Asian Alcohol Corp to reopen in 2019
Lucio K. Tan Jr., the president and chief executive officer of Tanduay Distillers Inc., recently gave a glimpse of the sustainable future that the companies under the Lucio Tan (LT) Group will undertake and emphasized the need to develop clean and renewable energy projects during the company’s recent year-end gathering.
The younger Tan revealed the revival of Asian Alcohol Corp. next year. The operation of the Bacolod-based facility was temporarily suspended eight years ago.
According to Tan Jr., “Kapitan (Lucio Tan Sr.) made a strategic move to take one step backward in the hope of moving forward, a strategy that teaches us how to realize our future by our sacrifices of today. Next year, Asian Alcohol will begin its biofuel production. Like Absolut Distillers, it will blaze new paths and return to its old glory.”
Located in a 10-hectare plant, Asian Alcohol Corp. was the second largest distillery in the Philippines. The plant houses alcohol aging and wastewater treatment facilities, which converts distillery waste into biogas energy for its power requirements. It used to have a daily rated capacity of 210,000 liters of quality ethyl alcohol.
Tan Jr. said Asian Alcohol Corp. would be patterned after the success of Absolut Distillers Inc. in Batangas, which has made more than P880 million from its bioethanol operations since 2015.
Tan Jr. also revealed that Absolut Distillers has commissioned a six-effect evaporator as part of its continuous improvement and wastewater treatment upgrade. Next year, a pot still distillery would be added to its operation together with a small mill.
For Tanduay Distillers, according to Tan Jr., the company is expected to sell 20 million cases in 2019. Part of the growth plans are Tanduay’s more aggressive operations in pursuing the Luzon market and continued exploration of markets outside the country.
“I cannot wait to find out how we will fare against the best of the best. Tanduay will grow its assets to compete and be even more relevant in the liquor industry,” he said.
Tan Jr. said that one of the companies under the group, Macroasia, would go “full blast” next year.
“Macroasia is going full blast with our thrust to address the future of water… our chairman has already been building dams to compliment the farmers with their harvest up north. We are now investing more on this valuable liquid,” he said.
Tan Jr. recalled the hardwork and dedication of his father Lucio C. Tan, who is the man behind the success of the companies under the LT Group, but stressed the need to “deliver the future of the group.”
“I believe that the world opens up to those who know where they are going,” he said, adding that, “So, let us, as one company, stay focused, and get this dream going towards our goals.”
In his customary year-end message, Tan Jr. encouraged his company executives to develop an ability to “go on offensive business mode” to adopt to a changing world advocating technologies that are environmentally-responsible and help ease the impacts of climate change.
“Our thrust is to participate and develop clean and renewable energy projects for our sustainability ... reduce our carbon footprint to underscore our commitment to help mitigate the effects of climate change. I believe this is incumbent upon us as a responsible corporate entity, where we can invest in technologies that will unravel economic opportunities for the group and our employees,” said the younger Tan.