March 18, 2005 - Tokyo - Ajinomoto Frozen Foods Co., Inc. (President: Masatoshi Ito, Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan) has established a joint venture in Thailand with Betagro Agro-Group Public Co., Ltd. (“Betagro”) for the production of frozen processed pork products. The joint venture, which is called Ajinomoto Betagro Specialty Foods Co., Ltd., has completed construction of its processing plant and received approval from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan on March 8, 2005 for the export of meat. Production will begin in mid-March.
Ajinomoto Frozen Foods Co., Inc. and Betagro established a joint venture, Ajinomoto Betagro Frozen Foods (Thailand) Co., Ltd., in 1995 to produce frozen processed chicken products. The joint venture has since steadily expanded its exports to Japan. The new company, Ajinomoto Betagro Specialty Foods Co., Ltd., will combine tender, mild flavor coming from reliable quality pork meat, delivered from supply network that use Betagro’s specific-pathogen-free (SPF) breeding technology with Ajinomoto Frozen Foods’s product development capabilities, processing technologies and marketing know-how to develop the frozen pork processed product business. Its sales target in Japan is 4 billion yen in FY2009.
The new company will produce reliable, high-quality frozen pork products for customers in Japan as the first advanced factory for processed frozen pork products in Thailand with an integrated supply network that enables processing from raw materials to final products in a short time. This initiative is part of Ajinomoto Frozen Food’s strategy to strengthen self-management to key materials
and is one measure for ensuring “good taste and reliable quality” by controlling product quality through full process from raw materials to finished product.
Ajinomoto Frozen Foods plans to further strengthen supply of key strategic raw materials in the frozen food business to establish world-class standards as the industry leader.
Profile of the New Company
| 1) Company name: |
|
Ajinomoto Betagro Specialty Foods Co., Ltd. |
| 2) Headquarters: |
|
Lop Buri, Thailand |
| 3) Established: |
|
February 2004 |
| 4) Capital: |
|
390 million baht (approx. 1.1 billion yen) |
| 5) Shareholders: |
|
Ajinomoto Frozen Foods Group 51.0%
Betagro Agro-Group Public Co.,Ltd. 49.0% |
| 6) Business: |
|
Manufacture and sale of frozen foods |
| 7) Representatives: |
|
- Chairman: Akira Oshima (currently President, Ajinomoto Frozen Foods (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and Chairman, Ajinomoto Betagro Frozen Foods (Thailand) Co., Ltd.)
- President: Vasit Taepaisitphongse (currently Vice President, Betagro Co., Ltd. and President, Ajinomoto Betagro Frozen Foods (Thailand) Co., Ltd.) |
| 8) Number of employees: |
|
Approx. 200 (planned) |
| 9) Site/Building area: |
|
Site: approx. 24,800 m2
Building: approx. 14,700 m2 |
| 10) Principal products: |
|
Pork cutlets, grilled pork, stewed pork products (pork belly stew, etc.) and others |
11) Product
characteristics: |
|
| (1)Breeding of swine using SPF technology |
| |
SPF technology is used to breed healthy swine through controls against infection by the following five specific pathogens:
Toxoplasmosis, Swine dysentery, Aujeszky's disease, Mycoplasma pneumonia, and Atrophic rhinitis.
Characteristics:
1. Tender, tasty meat 2. No negative odor 3. Mild flavor 4. Reliable meat |
| (2)Integrated production from raw materials to finished products |
| |
The plant is next to the meat processing plant to achieve reliability and freshness by building an integrated production system that enables processing from raw material to finished product in the shortest possible time. |
|
| 12) Permit obtained: |
|
- Thailand Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Department of Livestock Development approval as Exporting facility
- Japan Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries approval as facility for heat treatment of the meat of cloven-hoofed animals
(Export permit No. 149) |
|
Overview of Product Sales Plan
| 1)Sales targets: |
|
Net sales: Approx. 4.0 billion yen |
| |
|
(Net sales of Ajinomoto Frozen Foods Co.,
Inc. for fiscal 2009)
Sales volume: Approx. 4,000 tons (same as above) |
2) Announcement and
sales launch (planned): |
|
Announcement: April 15, 2005 (Friday)
Sales launch: June 2, 2005 (Thursday) |
| 3) Sales area: |
|
Throughout Japan |
4) Products scheduled to
be launched in June
2005 (initial product
launch): |
|
Commercial use: 10 products (pork cutlets: 7 products, pork belly stew: 3 products) |
5) Planned future
launches: |
|
uccessive announcements and launches of skewered pork cutlets, Chinese-style barbecued pork, fried pork products, etc. |
|
(For reference) Profile of Betagro Agro-Group Public Co., Ltd.
| 1) Company name: |
|
Betagro Agro-Group Public Co., Ltd. |
| 2) Headquarters: |
|
Bangkok, Thailand |
| 3) Established: |
|
1967 |
| 4) Capital: |
|
580 million baht (approx. 1.6 billion yen) |
| 5) Shareholders: |
|
Betagro Holding Co., Ltd. 81.6%
Taepaisitphongse Family 13.3%
Others 5.1% |
| 6) Business: |
|
Operation of 27 group companies centered on agricultural business |
| 7) Net sales: |
|
Approx. 22 billion baht (approx. 60 billion yen) in 2003 |
| 8) Representatives: |
|
Chairman: Chaivat Taepaisitphongse
President: Vanus Taepaisitphongse |
| 9) Number of employees: |
|
Approx. 2,200 |
|
Profile of Ajinomoto Frozen Foods Co., Inc.
| 1) Company name: |
|
Ajinomoto Frozen Foods Co., Inc. |
| 2) Headquarters: |
|
Tokyo, Japan |
| 3) Established: |
|
October 2000 |
| 4) Capital: |
|
9.1 billion yen |
| 5) Shareholders: |
|
Ajinomoto Co., Inc. 100% |
| 6) Business: |
|
Manufacture and sale of frozen foods |
| 7) Net sales: |
|
Approx. 103 billion yen in the year ended March 31, 2004 |
| 8) Representative: |
|
President: Masatoshi Ito |
| 9) Number of employees: |
|
Approx. 1,000 |
|
Profile of Ajinomoto Frozen Foods (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
| 1) Company name: |
|
Ajinomoto Frozen Foods (Thailand) Co., Ltd. |
| 2) Headquarters: |
|
Ayutthaya, Thailand |
| 3) Established: |
|
September 1990 |
| 4) Capital: |
|
105 million baht (approx. 300 million yen) |
| 5) Shareholders: |
|
Ajinomoto Frozen Foods Co., Inc. 80%
Ajinomoto Co., (Thailand) Ltd. 20% |
| 6) Business: |
|
Manufacture and sale of frozen foods |
| 7) Net sales: |
|
Approx. 3.7 billion yen in the year ended March 31, 2004 |
| 8) Representative: |
|
President: Akira Oshima |
| 9) Number of employees: |
|
Approx. 800 |
|
Profile of Ajinomoto Betagro Frozen Foods (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
| 1) Company name: |
|
Ajinomoto Betagro Frozen Foods (Thailand) Co., Ltd. |
| 2) Headquarters: |
|
Bangkok, Thailand |
| 3) Established: |
|
April 1995 |
| 4) Capital: |
|
150 million baht (approx. 400 million yen) |
| 5) Shareholders: |
|
Ajinomoto Frozen Foods Co., Inc 33.3%
Ajinomoto Frozen Foods (Thailand) Co., Ltd. 16.7%
Betagro Agro-Group Public Co., Ltd. 50.0% |
| 6) Business: |
|
Manufacture and sale of frozen foods |
| 7) Net sales: |
|
Approx. 3.2 billion yen in the year ended March 31, 2004 |
| 8) Representatives: |
|
Chairman: Akira Oshima
President: Vasit Taepaisitphongse |
| 9) Number of employees: |
|
Approx. 700 |
|
|
