PINEVILLE, La., March 27, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Procter & Gamble commemorated the 40th anniversary of its Fabric Care Alexandria Plant today in Pineville, Louisiana, a key facility for the production of Tide laundry detergent.
"Our team in Alexandria, from employees to suppliers to partners, is one of the largest and most successful operations of our Fabric Care business globally," said Alex Tosolini, Vice President North America Fabric Care, who delivered the keynote address, to an audience of plant employees, retirees, and local community to commemorate the day's events. "I couldn't be prouder of the work they are doing for our business and for the difference they are making in the community."
P&G started construction of the plant on a 112-acre site, located approximately eight miles north of Alexandria in 1968. Many of the employees who helped build the plant then became part of the original 140 member production startup team. The team shipped the first box of Alexandria plant Tide to the regional mid-south market in 1969.
For over 35 years, production at the plant consisted of dry laundry products, i.e. Tide, Cheer, Gain, Oxydol, Bold, Dash, Dreft and Ivory Snow. In 2004, P&G announced a major expansion project onsite and invested over $220 million to add production capability to produce liquid detergent on four packing lines and add additional state-of-the-art warehouse space for the new volume. Currently, the plant produces both dry and liquid detergent and ships to approximately one-third of the United States. Many of the brands produced here are market leaders, including Tide, the nation's #1 laundry detergent brand.
The celebration underscored P&G's commitment to economic development in Central Louisiana and the company's leading role in helping improve the lives of people in the Pineville/Alexandria's community where its people live and work. P&G employees and retirees contribute thousands of hours of community service every year to benefit local education, arts, health, environmental, and civic programs
Today, the Pineville/Alexandria P&G plant has 400 employees and provides jobs for nearly 400 contract employees. During four decades of operation, the Alexandria plant has grown to become one of Procter & Gamble's largest detergent operations globally. Production volume has increased steadily over the years, reflecting the sustained growth in Procter & Gamble's detergent business, which now represents approximately forty percent of the total North American detergent market.
About Procter & Gamble
Three billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers(R), Tide(R), Ariel(R), Always(R), Whisper(R), Pantene(R), Mach3(R), Bounty(R), Dawn(R), Gain(R), Pringles(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Lenor(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Oral-B(R), Actonel(R), Duracell(R), Olay(R), Head & Shoulders(R), Wella(R), Gillette(R), Braun(R) and Fusion(R). The P&G community includes approximately 138,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com/ for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.
P&G Media Contact:
Angie Husted - North America Fabric Care External Relations - +1-513-983-2635;
