd Rain water harvesting system India’s largest ice cream facility of 1.25 LLPD Real-time monitoring from Anand using CCTV cameras