DRINKS giant Coca-Cola is pumping more than £9 million into its Lisburn operation to enable it to start producing a sleek new type of packaging.
And the company, which has been operating in the city for 80 years, says the investment will future-proof the business in Ireland and support its sustainability agenda.
Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (HBC), the bottling partner to Coca-Cola in the north, operates from a 50,000 sq metres manufacturing facility at Knockmore Hill, serving the whole-island market.
It has set aside £9.3 million of capital expenditure for the installation of a new canning line, the second of its kind to be installed at the plant.
The new line will support increased demand for can production, with the capacity to produce 4.8 million cans a week and enable the plant to expand production capabilities and increase the number of products and pack sizes available.
It will also reduce its reliance on external sourcing from other Coca-Cola HBC facilities across Europe, most notably bringing the production many of the Monster Energy products in-house.
The announcement is a key milestone in Coca-Cola HBC’s growth and investment in Northern Ireland, where it directly employs 470 people and contributes to a further 370 jobs indirectly, delivering £36m in wages along its value chain and £70m in overall economic benefit.
First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister joined Coca-Cola HBC senior management to celebrate what is the largest investment in Knockmore Hill since the opening of the £90m plant in 2010.
The new line will also support Coca-Cola’s transition to new taller “Sleek Cans”, launching this month and which is the most significant change in the can offering for more than 70 years and a first for the industry in Ireland.
Coca-Cola HBC’s new general manager Miles Karemacher (he was appointed last October), said: “This marks our continued commitment to the region, where we have been a proud employer for more than 80 years.
“This new line will serve to future-proof our growth needs for decades to come while supporting our sustainability ambitions.
“It also marks our evolution to the new stylish ‘Sleek Can’, which in turn furthers our journey towards a World Without Waste by enabling the transition to cardboard solutions for our multipack cans and which will eliminate 620 tonnes of shrink film plastic annually.”
