PETpla.net Insider 08 / 2017

EDITOUR PET planet Insider Vol. 18 No. 08/17 www.petpla.net 26 Tour Sponsors: Nestlé water from Thailand and Coca- Cola 250ml produced in Malaysia for the Indonesian market were the first drinks closure orders for Bericap Malaysia. On March 30, 2016 the new factory went into production but is already too small for Managing Director Andrew Tan. A new warehouse is being developed alongside. Entry into drinks caps Relocation by Alexander Büchler Bericap, Kulaijaya, Malaysia, April 13, 2017 We met: Mr Andrew Tan, Managing Director It feels a little like being in Central Europe. In a region where driving on the left is the norm and people keep to the left on streets and pathways, on the stairs to the Bericap build- ing we keep to the right. No problem for me, I’m used to it; but despite arrows on the steps and direction markings on the railings, I am almost half way up when I stumble into a Malay colleague, who as usual comes toward me on the left. And there the cultures collide. To ensure this does not happen in matters of business, Bericap Budenheim relies on local employees and above all on local managers. At Bericap Malaysia it is Andrew Tan who manages business locally. Christian Krautkrämer has always intended that Bericap grows in Asia (see interview in PETplanet 5/2016). The first step was taken in 1995 in China, the second in 2010 in Sin- gapore. In the South-East Asian metropolis, Bericap limited itself at first to food and technical closures. The quantities are small in compari- son to drinks closures but the profit margins are high. In 2013, Andrew Tan came aboard as Managing Direc- tor and focused on drinks closures. He believed that this was the only way for the company to grow quickly. And it grew far quicker than expected. After just 4 years, the factory was too small and a new factory was planned directly across the border in Kulaijaya, Malaysia. In 2016, it went into produc- tion with around 40% of the previ- ously manufactured closures and 60% drinks closures. From there, Bericap supplies all South-East Asian coun- tries. This led to the first large orders from Nestlé Water in Thailand. Also part of the portfolio is the closure for Coca-Cola for the new recognisable 250ml bottle from India for the Indone- sian market. The competition is still on for orders from the Malaysia market. Although it is a region with high vol- umes of still water, the drinks bottlers has relied on the old PCO 1810 or for still water the similarly oversized PCO 1881. He wants a provider that converts to the simple 29/25. Then he would be in business. He estimates the potential to be 1.5 billion closures in Malaysia alone. However, after little more than a year, the new location has become too small. A new ware- house is being developed two proper- ties further along so that he can use the existing storage areas for machin- ery installations. He is also thinking of a new factory in South-East Asia so that he can outsource production and make space for new orders. But final arrangements have not yet been made. www.bericap.com