Booming wine exports in Australia have led ACI Glass Packaging to pour a further A$ 120 million into its bottle plant at West Croydon. Most of the money would be invested in an additional furnace to c…
Booming wine exports in Australia have led ACI Glass Packaging to pour a further A$ 120 million into its bottle plant at West Croydon. Most of the money would be invested in an additional furnace to create the world“s largest wine bottle-making operation, the company“s managing director, Rob Barnett, said. When the furnace is in operation in early 2002, the plant would produce up to 800 million bottles a year. ACI – Australia“s largest glass manufacturer – has spent more than A$ 150 million upgrading the Port Rd factory in the past six years. A furnace worth A$ 60 million commissioned in May boosted the local workforce to 280. The next furnace upgrading would create about 40 more jobs, said Barnett. More than 70% of Australia“s grapes are produced within 400km of Adelaide, he said. Demand for wine grapes was rising by 10 to 15% a year with Australian wine exports set to top A$ 1.5 billion this financial year. ACI“s Adelaide plant had doubled its wine bottle production in recent years. ACI“s six container manufacturing plants in Australia and New Zealand produce more than four billion bottles a year, with total annual sales of almost A$ 800 million. Packaging group Amcor Ltd. said it would build a A$ 130 million bottle manufacturing plant near Gawler, eventually creating work for more than 300 people. The plant would produce about 200 million bottles a year, generating A$ 80 million in annual sales from mid-2002.