Another step towards a smoke-free future
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USD 320 million investment in new Dresden facility
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500 new jobs expected
LAUSANNE, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 19, 2017--
Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE/Euronext Paris: PM)
announces plans to invest approximately USD 320 million in a new
high-tech facility in Dresden, Germany, to produce HEETS, the
tobacco units to be used with the electronic tobacco heating device IQOS.
Construction of the 80,000 m2 facility is scheduled to begin in late
2017. Once fully operational in early 2019, the factory is expected to
employ about 500 people.
IQOS and HEETS have been available for adult smokers in
Germany since June 2016, starting with pilot commercialization in
Munich, Frankfurt and Berlin. IQOS is currently available in key
cities in more than 25 markets around the world. Commenting on the
announcement, André Calantzopoulos, PMI’s Chief Executive Officer, said:
“This investment represents another step towards a future in which
smoke-free products replace cigarettes. Already, over two million people
have given up smoking and switched to IQOS, and we know this is just the
beginning. We are fully committed to meet smoker demand for potentially
less harmful alternatives to cigarettes.”
Frederic de Wilde, President of PMI’s European Union Region added:
“We are encouraged by the successful launch of IQOS in Germany and
its performance in other European countries. Europe has become a hub for
PMI’s research, development and investment in better alternatives to
cigarettes.”
With this announcement, Germany will join a growing list of countries
where PMI manufactures tobacco units for IQOS, including Italy
and Switzerland. In addition, PMI recently announced the conversion of
the cigarette manufacturing facility of its affiliate in Greece. By the
end of 2018, PMI plans to have a total annual installed capacity of
heated tobacco units of approximately 100 billion units.
IQOS is one of four scientifically substantiated smoke-free
product platforms that PMI is developing to address adult smoker demand
for better alternatives to cigarettes.
Since 2008, PMI has hired more than 400 scientists and experts and
invested over USD 3 billion in research, product development and
scientific substantiation for smoke-free products. The company openly
shares its scientific methodologies and findings for independent
third-party review and verification, and has published its research in
over 200 articles and book chapters since 2011. Results of scientific
research conducted by PMI to date indicate that IQOS is likely to
reduce the risk of harm compared to cigarette smoking, and is a better
choice for those who would otherwise continue to smoke.
Philip Morris International Inc.
Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) is the world’s leading
international tobacco company, with six of the world's top 15
international brands and products sold in more than 180 markets. In
addition to the manufacture and sale of cigarettes, including Marlboro,
the number one global cigarette brand, and other tobacco products, PMI
is engaged in the development and commercialization of reduced-risk
products (RRPs). RRPs is the term PMI uses to refer to products that
present, are likely to present, or have the potential to present less
risk of harm to smokers who switch to these products versus continued
smoking. Through multidisciplinary capabilities in product development,
state-of-the-art facilities, and industry-leading scientific
substantiation, PMI aims to provide an RRP portfolio that meets a broad
spectrum of adult smoker preferences and rigorous regulatory
requirements. For more information, see www.pmi.com
and www.pmiscience.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170619005644/en/
Source: Philip Morris International
Philip Morris International
Media Office
T: +41 (0)58
242 4500
E: media@pmi.com
