Cargill Invests Over US$130 Mln To Expand Asia Poultry Operations

 

Cargill Philippine’s Plant Groundbreaking

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 (Bernama) -- Cargill has announced an investment of more than US$130 million over the next two years to expand its poultry operations across Asia, driven by growing global protein demand and consumer appetite for high-quality cooked poultry products. (US$1 = RM4.08)

The investment encompasses capacity and efficiency enhancements across Cargill’s poultry network in Thailand and the Philippines to strengthen supply chain resilience and enhance food safety, quality and innovation for its foodservice and retail customers globally.

Cargill Vice President and Managing Director, Poultry APAC, Watcharapon Prasopkiatpoka said the investment would strengthen the company’s ability to deliver poultry products with the quality and consistency required by customers.

“By investing in infrastructure, technology and people, we are serving the growing demand from customers for high-quality protein while creating long-term economic value for farmers, businesses, suppliers and local communities,” he said in a statement.

A key component of the investment is the deployment of advanced technologies to optimise production processes and costs, alongside expanded production capacity in Thailand. The initiative includes a new automated cooked chicken production line at Cargill’s poultry processing plant in Saraburi, expected to be completed in 2028.

Over the next two years, the company will also make significant technological upgrades, incorporating state-of-the-art machinery and artificial intelligence (AI) into data processing to enable faster and more accurate decision-making.

Cargill currently exports cooked poultry products from Thailand to Japan, Europe, Asia and North America. With the expansion, its total cooked volume is expected to increase to approximately 160,000 metric tonnes, while creating more than 300 jobs for local communities.

The company is also constructing a new 30,000 metric tonnes grain silo in Thailand to enhance raw material storage and provide greater flexibility in grain procurement throughout the year, while creating additional income opportunities for local farmers beyond the traditional harvest season.

Meanwhile, in the Philippines, Cargill is constructing a new feed mill with an annual production capacity of 190,000 metric tonnes, expected to be completed by late 2027. The facility will generate more than 100 jobs and help strengthen the poultry supply chain while improving feed availability, efficiency and reliability across its Philippines operations.

-- BERNAMA

UMIOS, WAH KONG COMPLETE MALAYSIA PET FOOD JV

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 (Bernama) -- Umios Corporation and Wah Kong Corporation have completed the establishment of a strategic joint venture (JV) centred on Pet World International Sdn Bhd (PWI), a major Malaysian pet food company.

Under the transaction, Umios invested approximately 11.4 billion Japanese yen to acquire a 51 per cent stake in PWI through a newly established holding company, strengthening its presence in Malaysia’s growing pet food market. (100 Japanese yen = RM2.58)

“We have built PWI over many years into one of Malaysia’s leading pet food businesses, and our priority was to find a partner that could help take the company into its next stage of growth while sharing our long-term vision for the business,” said PWI chief executive officer and shareholder, Choy Peng Yew.

Choy said Umios’s capabilities in pet food, product development and international markets complement PWI’s strengths and will support the company’s expansion beyond Malaysia into Asia and other markets.

According to a statement, the partnership combines Umios’s expertise in wet pet food with PWI’s dry-food capabilities, providing coverage across both wet and dry products for dogs and cats.

The partners plan to integrate their sales networks, product portfolios, manufacturing capabilities and research and development (R&D) expertise to accelerate growth across Asia. Umios is targeting pet food operating profit of approximately 10 billion Japanese yen and a return on invested capital (ROIC) of approximately 18 per cent for the year ending March 2028.

PWI holds the No. 2 position in Malaysia’s pet food market and ranks No. 1 among local companies, according to NielsenIQ. It operates the country’s only BRC-certified pet food plant and employs about 350 people, with products sold through more than 10,000 physical stores and its own e-commerce channels.

The company recorded consolidated sales of approximately 12.4 billion Japanese yen for the year ended September 2025.

Japan Corporate Advisory Institute Ltd (JCAI), a Tokyo-headquartered cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisory firm focused on Japan, Southeast Asia and India, acted as financial advisor, advising on transaction strategy, valuation, negotiations and documentation through closing.

-- BERNAMA

Meet Merqeen and Syafiq Kyle, win prizes worth up to RM85,000 at CIMB OCTOFest

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 (Bernama) -- Get active with Merqeen and Syafiq Kyle through Zumba, Fun Run and HIIT, enjoy live music and stand a chance to win prizes worth up to RM85,000 at CIMB OCTOFest, a community festival taking place across four weekends in four cities this OCTOber.

This marks the first time CIMB OCTOFest will be held nationwide. Kicking off at Andaman Island, Penang, OCTOFest will travel to KotaSAS, Kuantan and Kota Jail, Johor Bahru, before making its final stop at LaLaport Kuala Lumpur. Visitors can look forward to performances by local artistes including ALPHA, Scha Nuril, Sai, Vikram and Danny Khoo.

CIMB OCTOFest

Venue Date
Andaman Island, Penang 9-11 October 2026
KotaSAS, Kuantan, Pahang 16-18 October 2026
Kota Jail, Johor Bahru, Johor 23-25 October 2026
LaLaport Bukit Bintang City Centre, Kuala Lumpur 30 October-1 November 2026

Admission is FREE!

A key attraction at OCTOFest is the giant OCTO phone, the largest OCTO phone ever built. Visitors can take part in Mission Happiness by completing a series of interactive, fun missions around the festival for a chance to unlock surprise rewards.

The Mission Happiness online campaign is also underway, giving CIMB OCTO App users more opportunities to win exclusive rewards through eligible QR Pay transactions, including OCTO Happiness Kits, OCTOFest exclusives and limited-edition OCTO blind boxes.

Visitors can also discover and support local businesses while enjoying a variety of local food and lifestyle products including clothing, fragrance and accessories.

For more information about OCTOFest, please visit https://www.cimb.com.my/cimboctofest and @CIMBMalaysia on Instagram.

SOURCE: CIMB Group Holdings Berhad

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT
Name: Raza Syazani Muhammad
Group Corporate Communications
CIMB Group Holdings Berhad
Tel: +601111315689

--BERNAMA

ERS ELECTRONIC UNVEILS AUTOMATED PANEL-LEVEL PACKAGING SYSTEM

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 (Bernama) -- ERS electronic, a provider of thermal management solutions for semiconductor manufacturing, has introduced a fully automated panel-level packaging (PLP) system for 310×310 mm substrates, integrating temporary carrier bonding, debonding and detaping on a single platform.

“Our new machine reflects our commitment to solving real manufacturing challenges,” said ERS electronic chief executive officer, Laurent Giai-Miniet in a statement.

He added that integrating three traditionally separate process steps into one automated platform enables customers to streamline production, improve process consistency and achieve higher yield and throughput.

The system operates at 13 panels per hour and eliminates inter-tool transfers across three thermally critical process steps. The first unit has been delivered to a leading semiconductor manufacturer for integration into its panel production line.

Developed and manufactured at ERS electronic’s Advanced Packaging facility in Barbing, Germany, the machine combines the company’s 55 years of thermal management expertise with more than 30 years of in-house machine-building capability, following ERS's 2024 integration of a semiconductor specialist equipment engineering team.

ERS has been an early adopter of panel-level packaging, having shipped its first commercial panel-level tool to Fraunhofer IZM in Berlin in 2018. The 310×310 mm panel format is gaining traction because it offers significantly greater substrate area utilisation compared with 300 mm circular wafers.

According to Yole Group, the panel-level packaging market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of more than 40 per cent over the next five years. Dual-carrier bonding and debonding workflows are also becoming increasingly important for backside processing in 3D IC, high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and 2.5D IC packaging.

In dual-carrier processes, bonding and debonding typically require separate machines positioned at different points on the fab floor. Moving panels between tools adds handling steps and transit time while increasing the risk of substrate damage.

ERS said its integrated platform consolidates all three process steps within one system, allowing panels to move between process modules rather than between machines, reducing handling time and risk without requiring changes to the surrounding fab layout.

-- BERNAMA