His Royal Highness Prince Joachim of Denmark on Tuesday 18 February opened a new manufacturing plant in Johore, Malaysia, of The Hempel Group, a Denmark-based leading global independent producer of protective coatings for marine and industrial applications.
“We are honoured to have His Royal Highness, Prince Joachim of Denmark officiate our opening ceremony,” Mr Ditlev Engel, President and CEO of Hempel Group said at the opening ceremony, in which also the Danish ambassador to Malaysa, Mr. Lasse Reimann officiated.
“Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the new Hempel plant has the capability of producing up to 7,000 tons of coatings annually. Hempel’s investment exceeds RM22 million – an indication of the importance for Hempel of this production facility in the expansion of their business in Southeast Asia.
““The Hempel Group has had facilities in Malaysia since 1996 for protecting coasters, containers, factories and bridges for the Southeast Asian market. This plant signifies another milestone in the Group’s development and is an important element in our global strategy,” said Mr.Engel.
“According to Mr Christian Vang, Regional Managing Director for Hempel Southeast Asia, the current plant is only the beginning.
““Hempel intends to increase production by three-fold and subsequently expanding this manufacturing plant over the next few years,” Mr Christian Vang says.
““The rise in production will enable Hempel to boost their sales in Malaysia in the years ahead. We anticipate a three-fold increase in turnover which will bring us to a total of RM50 million in turnover per year.”
“Hempel believes that Malaysia has an attractive economical climate with its strategic location, good infrastructure, educated workforce and available incentives for export expansions.
“Hempel has been actively involved in Malaysia since the mid-1950s through trading partners. Since 1996, Hempel has had a permanent legal entity through Hempel Coatings (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, catering to Malaysia’s increased need for innovative products and corrosive protective solutions for the fast expanding marine and industrial sectors.
“Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, Hempel SEA operates two production units – one each in Singapore and in Indonesia. Its Asian operations is divided into two regional areas – China and South-East Asia (SEA). Hempel SEA covers Asia Pacific (except China) and inclusive of the Indian sub-continent and the southern part of Africa.
“The SEA region has during the past five years more than tripled its turnover and acts as an integrated part of The Hempel Group leveraging on its presence in Europe, Middle East and Americas. Given Hempel’s long-term specific focus in corrosive protection solutions, it has the best knowledge base available to select and specify tailor-made paint systems for any needs.
“The Hempel Corporate Head office is located in Denmark. Today, The Hempel Group is represented in more than 90 countries worldwide creating more than 90% of its turnover outside of Denmark.
“Today, Hempel protects one out of every five ships and one out of every three containers, at any given point of time in the world. It also has a global presence for heavy-duty industrial coatings for oil and gas installations, pipelines, petrochemical complexes, infrastructural facilities, power plants, tank farms, windmills and any other relevant steel structures.
