Santa Cruz do Sul, September 26, 2018 – JTI opened today its first South American cigarette factory. The factory is located in Santa Cruz do Sul (155km (96 miles) of Porto Alegre), city host to large Brazilian industries and base to JTI since 2009, when the company started its dealings with tobacco leaves in Brazil. The plant, with its 10.000 sq meters (107.639 sq ft), has capacity to operate four production lines in up to three shifts. The total investment for the factory amounted to 85 million Real (US$ 20.7).
“In 2018, we celebrated 100 years of Japanese settlement in Brazil. Now, we are very proud to open this factory in Santa Cruz do Sul. This is a great step to develop our business in Brazil. The JT Group will continue to establish strong relationships with Brazilian stakeholders”, said Mutsuo Iwai, JT’s Executive Vice President and President of the Tobacco Business.
The state of Rio Grande do Sul will produce Camel and Winston (marketed in the country) and LD (for exports) brands. In addition to supplying the Brazilian market, the output will be distributed to Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador, and, gradually, to the whole of Latin America.
According to Flavio Goulart, director of Corporate Affairs and Communication for JTI, the decision to invest in Brazil is due to the country’s high degree of technical and operational knowledge. “The excellent standards of the Brazilian tobacco leaves, which JTI employs in its global flagship brands, was also taken into account”, he added. […]