TODAY

A little elaboration on Kalbe international please

Kalbe Pharmaceutical Company founded in 1966, is in its 50^th year. We are an Indonesian company with a headquarter based in Singapore. The company produce and distribute drugs and medical care articles, and lately nutritional product also. By sea and air own export products have come from Indonesia to Myanmar since 25 years ago, in 1991. Myanmar has always been a good market of potential, and so initiated our entry. We sent over a responsible person to open Representative Office in Myanmar in 2001. During 1991-2001 our business of exporting to Myanmar was handled by two employees.

The Kalbe Pharma is the biggest pubic company in Southeast Asia, with a worldwide investment of USD1.6billion. We have Representative Offices in ten countries, including Nigeria, Sri Lanka, South Africa, etc, but importers of products reached up to 40 countries.

When did you join the Kalbe Company?

I have been in the company for about a decade, since 2007 in Cambodia. About 2½ years after I transferred to Myanmar in 2009, so I have been here for seven years.

Difficulties and challenges in Myanmar….

On my first ever trip here the problems were two concerning infrastructure and human resource. At that time electric power, internet and line phones were poor. It made for difficulties in communication with the Indonesian head office, and international co-worker. Even residential quarters were hard to acquire. Again, schools were scarce and I worried for my children’s education, to reach standards of my expectation.

Moreover, business access was very hard to overcome what with poor transparency so that Myanmar style, Myanmar initiative, had been resorted to. We had had to put forth great efforts to know what Application in which way, and how to network with Myanmar business already in operation.

Human Resource has an important role in economic life, but HR difficulties exited then. Therefore training for the employees remained constant. The problem remains to date. Required number of personal, suited to our company’s culture and criteria, still remains unfulfilled. Training goes first, so that recruits might come up to our company’s culture and the qualities required of them. An exceptional good Myanmar worker is enthusiastic to learn. Such a trait has made for our business success. A common goal among myself and employees has contributed to our success.

Your experience concerned with Myanmar market penetration…

Difficulties existed concerned with Myanmar market penetration but they have been overcome as we have local colleagues here. They have had over 20 years’ experience in Myanmar and the market well. They helped our products to penetrate it. Other difficulties were resolved through joint efforts with distributor. Since 1991 when we started exporting to Myanmar we have had five local colleagues. These partners helped distributed our products across Myanmar. Moreover we will work hand in hand with would –be partners who are suited to our company’s culture.

The variety of produce you are exporting to Myanmar?

Products that we are exporting to Myanmar are about 80 kinds, in the sectors of prescription, over the counter, nutritional, and consumer.