The world's largest condom-maker, headquartered in Malaysia, a long-time rubber producer thanks to around 150 years of experience dating to British colonial rule. Karex produces more than 5bn condoms a year—about a fifth of the global total—and supplies its own brand as well as Durex, Trojan and public-health agencies. The firm also makes rubber gloves. Goh Miah Kiat is its boss.
It recently rolled out the first condoms made with synthetic nitrile, which are less likely to trigger allergic reactions and cheaper to produce than natural rubber (though nitrile's price has spiked as a petroleum-derived input). Karex had been hit by cuts to American aid spending on contraceptives, by tariffs and a weakening dollar, and by rising raw-material costs (silicone oil for lubricant, aluminium for packaging) caused by the Iran war.
Slous' Contention: If you do a job too well, you'll get stuck with it.