Hyundai to build alkylbenzene plant

JAKARTA (JP): PT Unggul Indah Corporation yesterday assigned Hyundai Engineering Co. Ltd. and Hyundai Corporation, both of South Korea, to construct the third production unit of its alkylbenzene plant under a contract worth US$19.42 million.

The contract was signed here by Unggul Indah's president Hartono Gunawan, Hyndai Engineering's vice president Yum Fa Yun and Hyundai Corporation's senior vice president Suh Oh Suk.

A spokeswoman for Unggul Indah said the construction of the third unit, with a production capacity of 60,000 tons per annum, will increase the company's total annual capacity to 210,000 tons.

Alkylbenzene is a main raw material for the production of detergent.

"The construction of the third unit in Merak, West Java, will begin in the second half of 1996 and completion is scheduled for end-1997," the spokeswoman said, adding that the cost of the project is estimated at $50 million.

She said that the third unit, like the first two, will use the technology of Universal Oil Products, a U.S.-Japanese joint venture.

According to the spokeswoman, Unggul Indah recorded a 15.6 percent increase in its sales to Rp 173.3 billion ($73.7 million) during the first half of this year and a 12.6 percent increase in its before-tax profit to Rp 38.6 billion. (riz)