DRC launches bottling plant project in DIP

04/06/2011 00:00 AST

Dubai Refreshments Company, or DRC, the franchisee, manufacturer and distributor of Pepsi-Cola Products in Dubai and Northern Emirates, hosted a ground-breaking ceremony on Thursday, to mark the start of construction of its new state-of-the-art bottling factory and warehouse facility at Dubai Investment Park, or DIP.

The new mega bottling plant is set to become one of the biggest in the Mena region, spanning over 140,000 sq. meters, with the capacity to produce over 120 million cases annually. The construction is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2012.

Attending the ceremony was Ahmad bin Eisa Al Serkal, Chairman of DRC, and Saad Abdul-Latif, Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo Asia, Middle East and Africa, as well board members, senior managers and invited guests of Dubai Refreshments company.

Al Serkal said "the investment in the milestone project illustrates his group's great confidence in the growth potential of the UAE economy. "The construction of this new mega factory demonstrates our continued commitment to the development of the beverage market in the GCC and our intention to continue to be the leading player in the UAE and beyond."

Omar Al Mesmar, General Manager DIP said, the Park is committed to provide DRC with "world-class infrastructure and excellent utilities network to make this project a great success for all parties involved."

"This mega plant is an important development for DRC and for PepsiCo which will help us meet the growing demand for our products. PepsiCo supports DRC's vision to modernize and expand its infrastructure as we believe that these efforts will help transform the company into one of the leading PepsiCo bottlers in the world. This in turn will make our 50-year-old partnership even stronger. PepsiCo will do its utmost to help ensure DRC's vision becomes a reality soon," said Abdul-Latif.

Khaleej Times