Coke bottler to shut Pennsylvania plant

Coca-Cola Enterprises will close a plant in Pennsylvania that bottles Dasani water as part of a move to become more efficient, the company said Wednesday.

The plant, located in Washington, Pa., employs 17 people. It will close in March and production will be moved to other plants in the region, said CCE spokeswoman Laura Brightwell.

“It really is a way for us to consolidate operations and drive greater efficiencies,” Brightwell said.

Growing at double-digit rates just a few years ago, bottled water sales have slowed in the past year. U.S. take-home sales of bottled water grew 0.5 percent in the first nine months of 2008, according to Beverage Digest.

CCE, based in Atlanta, sells about 80 percent of Coke’s bottle and can volume in North America.