New investments reaffirm Nestlé's commitment to the ASEAN region
Corporate news- Mitteilung verarbeitet und übermittelt durch Hugin.
Für den Inhalt der Mitteilung ist der Emittent verantwortlich.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
Anbei senden wir Ihnen die Pressemitteilung "New investments reaffirm
Nestlé's commitment to the ASEAN region", welche heute in Singapur
anlässlich einer Pressekonferenz in Anwesenheit von Paul Bulcke, CEO
Nestlé AG, versandt wurde. Die Pressemitteilung ist nur auf Englisch
erhältlich. Weitere Informationen finden Sie unter www.nestle.com.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
New investments reaffirm Nestlé's commitment to the ASEAN region
Singapore, 13 June 2009 - Speaking at a media conference at the end
of his tour of South East Asia which took him to Thailand, Vietnam,
Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, Nestlé CEO Paul Bulcke said that
the Company will continue to invest in the region and expand its
business and manufacturing facilities there. Over the last three
years, Nestlé has spent over CHF 550 million in capital investments
in its ASEAN operations. In 2008, Nestlé's business in the region
experienced 15% organic growth, with sales of around CHF 5 billion.
In 2009, Nestlé's investments in the region will amount to CHF 260
million.
In Thailand Nestlé is investing in two significant manufacturing
projects, the construction of a new Nestlé Purina pet food factory
located in the Amata City Industrial Estate, and the expansion of the
existing Navanakorn facility, where Nestlé (Thai) Ltd produces milk
and coffee products. The pet food plant, which will create 135 new
jobs, will be one of the most advanced factories of its kind in the
world, thanks to its state-of-the-art processing technologies. The
factory will supply dry pet food to the growing local and overseas
markets, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the
Philippines, as well as Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Nestlé's overall
capital investments for Thailand will amount to CHF 56 million in
2009.
In Vietnam Paul Bulcke opened the new Maggi production plant at the
Nestlé factory in the Dong Nai province, where Nestlé will create
over 800 jobs by 2010. The plant will meet the growing consumer
demand for Maggi products in Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines.
This year Nestlé will invest a total of CHF 13 million in its
operations in Vietnam. For example, the La Vie Company, a local joint
venture company in which Nestlé holds a 65% interest, will invest in
its two mineral water factories to double their capacity.
In Malaysia, Nestlé has committed a capital investment of CHF 85
million for 2009 to meet the increasing demand for Halal products of
which Nestlé Malaysia is the Centre of Excellence for the Nestlé
Group. The investment supports the set-up of new regional plants for
Nescafé and non-dairy creamer as well as the expansion of its Maggi
facilities following the stronger export demands for its products in
the region, the Middle East and Europe. Over the last three years
significant investments were made in Singapore for the upgrade and
expansion of the production facilities at the Jurong factory, while
another CHF 3 million of investments have been committed for 2009.
In the Philippines, which Paul Bulcke visited last year, Nestlé's
investments in 2009 will amount to CHF 72 million. An additional
expression of Nestlé's commitment to the region was the establishment
of a Nestlé shared service centre for financial and employee services
in the Philippines in 2008, which helps to maximize Nestlé's
operational efficiency throughout the ASEAN region and Oceania.
In Indonesia, Nestlé will invest a further CHF 29 million in 2009,
after a major investment of CHF 130 million in the last two years,
supporting the expansion of the Kejayan milk factory in East Java in
order to meet the increasing demand. After the completion of the
project, the Kejayan factory will be one of the ten biggest Nestlé
milk processing plants in the world.
In addition to investments in its production facilities, Nestlé has
globally invested around CHF 2 billion in research and development
last year. One of the research projects in the ASEAN region is the
partnership between Nestlé's R&D centre in Tours, France, and the
Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute (ICCRI) on the
large-scale propagation of coffee and cocoa trees. So far over a
million high-yield, disease-resistant cocoa plantlets have already
been distributed through local partners, a figure which, according to
the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture, should reach 70 million by
2011.
At the press conference, Paul Bulcke also illustrated how Nestlé is
creating long-term value for the communities in which it operates.
"As is true of all of our worldwide operations, we are committed to
creating shared value in the ASEAN region, both for shareholders and
local communities. This means that Nestlé, through its activities
wherever it operates, has to bring meaningful value to society at
large by creating both direct and indirect jobs, working with farming
communities, training and developing people, as well as bringing
products to the market adapted to the taste and nutritional needs of
local consumers. This is part of Nestlé's DNA and the long-term
approach we take to everything we do", he said. For over a century,
Nestlé has been contributing to the economic development around the
world. Indeed, half of the company's 456 factories are today based in
the developing world. Nutrition, water and rural development were
recently defined as three focus areas in Creating Shared Value, and
the number of activities in these areas is being stepped up all over
the world.
Paul Bulcke emphasized that "Nestlé has been operating in this part
of the world for nearly 100 years. The ASEAN region is a very
important part of the Nestlé business, and our continued commitment
and on-going investments demonstrate our confidence in the region."
Nestlé currently has 23 factories and around 15,000 employees in its
ASEAN markets. Furthermore, it has a Research and Development Center
based in Singapore, which is an integral part of Nestlé's global
network of 27 Research, Technology and Development Centers. With all
of this support, Nestlé is well placed to continue nourishing the 600
million consumers living in the ASEAN countries.
For further information please contact
Tengku Marina Badlishah
Group Corporate Affairs
Nestlé Malaysia
Tel.: + 60 12 209 5275
E-mail: TengkuMarina.Badlishah@my.nestle.com
--- Ende der Mitteilung ---
Nestlé S.A.
Avenue Nestlé 55 Vevey
WKN: 887208; ISIN:
CH0012056047; Index: SLCI, SMI, SPI, SMIEXP;
Notiert: Main Market in SIX Swiss Exchange;