Twenty-five years after Big Dutchman expanded into the Asia-Pacific region, it has marked another milestone—the opening of a new head office with logistics center in Malaysia. Big Dutchman (BD), a leader in modern pig and poultry production, invested nearly 25 million euros in the project.
The location is the largest, most modern center in the entire Big Dutchman family, which is currently active in 120 countries and has about 3,000 employees.
At the center's grand opening, CEO of the BD group Bernd Meerpohl focused on the question: "How can the world's population be fed in the year 2050, and who will do it?" BD wants answer and then tackle the issue. "I'm sure that many ideas on how to solve this problem will be developed right here," said Meerpohl.
Jan Hofstede, president of BD Asia, explained the substantial investment in Asia: "It's an important step in meeting the increasing demand for livestock equipment, especially by the poultry sector, in this region of the world." To him, this location with its 26,000-square meters of storage and office space shows Big Dutchman's firm commitment to establishing modern, sustainable systems for animal husbandry and meat production permanently in this rapidly growing part of the world.
Six out of every ten hen eggs in the world are laid in Asia. The continent produces nearly a third poultry meat worldwide as well as every other finishing pig. These figures should not come as a surprise: 60 percent of the world's population live in the Asia-Pacific region; the demand for animal products is increasing. "We want to meet this demand by allowing a production that is as secure, clean, efficient and animal-friendly as possible," said Meerpohl, adding that this goal requires that Big Dutchman "offer its solutions on site, in close contact with producers and consumers, and takes on its responsibilities as supplier.”
Built just nine years after the previous location, the new center is five times larger than its predecessor. Conveniently located near the large Port Klang container port, the head office and logistics center are a good fit for the environment and infrastructure.
A solar panel the size of two football fields has been installed on the warehouse's roof to supply green power. Presentation and training rooms turn the location into a center of excellence for modern livestock production.
BD has offices in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, on the Philippines, in Myanmar and Australia. "The financial crisis of 1997, the outbreak of the SARS virus, the avian flu and the Great Recession of 2008," were tempestuous times, says Jan Hofstede. "We not only survived all these storms, but we moreover held the course and continued to grow at all times."
Meerpohl sees the company's growth as a clear sign that there is a "high demand for our products in this region of the world."
