Orora Beverages shows off $80 million investment at Dandenong

Packaging business Orora Beverages has unveiled a new aluminium can line at its Dandenong site, part of a round of upgrades totalling $110 million, during a visit by Victorian manufacturing minister Ben Carroll and local MP Gabrielle Williams.

The line uses aluminium coil, which contains mostly recycled content, which is mechanically and chemically treated, cured to solidify the can shape, followed by decoration, palletising and shipping to customers.

Local newspaper The Dandenong Star Journal reports that the multi-can line represented an $80 million investment at the company – which produces about a billion cans a year – and was driven by demand for 250 millilitre boutique-sized cans. The line was opened in June.

The Star added that coil has been sourced from Thailand, Korea and South Africa since the Geelong Alcoa smelter closed in 2014.

According to a statement from Carroll – whose government provided an unspecified level of support for the expansion at Dandenong and a warehousing site at Ballarat – 18 new jobs have been created through recent upgrades by Orora. 

Orora is headquartered in Melbourne and employs over 250 in the state.

“We’re proud of the contribution we make to the local economy as a responsible manufacturer and employer in the local community,” said Orora Beverage’s President, Simon Bromell in a statement on Wednesday. 

“We welcome the Victorian Government’s support for Orora’s important cans capacity expansion projects.”

ASX-listed Orora announced its full-year results earlier this month, which included sales revenues growth of 4.9 per cent to $4.3 billion and EBIT up 12.3 per cent to $320.5 million.

Picture: credit Orora