The automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) warehouse will hold and automatically move 25,000 pallets, tripling the site’s storage capacity.
Manufactured products could be delivered to customers directly from the factory without having to move them to a separate off-site storage facility, saving 10,817 road miles by heavy goods vehicles and 3,867t of carbon dioxide a year.
The warehouse would increase efficiency across CCEP’s supply chain and support its goal to reduce the carbon footprint of the drink in the consumer’s hand by one third by 2020, claimed the company.
‘Investment in sustainable manufacturing’
Sidcup operations director Trevor Stacey said: “The new ASRS warehouse is a significant investment in sustainable manufacturing for CCEP.
“It has been an exciting project for the team here in Sidcup, enabling us to explore and implement the latest manufacturing technologies to increase efficiencies across our operations.”
CCEP’s latest investment in automation technology followed the opening of two ASRS facilities at its sites in Edmonton and Wakefield.
The development of automation technologies was among the key trends identified in a joint research project conducted with Cranfield University in 2016.
‘Factory of the future’
The study identified a vision and roadmap to the sustainable “factory of the future”, looking ahead to 2050, specifically earmarking the smart operations offered by automated warehousing and related data analysis.
Vice-president and general manager of CCEP GB Leendert den Hollander added: “On both a local and national level, and as a global business, we’re passionate about making positive contributions to the communities in which we operate, whilst remaining at the forefront of manufacturing innovation.
“This initiative and our wider investment in automation technology will be an important step in both helping to future-proof the sector and driving forward our sustainability journey by achieving significant carbon dioxide savings.”
Meanwhile, CCEP has begun sourcing 100% of its electricity from renewable sources, as it launches a new solar energy farm to support production at its Yorkshire site.