JAPANESE giant Asahi will stop manufacturing Schweppes beverages in South Australia with the closure of its Payneham soft drinks production plant by the end of   March, leading to 28 job losses. 
The Schweppes Payneham plant has been in production since the 1950s, with many of the workers described as "long-termers".
A spokeswoman said the group did not disclose production volumes for individual sites but Payneham made up a small percentage of overall output.
Schweppes Australia's sales, services and distribution office at Francis Industrial Estate, Wingfield, and its 70-plus staff are not affected by the decision.
The closure is part of Asahi Beverages plans to also shut down production its Moorebank, NSW, and MacGregor, Queensland, facilities, resulting in another 112 job losses.
The group, which bought the Schweppes Australia business in 2009, said it was "creating a more efficient footprint, which will set the company up for strong growth in the future".Asahi has grown through acquisitions in the past few years and, as a result, has an extensive manufacturing network, chief executive Atsushi Katsuki said.