Danone Restructures: What the Ochsenfurt Closure Signals for European Dairy | Ep 2

🔍 Summary:In this episode, we unpack Danone’s decision to close its Ochsenfurt dairy site by 2026 amid falling demand, rising costs, and shifting consumer habits. We explore what this means for the future of dairy manufacturing in Europe, the role of specialised production, and how multinational FMCG firms are rethinking plant networks under pressure.📈 Zenith Actionable insights for operators & strategists:✔️ Reassess plant network economics — particularly for legacy dairy formats. Plants under 60% utilisation may face internal reviews in the next 12–24 months.✔️ Evaluate SKU-level relevance by market — consumer preference shifts (towards protein-forward, sugar-reduced, or non-dairy) are affecting portfolio productivity. Stay agile.✔️ Invest in sites with specialisation capacity — like Fulda. Future growth may rely on fewer, more versatile plants aligned to strategic categories like infant nutrition or medical-grade formulas.✔️ Watch for labour impacts and transition opportunities — Danone’s handling of social plans, retraining and reallocation can serve as a case study for others navigating similar rationalisations.🌐 Follow the Zenith LinkedIn page: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/zenith-global-commercial⁠🌐 Visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.zenithglobalcommercial.com⁠⁠⁠⁠🎙️ More from ZenithWater Dispense & Filtration Podcast⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/zenith-consulting-water-dispense/id1807719571⁠Soft Drinks & Innovations Podcast:⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/zenith-consulting-soft-drinks-and-innovation/id1807367430⁠📊 Download our free European Water Dispense & Filtration demo database (€2bln industry): https://www.zenithglobalcommercial.com/demo📞 Book a free 1-on-1 consultation call:https://www.zenithglobalcommercial.com/book-an-appointmentLet’s explore how we can support you with:🧀 Market data (even for cheese!)💧 Water dispense insights (BWD / POU / ITS)🔍 Partner search & market entry📈 Branding & growth strategy💦 Water source valuation🔬 Custom market research

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