SPC’s first halal food hub in the world to be developed in Johor

Group photo (From left): Iskandar Puteri City Council (MBIP) mayor Datuk Mohd Haffiz Ahmad, state Investment, Trade and Consumer Affairs committee chairman Lee Ting Han, state Housing and Local Government committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, SPC Group chief executive officer Hur Jin Soo, Paris Baguette South East Asia chief executive officer Hana Mardhyah Lee and Mida chief executive officer Datuk Wira Arham Abdul Rahman during the groundbreaking ceremony of SPC Centre at Nusajaya Tech Park here in Iskandar Puteri, Johor on Oct 20. — THOMAS YONG/The Star

ISKANDAR PUTERI: Paris Baguette, a global bakery chain owned by leading South Korean food and confectionery conglomerate, SPC Group, will develop its first halal manufacturing food hub in the world at Nusajaya Tech Park.

The halal food hub, which is named SPC Centre, will involve a RM130mil investment, with a total of seven production lines that can produce up to 11 tonnes of frozen dough a day.

Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, who officiated the SPC Centre groundbreaking ceremony last Thursday, applauded the conglomerate for choosing to invest in the state.

“Johor has the right ecosystem to attract quality investments and I look forward to seeing tremendous success for SPC’s steady and aggressive progress.

“I believe that its success will have positive socio-economic impacts on Johor. The state government will continue to extend a dedicated level of assistance in supporting the growth of SPC in this region,” he said.

SPC Group president Hur Jin Soo explained that SPC stands for Samlip, Paris Croissant and Companies, and that the business first started as a small bakery in South Korea in 1938.

“In 1988, we established Paris Baguette. Fast forward 30 years, and we now have 4,000 stores and 10 manufacturing facilities worldwide.

“Over the past few years, Covid-19 has disrupted many areas of our lives and also the global supply chains.

“The pandemic has also exposed some challenges to our global supply chains and helped us to look at the world through new lenses – where to build, what to build and how to build,” he added.

Hur said the SPC Centre would be its first manufacturing plant in South-East Asia, serving one of the world’s fastest growing regions.

He added that the centre would help strengthen Paris Baguette’s growth and further entrench their presence in South-East Asia.

Hur also said that the SPC centre would be its first Paris Baguette halal manufacturing facility in the world.

“And once it is completed by the fourth quarter of next year, it will serve the halal markets in South-East Asia, Middle East and North African regions.

“When our facility is completed, we will be creating more than 100 jobs for Malaysians in manufacturing, administrative and management positions,” he added.

“We will be committed to continuously sourcing our food and raw materials from Malaysian manufacturers and supplier.”

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) said the presence of the SPC halal food hub in Johor would strengthen Malaysia’s position as a pioneer in the halal industry.

“We have been striving to continue to lead and facilitate halal-related industries, and we are seeing more and more high-value foreign investments choosing Malaysia as their regional halal hub.

“This is, indeed, clear evidence that we have a good reputation in the halal business market and proven that the country continues to be a competitive investment location,” he added.