PETALING JAYA: Irish food manufacturer Kerry Group plc has launched the RM15.89 million Kerry Kuala Lumpur Centre here to support its Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa and European markets.
The centre will provide digital services and solutions for the group across human resources, regulatory affairs, finance, marketing, customer service, supply chain, digital enablement, and data management. Kerry Kuala Lumpur Centre is modelled after the group’s only other global business services centre in Mexico that supports its North, Central and Latin America markets.
Kerry Group’s global business services vice president Stéphane Alby said the setting up of a centre in Malaysia was due to the availability of talent, excellent infrastructure and transport links, varied languages, affordable cost and geopolitical stability in the country.
“We started to look at the overall programme in late 2020. The centre was set up in July last year, we soft launched in February (2022), and when the country reopened in May, more employees came in.
“We decided to leverage digital (technologies) to execute this plan. We’ve transitioned a lot of our activities in Europe and other parts of Asia to Malaysia mostly remotely. If you are well organised, you leverage technology, you bring a human side to everything you do, whatever the business cycle, you can do it,” he said at the launch of the centre today.
Alby said the plan for the centre is to first stabilise operations and then to hone talent.
On March 1, 2022, Kerry acquired 100% of the issued share capital of Almer Malaysia Sdn Bhd, a manufacturer of spray dried powders used in beverage systems and food product ingredients.
“As an acquisitive company, we are always looking,” Alby remarked on plans to acquire local companies.
Kerry works closely with Malaysia Digital Economy Corp on the MyDigitalWorkforce Work in Tech programme and has partnerships with local universities in Johor Baru, and plans to tie up with educational institutions in the Klang Valley.
The launch was officiated by Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari.
“We are delighted to have Kerry operate its global digital business services centre in Selangor to provide various multi-functional digital services and solutions, which are aligned with the State’s First Selangor Plan’s (RS-1) aspiration and key strategies. This global digital business services is certainly an important phase not only for the Kerry Kuala Lumpur Centre but also for Selangor as it positions itself as the destination of choice for both local and foreign players to set up their global business services, manufacturing operations and businesses in Selangor,” Amirudin said.
Since 1998, Kerry has established two offices and five manufacturing facilities in Selangor, Johor and Penang. They produce customised food & beverage solutions, sauces, syrups, emulsifiers and infant formula for local consumption and export.
