published on 07/10/09
Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) is looking to install a new canning line at its Wakefield plant after unveiling new pre-form manufacturing equipment for PET bottles last week and will soon be sourcing for a team of contract engineers from a well established engineering outsource provider to carry out the installation.
CCE's Wakefield plant is the largest soft-drink facility in Europe and £240m has been invested in the site since it was opened in 1989. As well as the new pre-form facility, CCE is planning to open a new canning line by the end of the third quarter of next year.
Pete Smith, quality, safety and environment manager at the Wakefield site, said there had been significant growth in demand for cans that justified installing a new line. 'We're reacting to consumers and the can is seen as a flexible, take-home product and a lot of drinks are sold via multipacks.'
CCE has invested almost £6m in the new pre-form facility for PET bottles that it hopes will eliminate some 135,000 miles of deliveries and 400 tonnes of CO2 a year.
A first line was unveiled on Friday by local MP and children's secretary Ed Balls and can produce 193 million pre-forms a year. The second line, which is almost installed by the mechanical engineers will increase that figure to 445 million. The contract engineers have also been overseeing the maintainance and service requirements of the factory for the production lines and various machines.
Coca-Cola Wakefield is located next door to a Rexam production plant that supplies cans directly to the facility


Read the full article at Packagingnews.co.uk