Kuala Lumpur, 13 May 2022: The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) announced the opening of its new R&D Centre located in Johor, Malaysia. The investment is a core part of the company’s strategy to drive international growth through innovation.
William Pritchett, Vice President of International Finance and Commercial, and Herjit Bhalla, Vice President, AEMEA & India, The Hershey Company were in Malaysia recently for the official opening of Hershey’s new R&D Centre. This new facility will enable Hershey to quickly develop, test, and launch new products customised to the tastes of consumers across the region, and will become one of Hershey’s largest R&D facilities outside of the United States.
“The Malaysian facility will act as a central hub for the company’s operations across the AEMEA region within countries in the Asia Pacific including India and China, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa”, said Herjit Bhalla. “Our new R&D Centre reflects our ongoing commitment to understanding the preferences of consumers across the markets”.
The 10,400 square-foot facility is a significant investment in the Malaysian market and will house R&D laboratories, a packaging development facility, and a sensory area, which will enable the company to partner with various innovation teams to taste-test and shortlist iconic products known and loved by consumers across the globe.
“This investment in Malaysia is just one example of how Hershey is continuing to reinvent the science of confectionery through internal and external innovation,” said Philippe Zehnder, Senior Director R&D, International. “The new facility will allow our talented teams to gain deeper insights into consumers by enabling them to conceptualise, test, and develop some of the most innovative products across the region”.
VMware, Inc. announced the appointment of Sarene Lee as Country Manager for Malaysia. In this role, Sarene will drive business strategy and development as well as customer and partner relations for VMware to accelerate the adoption of digital transformation in the country.
“Malaysia has made digitalization a top priority and is actively encouraging companies to transform their businesses to remain relevant and to boost the country’s digital economy. I am confident that with her wide experience and deep knowledge of the Malaysian market, Sarene will play a pivotal role in helping organizations in Malaysia embrace innovation so that they can scale faster and reach their full potential,” said Paul Simos, VMware Vice President and Managing Director of Southeast Asia and Korea.
Immediately following the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation on Semiconductor Supply Chain Resilience on 11 May, AMCHAM’s CEO Siobhan Das participated in the Semiconductor Roundtable that was co-hosted by Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, Senior Minister, Ministry of International Trade and Industry, and Gina Raimondo, U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
Discussed that morning was the “need for a sustainable talent strategy that would address industry-specific concerns; the integral position of SMEs in the semiconductor supply chain; and incorporating in the Indo Pacific Economic Framework”
Also in attendance were representatives from LAM Research Corporation, Amkor Technology Malaysia Sdn Bhd, II-VI Malaysia Advanced Manufacturing Center Sdn Bhd, and the Semiconductor Industry Association.
The trade and investment mission also confirmed number of new and expanding investments which is expected to reach RM14.62 billion.
Photo Credit: U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur & The Ministry of International Trade and Industry
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