Archer Daniels Midland Co. (NYSE: ADM) officially opened the sweetener-manufacturing portion of its integrated food manufacturing complex with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the port of Tianjin in North China, on the Yellow Sea.

When complete next year, the complex—ADM’s first wholly owned food-ingredient production facility in China—will also have the ability to produce soluble fiber, which is used to add dietary fiber to a wide range of food and beverage products.

“With demand for sweeteners and soluble fiber growing, we recognize that our customers need to source high-quality products from a trusted and reliable partner,” said Ismael Roig, ADM vice president and president, Asia-Pacific.

Roig noted that expansion in high-growth regions like China is an important part of ADM’s strategy to improve returns and reduce earnings volatility. And, he added, the facility also will help ADM serve the country’s needs for a safe, secure and sustainable food supply, consistent with the national priorities set forth in China’s fifth 12-year plan.

Roig said that the Tianjin site’s ready access to rail and water transportation and to raw-material supplies will allow it to be seamlessly integrated into ADM’s global origination and transportation network. And, its location near large urban demand centers will enable the company to efficiently serve the needs of customers in China and throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

ADM began operations in China in 1995, when the company acquired an animal feed premix plant in Dalian, in the country’s northeast. In recent years, ADM has grown to become one of the top exporters of grain to Asia, and the company markets an extensive range of food ingredients and animal feeds and feed premixes through its network of sales offices located throughout the Asia-Pacific region.