Carlsberg Britvic is expanding its production capacity in the UK with a £20 million investment in a new canning line and extension at its Rugby plant. The project will create over 30 new jobs and strengthen the site as one of the largest soft drinks production plants in Europe.
The new line increases the total number of can filling lines to ten and boosts production output from 560,000 to 610,000 cans per hour. This will enable even more well-known soft drinks such as Tango and Pepsi Max to be bottled in future. The total investment in the site over the past five years amounts to over £60 million.
Nigel Paine, Vice President of Production at Carlsberg Britvic, explained that the company wanted to strengthen its supply chain and meet the growing market demand through continuous investment. John Slinger MP also welcomed the expansion and emphasised the importance of the plant for the Rugby region.
Sustainable production and local supply chains
The plant benefits from particularly efficient logistics: the cans are delivered directly from the neighbouring packaging supplier Ardagh Group via an underground tunnel. This proximity reduces CO₂ emissions and supports the company's sustainability strategy, which is also complemented by a government subsidy.
Part of a long-term growth strategy
The latest investment is part of a series of expansion projects - including £27 million for a new line in 2021, £13 million in 2023 and £1.15 million in early 2025. In addition, Carlsberg Britvic has invested £4 million in a new logistics centre near Wolverhampton to further optimise its supply chains.
Source: Carlsberg Britvic
