Stern-Wywiol Gruppe is adding to its production and sales network in southeast Asia by establishing a new production facility for its subsidiary, SternMaid Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd, in the Iskandar economic zone, Malaysia.
After the plants in Suzhou (China) and Mumbai, this is the third food industry facility that the family enterprise has opened in Asia and its sixth outside Germany.
Clients in the ASEAN region will in future benefit from more rapid deliveries, secure supply chains and applications advice from a consultant nearby.
The state-of-the-art facility is dedicated to the development and production of food ingredient systems to improve the functional qualities of food. The facility has three completely separate production lines; initially, work will focus on enzyme-based ingredients systems for bakers and millers plus micronutrient mixes to fortify a wide variety of foods and beverages.
The group has chosen a strategically placed site. Located in the Iskandar economic zone within the Nusajaya Tech Park, Malaysia, it is 10 minutes from the Singapore border and only 15 minutes from the international container port Tanjung Pelepas.
At the beginning of September, Stern-Wywiol Gruppe officially opened this high-tech production hub for the ASEAN region. The decision to build the facility was essentially a response to the enormous growth potential now apparent in Asia’s emerging countries, whose food manufacturing is marked by an ongoing process of industrialisation.
Being present in this part of the world will allow the Group to pursue its “make-to-order” strategy in the ASEAN region. The objective is to provide the greatest possible flexibility when customising products and to offer on the spot applications advice. Customers in the region benefit from shorter throughput times, excellent logistics and unbroken supply chains.
Torsten Wywiol, CEO of Stern-Wywiol-Gruppe, declares the opening of the facility to be “an important cornerstone of the firm’s growth strategy for Asia and beyond.”
He goes on to say: “Being so close to customers will allow us to satisfy their need for shorter deliver times and superb logistics even better than before.”
Hendrik Mögenburg, General Manager of Stern Ingredients Asia-Pacific, commented: “This facility has gross floor space of some 4000 square metres and three completely separate production lines with total annual capacity of up to 5000 tonnes."
"From its very first day in operation, the plant will be making a vital contribution to the overall sales and production network that the firm operates in the region. Currently our facility is in the process of becoming Halal certified and soon, with FSSC 22000 certification, will be in a position to meet all relevant quality management standards for food manufacturers.”
The Malaysian government has welcomed the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe investment as part of a strategic cluster of international producers, and facilitated the firm’s establishment in the economic zone of Iskandar.