World leader enters kretek market

摘要

Philip Morris Indonesia PT is one of the few foreign cigarettes companies in Indonesia. It entered the country in 1984 and was initially allied with the local company Bentoel Prima PT for the manufacture and distribution of its products including Marlboro. However, in 1998, the company started controlling its manufacturing process, but was still dependent on Bentoel for its distribution. Its cigarette production in Indonesia was mainly for domestic sales, with 30% of products exported to Thailand. The distribution agreement with Bentoel ended earlier this year. PMI also has several tobacco plantations in Indonesia in East Java and Nusa Tenggara Barat. Although its presence in the country pales in comparison to the local giants, Philip Morris Indonesia PT was the highest-ranked non-local cigarette company in 2004 until it bought Sampoerna.