Coca-Cola Europacific Partners announces £31m investment at its site in Wakefield

A spokesman said: “The new line will provide additional production capabilities for CCEP’s light-weight 330ml cans, and advanced technologies will be incorporated into the line to help minimise energy, water and CO2 consumption. Energy and water savings come from innovations such as air rinsing capabilities, dry lubrication on conveyors and an auto-sleep function on motors. In addition to the 500-strong workforce at the site, the new line will create 28 roles and additional training to upskill the workforce.”

The site has received £118m in investment since 2017 and this latest milestone marks another step in supporting CCEP’s sustainability action plan, This is Forward, the company said.

The statement added: “Colleagues at the site in Wakefield are also focused on attracting more diversity into the business’s supply chain as part of CCEP’s ‘Everyone is Welcome’ ethos. This includes encouraging women and others who might not have considered a career in manufacturing previously. As part of these efforts, the bottler has opened up multiple vacancies which will also include roles for the new line at CCEP’s site in Wakefield specifically for those with little or no experience of working in manufacturing.”

Vanessa Smith, Director of Supply Chain Operations, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, said: “We’re committed to developing our sites to keep at the forefront of innovation, ensuring we can continue to deliver drinks to our customers and to consumers in a sustainable way. This latest investment underscores our commitment to our Wakefield site and the 500 colleagues who work here, from our apprentices to our longest-serving employees.

“As well as innovating our production capabilities, we’re committed to recruiting more diversely to reflect the communities we operate in, including bringing on more women and others into manufacturing, logistics and distribution roles. We’re shifting hiring processes to focus on skills and aptitude rather than just historical qualifications, for example, and are offering more flexible working options to better suit a range of lifestyles.”

Stephen Moorhouse, Vice-President and General Manager, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (GB), commented, “The latest development at Wakefield is a milestone investment that will allow us to take the next step in our sustainability journey while making positive contributions to our local community here in Wakefield.

“Wakefield is our largest manufacturing site, offering a wide range of modern manufacturing jobs and sitting at the heart of many of the latest manufacturing technologies. As a result, in just five years, we’ve invested more than £100m into the factory, helping us to accelerate our path to net zero and support the local economy.”

Andrea Jenkyns, the Conservative MP for Morley and Outwood, said: “I am delighted to see Coca-Cola's substantial investment of £31m in the Wakefield plant. This demonstrates their unwavering confidence in the local economy and reaffirms their commitment to growth and job creation.”