Less than a year after acquiring the majority stake in Alimentsa, BioMar is accelerating development of the Ecuadorian shrimp feed producer with the commissioning of a fifth production line and reorganization of personnel to strengthen the integration of the two companies. 

\"We have continued to build on the legacy of Alimentsa,\" said Danny Velez, who took over the position as General Manager shortly after the acquisition. \"It has been important for us to ensure continuity and at the same time fortifying the company in a highly competitive market.\"

\"We have just commissioned a fifth production line in order to secure sufficient capacity next year,\" Mr. Velez continued. \"It is a relatively small investment as the new line fits into our present facilities, and thereby we expect it to be ready already early next year. Our new feed trial and development facility announced in November, is also progressing according to schedule and will be operational later this year.\"

Mr. Velez underlined that further investments are planned for the near future in order to fulfil the strategic ambitions of the company. He also outlined how BioMar\'s investment program in Ecuador is accompanied by a strengthening of the organization in Alimentsa.

\"We want our customers to see the tangible benefits of becoming a part of BioMar, so especially product development and technical customer support are being reinforced, however, also other areas of the company are being strengthened while we integrate Alimentsa into BioMar,\" explained Danny Velez.

The Technical Director for BioMar Central America, John Tinsley, has relocated to Guayaquil in May to join Alimentsa\'s R&D Manager Laurence Massaut in a first step to build a team for feed trials and product development around the new Aquaculture Technology Center. In addition, Andres Rivadulla has joined Alimentsa as Finance Manager from the multinational plastic giant BIC, and a number of new positions are being filled at the moment.