Coca-Cola invests £16m in Sidcup line
The line will handle lightweight tins ranging in size from 330ml to 500ml.
The move forms part of a wider £55m investment in the plant and supports a new £39m automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) warehouse in Sidcup. CCEP claimed the depot saved more than 10,000 road miles by HGV trucks and almost four tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year.
The business created a dedicated ASRS team on-site, with eight existing employees retrained as part of the upskilling programme.
‘Truly local business’
“As a truly local business, we are proud to manufacture some of the nation’s favourite drinks – right here from our factory in Sidcup,” said Rory Kerr, operations director at CCEP Sidcup.
“This recent investment demonstrates CCEP’s long-term commitment to the Sidcup area and to manufacturing in GB as a whole. Investing in our people is of the utmost importance to us – helping to continually improve the quality, efficiency and sustainability of our operations, as well as ensuring we can continue to support the growth of a team of highly skilled and dedicated people.”
James Brokenshire, MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup, who officially launched the canning line on 20 September alongside the site’s longest-standing employee, lab analyst Oliver Fernandes (pictured), welcomed the investment. “This is positive news for the local economy and a further boost for Bexley,” he said.
The Sidcup site first opened in 1961, producing Schweppes Brands.
