Local Engineer Takes Starring Role in Advertising Campaign
Coca-Cola Enterprises celebrates Sidcup employee in new regional advert
8th February 2015: A local resident and engineer at Coca-Cola Enterprises’ Sidcup manufacturing site has taken a starring role in the company’s regional advertising campaign.
The advertising campaign celebrates the company’s heritage as a local business focusing on the people that help the manufacturer to produce and sell some of the country’s most popular soft drinks brands.
Asset Care Coordinator James McColgan who lives in nearby Crayford, took part in a photo shoot at the factory and is the most recent of CCE’s ‘Local Heroes’ to feature in the Made in GB campaign. Other CCE employees who have featured in the adverts include two young apprentices from the company’s East Kilbride factory and a team leader from its Business Support Centre in Peterborough. The series will continue over the course of 2016, involving employees from across Great Britain.
The advert spotlighting Sidcup will roll out across regional media in February and will offer first-hand insight from James on what it is like to work for a global brand, based locally in Sidcup.
James has been an employee at CCE for over 13 years, having joined the company immediately after finishing an Advanced Modern Mechanical apprenticeship at the age of 16. Having had an interest in manufacturing from a young age, James was inspired to join the Sidcup team by his aunt and uncle who have worked at the same factory for a combined total of 60 years. Having spent the first five years learning about the industry in various apprentice roles at the site, James developed a range of skills and progressed to the role of Asset Care Coordinator, overseeing the smooth running of the factory’s six production lines.
James McColgan, Asset Care Coordinator at Coca-Cola Enterprises, Sidcup comments: “Because of my family connection to the site, I have grown up knowing about the opportunities that exist within CCE locally, but I think more people should be made aware of the work the company is doing across Great Britain. It’s an iconic global brand and I’ve always felt proud to say I work here. The support I’ve had in my career to date has been amazing and I’ve had the chance to work in a number of different roles and gain some valuable experience and new skills.
“As well as my day-to-day role at the site, I am also responsible for employee engagement and getting people involved in different initiatives to help make the site a better place. This advertising has given me the chance to also show people outside of the company the number of fantastic opportunities on their doorstep, in the same way that my aunt and uncle showed me.”
Steve Adams, Group Operations Director at Coca-Cola Enterprises, said: “We are extremely proud to be a truly local business in Sidcup and have close ties with the community. I’m delighted that James has had the opportunity to be involved in a campaign that celebrates this as well as his important and long-standing role at the site. The new advert underlines our ongoing commitment to the Sidcup area and I hope it also acts as inspiration for other local people like James to consider the potential career opportunities at Coca-Cola Enterprises.”
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James McColgan joined Coca-Cola Enterprises at the age of 16 and lives in Crayford, Kent, having grown up in nearby Greenwich. Both his aunt and uncle have worked at the factory for a combined total of 60 years and it was this family connection which left James with an interest in manufacturing from a young age and led him to apply to join the company.
James joined CCE Sidcup after completing an Advanced Modern Mechanical apprenticeship, spending his first years at the company getting to grips with different engineering roles and developing the skills he required to move to a mechanical engineering role. His current role as Asset Care Coordinator means he is responsible for the smooth running of the site’s six production lines and ensuring any faults are fixed as quickly as possible.
As part of his responsibilities, James helps to raise awareness of the varied opportunities which exist at the company, which led him to get involved in this advertising campaign. He feels proud to say he works for a globally known brand like Coca-Cola and, having worked at the company for 13 years, is passionate about putting a spotlight on the opportunities which exist in the manufacturing sector as a whole.
