Thermoform technology for proper packaging The project partners have established a joint venture in Indonesia, active in the design and construction of thermoforming moulds. Thermoforming moulds are used for producing polyethylene food packaging. The applicant, Kiefel Packaging B.V. (former Bosch Sprang B.V.), has decades of experience in the production, design, maintenance and service of thermoforming moulds. The company is one of the market leaders in this industry and already active on the Indonesian thermoforming market for almost two decades. The local partner, PT Guoline Engineering and Consultancy, is active in the sales and servicing of thermoforming machines.The set-up of thermoforming production lines in Indonesia has been hampered by a lack of local technological knowledge and skills and the maintenance, design and construction of thermoforming moulds for the Indonesian market still needs to be done abroad against high costs. This project will create the opportunity of servicing this kind of moulds in Indonesia itself which may stimulate investments in thermoforming production lines.This highly specialised knowledge and professional skill is however not transferred easily. At home in the Netherlands, it takes the applicant several years to train a graduated engineer into a fully able designer of thermoform packaging and moulds.After setting up and running a successful venture in the Indonesian packaging industry for over six years, the owner of the applicant is convinced his company will be able to transfer and exploit a part of his knowledge on thermoforming to a group of senior students of a polytechnic in Surabaya.The partners will set up a new workshop in Surabaya outfitted with CAD stations for designing, and facilities for the construction and maintenance of form-trim in place tools (bandstaalmatrijzen).Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)The partners have drafted a CSR statement for the new joint venture, dealing with employee safety, employee participation, employee development, and a zero tolerance policy toward corruption. The company will provide health insurance to its employees. The company will be ISO 9001 certified.Impact•	Employment and working conditionsEngineers will be educated intensively on thermoforming moulding techniques. Although this is a highly specialised and knowledge intensive field, this training will highly enhance their opportunities on the labour market.•	Innovation / Transfer of knowledgeCurrently, there is no local company active in this market. Servicing of the existing thermoform moulds can only be done abroad at high costs.•	Chain effectsIncreased availability of thermoforming mould services increases the attractiveness of investing in thermoforming technology in Indonesia.Maintenance engineering work on thermoforming moulds is likely to become cheaper if it can be done in Indonesia itself. Downtime of thermoforming machines decreases. The relative use of polyethylene decreases when compared to other production alternatives such as injection moulding.•	Impact on the sectorFor retailers in the food industry, an improved packaging industry will lead to a better packaging of products. Local food products will become more attractive to local supermarkets and their clients.•	EnvironmentWhen the plastic packaging Industry in Indonesia expands, this may lead to more plastic waste. On the other hand, thermoformed plastic packaging technology uses less polyethylene than the technologically less advanced alternatives like injection moulding.•	Position of womenNeutral. In this project, the partners will train and employ a team of engineers who will specialise in the design, construction, and engineering of thermoforming moulds in Indonesia.