Carlsberg completes facility in Jiangsu
Danish brewer Carlsberg said it has completed construction of a 130 million yuan (US$19.1 million) production and warehouse facility in Jiangsu Province.
The facility's production line can turn out 50,000 cans of beer per hour for all major retail channels in the country.
Beer sales in China are expected to exceed 700 billion yuan by 2021, according to market research firm Euromonitor International.
Canned beer is expected to enjoy higher growth due to its convenience, safety and relatively low transportation costs compared to bottled or tap beer.
The new Carlsberg plant will focus on "sleek cans" with a volume of 330 milliliters, compared to normal 500 ml cans. The smaller cans are said to be preferred by younger consumer groups.
"This will be a major driver for growth in the eastern China region for Carlsberg and an important step for the brewer's move towards the premium and specialty beer market," said general manager Li Weibo for Carlsberg China International Brands.
Carlsberg Tianmuhu Beer (Jiangsu) Co Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Danish brewer and has been producing the brewer's Tuborg and Carlsberg branded drinks since 2014.