Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED has begun operations at its new Birmingham campus, with the project now representing an investment of approximately $350m – $20m more than originally announced.
Operations at the new facility in Birmingham, Alabama, began yesterday, marking the latest stage in a major investment that will bring Coca-Cola UNITED’s production and distribution operations together at a new 576,000-square-foot campus.
The facility occupies approximately 100 acres of the former Stockham Valves and Fittings site in Birmingham’s Kingston community.
The project is expected to create up to 50 new jobs while retaining more than 750 existing positions, strengthening Coca-Cola UNITED’s manufacturing and distribution footprint in the region.
The scale of the investment has also increased since the project was first announced in 2024.
Coca-Cola UNITED originally announced plans for a $330m campus, but the total investment has now risen to approximately $350m as the project has progressed.
Redeveloping Birmingham’s industrial base
The new campus represents more than an expansion of Coca-Cola UNITED’s operations, however. It is also part of the redevelopment of a former industrial site that had remained underused following the closure of Stockham Valves and Fittings.
The Jefferson County Commission approved $2m for brownfield remediation work at the site, helping prepare the former industrial property for its next phase of use.
The project therefore provides an example of how large-scale manufacturing investment can contribute to the regeneration of established industrial areas, while bringing new economic activity and employment opportunities.
Coca-Cola UNITED’s investment also forms part of a wider expansion of food and beverage manufacturing across the Birmingham region.
Over the past five years, 20 food and beverage companies have announced more than 1,300 jobs and over $1bn in capital investment across the area.
The growth includes investments from a number of major food and beverage manufacturers, including J.M. Smucker, Buffalo Rock, Milo’s Tea and Royal Cup.
The developments are contributing to the emergence of a growing food and beverage manufacturing cluster in the region, creating additional demand for workers, suppliers, logistics providers and other businesses supporting the sector.
For Coca-Cola UNITED, the new campus is designed to provide additional capacity while creating a more integrated base for its manufacturing and distribution operations.
The company’s move into the new facility follows a period of significant investment in its Birmingham operations, with the campus intended to support its long-term growth across the market.
Manufacturing investment and regeneration
The redevelopment of the Stockham site highlights the potential for brownfield industrial land to support new manufacturing investment.
Former industrial sites can often provide manufacturers with the scale and infrastructure required for major projects, while their redevelopment can also help return previously productive land to economic use.
In Birmingham, the Coca-Cola UNITED project is taking place alongside a number of other investments that are strengthening the city’s food and beverage manufacturing base.
The wider trend reflects the continued importance of the sector to the region’s economy, with manufacturers investing in production, distribution and infrastructure to meet growing demand.
The Coca-Cola campus is also expected to retain the majority of the company’s existing Birmingham workforce, while creating additional employment opportunities as operations expand.
With the facility scheduled to begin operations on 14 September, the project is now moving from construction into its operational phase.
The increase in investment from the original $330m announcement to approximately $350m underlines the scale of Coca-Cola UNITED’s commitment to Birmingham.
It also demonstrates how the redevelopment of former industrial land can provide a platform for new manufacturing capacity, employment and investment – while helping to reinforce the industrial identity of an established manufacturing city.
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