March 12, 2013
 

By the first quarter of 2014, CJ Bio aims to start operations of its bio-methionine plant at the Kertih BioPolymer Park, Terengganu, Malaysia.

Chief Executive Officer John Kang said the plant with a capacity of 80,000 tonnes annually, will begin actual production from April 2014 onward.

Costing MYR2 billion (US$644 million), the plant is the first in the world to use the fermentation process in producing L-methionine, an amino acid commonly used in the manufacturing of animal feed.

"The reason we built the plant in Malaysia is to tap the growing market, which is China and Southeast Asia. These would be our primary markets but we also want to tap into the European market.

"We are also hoping to get very sustainable and reasonably priced energy supply. We believe that Malaysia, in terms of doing business, is well established in Asia," he told Bernama.

CJ Bio, a division of Korea's CJ CheilJedang, is the global leader in the area of industrial biotechnology, with innovations in fermentation and purification. It is also a leading producer of fermentation-based products with business operations in six continents.

Kang said the integrated facility, run in collaboration with a France-based company, Arkema, will enable CJ Bio to respond to strong demand for methionine. Of the total production, he said more than 95% would be exported, including to South America, a growing market.

According to Kang, CJ Bio is currently working with the Ministry of Higher Education and University of Kuala Lumpur to develop a joint educational programme on biotechnology.

"Industrial fermentation technology is a new industry in Malaysia, so skilled workers need to be developed over time. In order to establish the industrial biotechnology industry in Malaysia, we need to have a large pool of skilled workers. We want to ensure that Malaysians can be trained to acquire a new set of skills and be very productive workers for us," he said.

Kang noted that the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) had helped CJ Bio in providing critical support towards ensuring the company was fully ready to operate in time. MIDA is helping in respect of regulatory issues, bridging gaps with suppliers and business partners in Malaysia, and developing a relationship with local authorities, he said.