Karex Berhad is a Malaysian

condom A condom is a sheath-shaped barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both male and female condoms. With proper use—and use at every act of inte ...

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 brand of condoms and personal lubricants owned by the British company 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 be ...

Operations

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

Port Klang Port Klang ( ms, Pelabuhan Klang) is a town and the main gateway by sea into Malaysia. Known during colonial times as Port Swettenham ( ms, Pelabuhan Swettenham) but renamed Port Klang in July 1972, it is the largest port in the country. It is l ...

, and the other two are in Pontian and

Senai :For the Malaysian town with the same name, see Senai.'' Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Industrial (SENAI), Portuguese language for ''National Service for Industrial Training'' is a network of profitable secondary level professional schools e ...

. The company also operates a factory in

Hat Yai Hat Yai ( th, หาดใหญ่, , also Haad Yai or Had Yai) is a city in southern Thailand near the Malaysian border. It is south of Bangkok, and has a population of 156,802 (2019) in the city itself and an urban population of about 400,0 ...

, 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 an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

and the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...

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 immu ...

. 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 re ...

catheter In medicine, a catheter (/ˈkæθətər/) is a thin 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. Cat ...

s, and

ultrasound Ultrasound is sound waves with frequencies higher than the upper audible limit of human hearing. Ultrasound is not different from "normal" (audible) sound in its physical properties, except that humans cannot hear it. This limit varies fr ...

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 as Johore, is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the northwest. Johor shares maritime b ...

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

chemical engineer In the field of engineering, a chemical engineer is a professional, equipped with the knowledge of chemical engineering, who works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of products and deals with the ...

, 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 is the stock exchange of 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 provides a full integration of transactions, offer ...

. The company's business operations have been adversely affected by the

COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia The COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). , with over 4,945,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, over 27,000 active ...

. 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.

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