Coca-Cola commission plastic bottling line in Nairobi

By AGENCIES

COCA-COLA’S Nairobi bottlers have increased its capacity to package plastic drinks in an effort to meet rising demand in the Kenyan market.

Nairobi Bottlers Limited (NBL) on Wednesday commissioned a Sh1.26 billion PET (plastic bottles) manufacturing line that is expected to nearly double its capacity.

Last year, the demand for plastic bottled products grew by 30 per cent outpacing supply and forcing the bottlers to import bottled Dasani water from a sister company in Tanzania.

“We had an issue with PET demand that was growing faster than we had anticipated,” said the firm’s country manager, Mr Patrick Pech.

Citi Bank has provided 60 per cent of the capital needed for the upgrade while NBL is footing the rest of the bill. The new manufacturing line will produce seven million cases of PET drinks bringing the Nairobi Bottler’s annual capacity to 12 million cases.

This is the third PET manufacturing line to be commission at the Nairobi firm since 2002.

The investment is indicative of a growing trend in the beverage sector where firms are favouring plastic packaging over glass packaging.

According to Pech, this trend is driven by a growing middle class that is increasingly drawn by convenience over value. Currently, glass bottles represent 72 per cent of all products rolling out of Nairobi Bottlers Ltd.

Nairobi Bottlers’ management indicated that further action on the allegations depends on quality reports that are expected to be produced by the Kenya Bureau of Standards.