Coca-Cola Entreprises announced it plans to completely renovate its Zwijnaarde bottling plant (Ghent, Eastern Flanders) on Tuesday. The gradual refurbishment will include a 75-million-euro investment but could lead to the loss of 120 jobs by 2018, according to the American soft-drinks giant.
Modernisation will help “maintain a long-term local production unit in Ghent” and aims to make it “an ultra-modern production site by 2018,” explains Coca-Cola in a press release. This development however will have social consequences. 120 of the 438 current jobs in Ghent are ultimately at risk of disappearing.
The Ghent facility has 7 production lines and produces 12 of the Atlanta-based group’s brands. In 2014, the plant produced a staggering 261 million litres.
Coca-Cola Entreprises has a total of 7 sites in Belgium (Ghent, Antwerp, Hasselt, Hasselt, Londerzeel, Heppignies, Chaudfontaine and its Anderlecht HQ), and employs some 2,400 members of staff here.
(Source: Belga)
