KLK at the German Malaysian Round Table (GMRT) in Düsseldorf

On March 13, 2019, the 15th German Malaysian Round Table (GMRT) for North Rhine-Westphalia took place with around 30 participants in the Ernst-Schneider-Haal of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) in Düsseldorf.

The event was opened by Katrin Lange, speaker of the foreign trade department of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) in Düsseldorf, who among other things mentioned KLK EMMERICH GmbH with its production site in Düsseldorf-Holthausen as one of the internationally active companies based in Düsseldorf. KLK was invited as guest speaker to this German Malaysian Round Table. Ralf Ewering (Managing Director) and Sascha Torsten Mayer (Finance & Administration Director) gladly accepted the invitation. The GMRT initiative focuses on intensifying personal exchange and trade between Malaysia and Germany. At the political level, both countries have been working on a free trade agreement since 2007 without having reached a positive conclusion so far.

Chapter initiator Mr. Roland Mauss then welcomed the numerous participants with representatives of the Malaysian Investment Development Agency (MIDA), representatives of the MATRADE trade promotion agency and other invited premium speakers, including Ralf Ewering and Sascha Torsten Mayer from KLK EMMERICH GmbH.

After lectures by Mr. Mauss on international trade policy and the “Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership” (CPTPP) and by the lawyer Mr. Markus Schlüter from the Asia/Pacific division of Rödl & Partner on the legal framework for investors in Malaysia and the neighboring states, several companies reported on their experiences to establish a branch in Malaysia within the framework of the GMRT. Although in many cases it was easy to set up a local company with very good support from the MIDA organisation, these investors were also sometimes exposed to laws that are difficult to understand.

Finally, the participants were looking forward to the presentation by the management of KLK EMMERICH GmbH. Ralf Ewering and Sascha Torsten Mayer explained the history of the parent company KLK Oleo and its palm oil-based products to the interested audience with their sympathetic and eloquent presentation. Although most end consumers are familiar with these products and come into contact with them in countless places, they usually do not know that they contain palm oil. According to Ralf Ewering, most consumers would not be able to do without palm oil-based products without changing their current lifestyle.

Oil palms are characterized by their high earning power. While 3.8 tons of palm oil can be produced per hectare, other plant species only allow yields of up to 0.8 tons of oil per hectare. The special lengths of the carbon chains (C-chains) contained in palm oil were also named. Therefore, it is often not even possible to substitute palm oil with other oils. The C-chains especially contained in palm oil are indispensable for certain applications.

Sascha Torsten Mayer then explained the company’s sustainability strategy to the audience. The KLK Group, which is certified by various global and national standards, has 4 pillars of sustainability: No deforestation, protection of peat areas, traceability (supply chain management) and driving positive socio-economic impact for people and communities.

At the end of the event, Chapter Initiator Roland Mauss once again thanked all the speakers for their varied contributions and the auditorium for their great attention and active participation in connection with the invitation to the upcoming GMRT events in Düsseldorf this year, which will take place on June 12, 2019 and November 6, 2019.