Coca-Cola has marked twenty-five years at its Wakefield factory by announcing it is set to surpass £100m in investments at the facility in the last five years.
The landmark anniversary in Wakefield coincides with the official opening of the £30m Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) warehouse, a 34-metre high facility designed to hold and automatically move 30,000 pallets.
The new facility doubles the site’s storage capacity allowing all manufactured products to be delivered to customers directly, saving approximately 500,000 road miles by HGV trucks per year.
Ian Johnson, CCE Wakefield’s operations director, said the quarter century landmark demonstrates Coca-Cola Enterprises’ long-term commitment to Wakefield.
“We are proud to be a truly local business, both through our workforce and support for the local economy and wider community,” he said.
“Our latest funding pledge forms a crucial part of our strategy to continue to grow the business, while remaining as sustainable and environmentally efficient as possible.”
The new facility doubles the site’s storage capacity allowing all manufactured products to be delivered to customers directly, saving approximately 500,000 road miles by HGV trucks per year.
An additional £19m investment this year will bring the total amount invested at the site to over £100m since 2009.
John Brock, Coca-Cola Enterprises CEO, said the investment milestone illustrates the company’s commitment to UK manufacturing, a statement recently underpinned by CCE announcing it is to invest £1m a week in the country throughout 2014.
“We are focused on driving a low-carbon, zero-waste business throughout our operations in Great Britain and across Western Europe, and Wakefield is a perfect example of these sustainable manufacturing efforts,” he said.
“Additionally, we remain committed to local manufacturing in Great Britain, and are proud that almost all of the products sold here are made within this country by local residents.”
Shadow chancellor Balls added: “If you buy a can of Coke in Leeds or Wakefield, the chances are it’s been manufactured using water from East Ardsley reservoir which is then bottled and distributed down the road in Wakefield.
“It’s great to see such local production for a global brand and we’re proud to have them manufacturing here in Outwood.”
