Coca-Cola European Partners invests £2.3m into East Kilbride manufacturing
Coca-Cola European Partners has announced it is investing in Scottish operations as politicians visit the site.
Dr Lisa Cameron MP has visited Coca-Cola European Partners’s (CCEP) manufacturing site in East Kilbride as the company announced it will be investing £2.3 million in its Scottish operations this year.
A total of £18 million has been invested by CCEP in the factory which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2014.
The £2.3 million injection at the site has funded the development of a new Water Treatment plant. A significant investment in the modernisation of the factory’s wider infrastructure, the plant replaces an older instalment, and has been in operation since the beginning of the month. The new plant will allow a more efficient water recovery system from the site’s four manufacturing lines, saving an estimated nine million litres of water a year.
During their visit, on which they were accompanied by several other local and regional MPs and MSPs, Ms Fabiani and Dr Cameron were shown the plant in action and were given the opportunity to speak with several members of local staff. This included Electrical Engineer Apprentice, Josh Sloan, who is currently undertaking a four year apprenticeship at the site. Josh and his fellow apprentice Toby Singh were last year chosen as two of CCEP’s local heroes to feature in the business’ ‘Made Locally’ advertising campaign. The adverts celebrate CCEP’s heritage as a local Scottish business, focusing on the people that help to produce some of the country’s most popular soft drinks.
The investment forms part of CCEP’s ongoing commitment towards sustainable manufacturing in Scotland and a wider £56 million investment across its six manufacturing sites in Great Britain this year alone. East Kilbride employs over 150 people from the region, producing over 16 million cases of product a year. It was the first of CCEP’s factories to install an Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) Warehouse and is its only site to produce the popular Appletiser brand.
Dr Cameron said she was “delighted” to visit the site.
“I'm always delighted to visit Coca-Cola in East Kilbride; they contribute hugely to our local economy. It was fascinating to see the new water treatment innovations that are being heralded in this constituency and to meet with long-serving staff and apprentices who contribute to a sustainable future for the company locally.”
John McCafferty, Director of Supply Chain Operations at Coca-Cola European Partners East Kilbride, said: “With a long standing legacy of over 50 years in the region, we pride ourselves on being a truly local business here in East Kilbride and in Scotland as a whole. This latest investment demonstrates our continued commitment to the future of manufacturing in Scotland as well as local employment and skills development through our growing apprentice programme here on site.”
Linda Fabiani, MSP for East Kilbride, said: “I was delighted to welcome Parliamentary colleagues to the factory, and have them hear about the strength of this long-established East Kilbride company and the environmental successes that they have achieved. No matter how many times I visit Coca-Cola I am impressed anew by the enthusiasm and teamwork shown by all the staff, from apprentices to management”.
PoliticsHome Newsletters
Get the inside track on what MPs and Peers are talking about. Sign up to The House's morning email for the latest insight and reaction from Parliamentarians, policy-makers and organisations.
