Pepsi Invests $360 Million In Plant Improvement

Pepsi-Cola (Jamaica) Limited has announced an investment of some $360 million in new equipment and machinery at its Spanish Town Road plant, to bring the local company on par with cutting edge technology used by bottling companies regionally.
Speaking at the launch of the new investment initiative yesterday (June 10) at the plant, Minister of Development, Dr. Paul Robertson said, “I know that in relation to the Caribbean, this expansion puts you as number one in the use of certain technologies.”
Other improvement work undertaken by the company included increasing the capacity of the stand-by generator to fit a 24-hour production cycle, upgrading the refrigeration as well as completing work on a Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant, to facilitate the use of water from the company’s wells.
The company is also projecting to spend J$174 million next year for the revamping of its syrup room, the building of additional wells and a wastewater treatment plant.
Dr. Robertson commended the company’s show of confidence in the country’s economy making reference to Pepsi Cola’s investment of half a billion dollars over a two-year period.
He pledged the Government’s commitment to working closely with Pepsi and other private sector investors to ensure that their companies realized sustained levels of growth. He also pointed to the need to develop the export capacity of these companies, noting that this would redound to Jamaica’s prosperity.
Robert Stephens, Director of Projects in the Ministry of Commerce, Science and Technology, who spoke on behalf of Minister Philip Paulwell, highlighted advances in the food and beverage industry, including the 5.5 per cent increase in the production of carbonated beverages during the first quarter of the year, over the corresponding period in 2002.
He attributed the improved production to increased investment in equipment and machinery by industry players and to “the measures and policies put in place by the government to create the appropriate institutional framework and enabling environment to support businesses.” This is complemented, he said, by the work of upgraded agencies such as the Office of the Registrar of Companies and the Trade Board.
Responding on behalf of Pepsi, Alfred Campbell, Regional Plant Manager, pointed to the partnership between his company and the agricultural sector, for the supply of produce for grapefruit and ginger based drinks. This relationship, he said, would be maintained, with continued investment in the Jamaican people and in plant operations.
Pepsi-Cola Limited began operations in Jamaica in 1999 with 150 employees. Today, it has increased that number to 300 persons. The company manufactures popular drinks such as D&G soft drinks, Ting, Pepsi and Old Jamaica Beer. The company has plans to expand its operations to the wider Caribbean and Latin America.
Pepsi’s growth plans should be buoyed by the coming of the multi-trillion dollar Free Trade Area of the Americas agreement, affecting some 650 million people. In this agreement, it is envisaged that all countries of the Western Hemisphere with the exception of Cuba, will enjoy liberalized trade with the gradual removal of barriers.