Coca-Cola opens 43rd plant in China

Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co. said it has opened a $106 million plant in China that will produce Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta and Minute Maid products.

The 170,000-square-foot plant in Shijiazhuang in the Hebei province is part of a three-year, $4 billion investment in China, the company said. The facility is the company’s 43 plant in the country and will create 2,000 jobs.

When completed, the new plant will be the largest of Coke’s 12 bottling plants in China. Shijiazhuang is the capital and largest city in the Hebei province, which has a population of 72 million and is one of the most important growth markets in the country, the company said.