Karex

Karex Berhad is a Malaysian condom manufacturer, one of the largest in the world.[3] It produces more than five billion condoms a year and one in every five condoms globally.[4] The company also supplies condoms to marketing brands like Durex.[3]

Karex Berhad
MYX: 5247
IndustrySexual health and healthcare products
Founded1988 in Johor, Malaysia[1]
Headquarters
Port Klang
,
Malaysia
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Goh Miah Kiat, CEO
Products
Revenue
  • RM378 million (2019)
  • RM406 million (2018)
[2]
Websitewww.karex.com.my

Operations

The company operates three factories in Malaysia.[3] One of the factories is at its headquarters in Port Klang, and the other two are in Pontian and Senai. The company also operates a factory in Hat Yai, Thailand.[5]

Karex supplies condoms to brands such as Durex, but it also sells condoms directly to customers through its own brands such as Carex. In addition to the consumer market, the company sells condoms in bulk to groups like the United Nations and the World Health Organization for use in the prevention of the spread of HIV.[5]

Although Karex's main product is condoms, which accounted for 93 percent of its revenue in 2016, the company also manufactures personal lubricant, catheters, and ultrasound probe covers.[5]

History

The company traces its history to a rubber tree farm and rubber factory owned by Goh Huang Chiat in Muar, Johor in Malaysia. The condom factory was founded in 1988 by two of Goh's sons, Goh Siang, a chemical engineer, and Goh Leng Kian, a mechanical engineer. By 1999, the company had grown to 60 employees, with an annual revenue of $1.9 million.[5] In 2013, it was listed on the Bursa Malaysia.[6]

The company's business operations have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. Due to a government-mandated lockdown in Malaysia, the company was forced to halt all production for over a week in late March 2020 at all three of its Malaysia factories. The Malaysian government eventually allowed the company to reopen its factories but with only 50 percent of its workforce. The reduction in capacity is expected to cause strain in the global supply chain for condoms and a possible global condom shortage.[3][4]

References
  1. "History". Karex. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  2. "Financial information". Karex. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  3. "Global condom shortage looms as coronavirus shuts down production". The Guardian. March 27, 2020. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020.
  4. Ngui, Yantroultra (28 March 2020). "The World Could Be Running Out of Condoms Because of Pandemic". Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on 1 April 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  5. "This Malaysian Company Is The World's Largest Condom-Maker". Forbes. 3 August 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  6. Toh, Toh Kar. "Tough times at Karex". The Star. Archived from the original on 29 March 2020.
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