Coca-Cola Continues Strong Investment in China with Opening of 43rd Production Facility
The Coca-Cola Company has opened a new bottling plant as part of a planned US$4 billion investment in China over three years (2012-2014). The new $106 million facility is the soft drinks group’s 43rd plant in China and its first in Shijiazhuang, Hebei.
The 170,000-square-meter (42 acres) plant begins bottling with both sparkling and still beverage lines producing Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, and Minute Maid. Three additional lines will be installed over the next few years. With a population of more than 72 million and a per capita GDP of $5,259, Hebei province has become one of the country’s most important growth markets.
The capital investment provides 2,000 jobs and generates 20,000 indirect job opportunities in the local community. The new Hebei plant implements Coca-Cola’s stringent conservation and source water protection plans and efficiently manages water use by reusing treated wastewater and replenishing water used back to the community. These efforts are part of the company’s commitment to accelerate business growth in a responsible and sustainable manner.
With bottling plants in all five provinces of North China, this latest addition underpins Coca-Cola’s ability to deliver a robust portfolio of products that meet the increasingly diversified needs of consumers in China’s fast-growing beverage market. Hebeihas generated more than 2.4 billion servings annually and delivered double-digit cumulative average annual growth since 2008.
