OWENSBORO, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM) is announcing an investment of $232 million through one of its Swedish Match affiliates to expand production capacity of its manufacturing facility in Owensboro, Ky. The expansion is expected to create an additional 450 direct jobs with an ongoing annual economic impact of $277 million and an additional 410 indirect jobs* for the commonwealth of Kentucky. The facility produces ZYN nicotine pouches to help meet the growing demand from legal-age consumers switching from cigarettes or other traditional tobacco products.
“Philip Morris International’s Swedish Match affiliate has been an important partner and job creator in this region for many years, and I’m excited to see this incredible new investment and the 450 great job opportunities it is creating for families in Owensboro and the surrounding region,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said. “Our economy continues to set records, and today’s announcement shows we’re bringing jobs to our people instead making our people move to the jobs. I want to thank and congratulate company leadership for doubling down here in the commonwealth and look forward to many more years of prosperity.”
“Smoking cigarettes is the most harmful way to consume nicotine. We are accelerating our mission toward a smoke-free future, working with our U.S. affiliates to move adults away from cigarettes and other traditional tobacco products by providing better alternatives,” said Stacey Kennedy, CEO of PMI’s U.S. business. “This investment in U.S. manufacturing capacity will increase the Kentucky plant’s workforce by about 40 percent, providing good-paying jobs and helping to meet the increasing demand for smoke-free products.”
Construction of the expanded facility is already underway—including the addition of more production space—with progressive production increases expected during the project. Completion is targeted by the second quarter of 2025. The construction phase of the project alone is expected to create nearly 2,800 jobs with about $414 million in economic impact.* Career opportunities at the facility will cover a wide range of skill levels including positions such as engineers, production staff, technicians and quality control. Career opportunities can be found here.
In addition to facility expansion and ongoing optimization of processes to increase capacity progressively over the coming quarters, the Kentucky facility will move from a 24-hour, five-days-per-week schedule to a 24-hour, seven-days-per-week schedule to boost production starting in the fourth quarter of this year. The Swedish Match Owensboro facility currently has about 1,100 employees. The ongoing expansion of the facility in Kentucky is expected to provide around 900 million cans of capacity for 2025.
In July, PMI announced an investment of $600 million over the next two years through its U.S. affiliate to open a nicotine pouch manufacturing facility in Aurora, Colo. The Aurora facility and Owensboro expansion together are designed to provide capacity needed in the near- and mid-term to meet the current growth rate of ZYN with U.S. legal-age nicotine consumers.
PMI first entered the U.S. market following its subsidiary’s acquisition of Swedish Match AB in late 2022. Swedish Match’s ZYN oral nicotine pouches have been on the market in the U.S. for more than a decade and are designed as a better option for legal-age consumers who smoke or use other traditional tobacco products and wish to continue using nicotine.
PMI is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, and its U.S. affiliates have more than 2,300 employees. PMI is on a mission to improve public health by providing the nearly 30 million legal-age U.S. consumers who smoke and other legal-age nicotine users with innovative products that are better alternatives to continued smoking. Since 2008, PMI has invested $12.5 billion globally to develop, scientifically substantiate, and commercialize innovative smoke-free products for legal-age nicotine consumers. PMI’s U.S. affiliates operate smoke-free product manufacturing facilities including the Swedish Match North America Owensboro, Ky., plant that makes ZYN nicotine pouches and a facility in Wilson, N.C., that produces HEETS, the consumable for the IQOS heated tobacco device. Swedish Match North America has a regional office in Richmond, Va.
U.S. marketing practices support 21+ access only
PMI’s U.S. affiliates are committed to responsible marketing practices focused on limiting access to adults 21 years of age and older. PMI’s U.S. affiliates do not use social media influencers in the U.S. or people under the age of 35 in marketing materials. They also employ independent age-verification systems like “Double Verify” to direct digital advertising to those over 21, and owned digital platforms are age-gated at the point of access and restricted to current nicotine users of legal age. Swedish Match North America is a Manufacturer Advisory Council member of the We Card Program, a national nonprofit serving retailers of age-restricted products, and a founding board member and investor in TruAge®, a free retail technology that provides stores a more accurate way of age verification, including the ability to detect fake IDs to ensure 21+ access only.
Smoke-free mission in the U.S.
Because adult nicotine consumer preferences differ, PMI’s U.S. affiliates are working to offer a range of smoke-free options. This effort includes investing in expanded production for nicotine pouches and beginning targeted 21+ consumer activations of its innovative IQOS heat-not-burn device in select U.S. markets this year. IQOS is the first electronic nicotine device authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a modified risk tobacco product with reduced exposure claims. The FDA found that such authorization is appropriate for the protection of the public health. Although not risk-free, studies show that because IQOS heats tobacco instead of burning it, the device significantly reduces the production of and exposure to harmful and potentially harmful chemicals compared to combustible cigarettes for adults who smoke who switch to IQOS completely.
Commitment to corporate social responsibility
PMI’s U.S. affiliates have contributed approximately $25 million to charitable causes since 2022 and look to accelerate and amplify the good work of organizations already active within communities through both financial contributions and volunteering. Three key focus areas include supporting military veterans, empowering women and funding hyperlocal solutions. PMI’s U.S. affiliates also helped form “United to Safeguard America from Illegal Trade” (USA-IT), a coalition of nearly 100 national and state brand enforcement experts, law enforcement agencies, academics and leading business organizations working to combat illegal trade. USA-IT has trained more than 36,000 law enforcement officials.
Philanthropic partnerships in Kentucky
PMI’s U.S.-based affiliates have donated nearly $2.25 million to Kentucky area philanthropies over the past two years including $500,000 for tornado and disaster relief and to organizations such as Lady Veterans Connect, Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust, Fresh Start for Women, Veterans Empowered Together, Owensboro/Daviess County Habitat for Humanity, Boulware Mission, Daniel Pitino Shelter and Oasis Owensboro Area Shelter Information and Services.
*Estimates provided from economic impact analysis study conducted by EConsult Solutions, a Philadelphia-based economics consulting firm.
Additional multimedia assets
To learn more about the Swedish Match Owensboro, Ky., manufacturing expansion, view the video assets here: Video News Access Link.
Philip Morris International in the U.S.: Delivering a Smoke-Free Future
Philip Morris International and its U.S. affiliates are working to deliver a smoke-free future. Since 2008, PMI has invested $12.5 billion globally to develop, scientifically substantiate and commercialize innovative smoke-free products for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke with the goal of transitioning legal-age consumers who smoke to better alternatives. In 2022, PMI acquired Swedish Match – a leader in oral nicotine delivery – creating a global smoke-free champion led by the IQOS and ZYN brands. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized versions of PMI’s IQOS electronically heated tobacco devices and Swedish Match’s General snus as Modified Risk Tobacco Products and renewal applications for these products are pending before the FDA. For more information, please visit www.pmi.com/us/ and www.pmiscience.com.
Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements
This press release contains projections of future results and goals and other forward-looking statements, including statements regarding expected operational performance; capital expenditures; and business plans and strategies. Achievement of future results is subject to risks, uncertainties and inaccurate assumptions. In the event that risks or uncertainties materialize, or underlying assumptions prove inaccurate, actual results could vary materially from those contained in such forward-looking statements. Pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, PMI is identifying important factors that, individually or in the aggregate, could cause actual results and outcomes to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements made by PMI.
PMI's business risks include: excise tax increases and discriminatory tax structures; increasing marketing and regulatory restrictions that could reduce our competitiveness, eliminate our ability to communicate with adult consumers, or ban certain of our products in certain markets or countries; health concerns relating to the use of tobacco and other nicotine-containing products and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke; litigation related to tobacco and/or nicotine use and intellectual property; intense competition; the effects of global and individual country economic, regulatory and political developments, natural disasters and conflicts; the impact and consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine; changes in adult smoker behavior; the impact of natural disasters and pandemics on PMI's business; lost revenues as a result of counterfeiting, contraband and cross-border purchases; governmental investigations; unfavorable currency exchange rates and currency devaluations, and limitations on the ability to repatriate funds; adverse changes in applicable corporate tax laws; adverse changes in the cost, availability, and quality of tobacco and other agricultural products and raw materials, as well as components and materials for our electronic devices; and the integrity of its information systems and effectiveness of its data privacy policies. PMI's future profitability may also be adversely affected should it be unsuccessful in its attempts to introduce, commercialize, and grow smoke-free products or if regulation or taxation do not differentiate between such products and cigarettes; if it is unable to successfully introduce new products, promote brand equity, enter new markets or improve its margins through increased prices and productivity gains; if it is unable to expand its brand portfolio internally or through acquisitions and the development of strategic business relationships; if it is unable to attract and retain the best global talent, including women or diverse candidates; or if it is unable to successfully integrate and realize the expected benefits from recent transactions and acquisitions. Future results are also subject to the lower predictability of our smoke-free products performance.
PMI is further subject to other risks detailed from time to time in its publicly filed documents, including PMI's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2023, and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the second quarter ended June 30, 2024. PMI cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not a complete discussion of all potential risks and uncertainties. PMI does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that it may make from time to time, except in the normal course of its public disclosure obligations.
