Industrial boilers and energy systems manufacturer John Thompson has secured a significant new order from a major industrial company in Indonesia to design and build a 320 t an hour bagasse-fired boiler.

This is its fourth order from the Indonesian client in recent months and will be the largest industrial water‑tube boiler ever built at John Thompson’s Cape Town facility.

The new boiler will support the second phase of what is set to become the world’s largest greenfield sugar mill development. The mill is designed to process up to 40 000 t a day of cane across two crushing lines.

The plant will operate as a fully self‑sufficient energy island, generating its own electricity from bagasse – the fibrous by‑product of sugarcane. Excess power will be supplied to nearby communities, displacing diesel generation and supporting Indonesia’s broader sustainability and energy security goals.

“This project is designed to be as efficient and environmentally responsible as possible. It will contribute meaningfully to Indonesia’s sugar supply while also generating green energy for the region,” says John Thompson business development manager Quintus Engelbrecht.

The remote location and scale of the plant require robust engineering, advanced combustion technology and high‑efficiency performance, and John Thompson has decades of specialised expertise to support this.

“Very few companies globally have the in‑house engineering capability to design and manufacture a boiler of this magnitude. The technology is entirely our own. This bespoke boiler has been engineered from the ground up using advanced computational fluid dynamics to optimise combustion, heat transfer and overall efficiency,” says Engelbrecht.

The order also brings substantial benefits to South Africa’s manufacturing sector.

“These large‑scale projects keep our heavy‑engineering factory running and support jobs across our supply chain.

“They allow us to train young artisans, sustain local industry, and demonstrate that South African engineering can compete with, and outperform, low‑cost international manufacturers,” he notes.

The continued confidence shown by the client reflects the strength of the partnership and the company’s proven capability in delivering large‑scale, high‑performance boiler technology.

“We are extremely proud as South Africans to be entrusted with building one of the largest industrial boilers of its kind anywhere in the world. This order is a tremendous milestone for John Thompson and a clear endorsement of our technology, our quality and our commitment to our customers,” he says.

Further, as the project advances, John Thompson expects the partnership with its client to deepen.

It will provide long‑term service support, extended warranties and ongoing maintenance expertise to ensure optimal performance over the plant’s lifetime.

“Our commitment is long term and this project is likely just the beginning of a broader collaboration.

“Competition in this industry is tough, but this achievement proves that when you buy from John Thompson, you’re buying the Rolls‑Royce of industrial boilers; the best bet for greenfield projects where reliability is non-negotiable,” he avers.