Philip Morris Opens New Office

Source from:  tdg.ch 25 Septembre 2007  09/29/2007

11h39 The American cigarette manufacturer unveils its sprawling new world headquarters in Lausanne - with ashtrays on every table. The world headquarters of Philip Morris International officially opens in Lausanne today after more than three years of construction work. The new premises consist of six buildings spread over 75,000 square meters on the slope between the avenue de Cour and the avenue de Rhodanie, in the south part of the city. The complex is known as the "Rhodanie Campus." The construction costs totalled SFr274 million. The headquarters have been designed to minimize power consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. A heat pump, costing SFr4 million, uses water from Lake Geneva to provide air-conditioning in the buildings. The 1,500 employees have access to sport facilities, including a fitness center, a squash court and two saunas. Three restaurants and 21 cafeterias are located on the site with 90 percent of the staff expected to use these dining facilities. Smoking is permitted throughout the headquarters, with ashtrays on every conference room table. Philip Morris manufactures 863 billion cigarettes per year, with its largest growth markets in Asia and Africa. The company acknowledges the devastating health impacts of cigarette consumption. "Our product causes dependence and diseases," said Greg Prager, head of communications. "We are not trying to increase the total number of smokers but to take market shares from our competitors." A few weeks ago, Altria group, the parent company of Philip Morris, announced plans to spin off Philip Morris International and Philip Morris USA as separate companies. The Lausanne headquarters is expected to accommodate the entire management of PMI. Enditem