(By Balaseshan) Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) said it has opened its P&G Purifier of Water plant in Singapore, which will enable the company to produce enough of its water purification technology to save one life every hour by 2020.
The powder purification technology that will be produced at the site has allowed P&G to share over 5 billion liters of clean drinking water globally, helping save nearly 30,000 lives.
Located in Tuas, the new P&G Purifier of Water manufacturing plant is designed to maximize limited space with vertical design and increase productivity by 67 percent with an innovative precision dosage technology.
"We've taken that same innovation power and focused on one of our world's biggest challenges, clean drinking water, a lack of which takes the lives of thousands of children every day. Knowing this innovation helps save lives, we've set our sights on a commitment to Save One Life Every Hour by 2020," said Bob McDonald, chief executive of P&G.
More than 200 million sachets are expected to be produced a year in Singapore by 2020, making more than two billion litres of clean drinking water accessible to children and families around the world through the P&G Children's Safe Drinking Water Program.
The powder technology produced at the Singapore plant comes in small packets, and when stirred into 10 liters of dirty water, causes heavy metals, dirt, and parasites to pull together, then fall to the bottom of the container. This water can be strained through a filter cloth and after 20 minutes, the disinfectant in the powder leaves the water clean enough to drink.
Since 2004, P&G has worked with more than 120 organizations to provide these packets in more than 65 countries, raising awareness of this significant global issue and stepping up to help solve the complex problem through innovation.
The new manufacturing plant is expected to produce more than 200 million sachets a year by 2020, preventing 80 million days of illness and saving more than 10,000 lives every year.
PG is trading up 0.01 percent at $69.45 on Thursday. The stock has been trading between $59.07 and $70.83 for the past 52 weeks.