Profits going up in smoke?
Tobacco companies making billions, but health lawsuits a danger
08/07/99
The machines hum 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. They spew out over 7,000 cigarettes a minute.
The Imperial Tobacco plant in St. Henri produces more than 7,000 cigarettes a minute for the North American market.On the production floors of Imperial Tobacco's factory in St. Henri, the air is heavy with humidity and redolent with sweet tobacco.
There's the smell of money here, too.
Last year, Imperial Tobacco shipped 34.2 billion cigarettes from St. Henri and a larger plant in Guelph, an increase of 1.5 per cent over 1997. Operating profits rose 5 per cent to $815 million.
A dying industry? Don't bet on it.
Cigarettes
