Pepsi unit in PH putting up bottling line in N. Luzon

Beverage-maker Pepsi Cola Products Philippines Inc. (PCPPI) has set aside about P3.22 billion this year to put up a new bottling line in northern Luzon and boost its product distribution network across the country.

The new bottling plant will deliver additional seven million cases. It will be put up in the existing plant in Rosario, La Union, and will produce both carbonated and non-carbonated drinks. This project alone will cost P500 million.

PCPPI also recently tripled the production capacity of its bottling plant in Zamboanga City with the completion of a P500-million expansion and systems upgrade project.

PCPPI senior vice president for technical operations Daniel Gregorio Jr. said the project—which involves the installation of a state-of-the-art bottling line, new water treatment and filtration system, and added inventory of containers— had substantially increased PCPPI’s presence in the region.

This new line in Zamboanga will translate to additional 8 million of cases in production yearly.

“This sophisticated bottling line, which is capable of producing carbonated soft drinks in returnable glass, will triple the company’s production capacity and enable it to provide stable supply of Pepsi products to the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur and the islands of Basilan, Jolo, Tawi-Tawi and Bongao,” Gregorio said.

PCPPI’s continuing investments in Mindanao manifested the company’s solid confidence in the entire southern Philippines, Gregorio added.

Earlier this year, PCPPI commissioned its P500-million bottling line in Cagayan de Oro City. It also purchased a prime lot in Davao City for further production capacity expansion program.

The construction of the new bottling facilities at the Pepsi plant in Barangay (village) Mercedez, Zamboanga City, started in August 2011 and was completed last month, bringing to two Pepsi’s bottling facilities in Western Mindanao.

The company reported that over the last 30 years, Pepsi has considerably helped heighten commercial activities in southern Philippines, including job generation and creation of new business opportunities for the downstream industries such as trucking, sugar farming, groceries and other retail establishments.