New £30m Coca-Cola warehouse will save 500,000 road miles every year

SOME drinks come and go but Coca-Cola is forever, according to Ian Johnson, the operations director at the soft drink giant’s bottling plant in Yorkshire.
By The Newsroom
Published 14th Mar 2014, 01:07 BST
Ian Johnson, Operations Director at Coca-Cola Enterprises in Wakefield, drilling the last bolt into the facilityIan Johnson, Operations Director at Coca-Cola Enterprises in Wakefield, drilling the last bolt into the facility
Ian Johnson, Operations Director at Coca-Cola Enterprises in Wakefield, drilling the last bolt into the facility

Coca-Cola Enterprises has invested £100m in the factory over the last five years, including £30m in a new automated storage and retrieval warehouse.

The site is the largest of its kind in Europe and the third biggest in the world.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The new warehouse doubles the site’s storage capacity and allows manufactured products to be delivered directly to customers.

Mr Johnson said it will save 500,000 road miles every year.

He is excited about the development of a new production line at the facility, which represents a £12.5m investment.

CCE is also investing in a combined heat and power system, which will save 1,500 tonnes of CO2 a year, a 5.6 per cent reduction.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The company is celebrating 25 years in Yorkshire this year.

Mr Johnson said the company chose Wakefield because it is at the crossroads of the M62 and M1. “For transport, it’s an ideal location,” he said.

Asked why he thought Coca-Cola has had such longevity, Mr Johnson said: “It’s a fantastic product.

“For me, it’s one of those enduring products where the flavour seems to go across generations.”

Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls will join John Brock, the chairman and chief executive of CCE, to officially unveil the new warehouse next week.

Related topics:YorkshireEd BallsCO2EuropeM62Wakefield