Beijing Cigarette Factory Completes Projects of Relocation, Technological Transformation

Source from:  TobaccoChina Online 12/12/2011

Beijing Cigarette Factory affiliated to Shanghai Tobacco Group - a leading Chinese tobacco manufacturer - held a high-profile ceremony in Beijing on December 1 to mark completion of the project of its relocation and technological transformation leading to significant strengthening of its annual cigarette production capacity.

The project of relocation and technological transformation was kicked off three years ago. After two years of construction, the principle part of the new Beijing Cigarette Factory went into operation. At the ceremony, leaders from the designing, audit and supervision institutions as well as cooperation partners jointly witnessed the great historic occasion. Beijing Cigarette Factory submitted at the ceremony reports on technical acceptance of the project and on trial production following completion of the project. Meanwhile, the designing, construction, supervision and audit institutions concerned separately submitted reports on their respective work. According to the Official Reply by the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration to the Project of Relocation and Technological Transformation of Beijing Cigarette Factory of Shanghai Tobacco Group and the Official Reply by the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration to Phase Two of the Project of Relocation and Technological Transformation of Beijing Cigarette Factory of Shanghai Tobacco Group, the new Beijing Cigarette Factory, after completion of the project, will have an enlarged annual cigarette production capacity of 25 billion cigarettes (500,000 cases). Since the new Beijing Cigarette Factory went into trial production on a full scale in October 2009, the support public facilities, machines and equipment at the factory have all operated stably. In 2011, it produced 20.295 billion cigarettes (405,900 cases). Since its relocation to the new site, the new Beijing Cigarette Factory has striven to give great play to the effects of the project of relocation and technological transformation, with the leaf tobacco cutting and cigarette making equipment and facilities all reaching the designed requirements. Now, the cigarette factory has actually reached the annual cigarette production capacity of 25 billion cigarettes (500,000 cases). Meanwhile, the new Beijing Cigarette Factory has stepped up efforts for new products development and application of new technologies and new techniques. On the basis of maintaining stability of the quality of its Zhongnanhai (South Central Lake) brand cigarettes, the factory has actively kept improving its processing technologies and giving full play to its production equipment, in accordance with the policy of reducing the content of tar and other harmful substances and increasing the value of Zhongnanhai. In 2010 and 2011, the new Beijing Cigarette Factory successively presented to the market a series of Zhongnanhai brand new medium- and high-grade cigarette products, including Super First Rate 1mg, Blue Fashion, Blue Time, Cool and Refreshing Fashion and Romantic Mood, together with further embodiment of effects of technological transformation and further strengthening of the core competitiveness of the factory.

In 2011, the annual output and sales volume of Zhongnanhai brand cigarettes topped 20 billion cigarettes (400,000 cases). In particular, blend-type cigarettes produced by Beijing Cigarette Factory accounted for over 40 percent of the total blend-type cigarette output in China, while Zhonghanhai remained the largest blend-type cigarette brand in China in the year. Enditem