BEIJING: Budweiser Brewing Co Apac Ltd, the Hong Kong-listed brewer, will keep expanding its manufacturing facilities and adopting more green energy to maintain robust growth during the country’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, a senior executive said.

       Apart from building its second craft brewery in Putian, Fujian province, to support its growth in premium and superpremium brands, Jan Craps, co-chair and CEO of Budweiser APAC, said the group will increase investment in energy conservation and environmental protection, including water, electricity and energy saving, and waste treatment, in the coming years.With a new investment worth US$24.76mil (RM102mil) in Putian, Budweiser Apac began building a craft brewery in the city and expanded its in-use brewery capacity to 20 million hectoliters in June.

       In addition to opening a new brewery in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, in December, backed by smart manufacturing facilities and green energy, the company put its first fully automated warehouse into use this year, with the integrated operation of an automatic logistics system in its Wenzhou plant.

       Craps said the group found long-term growth trends in China. Budweiser Apac aims to meet the growing demand of Chinese consumers by supporting the development of China’s beverage alcohol and hospitality industries.

       “We believe the trend of premiumisation, where consumers value the quality of drinks and drinking better, rather than drinking more, will endure. We are confident that our diversified portfolio, ranging from non-alcoholic beverages to premium beer, is able to cater to various occasions and consumers,” he said.

       Eager to boost traffic safety awareness in the country, Budweiser China teamed up with partners including the Traffic Administration Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, Traffic Police General Brigade of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, the China Road Traffic Safety Association, and the China Alcoholic Drinks Association to unveil the 2021 Smart Drinking Campaign in Shanghai in mid-October. — China Daily/ANN