Growing internationally with Thai Union Group

Thai Union Group was established in 1977 in Thailand as a small- and medium-enterprise (SME) with a small tuna canning facility. The company has since grown to supply seafood from over 14 production facilities in 12 countries.

With over 40,000 employees worldwide, Thai Union Group is known for producing shelf stable tuna products. Their success in expanding beyond Thailand involved diversifying their products to chilled and frozen seafood, ready-to-eat products, alternative protein, supplements, pet care and more. In 2022, their PetCare business was listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand with help from HSBC as their Joint Global Coordinator and International Joint Bookrunner.

HSBC has been the banking partner for Thai Union Group for nearly three decades and provided the company with their first credit facility.

In the 1990s, Thai Union Group expanded their business overseas into Europe and the US, leveraging HSBC’s global network and local expertise to support their banking needs as they increased their global presence.

In 2015, HSBC helped develop a global cash pool that enabled Thai Union Group to streamline their treasury management processes.

During the pandemic, Thai Union Group made use of HSBC’s digital and financing solutions to ensure business continuity. This enabled them to efficiently monitor their financial liquidity and rapidly respond to any disruptions in their supply chains.

Monitoring customer credit and financial liquidity – Thai Union Group needed digital banking solutions to better manage their operations in terms of automating cash concentration and payment flows to mitigate disruptions to global supply chains during the pandemic.

Developing and streamlining treasury management – The expansion of the company beyond Thailand into international markets necessitated efficient treasury management processes. Thai Union Group needed to streamline its management of fund flows across continents and between time zones to improve working capital efficiency.

Supporting the company’s increasing scale and complexity – As Thai Union Group expanded to new markets, they required banking support that would allow them to efficiently build their presence internationally and pursue cross-border opportunities.

Strong partnership – HSBC has provided for Thai Union Group’s banking needs across their nearly three-decade growth journey from a small SME to a global seafood leader.

Increased visibility and control – HSBC’s cash and liquidity management solutions enabled financing and risk management support for Thai Union Group’s companies globally. This provided them with full visibility and control over their overseas operations and regional cash position.

Streamlined treasury management – Through HSBC’s liquidity solutions and HSBCnet platform, Thai Union Group was able to optimise their financial positions, centralise cash management, and improve operational efficiency from its HQ to its subsidiaries. This was achieved through the use of a global cash pooling structure as well as globally centralised platform.

Greater resilience – Digital banking solutions were provided to support Thai Union Group’s remote working arrangements during the pandemic. HSBCnet’s online banking capabilities also helped to reduce the amount of documents that needed physical signatures.

Business diversification – HSBC acted as Joint Global Coordinator and International Joint Bookrunner for the USD590 million initial public offering (IPO) by i-Tail Corporation Public Company Limited, a leading global pet food supplier and subsidiary of Thai Union Group, on the Stock Exchange of Thailand. This was the largest consumer industry IPO in Southeast Asia in 2022.¹