15-09-2006

Uusi tuotantolaitos käyttöön Kabulissa
Afganistanin presidentti Hamid Karzai vihki syyskuun 10. päivänä uuden nykyaikaisen alkoholittomien juomien tuotantolaitoksen käyttöön Kabulissa. Tuotantolaitoksesta vastaa Habib Gulzar Non-Alcoholic Beverages Ltd -niminen afganistanilaisyritys. Vihkiäispuheenvuorossaan presidentti Hamid Karzai kuvaili laitosta "tärkeäksi askelleeksi kohti Afganistanin taloudellista kasvua, omavaraisuutta ja parempaa tulevaisuutta".

President Karzai inaugurates Coca-Cola’s Kabul Plant
Kabul, September 10, 2006: President Hamid Karzai today inaugurated the brand new, state-of-the-art Coca-Cola bottling plant in Kabul. The modern non-alcoholic beverages production plant has been set up on a 60,000 square meters plot in the Bagrami Industrial Area.

The substantial investment of up to 25 million US Dollars made in the Coca-Cola Kabul Plant is seen as a significant endorsement of the Afghan Government’s efforts to push ahead with the country’s reconstruction on all fronts and to attract local and foreign investment.

Inaugurating the plant; Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai described this investment as “an important step forward to economic growth, self sufficiency and better future of Afghanistan”.

President Karzai was accompanied at the inauguration ceremony by members of the Afghan Cabinet, senior government officials as well as diplomats and representatives of International organizations.

The bottling facilities are operated under Habib Gulzar Non-Alcoholic Beverages Ltd, a company owned by a local businessman. Mr. Habib Gulzar, the Chairman of the Plant revealed that the production in Afghanistan will initially comprise of the core carbonated beverage brands of The Coca-Cola Company, namely Coca-Cola, Fanta and Sprite.

Both PET and returnable glass bottle production lines have been installed and are operational. The facility is designed to produce bottled water and other non-alcoholic beverages in the future in addition to the initial production of carbonated beverages.

Coca-Cola’s business in Afghanistan will be managed by Southern Eurasia Region, headquartered in Istanbul. Mr. Selcuk Erden, President of Southern Eurasia Region of The Coca-Cola Company, described the significance of this investment as a global brand helping to bring commerce, jobs and normalcy in Afghanistan.

“The Coca-Cola Company is committed to the economic development of Afghanistan and believes that this investment will generate significant employment through direct and indirect jobs, help to create a healthy distribution and retail sector in the country and contribute financially to the economic development of Afghanistan” Mr. Erden said during the inauguration ceremony. Mr. Erden added: “Afghanistan was the missing link in our geography and we were following this country very carefully. As soon as the conditions were improved, we started our operations first through distributions and then through investment, all accomplished by our local partner, Mr. Habib Gulzar and his family.”

The Coca-Cola bottling plant investment in Afghanistan is based on a 100 % franchising agreement. The Coca-Cola Company’s growth strategy is based on a plan to benefit from the business together with the Bottling Company.

“Afghanistan is a country promising a lot of growth opportunity for our business,” stated the Country Manager of Coca-Cola for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Rizwan U. Khan. “The fast growth rates we have observed in the recent years are a clear indication of the potential and our sales volumes in the country are improving in a steady manner,” he added.