US multinational beverage giant The Coca Cola Company (TCCC) will invest Rs 3,000 crore on a beverage bases and concentrates plant it is going to set up in Sanand, about 22km from Ahmedabad.
The foreign direct investment (FDI) will be made by the company through International Refreshments (India) Private Limited (IRIPL), a part of TCCC.
Gujarat government sources confirmed that a plot of land (SM-52) measuring 1.6 lakh square metre had been allotted to the company to establish the plant in Sanand Industrial Estate-II.
“The government has fast tracked the process of approvals and has already made land allotment to the company,” senior officials in the state administration said.
The company already has a facility in Goblej, situated some 33km from Ahmedabad, through its bottling partner – Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages Limited, in addition to another one at Sanand. The two facilities were established with a cumulative investment of $180 million.
Government sources said the plant would be fully automated using robotic technology. The facility will be enabled with Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-learning technology enabled devices to enable real-time monitoring and control of the manufacturing processes. It will also have automated storage and retrieval systems.
During the construction phase, a workforce of about 1,000 persons – both skilled and unskilled – will be employed by the company.
When operational, the plant will have a workforce of about 400 persons in operational and engineering roles, with an emphasis on gender diversity.
“The beverages major has created several employment opportunities through at least two lakh retailers and direct and indirect jobs for 1,000 persons in Gujarat thus far,” said a source.
The new plant is expected to give a boost to ancillary industries such as packaging suppliers, flavour producers, engineering services, capital goods, and automation sectors, sources in the government said.
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