KUALA LUMPUR: NEW Zealand daily producer Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd will continue to invest in Malaysia as the country is a solid gateway for exports to other countries.
Fonterra Brands Malaysia (FBM) managing director Jose Miguel Porraz Lando said Malaysia continued to attract foreign investors such as Fonterra.
“Clearly in Malaysia, we see a strong leadership position of opening trade within Asean, Asia and beyond. That’s why Fonterra sees Malaysia playing a critical role for us, not only in driving investment in the market but also for growth within the domestic and export markets,” he said before the launch of Discover Aotearoa New Zealand Festival, here, recently.
“We see Malaysia as having a really strong infrastructure, logistics and government stability in terms of macroeconomics and he overall fundamentals that allow us to use the country... as a hub across many facets from a supply chain perspective,” he said.
As the main processor of milk in New Zealand, Fonterra plays a strong relationship in fostering growth and development.
“Half of the volume of milk that comes out of New Zealand, which is almost 10 billion litres every year, stops in Malaysian ports before reaching the final destinations in Europe, Japan, China or Africa.
“And, because of that, Malaysia is the world’s 10th largest exporter of dairy products, without having a local dairy industry.”
In May, FBM reopened its milk powder manufacturing plant, Susumas, following a RM20 million upgrade, to boost its role as a manufacturing hub in Malaysia and the Asean region.
The upgrade has allowed Fonterra to blend and pack around 30,000 tonnes of milk powder products a year.
This has put the company in a strong position to meet the growing demand for dairy nutrition.
In October 2015, Fonterra opened its a RM3 million shared services centre in Kuala Lumpur, its first outside New Zealand, to help expand into key growth markets in Asia, the Middle East and China.
The shared services centre, known as Global Business Services Asia, delivers a range of support services to the company’s businesses in the region.