Salmond was speaking during a visit to CCE’s manufacturing site in East Kilbride to launch the commemorative Year of Homecoming bottle and mark the 50th anniversary of the factory.
“This is a spectacular Homecoming Year for Scotland as we welcome visitors from around the world,” he said. “It is therefore a fantastic endorsement to have Coca-Cola, a truly iconic and global brand, recognise this exciting year with their new tartan bottle design.
“I am delighted with CCE’s commitment to continue to invest in and support Scottish manufacturing and its place within the history of the local community here in East Kilbride.”
16M cases
East Kilbride is the only UK manufacturing site producing Appletiser products in glass bottles. It produces 16M cases of soft drink – including Dr Pepper, Sprite and Fanta – across four factory lines and employs more than 155 people.
Jim Duddy, operations director at CCE East Kilbride, said: “Our 50th anniversary demonstrates Coca-Cola Enterprises’ long-term commitment to the East Kilbride area and to manufacturing in Scotland as a whole.
“As a truly local business we are proud to be supporting such an iconic year in Scotland, with the launch of our new Homecoming bottle which is testament to the heritage we have built here in East Kilbride since the site first opened in 1964.”
CCE recently unveiled plans to invest £1M a week as part of a £52M injection across the UK this year, reaching a total of £227M of investment in its operations since 2011.