Soft drinks business Britvic announced a further £13 million investment in a fifth canning line at its Rugby factory.

Based on the Glebe Farm Industrial Estate, the investment is expected to create up to 20 new jobs across engineering and manufacturing, as well as providing Britvic’s apprentices with an opportunity to take up full-time positions in the business.

The announcement is part of c.£40 million worth of investment into the factory over the past two years and takes the site into the top five largest soft drinks manufacturing sites in Europe.

Paul Graham, Britvic Managing Director in Great Britain, commented: “This investment is another example of our commitment to our people, product and planet goals.

“Developing our state-of-the-art supply chain means that we can increase the production capacity of peoples’ favourite brands, create more jobs and improve efficiency helping to reduce waste. We look forward to seeing the new canning line in action!”

These investments follow Britvic’s broader c.£250m business continuity plan investment in its British supply chain, which was completed in November 2019 and reflects the Group’s ongoing commitment to the continuous improvement of its operations.

The new set-up will see capacity increase by 14%, producing 80,000 recyclable 330ml cans per hour of some of the UK’s favourite brands including Tango and Pepsi MAX. The first cans are expected to hit shelves in the next few weeks.

The announcement follows the £27 million canning line investment in the factory in 2021 and £19 million to upgrade Britvic’s national distribution centre last year.