ID :
205706
Wed, 09/07/2011 - 09:01
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/205706
The shortlink copeid
TWO LOCAL FIRMS SET TO ESTABLISH STRONG FOOTHOLD IN THE NETHERLANDS
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 (Bernama) -- Two local firms are to establish a strong foothold in the Netherlands soon.
Dewina Food Industries Sdn Bhd, popular with halal food brand "Brahim’s" and green IT solutions provider, Basis Bay Group, have decided to expand their business operations to that european nation.
Project Manager at Kuala Lumpur-based Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency Agnes Seah said the agency had assisted the firms to realise their ventures in the tetherlands.
Dewina, a pioneer in the manufacturing of premium quality convenience food
in retort pouches, is looking at plans to further tap the European halal
market and the Netherlands is likely to be its gateway into Europe.
Seah said Dewina, which already had a brand presence in Europe, was
considering a possible entry strategy to capture a share of the halal market
in Europe by setting up an eatery or a fast-food outlet to cater to the local
population and transit passengers, going beyond distribution of sauces,
pastes and meals.
“Several choices of locations are still being studied, with the most likely
option being Amsterdam,” she told Bernama. The outlet will be Dewina’s first
venture into the restaurant business.
Dewina plans to invest a sizeable amount spread over three to five years.
The Netherlands Embassy Deputy Head of Mission Jan A. Soer said the Port of
Rotterdam was the only port in Europe with halal certification.
“The Schiphol International Airport in Amsterdam is a major transit hub,
particularly for passengers travelling between Europe and the Middle East,” said
Soer.
The Netherlands Embassy Head of Section (Trade and Economic Relations) Bart
Beltman said there were about 30 million Muslims in Europe, of whom one million
resided in the Netherlands and there was also a growing number of non-Muslims
who preferred halal food.
Meanwhile, Basis Bay, a leader in Green IT services and Green data centres
in Asia, is looking at leveraging on Amsterdam’s strategic positioning to seek
business opportunities in Europe.
It is also looking to the Netherlands for mergers and acquisitions and
business partnerships to gain a presence in the Dutch market.
Seah said the company was still considering options in terms of location and
choice of business partners. Major companies that have established green data
centres in the country include Hitachi Europe and SmartDC.
The Netherlands also has Netherlands Internet Exchange (NL-ix) hub, one of
the world’s largest public Internet exchanges with over 270 members and coverage
in more than 30 data centres.
NL-ix provides a high-grade platform and solutions to exchange and transport
traffic including Peering, Community specific services, capacity and BandMarket
service access and service distribution.
A recent survey by Akamai showed the Netherlands has the fastest Internet
connection in Europe.
"Basis Bay’s reason for the selection of The Netherlands is its human
capital. The country has a skilled, multi-lingual workforce, which the IT
solutions provider can tap on. This makes for improved cross-sharing of
knowledge, a world-class workforce and other “soft skills” advantages,” Seah
said.
Soer said about 100 Dutch companies had offices or were represented in
Malaysia and among them were TNT, ING, Shell, Philipps, Akzo Nobel and KLM.
There are 1,400 Dutch living in Malaysia and about 100,000 Dutch tourists
visit Malaysia annually.
Beltman said Malaysia and The Netherlands had strong economic relations with
the latter being Malaysia’s 13th largest trading partner last year.
He said Malaysia’s exports to The Netherlands increased to RM20.2 billion
last year from RM18.4 billion in 2009. (US$1=RM2.98)
Meanwhile, The Netherlands’ exports to Malaysia was RM3.4 billion last year
vis-a-vis RM3.5 billion in 2009.
The Netherlands is the seventh largest foreign investor in Malaysia last
year and direct investments from The Netherlands in Malaysia doubled to about
RM1 billion in 2010.
-- BERNAMA
Dewina Food Industries Sdn Bhd, popular with halal food brand "Brahim’s" and green IT solutions provider, Basis Bay Group, have decided to expand their business operations to that european nation.
Project Manager at Kuala Lumpur-based Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency Agnes Seah said the agency had assisted the firms to realise their ventures in the tetherlands.
Dewina, a pioneer in the manufacturing of premium quality convenience food
in retort pouches, is looking at plans to further tap the European halal
market and the Netherlands is likely to be its gateway into Europe.
Seah said Dewina, which already had a brand presence in Europe, was
considering a possible entry strategy to capture a share of the halal market
in Europe by setting up an eatery or a fast-food outlet to cater to the local
population and transit passengers, going beyond distribution of sauces,
pastes and meals.
“Several choices of locations are still being studied, with the most likely
option being Amsterdam,” she told Bernama. The outlet will be Dewina’s first
venture into the restaurant business.
Dewina plans to invest a sizeable amount spread over three to five years.
The Netherlands Embassy Deputy Head of Mission Jan A. Soer said the Port of
Rotterdam was the only port in Europe with halal certification.
“The Schiphol International Airport in Amsterdam is a major transit hub,
particularly for passengers travelling between Europe and the Middle East,” said
Soer.
The Netherlands Embassy Head of Section (Trade and Economic Relations) Bart
Beltman said there were about 30 million Muslims in Europe, of whom one million
resided in the Netherlands and there was also a growing number of non-Muslims
who preferred halal food.
Meanwhile, Basis Bay, a leader in Green IT services and Green data centres
in Asia, is looking at leveraging on Amsterdam’s strategic positioning to seek
business opportunities in Europe.
It is also looking to the Netherlands for mergers and acquisitions and
business partnerships to gain a presence in the Dutch market.
Seah said the company was still considering options in terms of location and
choice of business partners. Major companies that have established green data
centres in the country include Hitachi Europe and SmartDC.
The Netherlands also has Netherlands Internet Exchange (NL-ix) hub, one of
the world’s largest public Internet exchanges with over 270 members and coverage
in more than 30 data centres.
NL-ix provides a high-grade platform and solutions to exchange and transport
traffic including Peering, Community specific services, capacity and BandMarket
service access and service distribution.
A recent survey by Akamai showed the Netherlands has the fastest Internet
connection in Europe.
"Basis Bay’s reason for the selection of The Netherlands is its human
capital. The country has a skilled, multi-lingual workforce, which the IT
solutions provider can tap on. This makes for improved cross-sharing of
knowledge, a world-class workforce and other “soft skills” advantages,” Seah
said.
Soer said about 100 Dutch companies had offices or were represented in
Malaysia and among them were TNT, ING, Shell, Philipps, Akzo Nobel and KLM.
There are 1,400 Dutch living in Malaysia and about 100,000 Dutch tourists
visit Malaysia annually.
Beltman said Malaysia and The Netherlands had strong economic relations with
the latter being Malaysia’s 13th largest trading partner last year.
He said Malaysia’s exports to The Netherlands increased to RM20.2 billion
last year from RM18.4 billion in 2009. (US$1=RM2.98)
Meanwhile, The Netherlands’ exports to Malaysia was RM3.4 billion last year
vis-a-vis RM3.5 billion in 2009.
The Netherlands is the seventh largest foreign investor in Malaysia last
year and direct investments from The Netherlands in Malaysia doubled to about
RM1 billion in 2010.
-- BERNAMA
