Inch-perfect positioning
High concentration and good judgment were required because the plant components had to be positioned as accurately as possible in the 5,200 square meter hall. "The entire production plant consists of about 65 individual units. In order to be able to connect all of them with each other exactly, each one has to go to its intended location." explains project manager Thomas Steger. Together with his colleague Ulrich Märtin, he planned and meticulously prepared the installation of the new line over the past few weeks. By the end of September, the blower and the filler will be fixed to a 18 meter long and 15 meter wide unit. In future, the PET blanks will be blown into bottles and then filled.
Construction work during production
Only a few days ago, the last preparatory work in the production hall had been completed. "Over the past few months, we have completely renewed the floor at full speed, pulled in walls and installed the required electrical system," says Thomas Steger. Ulrich Märtin emphasizes: "The biggest challenge here was to carry out the construction work in spite of our tight schedule so that the existing production and logistics are not impaired if possible." Already in the last week, the first smaller parts of the plant could be brought into the hall, including for example several tanks and the Pasteur.
Commissioning planned in January
Completion of the new production line is scheduled for the fourth quarter. After a test phase, it can then probably be put into operation in January of the coming year. Plant manager Uwe Blabusch emphasizes: "In Halle, most of the carbonated drinks from Coca-Cola are produced for the German market. With the new line, we can double the production volume here at the site. "The ice line of the Fuze Tea brand and sports drinks are to be bottled on the new line. Coca-Cola is investing around 30 million euro in the state-of-the-art facility and creating 20 new jobs.
Halle - a special location in the German Coca-Cola system
Since 1991, refreshment drinks have been produced in Halle Coca-Cola. Today, the company is in two respects a special in the German Coca-Cola system: First, the majority of carbonated drinks from Coca-Cola for the German market is produced here. On the other hand, the blanks for the PET disposable bottles, which are blown to bottles at the production sites of Coca-Cola in Germany, are also produced in Halle. Around 316 employees are busy at Coca-Cola in Halle.
