Diageo invests more than £40m into Guinness production sites
The facility in Belfast will see its canning production more than double with a £24.5m investment to convert existing warehouses into a new packaging line capable of producing 72,000 cans per hour.
While a further £16m is set to be invested at the Runcorn site to upgrade the sites bottling line and expand its warehousing capacity.
Diageo operations director Aidan Crowe said: “This expansion is a significant investment in the development of our packaging facilities.
Product innovation
“The projects in Belfast and Runcorn will support our growth ambitions, helping us to deliver end-to-end product innovation, and reinforce our agility to meet demand and provide excellent service to our customers around the world.”
The investment by Diageo was decided in order to meet global demand for Guinness products from domestic and export markets, with the expansion set to support accelerated production and product innovation.
Diageo operations manager at the Runcorn site, Stewart Hancock, said: “This is an exciting time for our site in Runcorn as we invest in our business to support the growth of our business.
“We contribute considerably to the local economy in Runcorn and the £16m investment will further support our supply chains and local communities.”
Enhanced efficiency
Both sites are expected to come online in 2023 with enhanced efficiency and competitiveness, though construction has been set to begin immediately
This comes after sales of Guinness saw a 52% uplift earlier this month, thanks to the culmination of the Six Nations Rugby tournament on ‘Super Saturday’ (19 March).
Member of Parliament for Weaver Vale and local MP for the Runcorn Site, Mike Amesbury, said: “Diageo's bottling and packaging plant in Runcorn is a significant part of the local economy and it is great news to see British businesses like Diageo investing in and expanding their facilities in the local area.”
