Mahou San Miguel, a 100% Spanish-owned company and leader in the country’s brewing sector, announced to invest 25 million in modernizing and increasing competitiveness of 6 of its production plants in Spain throughout 2021.
In the last years the company already invested EUR 380 in its bars and restaurants, its main distribution channel.
Within the new investment program the company will allocate about EUR 6 million each in its two breweries in Alovera (Guadalajara) and Lleida (Catalonia), more than EUR 4 million in Burgos, 3 million in Malaga, and EUR 2 million in Córdoba. In addition, Mahou San Miguel invests 2.5 million euros in its mineral fountain in Solán de Cabras (Cuenca) and more than one million in Jaén.
The resources will be used mainly for projects aimed at modernizing processes with the latest technologies to achieve maximum quality, reliability and sustainability, with an important focus on the digitization of its operations.
“We want to add value through our activity and this investment responds to our company's desire that our springs and factories continue to be an example of efficiency, innovation and respect for the environment and that it continue to play a relevant role in the development of our province,” the company said in a statement.
Regarding the investment in Alovera (Guadalajara), the company plans to remodel one of its can packaging lines with the aim of eliminating plastic shrink wrapping in the clusters, replacing them with cardboard, with an associated investment of 2.2 million euros, and the renovation and optimization of one of its warehouses, to which it will allocate 900,000 euros.
The investments in Lleida will involve a renovation and expansion of the can and cardboard packaging warehouse, which this year will mean nearly one million euros of investment and the adaptation for the production of new products which will consume more than two million euros.
In Burgos, the company has already completed the asphalting of more than 3,000 square meters of floor in the facilities, with an associated investment of half a million euros, to eliminate unevenness and inefficient workflows, which ergonomically benefits workers, increases storage space and makes loading and unloading trucks more efficient.
In Malaga, the renovation of the plant's brewhouse and the control programs is planned with an investment of 1.4 million euros this year to provide for efficient operations and energy consumption.
An investment of more than 700,000 euros in Córdoba is also designed to adapt the production for the production of new products, thus increasing its versatility. Other investments in this brewery concern improvements in the safety of employees in the face of new needs derived from the pandemic.
At the mineral fountain in Solán de Cabras (Cuenca), 600,000 euros will be used to adapt production for new products and another 400,000 euros will be allocated to the internal and external renovation of the roof of the facility.
Finally, with regard to Jaén, the resources will be allocated, fundamentally, to a project to adapt and remodel the facilities to increase fire protection with an associated investment of 800,000 euros in 2021, given the center's location in a natural setting.
Despite the huge investment in Spain, internationalization remains a key axis for development of Mahou San Miguel’s business, focused on the U.S. market and with an eye to the craft sector. Mahou San Miguel is present in 70 countries and produces over 70% of the Spanish beer consumed in the world.
In January 2021, Mahou San Miguel sold its business in India to a local industrial group. The company had a presence in India since 2012 and had made a significant commitment to this market, which initially met its expectations. However, since 2018 the results of the Indian operation had been well below projections which was aggravated by the COVID-19 crisis, and finally led the brewer to take this decision to sell the unit.
