Unilever to Invest in North Sumatra, Project Groundbreaking Next Month

Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs Secretary Susiwijono Moegiarso has stated that multinational company Unilever plans to invest in the Sei Mangkei Special Economic Zone (KEK) located in Simalungun Regency, North Sumatra. The investment is intended to build a global value chain hub for the company. However, he could not yet disclose the exact nominal value of the investment to be planted in the economic zone, as it requires further confirmation. “Unilever Global is making a very large investment there. Next month they will hold a groundbreaking for a new programme, I forget the figure. But this is Unilever Global, different from Unilever Indonesia,” Susiwijono said when met at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs office in Central Jakarta on Monday (6/7/2026). “So KEK Sei Mangkei is being turned into a hub for the global value chain. Its position is already very good. So it is trusted by the Unilever Global group to become one of its global value chain points,” he continued. He confirmed that the project development in KEK Sei Mangkei will begin in August 2026, with the groundbreaking ceremony to be attended by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto. “Next month they will inaugurate the new project, and the Coordinating Minister will also be invited around the end of August,” he said. “Next month there will be a groundbreaking. It is already real, a genuine investment realisation, not just a commitment. I somewhat forget the figure. We will detail it at the KEK Secretariat, the investment is that much,” Susiwijono stressed when asked for confirmation regarding Unilever’s investment plans in KEK Sei Mangkei. Beyond this, he assessed that Unilever’s entry into KEK Sei Mangkei is an indicator that Indonesia remains quite attractive in the eyes of foreign investors. These investors are not only focusing on Indonesia’s economic centres, which have largely been on the island of Java. “Outside Java, the development of KEKs is also very good. Because these days, besides expansion, the incoming investment is very large. Including Sei Mangkei, because the land is still sufficient. But Unilever Global is truly making Sei Mangkei a hub for its global value chain,” he concluded.