Elecmetal Longteng starts Batang plant

PT Elecmetal Longteng Indonesia has started operating its grinding-ball plant in Batang, Central Java, after a US$50 million buildout. (chile.gob.cl) The company is a joint venture between Chile’s ME Elecmetal and China’s Longteng Special Steel, and the opening ceremony was held on April 15 in the Batang Industropolis Special Economic Zone. (berita.batangkab.go.id) (setkab.go.id) The plant was built on 4.99 hectares in about 15 months, with initial output targeted at 130,000 tons of grinding media a year and later expansion to 200,000 tons. (berita.batangkab.go.id) (longtengspecialsteel.com) Grinding balls are hardened steel balls used to crush ore into fine particles in mining and cement plants. The Batang factory is designed to supply that input from Indonesia instead of shipping more of it in from abroad. (jakartaglobe.id) (semarang.bisnis.com) Company and government officials said most output is aimed at export markets, with 65% to 70% expected to go overseas, especially to Australia, the United States and other Asia-Pacific buyers. Chile’s foreign ministry also said Canada and Mexico are among the target markets. (semarang.bisnis.com) (chile.gob.cl) The project also gives Batang a new foreign investor just weeks after President Prabowo Subianto inaugurated the Industropolis zone on March 20, 2025, with a pitch to turn it into a major industrial hub. The zone’s operator says Grand Batang City spans 4,300 hectares. (setkab.go.id) (industropolisbatang.co.id) Batang’s local government called Elecmetal Longteng the first Latin American investment in the estate. Chile’s government described it as the first Chilean industrial investment in Indonesia. (berita.batangkab.go.id) (chile.gob.cl) The factory currently employs about 150 workers, according to Chile’s foreign ministry and Batang officials, with local authorities saying headcount is expected to rise as the business expands. (chile.gob.cl) (berita.batangkab.go.id) Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, Indonesia’s coordinating minister for infrastructure and regional development, publicly welcomed the opening this week. The plant is now one of the early operating tenants testing whether Batang can turn special economic zone status into export manufacturing volume. (x.com) (setkab.go.id)