History of
ASEAN
1968
Entry into Thailand
Following the successful launch of Pretz in Hong Kong (1967), Ezaki Glico began to consider expansion into the ASEAN region (Southeast Asia). After conducting research throughout the region, the company decided to focus on Thailand, due to its market characteristics as well as its political stability. When further research and test sales proved positive, the company moved to establish a full-fledged local subsidiary.
1970
The launch of Thai Glico Co., Ltd.
Thai Glico was launched in Bangkok with help from local individuals and corporations. This was Ezaki Glico’s first new international production and sales company since the end of World War II, and marked the first step toward Global Glico.
1971
Launch of production and sales in Thailand
With completion of the Rangsit Factory, local production and sales of Pretz commenced. An aggressive advertising effort, including TV ads, quickly made Pretz a hit. In 1972, Thai Glico introduced Pocky, followed successively by other products, among them Jingle Chocolate, Collon, and Almond Chocolate.
Chocolate production in the tropics
Thai Glico produced chocolate with a higher melting point, making it a better fit for the climate. Pocky and other products using this chocolate were exported to neighboring countries, including Singapore and Malaysia.
Thai Glico products around 1982
ASEAN economic growth
In the latter half of the 1980s, the ASEAN economies grew, thanks to direct investment of foreign capital from Japan and elsewhere, and pursuit of export-oriented economic policies. In 1992, the decision was made to establish AFTA (ASEAN Free Trade Area), which further strengthened regional economic cooperation. Thailand’s economy, one of the largest in ASEAN, expanded rapidly, and with it, the domestic confectionery market, as well as the market in countries to which Thai Glico was exporting. The result was significant sales growth.
1992
Thai Glico Bangkadi Factory
With Thai Glico growing significantly in step with economic growth in Thailand and neighboring countries, additional production capacity was needed. A new factory was therefore built in the Bangkadi Industrial Park, with further expansion in the same location in 2004.
Extensive flood damage at Thai Glico
During the summer and fall of 2011, Thailand was hit by a series of typhoons, and the Bangkadi Factory suffered major flooding that halted its operations. A team of 300 employees worked diligently to bring the plant back on line, and with support from Glico Group engineers in Japan, production was restored successively, beginning with Pretz in July 2012.
Business expansion in ASEAN countries
ASEAN’s growth surged during the 2010s. In response, the company strengthened and expanded its business activities throughout the region, establishing local subsidiaries successively in additional member nations, and entering the ice cream business.
2013-2015
Launch of ASEAN frozen confectionery business
As part of its global expansion, Ezaki Glico decided to enter ASEAN’s frozen confectionery market. Production and sales of ice cream were launched with PT. Glico-Wings, established as a joint venture in Indonesia in 2013, and the wholly owned subsidiary Glico Frozen (Thailand) Co., Ltd., established in 2015.
Original Indonesia iced products
Sales activities in Vietnam and Indonesia
2014-2019
Bolstering the imported products sales structure with local subsidiaries
The establishment of PT Glico Indonesia (2014), Glico Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (2017), Glico Philippines, Inc. (2019), and Ezaki Glico Vietnam Co., Ltd. (2019) reinforced the company’s sales structures in their respective territories.
2017
Launch of Glico Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.
To reinforce and accelerate the expansion of its ASEAN business, Ezaki Glico established the group’s first regional operating company in Singapore. The decision to base the company in Singapore was made after a thorough review of legal, security and safety, and language factors, among others. The new company brought Thai Glico and other group companies in ASEAN under its umbrella.
2020
Launch of PT Glico Manufacturing Indonesia
To increase production capacity for business expansion in ASEAN and exports to the U.S. and other countries, Ezaki Glico established a manufacturing company in South Jakarta, Indonesia. Despite challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, construction of the facility was completed on schedule, and Pocky production began in July 2022.
Ezaki Glico Group companies in ASEAN
(as of June 30, 2023)
