Richter rrt. reigning the condom world

Nov 29, 2016 | Cover Story

By Prof. T.N Kalamani

“A world leader in the manufacture and supply of a unique variety of high-quality condom brands, condom machinery and equipment, Richter Rubber Technology Sdn. Bhd. (rrt), Malaysia, is currently on a path of rapid growth and exciting expansion in a bid to serving the customers better with first-class products and customer services and reinforcing its global supremacy and presence.”

A pioneer and an international symbol of excellence in all parts of condom business, Richter Rubber Technology Sdn. Bhd. (rrt), based in Kuala Ketil Industrial Estate, Kedah, Malaysia, is on a fast track growth and development. Started in 1993 by Klaus Richter, together with latex dipping industry expert Mano Subramaniam, originally as a German-Malaysian joint venture, the condom king has of late charted out a distinct and decisive road map for future expansion with a view to delivering the best products and services to the customers across the world.
Richter has two divisions of business: One dedicated to manufacturing high-quality condoms and lubricants and another to making high-tech condom machinery.

Condoms and Lubricants

Since the opening of production facilities in Kuala Ketil Industrial Estate in 1995, Richter Rubber Technology has been manufacturing own-brand and 3rd party branded condoms of high quality on “Richter” Condom Machinery. The company can also test, seal, pack, and ship own as well as customer-specific condom brands to anywhere in the world.
Explains Klaus Richter, the resourceful rrt supremo: “Our Factory, with the production area spreading out to a sprawling 7,800 m2, and a Warehouse area of 2,400 m2, is currently churning out high-quality con

rrt front view

doms and lubricants for private and tender businesses and is focused on a unique assortment of special condoms of more than 100 different types and sizes.”
Klaus Richter is deeply committed to giving jobs to Malaysia’s local people. More than 400 employees are distributed in 3 shifts.
He adds: “The Factory, equipped with 6 double track and 2 single track automated production lines, has an actual running capacity of around 3.3 million gross a year, or around 470 million pieces of condoms a year. One double track condom production line produces around 67 million pieces of condoms/year.”

Growth expectations

By the end of the year 2016, the Factory will have 7 double track lines and 2 single track lines in place and the production capacity will enhance to around 537 million pieces of condoms/year.
That is not all. “By the year 2020, we have aggressive plans for enhancing Factory capacity to around 8.4 million gross/year or around 1.2 billion pieces/year by increasing the number of double lines further to 18,” Klaus told Rubber Asia.

Brands, all widely recognized

Richter’s own brand “Viva”, widely registered and recognized in most countries around the world, is marketed by some customers in different countries and not by the company, Klaus says. Contract production is also being done for clients all over the world from bulk condoms to fully packed products. Richter Rubber Technology is also serving the worldwide growing market of special condoms — from textured and colored to flavored condoms. Nearly 100% of the products are exported.
In March 2001, rrt tied up with Oceans Seven™ International, USA, to develop and produce a new type of condom – the ‘Condom of the Millennium’ distributed under “Theyfit™” Condoms. Kohrs Medical Supplies Pty. Ltd. t/a rrt Medcon South Africa was set up in May 2002 as a subsidiary of the Richter Group Malaysia.
Says Klaus: “We are currently focusing on OEM production of more than 35 condom and lubricant brands.”
Richter condoms and lubricants have virtually a global presence. They are widely in use in countries such as: Argentina, Australia, Bulgary, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Egypt, Finland, France, Greece, Germany, Italy,
Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Sierra Leone, Spain, Sud Africa, the UK, the US and Vietnam, he adds.
Main customers of Richter condoms and lubricants include: PASANTE, TESCO, HERO, Beiersdorf, AKA50 Rubber Products Sdn.Bhd., SPORTEX, Unil@tex.com, Cox
International S.A., SERENA, Reflex, R&S Consumer Goods, MAPA, M Force, KOPELCO ELASTICOS, AMOR, Einhorn, Ellipse, Carrefour, Intermarche etc.

Hi-Tech Machinery

Richter Hi-Tech manufactures, exports and installs worldwide Condom Production Machinery and Equipment. These include: Condom Dipping Machines, Dry Electronic Condom Testing Machines, Sealing Machines besides laboratory equipment for condoms such as Condom Burst Volume and Burst Pressure Test Machines, Condom Electrolyte Water Test Machine and Tensile Machines.
Richter Hi-Tech, having a production area of 1,400 m2, employs around 35 workers in one shift. The Factory has a capacity to make 18 double dipping lines/year including all side equipment needed to produce condoms.
At present Richter Hi-Tech machinery has leading presence in countries such as:
Algeria, Argentina, Botzwana, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Paraguay, Sud Africa,Thailand etc. Major worldwide customers of Richter
Hi-Tech machinery include big names such as: Durex, Okamoto, Ansell, Thai Nippon Rubber Industry Company, MAPA Professionnel, Billy Boy, Condomi, Ritex, HLL Lifecare Limited, Beiersdorf Medical-Latex (DUA) Sdn. Bhd. and Amor.
Observes Klaus: “Today, Richter Rubber Technology is the international symbol of excellence in condom manufacturing. We are global leaders in manufacturing condom machinery and condom testing equipment. We have continued to follow the values upon which the company was founded — striving for excellence in all parts of the business, delivering first class products and customer service at all times. We are on a path of rapid growth and our exciting expansion plans are geared to serving our customers better, and exploring new markets.”

Strict quality control

Regarding quality maintenance, he explains: “Our manufacturing has strict quality control and quality engineering systems in place. We have developed systems to ensure that products or services are designed and produced to meet or exceed customer requirements. We provide assurance and failure testing in design and production of all our products. We operate stress testing on all our products which exposes any unanticipated weaknesses, and the data is used to drive engineering and manufacturing process improvements. With core focus on our management and our people, our holistic approach to quality results in continued improvement at all levels of the company.”

Certifications aplenty

Richter is ISO-9001-2000 Certified. The certifications to its credit are a clear proof of the world-wide recognition and acceptability of Richter’s products and services. These include: MDA, ISO 9001 : 2008, ISO 13485 : 2003, CE 0120 (Europe), FDA (USA), BSI (UK), SEDEX (Ethical audit UK), NF (France), BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) Product testing according to ISO 4074 : 2015, ISO 14001 (implementing in 2016).

Road ahead

With a clear vision to further reinforcing its global presence and supremacy in the condom world, Richter is moving fast forward charting out its road map for the future. States a confident Klaus Richter: “Our plans afoot for the current year include: Implementation of ISO 14001, capacity increase by 30% – 40%, automation of the Packing Department, implementation of an R&D Department for natural latex and synthetic (i.e. Polyisoprene).”
He concludes: “For the year 2017, we will concentrate more on tender business besides the OEM, ensure sustainable latex from Malaysia and increase capacity by 15%. And for 2018, our plans are: Capacity increase to first final, output of 13 double dipping machines including side equipment, or 871 million condoms per year.”

Strengthening rrt business structure

In 2011, Klaus Richter asked Fabian Knauthe to join to the rrt group as Managing Director, with the main goal of enhancing the group’s business structure. Fabian’s background as Industrial Engineer has brought to the company a more clear work process. His philosophy “work with transparency” was one of the things that Klaus Richter liked to imbibe into the rrt group. A fresh young man, Fabian brought to rrt the ability to adapt to the lot of changes emerging in world of condom business. Says Klaus: “Fabian’s ability to adapt to these emerging changes has immensely helped our business concept inside the industry and made us stronger to take our big steps to grow in customer and quality services.”
In 2011, the Mexican Spanish entrepreneur Jorge Alcazar took over the Mano Subramaniam shareholders and joined Richter as a business partner to Klaus. One with a family business background in the medical instruments field for more than 40 years, Jorge Alcazar, at age of 35, had taken up the challenge to run a condom factory of his own which soon grew to be the second largest factory in Mexico. He, as a co-founder, invested in the world’s most popular Playboy condoms brand. Jorge Alcazar is co-founder of Latin America’s first female condom production facility in Mexico.
Jorge brought with him a strong group, the Trevino Family led by Alfonso Trevino Jr, with a business background of more than 50 years in gloves, catheters and another medical device in Mexico.
The new fresh venture continued to follow the values upon which the company was founded: Striving for excellence in all parts of the business, delivering first class products and customer service always. Jorge is extremely happy to continue working under Klaus and sharing his business philosophy: “We are on a path of rapid growth and our exciting expansion plans are geared to serve our customers better, and to explore new markets.”

Great Richter (rrt) legacy

The great Richter saga began way back in the 1920’s with the founding of Gumiwerk Erfurt and production of condoms by Emil Richter, Klaus Richter’s grand father. A pioneer in condom machinery, it was Herman Richter, Klaus Richter’s’ father, who, in collaboration with two English engineers, developed the first automatic latex dipping line in Germany in 1959.
Klaus Richter joined the company in 1981 as Overseas Production Manager in Sarstedt, Germany. Under his tenure, the production capacity for condoms was expanded and doubled to more than one million gross per year. Under the two Richters, the condom lines, testing machines and laboratory equipment were constructed and steadily improved upon.
In 1990, a partnership was formed between the Richters and a young trading company called C.P.R. Produktions-und Vertriebs GmbH, also in Sarstedt, Germany.
In the following three years, the company became a successful developer, manufacturer and supplier of complete condom dipping facilities all over the world. The technical division of the company was led by Klaus Richter. In 1993, a German-Malaysian joint venture formed the newly named Richter Rubber Technology.
At a glance

1928: Founding of Gumiwerk in Erfurt, Germany, by Emil Richter, Klaus Richter’s grand father, and production of condoms.
1959: Herman Richter,Klaus Richter’s father, invented the first Hi-voltage dry Electronic Testing machine in the world, operational in Sarstedt, Hanover.
1960: The first automatic dipping line operations by Hermann Richter.
1979: Company sold to London Rubber (Durex) by Hermann Richter.
1983: Klaus Richter becomes the first overseas Production Manager, Barcelona.
1993: Klaus Richter, together with Mano Subramaniam, forms Richter Rubber Technology Sdn. Bhd. in Malaysia, Operation in Sungai Petani.
1995: Opening of production facilities in Kuala Ketil, Industrial Estate, by Klaus and Mano.
2010: Fabian Knauthe as Managing Director
2011: Joining of Jorge Alcazar as a partner