NB plc to commission N18bn Aba plant 1st qtr 2015

… targets production capacity of 2.4 million HL per annum

Nicolaas Vervelde, managing director/chief executive of Nigeria Breweries (NB) plc, the country’s foremost brewing firm, has revealed that its new Aba plant, would be commissioned in the first quarter of 2015, as the expansion project is virtually complete.

Vervelde in his address at the closing ceremony of the 13th edition of the Nigeria Breweries sponsored Aba Sports Club Golf tournament, held Sunday, in the commercial city of Aba, revealed that the new facility, would create more employment opportunities, increase revenue generation to both Local, State and Federal Governments, as well as improve the standard of living of the people of the area.

Represented at the event by Ukeje Udah, brewery manager, NB Plc, Aba, Vervelde explained that the project worth N18 billion, would scale up the production capacity of the brewery to 2.4 million hectoliters (HL) per annum.

Facilities provided at the plant include a new packaging line, brewery house, new water treatment plant and a new building to accommodate senior technical staff of the company.

“I can tell you that all these projects we are talking about worth about N18 billion, is virtually complete and by 2015, our volume will move from 1.3 million HL to 2.4 million HL per annum.

The NB plc boss, expressed gratitude to Governor Theodore Orji, for restoring peace in Aba and its environs, which according to him, has made it possible for the continued existence of the plant in the area.

He observed that the peaceful atmosphere in Abia and especially Aba, would attract more investments to the State.

According to him, the city of Aba, has been adjudged as one of the safest towns in the country, which influenced the decision of management to agree to invest such amount of money in the area.

NB plc started operations in Aba in 1957, but scaled down its operations in the city in 2005, due to what its management described as economic downturn and high cost of production.

However, it re-established interest in the town with the commissioning of an ultra-modern ‘Nano Technology’ plant in October 2008, which was estimated to have gulped over N4 billion, thereby increasing its production capacity from 5000,000 litres to 1.4 million litres of products per annum, a development which stakeholders applauded.

The investment is already paying off as the old staff of the company that were laid off as a result of the closure in 2005, have all been reabsorbed and new job openings created for the unemployed youths in the State.

The Aba plant of the NB plc, contributes 51 percent of products in the South-south area of the country and contributes 21 percent of the total volume of the company’s products in the country.