Philip Morris International Inc. announced an investment of $600 million over the next two years through one of its U.S. affiliates to open a manufacturing facility in Aurora, Colo. The facility is expected to create 500 direct jobs with ongoing annual economic impact of $550 million and an additional 1,000 indirect jobs for the State of Colorado as it produces Swedish MatchZYN nicotine pouches to help meet the growing global demand from legal-age consumers for smoke-free products. PMI's U.S. affiliate plans to break ground on the new facility later this year and to begin preliminary operations by the end of 2025 with regular production starting in 2026.

The construction phase of the project alone is expected to create nearly 5,000 jobs related to the building of the facility with nearly $1 billion in economic impact. Career opportunities at the new facility will cover a wide range of skill levels including positions such as engineers, production staff, technicians and quality control, with an anticipated average annual salary of around $90,000. As previously announced, Swedish Match North America is also currently working to increase ZYN oral nicotine pouch production at its Owensboro, Ky., facility.

Ongoing investments in both Owensboro and Aurora are designed to provide sufficient capacity in the near and mid-term for the current adoption growth rate of ZYN with U.S. adult nicotine consumers, as well as capacity for exports. PMI first entered the U.S. market following its acquisition of Swedish Match 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 and wish to continue using nicotine.