Harrogate Water invests £6.5m in plant

Harrogate Water is investing £6.5m in its North Yorkshire plant.

Production technology in the form of a combination line will replace its glass bottle filling line and German bottling machine manufacturer Krones is already installing the new line.

This follows an £8m investment in PET plastic production in 2014, which the company says has prompted growth of more than 60% over the past two years. Harrogate also announced that revenues were up 20% to £17m.

The company, which can trace its roots back to 1571, with the first water bottled in 1740, also saw exports grow last year following the launch of an ‘anti-roll’ bottle for the international air travel market.

Managing director James Cain said: “Continuing strong demand in both home and export markets makes further investment essential to remain ahead of the curve. The new production line will provide us with the capacity and flexibility to meet customer needs and compete more effectively in high-volume markets.

“Overall, the business has grown by more than 20% in the last year, vastly outperforming market growth of around 8%.”