PepsiCo Invests $13 Million in New Soft Drinks Line in Romania
PepsiCo, the global food and beverage giant, is set to invest $13 million in a state-of-the-art production line at its soft drinks factory in Dragomirești, Romania, as part of the company’s ambitious development plans for the region.
The investment aims to install a “modern, fully-automated production line” at the facility in northern Romania, significantly enhancing production capacity. The Dragomirești site is known for producing popular brands such as Pepsi, 7Up, and Mirinda, and the new line is expected to boost output to an impressive “800 million litres per year.”
The cutting-edge production line is capable of producing up to 1 million bottles per day, representing a remarkable 60% increase in beverage output per unit compared to conventional production lines, according to a PepsiCo spokesperson. As part of this investment, the company will also construct a fully automated warehouse spanning over 15,000 square meters.
This move is a pivotal element of PepsiCo’s comprehensive five-year development plan for the Dragomirești site, with a total investment of $40 million. Radu Berevoescu, the general manager and senior commercial director of PepsiCo’s East Balkans business unit, emphasized the strategic significance of the investment, stating, “This investment will help us strengthen our position as a regional production and distribution hub for central and south-eastern Europe.”
The Dragomirești facility currently serves multiple countries, including Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Ukraine, Hungary, Cyprus, and Moldova. PepsiCo envisions the new fully automated process, from bottling to loading onto trucks, eliminating the need for human intervention and significantly enhancing operational efficiency.
Berevoescu highlighted the sustainability aspect of the investment, noting that the new line consumes 30% less energy than conventional lines. He emphasized that the high level of automation would enable employees to focus on process improvement, professional and personal development, and the continuous simplification of operations.
PepsiCo operates two factories in Romania, with the beverage plant in Dragomirești and Star Foods Snacks in Popești-Leordeni. The latter serves the same countries as the Dragomirești site, along with additional markets including Moldova, Ukraine, Albania, Montenegro, and Serbia, producing a range of popular snacks under brands such as Lay’s, Doritos, Lay’s Oven Baked, and the local brand, Star.
