UK – Soft drinks manufacturer Britvic has kick-started its plan to significantly expand the East London factory production by nearly 30% with a £22.5m (US$24.5m) investment.
The investment will be used to install the facility’s sixth bottling line, creating 18 new jobs in the process, and bringing the headcount to more than 240 people.
Britvic noted that the investment comes in response to the growing demand for its products, helping the brand reach its growth targets and enabling the company to diversify its range of beverages.
Britvic, known for its popular brands such as Robinsons, Tango, and Fruit Shoot, has witnessed a steady rise in demand for its products, both domestically and internationally.
According to people familiar with the development, the state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment will allow for faster and more efficient production of brands, with the first products expected to hit shelves in early September.
Britvic’s Beckton site produces 2,000 drinks every minute, including many of the UK’s most popular beverages such as Robinsons, Tango, and Pepsi MAX.
“Opening the sixth bottling line at Beckton marks the latest milestone in a series of investments into our supply chain,” supply chain director Nigel Paine said.
“As we continue to grow and meet increasing demand, boosting our capacity at the Beckton site allows us to keep delivering on our goals and create a resilient business.”
As the company furthers its expansion scheme, it also intends to implement eco-friendly practices and invest in energy-efficient equipment to minimize its environmental impact.
The UK-based beverage company has contracted GEA, a German supplier of systems and components to the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries, to dispense the East London facility with an ammonia heat pump heat recovery system.
The installation of two RedGenium industrial ammonia heat pumps and a large thermal storage tank this summer is predicted to cut the factory’s carbon emissions by an estimated 1,200 tons annually.
The heat pumps will replace much of Britvic’s process heating requirement, currently being supplied by natural gas steam boilers.
The announcements follow Britvic’s recent £8m investment to improve energy efficiency at the factory in a bid to cut carbon emissions by 50%.
Almost five ago, Britvic also unveiled a £13m investment to add a fifth canning line at its Rugby factory. Based on the Glebe Farm Industrial Estate, the set-up looks to increase capacity by 14%, producing 80,000 recyclable 330ml cans per hour.
This was part of £40m worth of investment into the factory over the past two years and makes the site one of the five largest soft drink manufacturing sites in Europe.
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