International beverage and retail giant Coca-Cola Company has set up the world's fasters bottling production line in Chengdu, the capital of China's Sichuan province. The establishment of the production line is part of the US-based company's strategy to expand its manufacturing capacity in one of its largest markets.
The new production line, which was built at the company's facility under COFCO Coca-Cola Beverages Ltd (CBL), is capable of churning out 120,000 cans of cola per hour. The number of cans produced per hour officially makes the facility the fastest fully-automated bottling plant in the world. The current industry average stands at between 66,000 to 90,000 cans per hour.
According to CBL chief executive officer, Ching Lijun, its new bottling facility should be able to produce up to 260,000 metric tons of products per year, which translates to about 1.3 billion yuan or roughly $183 million worth of soda cans. Apart from producing a record amount of soda products, the production line at Chengdu is also unique as it is the only fully-automated system in Coca-Cola's global operations that can be programmed to produce varying packaging specifications.
The recent update to the production facility is the latest move by the beverage giant as part of its wider investment strategy in China. Last year, the company set up three new production lines in the southwestern province. CBL stated that the increase in production capacity is part of its efforts to accelerate its recovery after it resumed operations after the coronavirus pandemic.
The company, which was established by Coca-Cola more than 21 years ago in Chengdu, produces all of the brand's popular soda, water, and juice products for China. Its parent company stated last month that it is expecting a full recovery of its operations in China and it is moving to implement key measures to ensure that its bottlers regain momentum to supply consumers with its high-quality drinks.
Apart from its signature colas, Coca-Cola has made strides in further expanding its beverage categories in China. The company recently formed a new joint venture with Chinese diary firm China Mengniu Dairy Co to sell its own brand of chilled milk products. The product has proven to be relatively successful in the Chinese market. Last month, Coca-Cola also accelerated its launch of a new line of ready-to-drink coffee products through its Costa Coffee subsidiary. Since its establishment in 2006, Coca-Cola's Costa Coffee brand has managed to set up more than 500 stores across china.
