For immediate release
1st April, 1998
Swire Beverages opened today (1st April, 1998) its second Coca-Cola bottling facility in Taiwan which will further consolidate the brand's leading position in the market.
Operated by Swire Coca-Cola Taiwan Ltd., the US$75 million facility occupies 38,000 square metres in Taoyuan, just outside Taipei. It employs 320 staff, and is equipped with an ultra-modern, fully computerised and automated warehouse capable of handling up to 1,000 pallets a day - one of the most sophisticated and advanced warehouses in the world.
The new bottling plant will complement Swire Coca-Cola Taiwan's existing facility in supplying the Taiwan market where Coca-Cola products command a leading position with a 50 per cent share of carbonated soft drink sales. In 1997, Coca-Cola sales in Taiwan were approximately 38 million unit cases.
Swire Pacific Ltd. holds 78 per cent of the Taoyuan facility, The Coca-Cola Company 20 per cent and local Taiwanese investors, the remaining two per cent. The Chairman of Swire Pacific, Peter Sutch, and the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Coca-Cola Company, M. Douglas Ivester, officiated at the plant's opening ceremony today.
"This new plant further underscores our commitment to the Taiwan market and our determination to enhance our market leadership here," said Mr Sutch. "We have worked hard to achieve that leadership, building brand loyalty consumer by consumer. Brands may come and go in Taiwan's very competitive market but we are here to stay."
Mr Ivester said: "This state-of-the-art plant is a cornerstone that will help us enhance our market leadership in Taiwan. Through this plant, efforts from our strong sales force and more direct distribution, we aim to create more Coca-Cola consumers."
Reflecting Swire's and Coca-Cola's commitment to the environment, the Taoyuan facility was built to high environmental standards and has won acclaims from local environmentalists. It has also received a national award from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Environmental Protection Administration, for the operation and maintenance of its pollution prevention system.
Swire Beverages, one of Coca-Cola's anchor bottlers, has interests in nine bottling plants in Mainland China. At present, over 9,000 staff are employed in its various operating companies in Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan and the United States. The population of the markets served by these operating companies is estimated to be 412 million. Swire's involvement with Coca-Cola dates back to 1965 when the Coca-Cola franchise for Hong Kong was acquired.
Swire Pacific holds 87.5 per cent of Swire Beverages.
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