This Wednesday, July 22, PepsiCo inaugurated a new Distribution Center in Quetzaltenango, a facility with which it seeks to strengthen its supply capacity in western Guatemala and Central America, improve delivery times of its products, and incorporate technology to optimize its logistics operations.
The inauguration ceremony included the participation of the President of the Republic, Bernardo Arévalo; the acting minister counselor of the United States Embassy in Guatemala, Roger Rigaud; and the general manager of PepsiCo Foods for Central America, Rodrigo Borges.
In his inauguration speech, the President Bernardo Arévalo stated that this tType of investments reflect the confidence of the private sector in Guatemalaand attributed them to factors such as macroeconomic stability, the simplification of procedures, the digitalization of public services and actions to combat corruption.
Arévalo also highlighted the performance of the food industry. According to him, in 2025 the processed food sector will register a production greater than US$7.2 billionthe highest in the last 13 years. He added that this activity generates around 200 thousand jobs and exports that exceed US$3.2 billion.
“We are strengthening the potential to generate business not only in the central areas of the country, but also in the territories, as is happening today in western Guatemala”
Bernardo Arévalo, president of the Republic of Guatemala
For its part, the company reported that the project will expand the distribution coverage of its food portfolio in one of the most important regions for its operation in the country, while consolidating the connection between agricultural production, storage and marketing.
Rodrigo Borges, general manager of PepsiCo Foods for Central America, pointed out that the new center strengthens a value chain that begins with agricultural producers and concludes with the distribution of food to millions of consumers in Central America.
Quetzaltenango strengthens PepsiCo’s logistics axis in Guatemala
Beyond functioning as a distribution center, Quetzaltenango has become a strategic point for PepsiCo’s operations in Guatemala.
During the opening ceremony, the company recalled that Quetzaltenango it’s a strategic point within its supply chain, since it works with local producers who grow the potatoes used to make the fries Lay’s destined for the Central American market. According to PepsiCo data, in the west of the country the 96% of the potato used by the company, with an annual harvest that exceeds 9 thousand tonsthis is, in part, what makes the region an axis for both agricultural production and logistics distribution.
“The inauguration of this center strengthens a value chain that begins in the field and ends on the table of millions of consumers in Central America”
Rodrigo Borges, general manager of PepsiCo Foods for Central America.
He new center integrates in one place the operations of storage, distribution and commercial managementwhich, according to the company, will allow greater coordination between the different logistics processes.
From this facility they will be supplied ten exchange centers of products covered in Huehuetenango, Saint Mark, Quiche, Sololá, Retalhuleu and Suchitepéquezin addition to municipalities such as Malacatan, Mazatenango, Tiquisate and Coatepeque.
Furthermore, the supply chain not only supplies the Guatemalan market. The Lay’s produced with potatoes grown in the west of the country also reach Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.
Technology and automation drive the new operation
PepsiCo representatives also announced that the new distribution center incorporates technological tools aimed at streamlining logistics management and improving operational efficiency.
Among the innovations they highlight preparation systems voice assisted ordering, digital platforms for the inventory management and warehousesas well as electric forklifts equipped with lithium batteries.
The infrastructure has more than 7 thousand storage positions and 10 loading and unloading platformsdesigned to serve a higher capacity operation and facilitate the movement of goods.
PepsiCo indicated that the facility also incorporates systems to optimize energy and water consumption as part of its objectives. sustainability.
Employment generation
Finally, company representatives reported that the new center generates around 180 direct jobsin addition to indirect opportunities linked to transportation, services and logistics operations in the region.
Roger Rigaud, acting minister counselor of the United States Embassy in Guatemala, participated during the inauguration, highlighting the importance of American investment and collaboration with Guatemalan talent to promote economic development.
“This center is a symbol of what American investment and Guatemalan talent can achieve together”
Roger Rigaud, acting minister counselor of the United States Embassy in Guatemala
Although PepsiCo did not reveal the amount of the investment made in this project, it indicated that the new center is part of its strategy to strengthen supply capacity and service to clients and consumers in the west of the country.