From Left: Mr. Asanee Mallamphut, Head Asia Pacific- Customised, Sime Darby Oils, Mr. Mohd Haris Mohd Arshad, Managing Director, Sime Darby Oils, Dr. B.R. Shetty, Chairman, ADVOC, Mr. Binay Shetty, Vice-Chairman & CEO BRS Ventures, Mr. Nirman Shetty, Director ADVOC.

Abu Dhabi & Kuala Lumpur, 19 August 2019 – Sime Darby Oils (SDO) and Dr. B.R.Shetty owned Abu Dhabi Vegetable Oil Company (ADVOC), are pleased to announce they have entered into a strategic partnership to market oils and fats products in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Via the partnership, SDO and ADVOC will operate in the region as a single sales and marketing team, focusing on basic and specialty fats (including bakery fats, shortening, industrial margarines, spread fats, dairy replacers, confectionary fats and cocoa butter substitutes and replacers). This will benefit regional customers by providing them access to the companies’ combined sales expertise, production capabilities and extensive product range.

With evolving customer needs playing an increasingly critical role in businesses, companies recognise they need to accelerate the development of innovative solutions to ensure they remain competitive. In view of this, Sime Darby Oils-ADVOC partnership aspires to help support customers in the MENA region through bespoke solutions using the combined skills and understanding in the oils and fats category, product ideation, development and deployment.

“The Sime Darby Oils-ADVOC partnership is a powerful combination. Sime Darby Oils’ understanding of specialty fats, its deep R&D expertise, and agile, collaborative approach is uniquely complimentary to that of ADVOC’s. Over the last two decades, ADVOC has earned the reputation of being a customer driven and reliable supplier of a wide variety of oils and fats in the MENA region” said Dr. B.R.Shetty, Chairman, ADVOC.

“The MENA region is a key growth market for Sime Darby Oils. Partnering with ADVOC enables us to establish an on-the-ground presence through enhanced local market knowledge and capabilities, and open up opportunities for sustainable products and supply chain. Through this partnership we can leverage our respective assets to offer compelling customer propositions,” said Mohd Haris Mohd Arshad, SDO's Managing Director.

“The teams are working closely to set up the operations, structure, portfolio, marketing and route-to-consumer strategies, licensing and other operational matters. Together, working as one team, we will unlock the full potential of global expertise and local requirements, and place our clients on the best path for success” said Nirman Shetty, Director ADVOC.

By connecting ADVOC’s local market understanding with SDO’s extensive oils and fats know-how and expertise, the collaboration represents a step-change in the way both entities address the needs of the market.