Coca-Cola Australia Completes A$39.7 Million Canning Line Upgrade
en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 13, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) announced the completion of a A$39.7 million upgrade at its Kewdale beverage plant in Perth, Western Australia, with the addition of a new high-speed canning line that has increased production capacity by more than 40%. Following the upgrade, the line's operating speed has increased from approximately 1,060 cans per minute to 1,500 cans per minute, with a designed annual capacity of 16 million cases, or approximately 384 million cans. The new equipment has been installed and put into production, and will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during the summer peak demand period.
The upgrade focused on the canning process, adding automated production equipment and supporting control technology to expand the range of product formats and production scheduling that the line can handle. CCEP also upgraded the line's water and energy management configurations. The new production equipment features a higher level of automation and the ability to adjust production schedules according to the requirements of different beverage products.
The Kewdale plant has been in operation for more than 50 years and is CCEP's fourth-largest manufacturing site in Australia. The plant currently employs approximately 300 people, of whom 125 work in manufacturing operations. Following the completion of the line upgrade, the plant continues to handle beverage production for Western Australia and adjusts production shifts in line with the summer seasonal production schedule.
CCEP is also running a pilot program for part-time frontline manufacturing positions at the site. The first round of recruitment received more than 900 applications, and new employees have been scheduled to begin manufacturing roles. The relevant production staff will be involved in operating both the plant's existing production lines and the upgraded equipment.
