Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) will invest $232 million through one of its Swedish Match affiliates to expand production capacity of its manufacturing facility in Owensboro, Kentucky. The expansion is expected to create an additional 450 direct jobs with an ongoing annual economic impact of $277 million and an additional 410 indirect jobs* for the commonwealth of Kentucky. The facility produces ZYN nicotine pouches to help meet the growing demand from legal-age consumers switching from cigarettes or other traditional tobacco products.
“Philip Morris International’s Swedish Match affiliate has been an important partner and job creator in this region for many years, and I’m excited to see this incredible new investment and the 450 great job opportunities it is creating for families in Owensboro and the surrounding region,” Governor Andy Beshear said. “Our economy continues to set records, and today’s announcement shows we’re bringing jobs to our people instead making our people move to the jobs. I want to thank and congratulate company leadership for doubling down here in the commonwealth and look forward to many more years of prosperity.”
“Smoking cigarettes is the most harmful way to consume nicotine. We are accelerating our mission toward a smoke-free future, working with our U.S. affiliates to move adults away from cigarettes and other traditional tobacco products by providing better alternatives,” said Stacey Kennedy, CEO of PMI’s U.S. business. “This investment in U.S. manufacturing capacity will increase the Kentucky plant’s workforce by about 40 percent, providing good-paying jobs and helping to meet the increasing demand for smoke-free products.”
Construction of the expanded facility is underway — including the addition of more production space — with progressive production increases expected during the project. Completion is targeted by the second quarter of 2025. The construction phase of the project alone is expected to create nearly 2,800 jobs with about $414 million in economic impact.* Career opportunities at the facility will cover a range of skill levels including positions such as engineers, production staff, technicians and quality control.
In addition to facility expansion and ongoing optimization of processes to increase capacity progressively over the coming quarters, the Kentucky facility will move from a 24-hour, five-days-per-week schedule to a 24-hour, seven-days-per-week schedule to boost production starting in the fourth quarter of this year. The Swedish Match Owensboro facility currently has about 1,100 employees. The ongoing expansion of the facility in Kentucky is expected to provide around 900 million cans of capacity for 2025.
In July, PMI announced an investment of $600 million over the next two years through its U.S. affiliate to open a nicotine pouch manufacturing facility in Aurora, Colorado. The Aurora facility and Owensboro expansion together are designed to provide capacity needed in the near- and mid-term to meet the current growth rate of ZYN with U.S. legal-age nicotine consumers.
Claude Bacon, President/CEO of Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corp., recognized the company’s decades of success in the community: “Congratulations to Swedish Match on this major expansion in Owensboro and Daviess County. For over 50 years, Swedish Match has been a significant contributor to the economic impact of Greater Owensboro. An expansion of this magnitude creates additional high-quality and high-paying jobs, positively impacting families in our community. Greater Owensboro is in fact greater because of incredible companies like Swedish Match.”
PMI first entered the U.S. market following its subsidiary’s acquisition of Swedish Match AB in late 2022. Swedish Match’s ZYN oral nicotine pouches have been on the market in the U.S. for more than a decade and are designed as a better option for legal-age consumers who smoke or use other traditional tobacco products and wish to continue using nicotine.
Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, PMI and its U.S. affiliates have more than 2,300 employees. Since 2008, PMI has invested $12.5 billion globally to develop, scientifically substantiate, and commercialize innovative smoke-free products for legal-age nicotine consumers. PMI’s U.S. affiliates operate smoke-free product manufacturing facilities including the Swedish Match North America Owensboro plant that makes ZYN nicotine pouches and a facility in Wilson, North Carolina, that produces HEETS, the consumable for the IQOS heated tobacco device. Swedish Match North America has a regional office in Richmond, Virginia.
*Estimates provided from economic impact analysis study conducted by EConsult Solutions, a Philadelphia-based economics consulting firm.
