Coca-Cola Bottling Company United Inc. has broken ground on a $42 million expansion of its Baton Rouge campus. The project includes expanding the existing warehouse, optimizing distribution operations and installing a warehouse system.
The existing warehouse will be expanded by 120,000 square feet. The installation of the Vertique case picking system will make the case picking process more organized and efficient and will decrease stress on associates. The expansion will also create up to 15 direct new jobs and will supplement the current 558 jobs that will be retained at the site.
“As a Louisiana native, I’m so proud to see what Coca-Cola United is doing across our state. Including our plans for Baton Rouge, we will have invested more than $100 million in our Louisiana operations over the past five years,” said Susanne Hall, West Region vice president for Coca-Cola United.
In addition to the Vertique case picking system, the facilities will also receive a new generator, recycling equipment, storage racks, fork lifts, conveyors, power switches, gears, lighting and fire suppression systems.
The construction is set to begin in the first quarter of 2022 with completion expected in August 2023.
Baton Rouge Coca-Cola has been in operation 115 years. The current facility was built in 2009. With the expansion, the total size of the Baton Rouge facility will increase to 900,000 square feet. Currently, the facility distributes approximately 10 million cases in the Baton Rouge market and 11 million cases to six other United facilities across Louisiana and parts of Mississippi.
Coca-Cola United is headquartered in Birmingham and is the third largest bottler of Coca-Cola products in the United States.
