The total package: Fadi Younis

On the surface, packaging doesn’t seem like the kind of industry that prioritizes people. After all, it’s all in service of a membrane that separates people from goods, albeit for protection’s sake.

But Fadi Younis, Managing Director of HQ Pack Malaysia, one of the world’s leading firms in the high-tech packaging sector, says people are his company’s DNA.

"I really believe in this. When I talk about people, I’m talking about your own people, your employees. They’re not a resource there to be counted. They’re the most important asset in your organization, in any kind of organization," he tells The CEO Magazine.

HQ Pack Malaysia, founded in 2010, is part of the HQ Group of companies headquartered in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, and operates in Europe, the United States and Asia–Pacific regions. HQ Pack’s headquarters in the Netherlands was founded over 30 years ago.

"Everything revolves around people at HQ Pack. It’s really the only way to do it."

The developments and innovations made by the Malaysian packaging giant are integral to logistics around the world. The company knows its role in the bigger picture well: its motto is, ‘We create to protect’. According to Younis, at the heart of this sentiment is a hard-won understanding of the value of people.

"I learned it the hard way. If you take good care of people, the numbers will follow," he says. "Your people are your employees, your suppliers and your customers. If your focus is on taking good care of them, then operational excellence, strong financial results and, of course, the best-quality output will come naturally."

Unwrapping the trade

Younis, who joined the HQ Pack fold in 2017, was initially unfamiliar with the packaging sector. "I didn’t know much about high-tech packaging, and not many people do," he admits. "When I heard the term ‘packaging’, I thought of cardboard boxes, bubble roll and stretch film. I cannot tell you how wrong I was."

When he discovered the applications of HQ Pack’s customers, he was shocked by the innovation.

"Our customers make the most complex machines on Earth," he reveals. "It’s our job to design, develop, produce and service the very specific industrial packaging needed to move such sensitive equipment from point A to point B safely and responsibly. It was eye-opening for me."

HQ Pack’s Johor base is the result of the company’s initial expansion after it was established in 2010. "The first five years were just setting up, testing the supply chain, gauging the talent pool," he explains.

That the company has grown since is something of an understatement. Partners such as AME Development have allowed HQ Pack to expand its footprint in the right ways. "We’re at 250 employees now and we’ve expanded six times in the past six years. It’s been a busy time," Younis confirms.

HQ Pack closely follows the semiconductor industry. Shortages of such products during COVID-19 lockdowns gave the company time to upscale and address increased demand.

"It was a good challenge, a nice one to have," he says. "You’ve got more orders than you can book, but you can manage in a way that maintains quality standards and on-time delivery. It’s no easy task, and we learned a lot."

Thinking outside the box

While the market has stabilized over the past two years, Younis says HQ Pack is preparing for further growth in 2025. "It’s cyclical," he says. "The advances in AI are amazing, however, and driving demand higher than ever."

As AI develops, the microprocessors required are becoming more complex and the complex machines to make them are in need of ever more specific transportation and packaging. "Tech companies are getting these very expensive, very sensitive machines into the air and on their way to the destination. We’re the last step in that process," he points out.

"It’s our job to design, develop, produce and service the very specific industrial packaging needed to move such sensitive equipment from point A to point B safely and responsibly."

How HQ Pack stands out among the competition is its willingness to experiment and innovate in order to suit the brief.

"Many companies can make packaging, but can you make it to these extremely high specifications traditionally unheard of in the industry?" he says. "It has to be done so exactly, delivered on time and in near-perfect conditions. We work with our suppliers on this."

Younis says the company’s strong relationships with key suppliers ensure mutually beneficial outcomes for everyone. "We help them develop their quality standards and operational excellence methodologies, and share our learnings with them," he explains. "Their success is ours, and helping our partners grow is something I believe we do well. We enjoy it."

It’s another great example of the value of people in packaging. "Everything revolves around people at HQ Pack. It’s really the only way to do it," Younis insists.

"Look after your partners and they’ll deliver. Take care of your team and you’ll get great results every single time. Do the same with your customers and you’ll be rewarded with the business that you need to survive."