Mars Saudi Arabia has officially launched a new manufacturing facility at King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) in Rabigh, 130km north of Jeddah.
The company has made an initial investment of $60m and also promised to allocate an additional $150m for the next decade.
Mars Middle East, Turkey and Africa president Sami Darouni was quoted by Zawya as saying: "We are excited to have official opening of the Mars manufacturing facility with our key partners, government officials, Pamela Mars, executives from Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) and KAEC and Muhammad Yusuf Naghi of Naghi group.
"Mars products have been present in Saudi Arabia for over 30 years, and we are proud that they are among the Kingdom's favorites. So, it is very exciting that we now employ Saudi nationals to manufacture the products right here."
This new factory will produce a range of Galaxy brand chocolates and is also the first food manufacturing facility in the Kingdom to achieve LEED - Gold certification.
During the launch of the facility, the company also announced its future Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy for the future, saying it would prioritise human capital development with a focus on women empowerment apart from environment and natural resource preservation, reported The Saudi Gazette.
Mars has annual sales of more than $33bn and operates in six business segments - chocolates, chewing gum and confections, food, drinks, pet care and symbioscience.
It currently employs around 75,000 people across 365 sites, which include more than 135 manufacturing facilities operating in 74 countries.
