Philip Morris International (PMI) will invest EUR 300 million (USD 323 million) to convert a Greek cigarette factory to into a plant capable of turning out 20 billion tobacco sticks for its iQOS heat-not-burn device, the company said.
http://www.tobaccojournal.com/PMI_to_convert_Greek_cigarette_plant_to_make_iQOS_sticks.54155.0.html
Expansion and remodeling the Aspropyrgos plant operated by affiliate company Papastratos will create 400 new jobs in addition to the 800 current ones, PMI said. Construction will begin immediately with operations expected to start in January 2018.
“This investment is further evidence of our progress towards a smoke-free future. We are encouraged by the 1.4 million smokers who have already switched to IQOS around the world, and we expect this momentum to continue,” said Frederic de Wilde, PMI regional president for the European Union.
Aspropyrgos will be the third facility dedicated to iQOS production. Production currently is centred in a specially built facility in Crespellano, Italy and a small scale Industrial Development Centre in Neuchatel, Switzerland.