The Pepsi Bottling Group and 16 other Pepsi bottlers have formed a regional manufacturing joint venture in the Pacific Northwest called Pepsi Northwest Beverages LLC. The group will include PBG’s Seattle and Portland, Ore., plants and three bottler-owned co-ops. It will manufacture products for Washington, Oregon and Idaho, and parts of Northern California and Alaska.

“Working as a single organization, the members of PNB will be able to present our customers with an aligned product portfolio, including innovation, and provide better service across individual bottler territories,” said Gary Wandschneider, executive vice president of worldwide operations at PBG. “We will also be able to leverage PBG’s best practices across the supply chain for greater efficiencies.”

Tom Connolly has been appointed general manager of the new joint venture, which will be based in Tumwater, Wash., and employ approximately 300 people. BI