Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland alongside its partner Monster Energy officially opened the new canning line at its production facility in Knockmore Hill, Lisburn.

World Superbike Champion, Jonathan Rea, who is a Monster sponsored athlete, was onsite at Knockmore Hill to officially cut the ribbon and celebrate the achievement with employees.

The new £17 million canning line represents the single largest investment since the production facility opened in 2008, with 35 new permanent roles created as part of the expansion. The extension adds an additional 4,597 square metres to the facility, covering manufacturing, warehousing and logistics.

The expansion comes after a competitive tender process where Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland was selected as the strongest location amongst a number of other bottling operators across Europe.

COMMITMENT TO LOCAL ECONOMY

Davide Franzetti, General Manager, Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland said the opening signals an “exciting moment” for the business and Monster Energy.

“The expansion is also a further demonstration of the commitment of Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland to the local economy with 35 new roles created and opportunity for our own people to grow and develop their own skillset with this new state-of-the-art new canning line,” he added.

“I am incredibly proud to see the line open after many months of hard work and expert planning by all of those involved in the expansion project and my thanks goes to them for their dedication to our business.”

Speaking at the launch of the new canning line, Desmond White, Chief Commercial Officer, Monster Energy EMEA said: “This significant expansion of Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland production facility, with a dedicated Monster Energy canning line will unlock new opportunities for us in the Ireland and Northern Ireland markets, and also across other European markets.

“We are very proud of the strategic partnership with Coca-Cola HBC, the success and growth of our brands Monser and BPM, and the increased employment and employee development opportunities this investment brings. It signifies a new milestone in our partnership which we are sure will bring further success.”

HERITAGE

With a heritage on the island of Ireland dating back to 1938, Coca-Cola HBC employs over 750 people across the island with 450 colleagues based at the Knockmore Hill site in Lisburn.

Since 2008, over £127 million has been invested in the facility in Knockmore Hill, a significant proportion of this investment is dedicated to furthering Coca-Cola HBC’s goal of achieving a NetZero carbon position by 2040, including the recent move to 100% recycled plastic across Coca-Cola HBC’s beverage portfolio eliminating, 7,100 tonnes of virgin plastic from circulation annually, in addition to the rollout of innovative and environmentally friendly cardboard packaging solutions and water saving initiatives.

The new canning line is part of the wider expansion of Monster Energy on the island of Ireland, with its syrup production facility in Athy, Co. Kildare also in the process of expansion.

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The new 100% recycled plastic bottles, which are also 100% recyclable, will be used across the full range of Coca-Cola products, such as Coca-Cola Original Taste, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, and for other beverage brands owned by the company, including Fanta and Sprite.

This is a key sustainability milestone for Coca-Cola on the island of Ireland and will lead to the elimination of an additional 7,100 tonnes of virgin plastic from circulation annually.

Over €20m has been invested in the last number of years in both developing sustainable packaging solutions through enhancement of its state-of-the-art Coca-Cola HBC plant at Knockmore Hill, Lisburn and in the purchase of recycled plastic material in that period. This investment has enabled the roll out of key packaging innovations, including today’s announcement to move to 100% recycled plastic and the recent introduction of KeelClip packaging in the market.

Coca-Cola is aiming to raise awareness of the need for packaging circularity and to increase recycling rates with a bold new green ribbon design on pack across its portfolio and simple recycling message: ‘I’m a bottle made from 100% recycled plastic*, recycle me again.’ The milestone moment will be accompanied by an out-of-home, digital and social campaign across October and November.

Davide Franzetti, General Manager, Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland said: “As the bottling partner for The Coca-Cola Company, we have accelerated the move to sustainable packaging ensuring that Ireland remains one step ahead of the global targets by incorporating more recycled material in our packaging.

“The shift to using 100% recycled plastic in our bottles will help eliminate 7,100 tonnes of virgin plastic from circulation annually, and in conjunction with the introduction a deposit return scheme (DRS) in Ireland early next year, will also support our move towards ensuring all of our bottles are used, recovered, recycled and reused, again and again.

“We are committed to driving forward our World Without Waste programme on the island of Ireland as we work with others to address waste and climate issues created by packaging.”

Coca-Cola in Ireland and Northern Ireland has taken a series of measures in recent years to reduce its packaging footprint and improve collection systems that support a circular economy for plastic bottles and cans.

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On reviewing previous policies and in recognition of the need to support new parents and improve work-life balance, Coca-Cola HBC has developed a Diversity Action Plan which includes a reformed maternity and paternity policy in addition to other changes.

The new policy will give expectant mothers 26 weeks of 100% pay and then a further three months on 50% pay. The organisation is also taking steps to improve the paternity leave cover, offering expectant fathers six weeks of leave on 100% pay.

The announcement of the new policies come as the beverage business, which has over 750 employees on the Island of Ireland, announced 35 new roles as part of a £17/€20 million expansion to its production facility in Knockmore Hill, Lisburn, Northern Ireland.

‘We are committed to making the workplace one that facilitates parents spending more time with their families in the knowledge that this will not disrupt their career’

Marina Gainova

As part of its Diversity Action Plan developed throughout 2022, Coca-Cola HBC has also introduced a variety of changes including significant policy reforms in the recruitment process, targets at senior management level and a holistic employee well-being offering, which are all aimed at driving greater diversity across the organisation.

People and Culture Director at Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland, Marina Gainova said: “The new policies on maternity and paternity leave provides us an opportunity to further support our employees by offering well-being benefits which promote and foster professional development and growth for both genders.

“Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland is committed to making the workplace one that facilitates parents spending more time with their families in the knowledge that this will not disrupt their career.

“The diversity of our organisation is a key priority demonstrated by the changes we are announcing, as well as policy changes we are making to our recruitment process and internal initiatives to champion women in senior roles in our business.”

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It represents the single largest investment since the production facility opened in 2008 and will deliver 35 new permanent roles, with recruitment underway.

The extension will add an additional 4,597 square metres to the facility, covering manufacturing, warehousing and logistics.

Production at the expanded facility is set to begin in August 2023.

The announcement was made at a reception held in its Lisburn plant with Rt Hon Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris MP and local representatives in attendance.

HERITAGE

With a heritage on the island of Ireland dating back to 1938, Coca-Cola HBC employs over 750 people across the island with 450 colleagues based at the Knockmore Hill site. Since 2008, over £127 million has been invested in the facility in Knockmore Hill, a significant proportion of this is used to further Coca-Cola HBC’s goal of achieving NetZero by 2040, including the rollout of innovative and environmentally-friendly cardboard packaging solutions, water saving initiatives and increasing the use of recycled plastic.

The expansion comes after a competitive tender process where Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland was selected as the strongest location amongst a number of other bottling operators across Europe.

‘Coca-Cola HBC has a rich history in Northern Ireland and this extension demonstrates our strong continued commitment to the island of Ireland’

Miles Karemacher

Speaking at the launch, Rt Hon Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris MP said: “With over 80 years in the area, it’s really positive to see Coca-Cola HBC’s dedication to innovation and development in Northern Ireland, creating jobs and helping to strengthen the economy.”

Miles Karemacher, General Manager of Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland said: “We are delighted to announce the expansion of our Knockmore Hill production facility. Coca-Cola HBC has a rich history in Northern Ireland and this extension demonstrates our strong continued commitment to the island of Ireland and to our employees and the communities we serve here.

“I am incredibly proud of our team in Knockmore Hill and the work they do, acting as a leader in innovation and sustainability across the sector and I am confident that the future is bright for our organisation across the island in the years to come.”

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Encouraging people to believe that anything is possible, their ‘Believing is Magic’ title will be supported by an on-pack promotion to win a branded football.

The campaign focuses on the concept of football fans having to ‘Share a Promise’ – committing to an act should their team win. The creative will feature real fans sharing their promises, from getting a tattoo to dying their hair.

Shoppers buying on-the-go (500ml rPET bottles) and sharing promotional packs (multi-pack cans) of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and Coca-Cola Original Taste will have the chance to win one of 10,000 limited edition Coca-Cola FIFA World Cup 2022 branded footballs.

The ambition is for the number one soft drinks brand in GB (Nielsen) Nielsen Total GB inc dis MAT Val 180622, to build on this success ahead of and during FIFA World Cup 2022, helping to drive sales for retailers.

“Our advice to retailers is to keep an eye on the fixture dates, get stocked up on promotional packs for shoppers and create some eye-catching in-store displays to capture shopper attention,” said Martin Attock, Vice-President, Commercial Development at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners GB.

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