Owens-Illinois (O-I) is investing in its Jakarta plant, and is introducing a narrow neck press and blow (NNPB) technology, which will enable efficient light-weighting of bottle production.

An existing production line has been upgraded to increase its speed and capacity, in order for the company to continue supplying Indonesia’s leading food, beverage and pharmaceutical brands. Also of interest to O-I, is the nearby and expanding South-East Asia market.

O-I Jakarta’s President Director, Joseph Haddad, says O-I’s investment is a direct result of growing customer demand and the company’s confidence in the growth prospects that exist for Southeast Asia-based manufacturers.

“The Indonesian and Southeast Asian markets represent major opportunities for our Jakarta plant, which has supplied Indonesia’s food, beverage and pharmaceutical markets with quality glass containers for the past 40 years, and is set to play an integral role in achieving O-I’s growth targets,” said Mr Haddad.

To prepare for this predicted growth, O-I Jakarta is currently implementing the NNPB technology, which ensures consistent and precise glass wall thickness. This helps reduce bottle weight whilst maintaining design profiles and glass strength.

The lightweight bottle production process is also more sustainable because it uses less glass during production. It also requires fewer raw materials, and results in lower CO2 emissions.

O-I’s NNPB technology has been used by many of the world’s high-profile beverage companies to deliver significant environmental benefits. One example is O-I’s Australian 'Lean+Green' lightweight wine bottle range, which has been adopted by over 75 Australian wine brands since its launch in 2009.

In addition to its own production, O-I Jakarta can use the wider company’s global presence to source glass containers that are not produced locally, and thus offer its customers a larger product portfolio with a strong security of supply.

“In addition to providing the latest innovations in glass bottle production, we also offer local customers valuable insights into various markets around the world. We recently hosted a major Indonesian customer in Australia to provide it with a detailed look at the local beverage industry, including a range of perspectives on glass filling set-up, techniques, distribution and marketing,” said Mr Haddad.

O-I Jakarta also encourages its customers to access additional services to support new product development. For instance, O-I Jakarta works with its regional design team to help customers develop unique glass packaging designs that differentiate their brands.