Our priority now is the opening of the new plant – Managing Director Philip Morris Ukraine

Exclusive interview of Philip Morris Ukraine Managing Director Maksym Barabash with Interfax-Ukraine News Agency

- In mid-June, Philip Morris International (PMI) announced the investment of more than $30 million in a new production facility in the Lviv region. The plant was to launch the new facility in the first quarter of 2024 – how is the project progressing now?

– Everything is going according  to plan. One key goal of the new facility is to provide workplaces for our staff who used to be employed at our Kharkiv factory. We received consent from 250 people. The first group will relocate in October 2023 and will participate in the installation of equipment. More employees will be relocated once the facility is operational.  

We are currently finalizing plans for the reconstruction of the existing building to meet the technical requirements for production and hope to have everything in place by the beginning of February 2024. By this time, the first production lines will have already been installed, which we expect to be delivered in September-October 2023.

We expect to launch commercial production in late March or early April 2024, before gradually increasing output toward maximum capacity during the year. Our objective is to meet domestic demand almost entirely.

- Does this include both volumes and product line?

- Indeed. There may be some specific products that it does not make sense to produce in Ukraine, but we would like 80% to 90% of the products (this is subject to the format, assortment and volume) to be produced at the new plant in Lviv.

- People are increasingly discussing the prospect of a long war. Have you factored this into your business plans? Will you expand production in Lviv in order to resume