BJC earmarks Bt3.5 bn to expand container plants in Saraburi
Berli Jucker (BJC) plans to invest more than Bt3.5 billion on expanding its two container plants - Thai Beverage Can (TBC) and Thai Malaya Glass - in Hemaraj Industrial Estate, Saraburi province.
The company will allocate Bt2 billion for TBC’s facility and to boost its manufacturing capacity from 1.8 billion aluminium cans per annum currently to 2.2 billion. A new production line will be added and will be fully operational by the middle of next year.
BJC will also invest Bt1.5 billion to expand the capacity of its Thai Malaya Glass plant, including the purchase of an additional 100-rai (16-hectare) land plot. The investment will increase its manufacturing capacity for glass containers by 300 tonnes per day, from 2,700 tonnes currently.
BJC president Aswin Techajareonvikul said the investment in its packaging plants would serve the growth of local beverage market, which is 8-10 per cent per annum on average, and would be in line with the company’s plan to focus more on the Indochina and Asean markets for business expansion.
BJC yesterday brought more than 100 investors, representatives from financial institutions, and media members to visit its container plants in Saraburi as well as BJC Danone Dairy in Ayutthaya.
BJC’s subsidiary Thai Glass Industries manufactures glass containers in Rat Burana district in Bangkok and Bang Phli district in Samut Prakan.
BJC now holds 51 per cent of BJC Danone Dairy, while the rest is owned by Danone Dairy Thailand. The partnership aims to accelerate the expansion of Danone Dairy products, among them the Activia yoghurt brand, in Thailand. However, the plant underwent a major renovation, costing about Bt350 million, after being hit by the massive flood last year. It just resumed normal operation in June.
Aswin said yesterday’s plant visit was to showcase the manufacturing capabilities of BJC’s container plants, which have been developed to serve the growth potential of the Asean market.
“We are a manufacturer and distributor of turnkey packaging products, including glass containers, aluminium cans, and plastic packages,” he said. “The company’s packaging facilities in Thailand, together with those in Malaysia and Vietnam, now have combined capacity of about 3,300 tonnes per day, the largest in Asean.”
