ShunDi Foods upgrades Shandong factory to lift dehydrated garlic output

ShunDi Foods has finished a major upgrade at its Shandong plant, adding automation, sterilization and quality-control systems aimed at improving dehydrated garlic supply. The move is meant to strengthen production capacity in one of China’s key garlic regions as global demand and supply reliability remain important.

Why it matters: - Shandong is a core source of ShunDi Foods’ garlic, onions and chili peppers. - The upgrade is designed to make supply more reliable and production more consistent. - The investment also aims to strengthen the company’s capacity for dehydrated spices and vegetables. - China remains the world’s largest garlic producer, so processing efficiency in major growing regions carries wider supply-chain significance.

What happened: - ShunDi Foods completed an upgrade at its Shandong factory in 2026. - The factory is a key production site for dehydrated garlic. - The upgrade covers drying, sorting, sterilization, packaging, dust control and noise control. - New automated and intelligent equipment is now in operation.

The details: - ShunDi Foods was founded in 1995 and operates across Shanghai, Shandong and Yunnan. - The company has more than 53,000 square meters of total construction area. - Shandong serves as ShunDi Foods’ raw-material and processing base for garlic, onions and chili peppers. - The company’s own garlic base in Shandong supports product consistency and supply reliability. - The drying line now includes a continuous dryer and a single-layer natural-gas re-drying unit. - The re-drying stage uses separately controlled temperature zones and internal hot-air recirculation. - The setup includes a collection system for lightweight material such as garlic skins. - The configuration is intended to improve energy efficiency, reduce product loss and help preserve product quality. - Three AI color sorters were added for foreign-body control. - The sorters use ultra-high-definition true-color cameras and high-performance processing units. - The sorters are designed to remove scorched pieces, roots, stems and selected foreign materials such as stones and glass where visual contrast allows. - Air-ejection mechanisms can remove lightweight contaminants including hair and feathers. - The sorters operate alongside magnetic separators, pipeline metal detectors, X-ray inspection equipment and electrostatic separators. - A steam sterilizer sourced from Switzerland was installed for products with low microbial-load requirements, including ready-to-eat foods. - The sterilization process is designed to keep total plate counts at or below 10,000 colony-forming units per gram and to achieve at least a five-log reduction in pathogens such as Salmonella under validated conditions for applicable products. - ShunDi Foods also upgraded fit-out, air-conditioning and air-purification systems for a 5,000-square-meter clean production area. - The packaging line now includes an automated precision-dosing and packaging system with automatic weighing, sealing and case-packing equipment. - The new packaging system is intended to improve weighing accuracy and packaging efficiency while handling different packaging specifications. - The factory upgraded its pulse-jet dust collection system to reduce dust emissions. - The workshop noise-control system was also upgraded to make the working environment quieter and more comfortable.

Between the lines: - The upgrade moves the factory beyond automation at single steps toward more continuous and standardized processing. - That shift matters because more standardized operations can reduce variability that comes from operator-dependent processes. - A production manager at the Shandong factory said the new equipment has helped standardize operations and made consistent product quality easier to maintain. - The company is trying to turn its local garlic supply base into a broader manufacturing advantage across its network.

What's next: - ShunDi Foods expects the upgrade to strengthen production capacity. - The company also expects the Shandong site to play a larger role in flexible supply for dehydrated spices and vegetables. - The factory will continue serving domestic and international demand through its broader dried-food ingredients business. - More information is available in the company’s announcement.