Philip Morris has launched a state-of-the-art cast leaf plant at its manufacturing facility in Seremban, Negri Sembilan.

Philip Morris Asia managing director for Malaysia and Singapore, Joseph Tcheng, said the MYR 100million facility was the first in the Asia-Pacific among four such plants internationally. Located at the existing Philip Morris manufacturing facility in Oakland Industrial Park in Seremban 2, the cast leaf plant will process tobacco dust and broken up tobacco leaves resulting from various stages in the manufacturing process and cast them into sheets. It will be reused and mixed with tobacco leaves, a process which reduces wastage and results in better utilisation of raw materials, thereby improving productivity and efficiency. (pi)