Romania, Timiºoara: SABMiller plc. announced on October 6th, 2004 that its member, Compania de Bere România, continues to invest in the renewal and upgrade of the production facilities in the Timiºoara-based brewery by inaugurating a new brewhouse, the result of an investment of USD 3.5 million.

The new brewhouse has a weekly capacity of 17,500 hl and is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and automated quality control systems. The production process and quality control technology from the Timiºoara brewery ensures that a beer with a high and consistent quality is obtained, in compliance with the quality standards applicable to all SABMiller breweries, thus satisfying the most demanding tastes of Romanian consumers.

Dieter Schulze, General Manager of Compania de Bere România, a member of SABMiller plc., declares:" In Timiºoara, the brewing activity started almost 300 years ago, and the reputation of the beer brewed here grew constantly. Today, SABMiller continues to invest so that Romanian consumers recognize Timi º oreana for the same traditional quality, but with up to date and modern technology.”

The brewery in Timiºoara was purchased by SABMiller plc. in 2001 and currently has an annual capacity of 600,000 hl and employs around 300 people. The investments made by Compania de Bere România in the Timiºoara brewery since 2001 have now reach USD 5 million and consists of: a new brewhouse, the installation of a complete line of filtration and storage of filtered beer, the modernization of the pasteurization systems for beer in bottles and kegs, the refurbishment of the refrigeration section and the installation of new beer cooling systems, the endowment of the laboratories with modern and accurate equipment for analysing beer throughout the brewing process and after bottling.

"The investment in the brewhouse is the first important step towards the upgrading of the brewery, which will be continued by the installation of a new fermentation section and the rehabilitation of the infrastructure. The modernisation of the brewery ensures the maintenance of a consistent beer quality with the latest available technology”, declares Aurelian Bent, the Director of the Brewery from Timiºoara.

SABMiller plc. has been present in Romania since 1996 and currently has 4 breweries with a total capacity of 3 million hectoliters and approximately 1,300 employees. SABMiller plc operations are based in Cluj -Napoca, Buzãu, Timiºoara and Braºov, and it maintains an estimated market share of 22%. The brands brewed by SABMiller plc in Romania include Ursus Premium, Timiºoreana Lux, Ciucaº, and the distribution of Pilsner Urquell.

SABMiller plc. is one of the top 3 beer producers in the world, with a volume of 137.8 million hectoliters during the year ended March 31 st , 2004. The Group achieved a profit (before tax) of USD 1,391 million and turnover of USD 12,645 million for the financial year ending March 31 st , 2004.

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