Pepsi Beverages Co. has begun producing its own plastic bottles on site at its plant in Latham, replacing bottles that were supplied from outside. The project, which cost nearly $10 million, created an additional five jobs at the plant, which now employs 325 people, 167 of them in manufacturing.
The energy-efficient blow molding equipment that Pepsi installed is expected to save more than 2.4 kilowatt hours annually, enough to supply 350 homes. Additional energy is being saved by eliminating the trucking of bottles to the plant for filling.
The project received $286,000 from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, The funding was awarded through the Consolidated Funding Application process for job creation and community development projects overseen by the Capital Region Economic Development Council.
