Investing in Romania

British American Tobacco (BAT) Romania will invest €60 million in updating and expanding its Ploiesti factory, reports The Diplomat. The company will construct a new, 4,000 square- meter production hall and refurbish its existing facilities.

In November 2016, British American Tobacco announced that it would invest around €21 million annually in the Ploiesti plant for a five-year period. But the manufacturer has decided to triple this year’s investments as the factory is slated to start producing volumes that were previously manufactured in Germany and Bulgaria.

The factory’s output is expected to increase by 30 percent. The number of countries supplied by Ploiesti will increase from 35 to 40. The Ploiesti development will create 120 new jobs by the end of the year. At present, about 700 employees and 150 contractors work in the production unit in Ploiesti.

“We want to continue investing in Romania and we hope that the Romanian government will ensure the legislative and fiscal predictability and the necessary political stability,” Gemma Webb, general manager of BAT Romania was quoted as saying.

“We underline again that one of the prerequisites for sustainable economic growth is the ongoing dialogue between authorities and business.”

BAT’s Ploiesti plant is said to be the second-largest factory in Europe.