SABMiller plc (SAB), through its wholly owned subsidiary Miller Brewing Company (MBCo), on Friday announced plans to close its Tumwater Brewery, in Washington State, US effective from July 1, 2003 so as to improve MBCo’s operating costs and brewing efficiency.
Tumwater Brewery is the smallest of MBCo’s breweries and produced 1,7-million barrels (2-million hectolitres) in 2002. Tumwater Brewery has about 400 employees.
MBCo will offer severance benefits and out placement services to the 54 affected salaried employees and is in discussions with unions regarding the 346 hourly paid employees at the brewery.
Production at the brewery will be phased to other MBCo breweries before the
planned closure takes place. The impact of the closure plan will not affect current distribution arrangements of MBCo trademark brands in the area, since these have never been brewed at Tumwater.
Production of Hamm’s, Henry Weinhard’s, Mickey’s and Olde English 800, as
well as MBCo’s flavoured malt beverages, and a number of brands brewed under
contract for Pabst, will be moved to other breweries as part of the closure
plan, and availability of these beverages to consumers will continue as before. – I-Net Bridge