I.

Company Background
Universal Robina Corporation (URC) is one of the largest branded consumer
food and beverage product companies in the Philippines and has a significant
and growing presence in the ASEAN markets. URC is among the Philippines
pioneers in the industry. It has been in operations for over 50 years since John
Gokongwei, Jr. established Universal Corn Products, Inc, a cornstarch
manufacturing plant in Pasig, in 1954.
URC is engaged in a wide range of food-related businesses, including the
manufacture and distribution of branded consumer foods and is also in
commodities namely sugar million band refining and flour milling and in Agro
industrial businesses of farms mainly hogs and animal feed milling and related
products.
URC is the leading branded snackfoods and beverage company in the
Philippines. URC the first Philippine Pan ASEAN Multinational has proven
itself to be a trailblazer in manufacturing with a strong and loyal consumer
base. The company has unswervingly showcased its innovation and excellence
through its groundbreaking products, wide distribution network, and effective
marketing. This is also evident in URCs formidable market leadership in
snackfoods and beverages.
John Gokongwei Jr. established a vision for URC to become one of the leading
pan Asian players in snack foods and beverages. This vision is gradually being
realized as URC has managed to transform itself from a Philippine operation to
a recognized Asian multinational with full scale operations in eight countries
outside the Philippines, and soon in emerging markets like Myanmar, Laos and
Cambodia. In addition, URCs products are already being exported to
mainstream markets in the US, Europe, Japan, Korea the Middle East and
frontier markets in West Africa, like Ghana and Nigeria.
URC has built three strong regional brands over the years; Jack n Jill for
snack foods, C2 for ready to drink tea, and Great Taste for coffee, with these
brands becoming popular across the ASEAN region. URCs key to success is to
build very strong branding through a robust product innovation pipeline,
consumer-centric marketing and world-class manufacturing and supply chain
management. URC will continue to transform itself in line with the changing
external dynamics in line with increasing opportunities in Asia and beyond.
Mission
Universal Robina Corporation (URC) is one of the largest branded food
product companies in the Philippines and has a growing presence in other
ASEAN markets.
Vision
URC's vision is to be the best Philippine food and beverage company,
with a powerful presence throughout the ASEAN region, carrying a wide
portfolio of delightful brands of exceptional quality and value, equipped with
efficient systems and motivated people. We are committed in making lives a
truly fun experience.
Core Values
Passion to Win: We build organizational capability by being entrepreneurial
and proactive, driven by a sense of urgency and purpose. We continuously
challenge ourselves to deliver world-class brands and consistently rally our
people to strive for excellence.
Dynamism: We cultivate a culture of innovation and productive working
relationships. We continuously find ways to improve organizational and people
capabilities to meet constantly challenging consumer needs.
Integrity: We are guided by transparency, ethics, and fairness. We build the
business with honour and are committed to good governance. Our processes
and products meet the highest standards. We are credible in our dealings with
both internal and external stakeholders.
Courage: We seize opportunities in building long-term, sustainable businesses.
We make tough people and business decisions to ensure competitive
advantage.



II. Industry Analysis
2.1 Competitive Analysis
2.2 Financial Analysis
2.3 Marketing Analysis
Current Target Market
Health conscious people.
Demographic (10-45,M/F, social class ABCD, single/married)
People who leaves in an urban places.
Generation Y who wants healthy-living needs to stay healthy in both
mind and body.
Positioning
Branded Consumer Foods Group- Domestic
Universal Robina Corporation (URC) is the leading branded convenience
food and beverage company in the Philippines. Touted as the countrys
first Philippine multinational as it has the widest geographical footprint
among local manufacturers, URC has blazed the trail for the branded
foods industry.
URC is also a trendsetter in the beverage industry with its coffee and
ready-to-drink products. It grew the local non-carbonated beverage
market with the successful launch and continuing promotion of C2 Cool
& Clean and Green Tea.
Brand Consumer Foods Group- International
Looking ahead to a world without borders, URC has expanded steadily
outside the country. At present, URC maintains manufacturing facilities
in China, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia and has a strong
foothold in the countries it presently operates in. URC products, under
the Jack n Jill megabrand, are widely available in most trade channels
in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, and Hong
kong.
ACES, a brand bought by URC from Aces food Network Pte Ltd in 2005,
continues to be a leader in the instant cereal and oatmeal markets in
China. The purchase of the brand is a strategic move for URC as it
allows improved distribution in key geographic markets and provides a
strong, well-regarded brand that will be a platform for future growth in
china.
Products- Promotion Program Analysis
Music videos, commercials, and booths
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Broad Products Portfolio
Markets Leadership: Philippines
Effective communication
High R&D
Innovation
Online growth
Weaknesses
Operational Performance
Trade Receivables
No online presence
Not innovative
Not diversified
Poor supply chain
Weak management team
Weak real estate
Opportunities
Growing Snacks Market
Markets Outlook: Chocolate Confectioneries
Acquisitions
Asset leverage
Financial markets ( raise money through debt, etc,)
Emerging markets expansion abroad
Innovation
Online
Threats
Changing Consumer Preferences
Stringent Governmental Regulations
Competition
Cheaper technology
Economic slow down
External changes (governmental, politics, taxes, etc.)
Exchange rate fluctuations
Lower cost competitors or imports
III. Company Analysis
Company History
Universal Robina Corporation (URC) traces its beginnings all the way
back to 1954. John Gokongwei was doing very well then as a trader/importer.
He had learned the trade when his father died before the war, and had worked
hard through the war and post war years to prosper. However, while he
thrived, he took a long hard look at his company, and correctly predicted that
trading would remain a low-margin business.
On the other hand, a successful manufacturer controlling its own production
and distribution would command more profitable margins. Mr. John decided to
construct a corn milling plant to produce glucose and cornstarch, Universal
Corn Products (UCP), the first linchpin of the company that would become the
URC we know today.
For a time, business was good. However, Mr. John was still looking ahead,
working with an eye towards the future. While the business was doing very
well, it was producing essentially a commodity, which a customer could easily
access elsewhere. To stay ahead in the game, Mr. John had to diversify by
producing and marketing his own branded consumer foods, similar to the
multinational companies in the country like Nestle and Procter & Gamble. In a
sense, he wanted to put up the first local MNC, borne out of their best
practices.
Thus, in 1961, Consolidated Food Corporation was born. Their first home run
product was Blend 45, the first locally-manufactured coffee blend, dubbed as
the Pinoy coffee. This became the largest-selling coffee brand in the market,
even beating market leaders Caf Puro and Nescafe.
After coffee came chocolates. Nips, a panned chocolate were a staple of Filipino
childhood.
In 1963, Robina Farms started operations, beginning with poultry products.
This was also the beginning of the vertical integration of the Gokongwei
businesses, as the farms would be able to purchase feeds from UCP in the
future. Later that decade, Robichem Laboratories would be put up, to cater to
the veterinary needs of the farms businesses. Robina Farms expanded as it
entered the hogs business in the latter part of the 70s.
1966 saw the establishment of Universal Robina Corporation, which pioneered
the salty snacks industry through Chiz Curls, Chippy, and Potato Chips, under
the Jack n Jill brand. Other snack products would follow over the years, as
the company successfully introduced market leaders like Pretzels, Piattos, and
Maxx.
The coming decades saw more acquisitions and expansion. In the early 1970s,
the family entered the commodities business through the formation of
Continental Milling Corporation, for flour milling and production. The late
1980s brought the acquisition of three sugar mills and refineries, under URC
Sugar. These two businesses provided stable cash flows, and allowed for
further vertical integration in the supply chain, to help URC weather any
volatility in the cyclical commodities markets. In line with this strategy, the late
1990s saw the entry of URC into the plastics business, through URC
Packaging.
While the businesses became more diversified, the companies were slowly
integrated in order to streamline and minimize costs. In 2005, the present
structure of the group was completed. All the different companies are now
organized under the Universal Robina Corporation umbrella, divided into 3
focused groups:
The Branded Consumer Food Group, comprised of BCFG Domestic
(including packaging) and International
The Agro-Industrial group, comprised of Universal Corn Products, Robina
Farms, and Robichem
And the Commodities group, with the Sugar and Flour divisions