Karex Berhad is a Malaysian

condom A condom is a sheath-shaped Barrier contraception, barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a Sexually transmitted disease, sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both external condo ...

manufacturer, one of the largest in the world. It produces more than five billion condoms a year and one in every five condoms globally. The company also supplies condoms to marketing brands like

Durex Durex is a British brand of condoms and personal lubricants owned by Reckitt, Reckitt Benckiser. It was initially developed in London under the purview of the London Rubber Company and British Latex Products Ltd, where it was manufactured betwee ...

Operations

The company operates three factories in Malaysia. One of the factories is at its headquarters in

Port Klang Port Klang () is the principal port of Malaysia on the Strait of Malacca. Known during colonial times as Port Swettenham (), it was renamed to Port Klang in July 1972 and has since become the largest port in the country. It is located about sou ...

, and the other two are in Pontian and Senai. The company also operates a factory in

Hat Yai Hat Yai (, , also Haad Yai or Had Yai) is a city in southern Thailand near the Malaysian border and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, fifth-largest city in Thailand with a population of 191,696 (2024) in ...

, Thailand. Karex supplies condoms to brands such as

, but it also sells condoms directly to customers through its own brands such as Carex. In addition to the consumer market, the company sells condoms in bulk to groups like the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

and the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

for use in the prevention of the spread of

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

. Although Karex's main product is condoms, which accounted for 93 percent of its revenue in 2016, the company also manufactures

personal lubricant Personal lubricants (colloquially termed lube) are specialized lubricants used during sexual acts, such as intercourse and masturbation, to reduce friction to or between the penis and vagina, anus or other body parts, or applied to sex toys to ...

catheter In medicine, a catheter ( ) is a thin tubing (material), tube made from medical grade materials serving a broad range of functions. Catheters are medical devices that can be inserted in the body to treat diseases or perform a surgical procedure. ...

s, nitrile gloves, and

ultrasound Ultrasound is sound with frequency, frequencies greater than 20 Hertz, kilohertz. This frequency is the approximate upper audible hearing range, limit of human hearing in healthy young adults. The physical principles of acoustic waves apply ...

probe covers.

History

The company traces its history to a rubber tree farm and rubber factory owned by Goh Huang Chiat in Muar,

Johor Johor, also spelled Johore,'' is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. It borders with Pahang, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the north. Johor has maritime borders with Singapore ...

in Malaysia. The condom factory was founded in 1988 by two of Goh's sons, Goh Siang, a

chemical engineer A chemical engineer is a professional equipped with the knowledge of chemistry and other basic sciences who works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of Product (chemistry), products and deals with ...

, and Goh Leng Kian, a

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations o ...

. By 1999, the company had grown to 60 employees, with an annual revenue of $1.9 million. In 2013, it was listed on the

Bursa Malaysia Bursa Malaysia (English: Malaysian Bourses or Malaysia Exchange) is the stock exchange in Malaysia. It is one of the largest bourses in ASEAN. It is based in Kuala Lumpur and was previously known as the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE). It p ...

. The company's business operations have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. Due to a government-mandated lockdown in Malaysia, the company was forced to halt all production for over a week in late March 2020 at all three of its Malaysia factories. The Malaysian government eventually allowed the company to reopen its factories but with only 50 percent of its workforce. The reduction in capacity is expected to cause strain in the global supply chain for condoms and a possible global condom shortage. In February 2022, ONE Condoms and MyONE Condoms became the first condom brand to receive FDA approval for use during anal sex. On October 3, 2023, ONE Condoms released ONE Flex, the first condom in the world to be made with

graphene Graphene () is a carbon allotrope consisting of a Single-layer materials, single layer of atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, honeycomb planar nanostructure. The name "graphene" is derived from "graphite" and the suffix -ene, indicating ...

Acquisitions

Karex acquired a 55% stake in Boston based Global Protection Corp. in 2014. Global Protection Corp. is the company behind the brands ONE Condoms, Trustex, NuVo, Fantasy, Night Light, and Satin Oral Dams. Karex later acquired the remaining 30% stake in Global Protection Corp. for RM 42.26 million, alongside the issuance of new shares. Karex issued 82.93 million new shares to Global Protection Corp. president and director Davin Wedel. The acquisition positions Wedel to own 7.64% of the enlarged company while Karex Global Ltd. owns 100% of Global Protection Corp. Pasante Healthcare Limited was acquired by Karex Behard in 2016 for £6 million. Karex's wholly-own subsidiary, Karex Holdings Sdn Bhd acquired the entire stake in the West Sussex, United Kingdom based company. Karex acquired the intellectual property of TheyFit LLC, as well as FDA approvals for US$1.3 million. Karex's subsidiary, Global Protection Corp will manage the intellectual property, adding select sizes from the TheyFit offering to a new brand, MyONE Custom Fit Condoms. The intellectual property of Line One Laboratories was acquired by Karex in 2016 for US$8 million. Line One owned the intellectual property rights for trademarks and patents of Trustex and Fantasy brand condoms.

References

External links

Company website
{{Condoms 1988 establishments in Malaysia Malaysian brands Condom brands Companies listed on Bursa Malaysia