Coca-Cola HBC invests in upgrade at Romanian bottling plant

Coca-Cola HBC has invested €7 million in an upgrade to its bottling facility in Timișoara, Romania.

The addition of a high-speed bottling line, compatible with 330ml and 500ml formats, will allow the company to reach a capacity of 90,000 bottles an hour. The increase in production will help meet the company’s plans for growth, with products to be distributed both in Romania and throughout neighbouring markets including Greece.

The announcement comes a month after Coca-Cola Hellenic posted a 5% increase in full-year turnover, which was up to RON 2.2 billion ($550 million).

“We chose [to invest in] Timișoara because we have been here for many years and the people here have convinced us that they have a high degree of professionalism,” Coca-Cola HBC Romania general manager Jaak Mikkel was quoted as saying.

“[When] we look at the potential of the Romanian export market… it’s no secret that Timișoara is geographically better positioned than our other factories, so we created this new line for export as well.

“We are committed to investing further; Romania is a very important market within the Coca-Cola HBC Group, and we are very excited about what’s coming next.”

The Timișoara plant has multiple bottling lines for carbonated and still products and an aseptic line, specially designed for Nestea beverages. In March, Nestlé said it would end its global joint venture with Coca-Cola for the production of Nestea, but will grant the soft drinks company a license in seven European countries – including Romania – to continue manufacturing and distributing the drinks.

Timișoara is one of three Coca-Cola plants in Romania; the largest is a bottling facility in Ploiesti, north of Bucharest, which was inaugurated in 2012.

Coca-Cola also inherited a Poiana Negri mineral water plant in northeastern Romania when it acquired a majority stake in local water producer Dorna Apemin back in 2002. According to Coca-Cola HBC, ‘the plant has been part of an extensive investment programme’ and is used to bottle the Dorna, Dorna Izvorul Alb and Poiana Negri lines of water.