The investment will boost the site’s capacity by 23%, a spokeswoman for the firm told FoodManufacture.co.uk. Due to become operational by next year the new facility will be dedicated solely to bottling GSK’s Ribena and Lucozade lines.
The flexibility and efficiency offered by the new facility will allow GSK to respond quickly to changes in customer demand without having to maintain expensive levels of stock, she said.
Rob Baxter, GSK vice-president and general manager of the Coleford site, added: “This additional £18M investment in a new plant at Coleford is a huge step forward in terms of continually improving our efficiency. And [it will help] provide a highly responsive service for our customers who often need deliveries at short notice.”
Pet bottles
The bottling facility will use recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles.
These are manufactured at the Coleford site in a new £70M bottle manufacturing plant, which was constructed last year. The plant is one of the largest in-house facilities of its type in Europe, said the spokeswoman.
It was the firm’s largest ever capital expenditure but has already started to deliver significant cost savings by cutting energy, plastic-use and transportation costs, claimed the spokeswoman. The cost of transporting plastic bottles is said to have been reduced by 85% since the new plant was opened.
1bn bottles
Last year the Coleford site made nearly 1bn bottles of Lucozade and Ribena. It employs 520 workers.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, GSK announced a new Ribena range. Called Ribena Plus, it is fortified with extra vitamins and minerals and is aimed at women.
Ribena Plus Apple and Peach will contain added vitamins A, C and E.
Ribena Plus Apple and Raspberry and Mixed Berry flavours contain added calcium for healthy bones.
The new look Ribena will be available in cordial and ready-to-drink formats, and in bottles and Tetra Pak cartons.
The launch of Ribena Plus is GSK's largest product launch in the past 20 years, said the spokeswoman. It has a marketing budget of £6M, she added.