Fuel costs squeeze Mulia Industrindo’s margins
Glass manufacturer Mulia Industrindo (MLIA) booked net loss of Rp158.7 billion in the first half of 2026 against profit of Rp29.1 billion in the corresponding period last year on lower sales and squeezed operating margins.
Vietnam’s rise to the world of steel
Vietnam was ranked 12th globally in crude steel production with output of 20 million tons in 2023. Three years later, the country joined the world’s Top 10 with output of 15.2 million tons in the first half of 2026, an increase of 26.9% from the corresponding period last year.
LiuGong heats up heavy equipment market
China-based LiuGong has recently begun the construction of heavy equipment manufacturing facility in Karawang, West Java province with US$317 million of investment (approximately Rp5.2 trillion).
Xinyi Solar & Prabowo’s ambitious 100 GW Project
President Prabowo Subianto has recently challenged Bahlil Lahadalia (energy & mineral resources minister) and Rosan P Roeslani (CEO of Danantara, minister of investment) to immediately implement an ambitious solar power project with 100 GW capacity. Last week, coordinating minister for the economy Airlangga Hartarto boasted the project can be completed in two years.
Those continue to expand: Azure lithium
China’s lithium batteries maker Azure plans to invest US$290 million to build a 5GWh cylindrical lithium battery manufacturing facility in Indonesia, strengthening its capacity to supply products to overseas customers.
Krakatau-Osaka Steel partnership ends, others?
State-owned steel manufacturer PT Krakatau Steel Tbk (KRAS) has officially ended its partnership with Japan’s Osaka Steel Co Ltd in PT Krakatau Osaka Steel (KOS) following years of poor financial performance.
Here comes E5, higher import of sugar
Brazilian ethanol producer Inpasa Brasil and several other ethanol companies from Brazil have agreed to enter Indonesia and invest in the country’s ethanol industry, according to Todotua Pasaribu, Deputy Minister of Investment and Downstream Industries.
Lotte Chemical digs deeper for Indonesian asset
Lotte Chemical Indonesia (LCI), a subsidiary of Lotte Chemical Titan Holding Berhad, has secured KRW451.74 billion loan from its major shareholder Lotte Chemical Corporation (LCC) for supporting LCI’s repayment of its existing facility borrowings, including export credit agency (ECA) loans, as well as for general liquidity management purposes.
Prabowo’s national car program
President Prabowo Subianto said recently that he saw the country was heading to wrong direction in early 90s, and that he is now taking the country to a new direction. It is not clear, however, whether national car program from then President Soeharto, that time Prabowo’s father in law, was among indicators of ‘wrong direction’ he’s now revisiting.
Regulating platforms, ignoring factories
When the government issued Trade Minister Regulation (Permendag) No. 19/2026 on electronic commerce (PMSE), the stated objective sounded difficult to oppose: give greater visibility to local products, strengthen consumer protection, improve transparency and ensure digital platforms support domestic businesses. The regulation even extends beyond traditional marketplaces to ride-hailing and online travel agency (OTA) platforms, recognizing their growing role in facilitating commerce.