The largest plant in Coca-Cola FEMSA is in Mexico

The Toluca plant, State of Mexico, is one of the proud of Coca-Cola FEMSA (KOF), because there is more than in any other complex of the company in the world.

During a tour of Forbes Mexico to the plant, Iván Morales, director of that complex, explained that it is the largest coca-cola femsa factoring at the production level and the second in dimensions in the world, where products are not manufactured notreturnable and has 11 plastic bottles (PET) lines and one of can, which is redistributed to all territories.Of the 21 plants that exist in the national territory, that of Toluca is the largest, where 700 direct people work, of which 11% are women and the rest are men.

The factory, with 20 years of presence, has the capacity to add one more line, in case it is necessary, if the demand increases and if the company's products portfolio expands.

“The tin line, which is the fastest, makes 1,800 cans per minute, while one of 600 milliliters bottles around 870 (units) at its maximum performance.The number of bottles that leave the plant depends on the size, as a line of personal sizes is faster than a family product, ”explained the manager.

For the end of 2017, it is estimated that the production ends at approximately 305 million boxes unit (mm Cu) in that plant, 3two% more than what was manufactured in 2011.About 80% of the production of the Toluca complex is for the Valley of Mexico.

Coca-Cola FEMSA in Toluca.Photo: Fernando Luna Arce / Forbes Mexico

“The 305 mm Cu means that it is more than the total production of our four countries in Central America (Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama) and practically like what we can produce in Colombia.It is a plant that obeys its size to the Mexico City market, ”said the manager.

"This plant is a reference because it is constantly being renewed.The factory was born with four lines 20 years ago and then they began to add more.The last three lines are of Tribibock technology (in PET), which means that one of the processes that was previously done in three machines, can now be done in one, ”Morales explained.

Coca-Cola FEMSA has 154 brands in 12 categories, for more than 375 million consumers in the world.It has 66 manufacturing plants, of which 21 are in Mexico and the rest is in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Philippines, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama and Venezuela.

Coca-Cola FEMSA in Toluca.Photo: Fernando Luna Arce / Forbes Mexico

Will increase production in 2018

For this year, the company expects to reach 310 million boxes unit in production within the Toluca plant, from 305 estimated in 2017.

This increase will be reached "if our economy remains in the growth of the almost sexennium closure in Mexico, contemplating that the beginnings of the following administration are a small fall," said the manager.

Coca-Cola FEMSA in Toluca.Photo: Fernando Luna Arce / Forbes Mexico

Coca-Cola FEMSA in Toluca.Photo: Fernando Luna Arce / Forbes Mexico

Coca-Cola FEMSA in Toluca.Photo: Fernando Luna Arce / Forbes Mexico

Ecology and Environment

100% of the energy used by the Toluca complex comes from a windy wind park, in Oaxaca, while recycling the waste from the factory.

“This plant is the first and was an example to follow in the recycling of 100% of what we generate as waste.We do not send anything to a landfill or a municipal deposit, everything is recycled or reused, ”said the manager.

Similarly, some bottles have between 27% and 28% recycled resin, although sometimes they reach 50% in that plant, which has bottling machinery mainly from Germany.

“We have a resin recycling plant, which is in Toluca.There are two sources (in the elaboration of the bottles), one is a virgin resin and another is the recycled, where what we do is that of the bottles that are captured in the street, the schools or in the plants, we recycle them, ”he explained.

To 2020, Coca-Cola FEMSA aims to increase water use to 1.5 liters per one of drink produced, as well as return to the communities and to the environment the same amount of the vital liquid used in its products.

In the Toluca complex 1 are used.37 liters of water for each liter of drink, the rest of the liquid that is not used in the product serves for cleaning and services, which is about reuse.

In turn, the company aims.

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Iván Morales, director of the FEMSA Coca-Cola Plant in Toluca, with PET preforms.Photo: Fernando Luna Arce / Forbes Mexico

PET mold in Coca-Cola femsa plant in Toluca.Photo: Fernando Luna Arce / Forbes Mexico