20 | theceomagazine.com
MAJOR MILESTONES
Vinda specialises in the four business
segments of tissue, feminine care,
incontinence care and baby care. The
business was founded in China in 1985 and
has since become one of the largest hygiene
companies in Asia – with production bases
in mainland China, Malaysia, and Taiwan,
plus one converting factory in Australia.
Vinda holds various leading brands: Vinda,
Tempo, Tork, TENA, Dr. P, Libresse, VIA,
Libero and Drypers. In 2007, it was listed
on Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock
Exchange. Essity Group, a leading global
hygiene company, is the majority shareholder
of Vinda.
Within the past few years, Vinda has
reached several milestones including entering
the feminine care market in Malaysia. “We
were late-comers in the feminine category in
Malaysia,” Su says. “But we held the number
one brand position in 2017 for the full year.”
The company also launched a consumer
tissue category in Malaysia, which has beenin the market for just a year. “It’s been tough,
but we are seeing some very encouraging
momentum,” Su adds.
In addition, Vinda has secured significant
safety recognition at its factories. In 2017,
one of its manufacturing sites in Malaysia
secured a Gold Safety Award from Essity,
which Su is very proud of. “One thing
that we are pushing a lot is safety and
sustainability,” she says. “That has been really
deep-rooted in the organisation today. And
that, in my mind, has made us different
compared with some of the local companies
here in South-East Asia.”
Further, Vinda has achieved milestones in
other countries such as Singapore, where
Changi Airport Terminal 4 tried and tested
the Tork EasyCube solution for toilets. “It’s a
digital way of monitoring toilet maintenance,”
Su says. “It will tell you when to change the
paper towels or which toilet is low in toilet
paper, and so on. That’s something the team
has done a really fantastic job on, from not
knowing the system to being able to
successfully propose it to one of the most
reputable airport providers in the region.”SOUTH-EAST ASIA TRENDS
With several bases throughout South-East
Asia, Su emphasises that they all have
different requirements. “In general, the
consumers’ needs are the same, but the
urgency of the needs vary by market, »“ WE ALL NEED
EMOTIONAL
SUPPORT AND
STRENGTH.”
“For 12 years now, we have been supplying packaging
technology to Vinda Group. From the beginning, our
cooperation was based on a close partnership and trust. The
result has been a long success story, and we have been able
to put numerous packaging lines into operation.” – Andreas
Rothbauer, Key Account Manager, Optima NonwovensINSPIRE | Interview