P.T. South Pacific Viscose celebrates its 25th anniversary
09 May '08
2 min read
Lenzing's full subsidiary, P.T. South Pacific Viscose (SPV), celebrates its 25th anniversary. The company is one of the largest producers of cellulose fibers world-wide and the second-largest production site of the Lenzing Group.
The company produces 155,000 tons of viscose fibers annually and production capacity is currently being expanded to a nominal 220,000 tons of viscose fibers annually at a total investment of EUR 106 mill. The program is expected to be completed in about two years. SPV is a central element of Lenzing's expansion strategy in Asia.
SPV in Purwakarta (Java) is still Lenzing's biggest non-Austrian investment and the biggest investment of any Austrian company in Indonesia. Lenzing's massive transfer of expertise and capital transformed a sickly start-up project of a group of Indian and Indonesian investors into one of the leading Asian producers of viscose.
Lenzing initially had acquired a minority share of 42% in 1978. Production started in 1983 with an annual capacity of 30,000 tons.
The company then supplied the budding Indonesian textile industry. Further expansion stages in 1990 and 1997 built up the export business and enhanced the textile fiber product portfolio with high-quality fibers for nonwovens.
Today SPV supplies all of the Asian market and exports to North America and Europe. With the exception of a few critical months during the economic crisis in Asia at the end of the nineties SPV has alwaysbeen a highly profitable company. In 2007 Lenzing raised its share in the company to 86%. The remainder is still owned by Indonesian investors.