Melanie Chalil
Manager Communications & PR Communication and Membership Services
+60 3 9235 1914 melanie.chalil@malaysia.ahk.de
“Every industry that needs a warehouse – we are there,” quipped SSI Schaefer Country Manager Saravana Kumar Paramasivam.
If you haven’t yet come across the company’s iconic yellow bins or any of its solutions, then the one-liner above just about sums up what they do best.
In Malaysia, 70% of SSI Schaefer’s business in Malaysia is in racking solutions.
Its presence and impact in Malaysia is a continuation of a heritage that can be traced back to 1937 when founder Fritz Schaefer began producing sheet metal goods. Today, the group has a global presence and is one of the leading solution providers of modular warehouse and logistics systems in the world. From its manual beginnings, the company is now fully automated to help brands improve and maximise operational efficiency.
SSI Schaefer’s solutions include storage, conveying, handling, pricing, waste management and recycling, and IT solutions and these are employed in a wide range of industries including healthcare, cosmetics, fashion as well as food and beverage.
Its Simpang Renggam facility in Johor which was opened in 1996 serves as a principal manufacturing base for all of APAC and is the biggest facility in the Simpang Renggam area.
According to Saravana, the group invested over 40 million euros in its APAC hub and today, it is staffed by more than 500 people.
It is also the regional R&D and engineering headquarters for the Asia Pacific region, features that provide the company with an advantage in the business.
“What sets us apart from our competitors is having our own test lab,” he added.
Commenting on the landscape for warehousing solutions in the country, Saravana said that demand for cold storage has risen exponentially in the past year, indicating the growing consumption of the Malaysian population and our food security as well as supply chain continuity.
Next year, SSI Schaefer celebrates 35 years in Malaysia and it will announce expansion plans later this year to meet the growing demands for its world-class solutions.
The company also marks a special milestone with MGCC as it celebrates 30 years of membership with the Chamber this year.
This article is part of a special series for MGCC members who have been with us for 10, 20 and 30 years.