Walvis Bay officially welcomes Namibia Breweries to town

Namibia’s industry giants, Namibia Breweries, saw the official opening of its N$27 million, state of the art depot in Walvis Bay on Wednesday. All distribution activities were relocated from the old brewery at Swakopmund to the harbour town. The mayor of Walvis Bay, Alderman Immanuel Wilfried had the honour of officially opening the facility.

In a statement after the opening event the O&L Group, of which Namibia Breweries is a subsidiary, said the depot was constructed over a period of the past twelve months and wholly replaces the old brewery at Swakopmund which since the closing of beer production in 2003 deteriorated to a point where it posed a health and safety risk. Relocating to Walvis Bay also brings products closer to the port of Walvis Bay as a point of export.
Constructed at a cost of N$27 million over a period of 12 months, the new NBL depot, according to Managing Director, Wessie van der Westhuizen is a manifestation of NBL’s vision of ‘being the most progressive and inspiring company’. “The relocation of the former coastal depot from Swakopmund to Walvis Bay speaks directly to our passion and commitment of’ creating amazing experiences with en-during impact’ for our customers. The deteriorating condition of the former depot in Swakopmund result-ed in safety concerns, and posed major health and safety risks for our employees, customers and clients. This thus led us to identifying a new location, and ultimately the construction of this beautiful new facility.”
The property that was used in Swakopmund for NBL distribution services used to serve as the Old Hansa Breweries until 2003 when the facility was closed. After which NBL continued to use it for warehousing, administration and distribution services. Van der Westhuizen expressed excitement and pride over the new depot, saying that employees can now enjoy a pleasant and safe working environment. Van der Westhuizen: “Health and safety precautions are critical to the future of any organisation. These are elements that should be taken seriously and nurtured through appreciation for both the employee and the customer, for our employees are our most valued assets.”
Alderman Immanuel Wilfried during his address emphasized on the positive impact NBL and the O&L Group makes on the Namibian people and the economy. Wilfried: “In total, NBL employs close to 800 Namibians, while the O&L Group at large has a total employment of more than 6000 em-ployees. This speaks volumes with regards to the contribution the O&L Group at large, and NBL in particular makes to the Namibian economy. This would include job creation, empowerment of our people, upliftment of our communities, as well as the general growth of our economy.” Wilfried further encouraged Private Public Partnerships (PPP) to collaborate in order to combat the social and economic challenges of the country. Wilfried: “Therefore the O&L purpose ‘Creating a future, enhancing life’ resonates very well as it is a constant remind-er of the responsibility that lies with each and every one of us to own the fight against poverty. We need to commit ourselves to the growth of our nation, not only through words, but very consistently through practical actions. The new depot is a significant contribution to development and investment at the Namibian coast. We wish the NBL team best of luck!”