Orora Beverage invests $80 million for new can producing line eyeing demand for its 200ml modules

Australian manufacturer of cans from aluminium foils, Orora Beverage, has publicised the opening of its new $80 million multi-sized can production line. The company produces almost 1 billion beverage cans annually and has an engaging client base consisting of VB, Mount Franklin and Coke. It excels in manufacturing market-leading sustainable packaging solutions for the beverage industry, mainly glass bottles and aluminium cans. 

The new canning line was flagged off, sighting the emerging demand for the company's 200ml boutique-sized aluminium cans for soft drinks, kombucha and alcohol. 

The President, Simon Bromell, asserted: "The cans business has been growing strongly and hence the investments that we have made."

"Some of that growth clearly comes from sustainability cues of cans relative to plastic. Some of it comes from consumer preference which is particularly craft beer playing a strong role," Bromell pointed out.

According to the president, Orora Beverage's 200ml aluminium cans seem to drive smaller customers who want to launch new brands with their flagship products.

Orora received an unspecified amount from the State Government and added its capacity to invest about $110 million in the Dandenong expansion and revamp its Ballarat ends unit.

The expansion created 18 new jobs, primarily in Dandenong, where Orora already employs 250 people. The Industry and Innovation and Manufacturing Sovereignty Minister Ben Carroll and Dandenong MP Gabrielle Williams toured the plant on 23 August and witnessed the mechanical and chemical treatment of metal, which is cured into can shape at a rate of 300 cans per minute.

The cans are recyclable and decorated using an eight-colour paint machine. They are then dried, washed, checked, and stacked in towers before being shipped to customers for filling. The new wastewater treatment plant, which has been operational since January, was also showcased during the visit. It enables Orora to recycle 50% of its water for washing.

During the personalised tour, Mr Carroll announced: "It is wonderful to see this important supply chain for our manufacturing sovereignty. It shows you why food and fibre is such an important part of the manufacturing story in Victoria."

Gabrielle Williams was pretty optimistic about the Government-private collaboration, and he implies that this has created opportunities for local jobs, amplifying Orora's activities.

"It's great to see household products that most people would be familiar with being made right here in Dandenong. In that respect, we're quiet achievers," Williams said.

Orora produces cans from aluminium coils, which are mostly made from recycled material. Since the closure of the Geelong Alcoa smelter in 2014, the aluminium coil has been imported from Thailand, Korea, and South Africa.

"Whether it's steel, whether it's aluminium, we do want to really support local. That's something I can certainly take offline and work with different suppliers to get that grade (of aluminium) to suit this," she concluded.

The Government's support for advanced manufacturers includes its $15 million Made in Victoria - Industry R&D Infrastructure Fund and its $20 million Manufacturing and Industry Sovereignty Fund.