Oricola (AQ), 26 January 2024 - Coca-Cola HBC Italia, the main bottler of The Coca-Cola Company brand products in Italy, on Friday 26 January announced an investment of over 42 million euros in the Abruzzo factory in Oricola (AQ). Thanks to this investment, 2 new lines for the production of cans will be operational by the end of the year, the first in the history of the plant, until now dedicated to recycled plastic (rPET) references. The expansion project was presented during an institutional visit to the factory site by the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, Francesco Lollobrigida, the President of the Abruzzo Region, Marco Marsilio, and representatives of local communities, including the Mayor of Oricola, Antonio Paraninfi.
The two lines, one of which will be dedicated to the production of energy drinks, will be inaugurated in two distinct phases: the first phase already scheduled for the coming weeks, the second by the end of 2024. The new machines, equipped with the best technology available on the market, will also allow the reduction of more than 25% in the energy intensity needed to bottle a liter of beverage. Thanks to this important investment, once fully operational, the factory will be able to double the volumes produced and will guarantee over 50 new jobs, excluding related industries.
"Oricola is historically a state-of-the-art plant: it was among the first production sites in Italy to use recycled plastic and today, with the announcement of the new modernization and expansion, we confirm the central role of this factory and this region in the growth strategies of Coca-Cola HBC Italia." says Giangiacomo Pierini, Director of Corporate Affairs & Sustainability of Coca-Cola HBC Italia "Despite the difficulties in our sector linked, for example, to the increase in the cost of raw materials, further investments are planned in the company's strategies, without prejudice to the concern about the risk of the entry into force of the Sugar Tax in July."
"We want a stronger and more competitive Italy. This goal also passes through the investments we are able to attract and our ability to allow companies to act, in line with our reference values, such as quality, which makes us protagonists all over the planet. The new investments of this industrial plant are aimed at improving production also from the point of view of environmental impact. An attitude that we consider virtuous and that puts us in a position to support it". comments Francesco Lollobrigida, Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry.
"This is a very important investment for our territory, which will make the Abruzzo plant of Coca-Cola HBC Italia increasingly innovative and central to the national economic system, both in terms of environmental sustainability and employment". The President of the Region, Marco Marsilio, expresses his satisfaction and that of the entire Regional Council. "With the start-up of the two new lines of cans, the Oricola plant marks yet another leap forward, creating the conditions to double the volumes produced and feed further induced activities. As the Abruzzo Region, we are extremely pleased that Coca-Cola HBC Italia has confirmed that it is focusing heavily on this site, modernizing and expanding it in view of future challenges – concludes Marsilio – and for our part we will be happy to continue this extraordinary collaboration in the interest of our community".
"In a difficult period, the growth of Coca-Cola HBC Italia in the Oricola area continues.
A growth that our community will be close to, in the same way that the company has always been close to its social improvement over time." concludes Antonio Paraninfi, Mayor of Oricola
The importance of Abruzzo for Coca-Cola HBC Italia is also confirmed by the important economic and employment implications generated by Coca-Cola in the region. According to recent SDA Bocconi School of Management research, Coca-Cola in Abruzzo is confirmed as the first employer in the soft drink industry, creating 1,384 jobs directly and through its related industries. In addition, in 2022 the resources generated and distributed to the main players in the regional economy amounted to 46 million euros in the form of salaries, purchases of goods and services, investments, taxes and contributions.