Swedish Minister of Agriculture, Eskil Erlandsson, led the celebration to inaugurate the new bottling plant in Åhus, ABSOLUT SATELLIT, where ABSOLUT VODKA will be bottled. The new plant is customized for the production of the Swedish export success.
Today, ABSOLUT VODKA is the largest single export product of the Swedish food and beverage industry.
“On several important markets around the world we’re seeing a significant increase in consumer demand. ABSOLUT VODKA has double-digit growth on several of our key markets,” says Ketil Eriksen, President of the V&S Absolut Spirits business area.
V&S Absolut Spirits has produced alcohol in Åhus for over 100 years, and currently more than 500,000 bottles of ABSOLUT VODKA are produced a day. The investment in the new plant, ABSOLUT SATELLIT, is a further investment in brand expansion. V&S has invested a total of SEK 1.4 billion in Åhus/Nöbbelöv during the past 10 years.
“The new bottling plant is a dream. It is totally built according to our needs and wishes. We have created an optimal flow. It is also built so that we can grow even more,” says Krister Asplund, Vice President of Manufacturing at V&S Absolut Spirits.
ABSOLUT SATELLIT is a bottling plant for bottling ABSOLUT VODKA and is a complement to the “Spritkyrkan” in central Åhus. To start with, the new plant will have a capacity of 20 million bottles a year with one shift. There is currently one tapping line but the number of lines can be increased to two in the existing building and an additional two if an extension is added. The number of shifts can be increased to three at peaks of production.
The environment has been one of the main issues considered when designing the plant. Environmentally friendly waste handling, sorting and district heating from renewable energy sources are some examples of how the impact of production on the environment will be minimized. Traffic intensity in central Åhus will also decrease, resulting in less noise and disturbance to nearby residents.
Planning for ABSOLUT SATELLIT began in October 2005. The ground was broken on May 12, 2005 and the plant was completed on August 30, 2007. Construction cost SEK 524 million and the building was designed by the Swiss architect Beat Senn.
For more information, please contact:
Paula Eriksson, Director, Corporate Communications, V&S Absolut Spirits, + 46 70 190 12 07,