Australia's biggest beverage processing and packaging operation, owned by Suntory Oceania, the $3 billion multi-beverage partnership between Suntory Global Spirits and Suntory Beverage & Food, has started work on the installation of a 14km stretch of solar panels at its new Ipswich facility in Queensland.
The delivery of the site’s carbon neutral ambitions is the subject of the Australian Food & Grocery Council’s 2024 Sustaining Australia TV series.
The episode provides an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the world-class manufacturing and distribution facility and showcases its sustainable approach to manufacturing. The new facility will house state-of-the-art processing and packaging technology.
“The investment really shows the confidence that Suntory has in the Australian market and its ability to continue to grow and evolve,” said Mark Hill, managing director for Oceania at Suntory Global Spirits.
The Ipswich facility will play a critical role in unlocking the power of Suntory in the region, delivering innovation and full end-to-end control of its portfolio, including manufacturing, sales and distribution.
According to Ian Roberts, chief supply chain officer at Suntory Beverage & Food Oceania, the facility provided extraordinary capabilities to fast-track innovation and disrupt the market.
“This is the largest single FMCG investment in Australia in over a decade,” said Roberts.
“Our carbon neutral ‘smart’ facility – powered by a combination of solar, biomass and green energy – will give Suntory unrivalled ability to innovate, respond to customer demand, and deliver beverages that are made locally and sustainably.
“Led by our Growing For Good philosophy, Suntory has taken every opportunity to use leading technology and set new standards for sustainable manufacturing in Australia.”
Three sustainability investments currently underway at the site include:
- 7000 solar panels, equating to just over nine soccer fields (14km) will power the production of over 20 million cases of beverages a year on commencement;
- A biomass boiler that will use off-cuts from the local sawmill as fuel to generate heat for the sites manufacturing heating requirements; and
- The fitting of an organic Rankine cycle generator – a unique technology to capture waste heat and turn it into green energy to put back into the grid.
To date, the Ipswich facility has delivered approximately 450 construction and installation jobs, and once operational will support 160 long-term local roles.
In addition, the business is now recruiting a further 130+ roles to support the new Australian Alcohol Licensed Route to Market function – a new sales team responsible for bringing Suntory’s iconic alcohol portfolio to market from mid-2025.
As well as a close up look at the Ipswich facility, the Sustaining Australia TV episode discusses the impact the facility will have on the industry, the Ipswich community, and profiles the investments that will power the site sustainably.
Check out the episode here:
