08 September 2010
Plant Sets standards in sustainable manufacturing.
Coca-Cola HBC Northern Ireland officially opens
£93.5m facility in Lisburn
Plant sets new standards in sustainable manufacturing
Coca-Cola HBC Northern Ireland opened its doors to celebrate the official launch of its £93.5m state-of-the art manufacturing facility at Knockmore Hill in Lisburn, Co. Antrim.
The company’s investment in new production capacity for the island of Ireland is designed to enhance its competitive position and enable it to respond rapidly to changing consumer needs. The investment, which sets new standards in sustainable manufacturing, was supported by Invest Northern Ireland.
The official launch (8 September 2010) of the 50,000 square metre manufacturing, bottling and warehousing facility was performed by First Minister Rt Hon Peter Robinson MLA and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness MP MLA in the presence of the CEO of the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company, Doros Constantinou, and the new General Manager of Coca-Cola Hellenic for the island of Ireland, Marcel Martin.
They were joined by Enterprise Minister, Arlene Foster; Jeffrey Donaldson, MP for Lagan Valley; Alderman Paul Porter, the Mayor of Lisburn; and Alastair Hamilton, CEO of Invest Northern Ireland.
The Knockmore Hill facility, which employs 600 people, has the capacity to produce 1.5 million litres of Coca-Cola beverages each day. It includes an energy-efficient Combined Heat and Power plant, a new high-tech warehousing system and a visitors’ centre which will open for public tours from November.
Speaking at the official opening, Doros Constantinou, CEO of Coca-Cola Hellenic
said: “On behalf of the Coca-Cola Hellenic group, it gives me great pleasure to see this state of the art facility declared officially open. This plant represents a significant investment by Coca-Cola Hellenic in our business in Ireland and underlines our commitment to this market and to our 1,100 employees on the island.”
Marcel Martin, General Manager for Coca-Cola HBC on the island of Ireland, added: “With the opening of this state-of-the-art production and bottling plant we are celebrating a new chapter in the rich history of Coca-Cola on this island, which dates back to 1939 when Tom Robinson of Belfast introduced the brand to these shores. It is remarkable that what began as a one-man enterprise has grown into one of Northern Ireland leading companies, a thriving business, providing significant local employment and making a substantial contribution to the local economy.”
Knockmore Hill’s Combined Heat and Power plant was developed by ContourGlobal, a leading international company specialising in the development of efficient energy installations. It supplies the highly efficient, clean electricity, heat, CO2 and chilled water needed for the company’s soft drink production facilities and is currently the only ‘quad-generation’ plant in the UK and Ireland.
Mr Martin said: “Coca-Cola is committed to sustainable business practices and to respecting and protecting the environment. Our partnership with Contour Global enables us to reduce our carbon footprint, save energy and be more efficient, and at the same time to feed surplus energy directly into the power grid, providing efficient electricity to surrounding communities.”
Today’s opening celebrations were attended by 180 guests including many Coca-Cola customers, partners, suppliers and employees as well as representatives from the community, charitable and environmental groups supported by Coca-Cola Hellenic throughout the island.
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