Plano, Texas, June 18 - To support the growth of its leading flavored soft drink and non-carbonated beverage brands, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. has finalized an agreement to open a world-class production and distribution center in Victorville, Calif.
The $120 million facility is expected to employ 200 people and will become the company's Western hub in a regional manufacturing and distribution footprint serving California and parts of the desert Southwest. The company will produce a wide range of soft drinks, juices, juice drinks, ready-to-drink teas, energy drinks and other premium beverages at the Victorville plant.
The facility will be constructed at Southern California Logistics Airport, an 8,500-acre master planned multimodal freight transportation hub developed on the site of the former George Air Force Base and supported by air, ground and rail connections. The DPS plant will consist of an 850,000-square-foot building on 57-acres, including 550,000 square feet of warehouse space, and a 300,000-square-foot manufacturing plant with up to six manufacturing lines.
"This is an important step toward strengthening our production, distribution and overall route to market on the West Coast," said Larry Young, president and CEO of Dr Pepper Snapple Group. "The Victorville plant will enable us to get both our carbonated and non-carbonated brands to our customers and consumers more efficiently than ever before and will lay the foundation for future growth in that region."
"When a company with the reputation of Dr Pepper Snapple chooses Victorville, it speaks of our continued success to attract high quality development and jobs for our residents," said Victorville Mayor Terry Caldwell. "Southern California Logistics Airport is the perfect location for a growing company and we welcome Dr Pepper Snapple to our community."
Construction is set to begin in October 2008. Upon opening in early 2010, the facility will have the capacity to annually produce as many as 40 million cases of product and will serve nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population.