Philadelphia-based Crown Holdings, a leading supplier of metal packaging products, will be establishing a new beverage can plant in Monterrey, the third largest metro and the commercial centre for north Mexico.

Construction for the new plant will begin on Empaque-owned land that was recently bought by Crown, which produces packaging products for consumer companies worldwide. Equipped to manufacture multiple size two-piece aluminium cans with an initial capacity of two billion cans per year, this will be Crown’s fourth beverage can plant in Mexico.

Production will begin in May 2016, with sales to target contracts from in and around Monterrey.

President of Crown’s Americas Division, Djalma Novaes, stated: "In addition to completing the acquisition of EMPAQUE, the leading beverage can producer in Mexico, we are excited to further expand in this key strategic region of the country and meet our customers’ increasing demand."

President of Crown Beverage Mexico, Abel Coello Quintanilla, said: "Mexico is the world’s fourth largest per capita beer market and its second largest per capita soft drink market, and the new plant in Monterrey has been a key element of our strategic plan. The management of EMPAQUE is very pleased that Crown has endorsed our recommendation to proceed immediately with its construction."

With the purchase of EMPAQUE on February 18, 2015, Crown now has three beverage can plants, one that makes beverage can ends, bottle caps and aluminium closures, a food and aerosol can plant, a glass service facility and a glass bottle plant in Mexico.

As of 2014 end, Crown had 149 operations running in 40 countries, with a total of 23,024 in its workforce.