PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Inaugurates New Snacks Plant in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
PepsiCo, one of the worlds largest food and beverage companies, demonstrated its commitment to the Middle East yesterday with the inauguration of its newest manufacturing facility. Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo Chairman and CEO inaugurated the all-new snacks plant in Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
This is the companys 15th facility in the Middle East. PepsiCo has been doing business in the region for 60 years.
Nooyi was accompanied by HE Dr. Tawfig Alrabiah, Minister of Commerce and Industry, HE Eng. Abdullatif Al-Othman, Governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) and Eng. Saleh Al Rasheed, Director General of the Saudi Industrial Property Authority (Modon) at the opening of the state-of-the-art facility.
The Middle East is a dynamic food and beverage market and a critical engine of growth for PepsiCo, said Nooyi. Over the years, PepsiCo and Saudi Arabia have prospered together and the investment in this plant is testament to our belief in PepsiCos bright future in this country and the wider region. The plant will be a critical hub for our company, bringing some of PepsiCos best-loved snacks and newest innovations to Saudi Arabia and markets throughout the region, she added.
The Dammam plant covers 55,000 square meters and will employ 300 staff, including 40 women. It will supply the snack market across Saudi Arabia while further enhancing the companies' ability to provide consumers throughout the Middle East with a range of food choices including local innovations such as Lays Forno.
The new facility is the latest addition to PepsiCos growing network of energy-efficient buildings around the world. The plant was built in accordance with criteria set by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the world's leading green building standard, and is expected to reduce PepsiCos environmental footprint by minimizing waste and maximizing energy efficiency.
The Middle East is a key component of PepsiCos overall plan to drive growth in developing and emerging markets globally. Developing and emerging markets accounted for 35 percent of PepsiCos
net revenue in 2013.
The opening of the Dammam plant follows two months after PepsiCo opened an innovation center in Dubais Dubiotech, its first facility in the Middle East. The facility will serve as a hub of new products and flavors innovations for PepsiCos businesses across the region.
The official plant opening was attended by Dr. Tawfig Alrabiah, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Eng. Abdullatif Al-Othman, Governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) and Eng. Saleh Al Rasheed, Director General of the Saudi Industrial Property Authority (Modon).
