New jobs boost as Coca-Cola Europacific Partners announces £31m investment at Wakefield manufacturing site

The investment at Europe’s largest soft drinks plant by volume will help develop a new canning line, which will be operational in 2024 and capable of producing 2,000 cans per minute.

Funding will also go towards infrastructure upgrades to optimise the factory for production and future innovations. This will include the construction and fit of a new raw materials storage warehouse, plus additional utilities storage and the expansion of other facilities on site.

It also supports the recent implementation of attached cap production capabilities on two of the site’s lines, making it easier to recycle the entire plastic bottle with no cap left behind.

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.

Colleagues at the site in Wakefield are also focused on attracting more diversity into the business’s supply chain. 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.

Andrea Jenkyns, MP for Morley and Outwood, said: “I am delighted to see Coca-Cola's substantial investment of £31 million in the Wakefield plant.

"This demonstrates their unwavering confidence in the local economy and reaffirms their commitment to growth and job creation.

"With new jobs on the horizon, this investment not only strengthens the plant's position as the largest in Europe but also bolsters the region's economic vitality.

"We applaud Coca-Cola for their vision and dedication to our community's prosperity."