Universal Robina Corporation is one of the largest branded food product companies in the Philippines with a growing presence in other Asian markets. It was founded in 1954 when Mr. John Gokongwei, Jr. established Universal Corn Products, a cornstarch manufacturing plant, in Pasig. The Company has since expanded and is now involved in a wide range of food businesses including the manufacture and distribution of branded consumer foods, flour milling, as well as, sugar milling and refining. In addition, the Company produces hogs and day-old chicks and manufactures animal and fish feeds, glucose and veterinary compounds. These businesses are operated through divisions and wholly or majority-owned subsidiaries that are organized into three core business segments, namely, branded consumer foods, agro-industrial products and commodity food products.

URC's branded consumer foods division, in particular, manufactures and distributes a diverse mix of snack, chocolate, candy, biscuit, bakery, beverage, noodles and tomato-based products. These products are distributed by its direct sales force, regional distributors and independent business managers to 42,000 supermarket, grocery and sari-sari store outlets in the Philippines.

Aided by strong brand equity and keen emphasis on marketing, product innovation and quality, URC has managed to both grow its business despite the many challenges facing the country and capture leading market shares in the different categories where it competes. Indeed, FY 2004 saw business grow 14% versus FY 2003 with expectations ripe that the next FYs will see the same double-digit growth on the back of expanding outlet coverage, continued product innovation, enhanced brand equity of Jack ‘n Jill and increased presence in the beverage market. While on the other hand, focus on the Company’s Mission of being ‘…the customer’s first choice…’ and its Vision of ‘…delighting customers with trusted brands of exceptional quality and value…’ has made URC the market leader in snacks, candies, chocolates and pork & beans.

To sustain the momentum, URC will continue to: 1) align its Sales structure to reach more outlets and better serve the requirements of its Key Accounts and General Trade and, 2) dedicate substantial resources to advertising, promotion campaign and market research in order to maintain/ improve market shares and introduce more new products.

Branded Consumer Foods

Branded consumer foods (BCF), including our packaging division, is the Company’s largest segment contributing about 75.5% of revenues for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2004. Established in the 1960s, the Company’s branded consumer foods division manufactures and distributes a diverse mix of snack, chocolate, candy, biscuit, beverage, noodles and pasta and tomato-based products. The manufacturing, distribution, sales and marketing activities are carried out mainly through the Company’s branded consumer foods group consisting of snackfoods and grocery divisions, although the Company conducts some of its branded consumer foods operation through its wholly-owned or majority-owned subsidiaries and joint venture companies (e.g. Hunt-URC and Nissin-URC). The Company established URC-Packaging Division to engage in the manufacture of polypropylene films for packaging companies. The bi-axially oriented polypropylene plant (BOPP), located in Batangas, began commercial operation in June 1998. URC also formed Food Service and Industrial Division that supply BCF products in bulk to certain institutions like hotels, restaurants, and schools.

In 2000, the Company began to expand its BCF business more aggressively into other Asian markets, primarily through its subsidiary, URC International and its subsidiaries in China: Tianjin Pacific Foods Co. Ltd., Shanghai Peggy Foods Co. Ltd., Xiamen-Tongan Pacific Foods Co. Ltd., Panyu Peggy Foods Co. Ltd. and URC Hongkong Co. Ltd. (formerly Hongkong Peggy Snack Foods Co. Ltd.); in Malaysia: URC Snack Foods (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (formerly Pacific World Sdn. Bhd.) and Ricellent Sdn. Bhd.; in Thailand: URC (Thailand) Co. Ltd. (formerly Thai Peggy Foods Co. Ltd.); in Singapore: URC Foods (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. (formerly Pan Pacific Snacks Pte. Ltd.) and in 2002, in Indonesia: PT URC Indonesia. The Asian operations contributed about 22% of the Company's revenues for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2004.

The Company has a strong brand portfolio created and supported through continuous product innovation, extensive marketing and experienced management. Its brand is considered a household name in the Philippines and a growing number of consumers across Asia is purchasing the Company’s branded consumer food products.

Agro-Industrial Products

The Company's agro-industrial products segment operates three divisions, which engage in hog and poultry farming (Robina Farms or "RF"), the manufacture and distribution of animal feeds, glucose and soya products (Universal Corn Products or "UCP"), and the production and distribution of animal health products (Robichem). This segment contributed approximately 13.4% of the net sales in fiscal year 2004.

Commodity Food Products

URC's commodity food products segment engages in sugar milling and refining through its subsidiaries, Universal Robina Sugar Milling Corporation (URSUMCO), its division, Cagayan Robina Sugar Milling Corporation (CARSUMCO), and Southern Negros Development Corporation (SONEDCO), and flour milling through URC Flour division. In fiscal 2004, the segment contributed approximately 11.1% of aggregate net sales.

URC International

URC operates in several Asian markets, including Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam. Internationally, URC has 5 manufacturing facilities and 13 warehouses. URC continues to launch products in each of its international markets, both from its existing portfolio of products and brands and new products specifically formulated and branded for the local markets. In its most established international operations, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, URC has attained leading market share positions in several product categories.

In 2000, the Company began to expand its BCF business more aggressively into other Asian markets, primarily through its subsidiary, URC International and its subsidiaries in China: Tianjin Pacific Foods Co. Ltd., Shanghai Peggy Foods Co. Ltd., Xiamen-Tongan Pacific Foods Co. Ltd., Panyu Peggy Foods Co. Ltd. and URC Hongkong Co. Ltd. (formerly Hongkong Peggy Snack Foods Co. Ltd.); in Malaysia: URC Snack Foods (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (formerly Pacific World Sdn. Bhd.) and Ricellent Sdn. Bhd.; in Thailand: URC (Thailand) Co. Ltd. (formerly Thai Peggy Foods Co. Ltd.); in Singapore: URC Foods (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. (formerly Pan Pacific Snacks Pte. Ltd.) and in 2002, in Indonesia: PT URC Indonesia. The Asian operations contributed about 22% of the Company's revenues for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2004.

URC Packaging Division

The Packaging Division of Universal Robina Corporation is engaged in the manufacturing and selling of Bi-axially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) films designed to cater to the needs of various flexible packaging applications. The BOPP plant located in Simlong-Batangas, Philippines is among the newest in the industry and is equipped with state-of-the art computerized machines including a 3-layer and 5-layer film production technology. With a total rated annual capacity of 33,000 metric tons, the plant produces BOPP film in compliance within the quality standards of ISO 9001:2000 and environmental standards of ISO 14001:1996 with the distinction of being the only Integrated Management System ISO certified BOPP plant in the country.

Committed to provide consistent quality products and services, we have progressed to become the leading BOPP manufacturer in the Philippines and exporting worldwide.

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