FDBusiness.com

Britvic, the UK-based global soft drinks business, is celebrating the opening of its upgraded national distribution centre in Leicestershire, following £25 million of investment. The site supplies national and international customers with soft drinks including Robinsons, Tango and J2O.

A recent investment of £20 million, following £5 million committed to the Lutterworth site over the last three years, has resulted in significant improvements and updates to the technical systems and facilities necessary for efficient warehouse and logistical operations.

As a result of the investment, the site now has 17 new automatic cranes, 18 despatch lanes to load lorries from and 20 automated cars to transport pallets around the warehouse – with the capacity to move 600 pallets an hour from the warehouse to its customers.

Nigel Paine, Supply Chain Director at Britvic, said: “I am delighted that we have completed the renovation of our national distribution centre in Lutterworth. This cutting-edge facility enables us to continue offering our customers the wide range of Britvic products they love, while also providing our employees with a dynamic work environment that supports their best performance.”

Over the course of a normal year, 75,000 trucks, carrying 1.9 million pallets to over 900 locations pass through the distribution centre’s security gatehouse. This investment will see more trucks through the gates to accommodate the increased pallet numbers.

As part of the investment, the distribution centre offers refreshed office and meeting spaces, in line with Britvic’s Working Well approach to flexible working, ensuring a modern and comfortable working environment where employees and visitors can collaborate.

The site now has 10 brand-new electric vehicle charging stations for employees, including a new 47kw Direct Current fast charger.

Britvic’s national distribution centre has been based in Lutterworth for 30 years and employs more than 80 people.

This is the latest in a string of investments that form Britvic’s ongoing commitment to its supply chain, including £40 million in its Rugby factory over the past two years, which has seen the installation of a fifth canning line at the factory, and £8 million invested in a heat recovery system at its Beckton factory in London, cutting factory emissions by an estimated 1,200 tonnes annually.