Malaysian Exhibitors Make Strong Pitch At Hannover Industrial Fair

By Manik Mehta KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 (Bernama) -- A contingent of 25 Malaysian companies are showcasing industrial products and services at the ongoing Hannover Industrial Fair. Though the overall mood at the fair is characterised by "cautious optimism", concern over the still continuing recession in several developed countries and the Euro crisis was making importers and buyers exercise restraint and caution when placing orders with foreign suppliers. Despite this unease, some Malaysian exhibitors sounded bullish. Annuar Mohd Saffar, Vice-President (Industrial Development and Research) Kulim Technology Park Corp Sdn Bhd, said he brought four Kulim-based "incubating" companies to Hannover which were ready to enter international markets and needed some initial support. "We have here, for example, a Malaysian company called Topaz Integrated Co which is a sub-contractor for SCOMI's monorail project in Mumbai. "Topaz has provided a so-called 'Swiss Bean' system for the SCOMI project in Mumbai," he said, adding that another company, Supreme Materials Technologies, was working with the Standard Industrial and Research Institute of Malaysia. Annuar maintained that Malaysia's manufacturing sector was still strong while the services sector was rapidly growing. Describing the Kulim Technology Park as "world class", he said Kulim was "comparable with the best in the world". Kulim runs on the "licence manufacturing warehouse" concept and the industries that are clustered at the park include semi-conductors, wafer fabrication, advance electronics, solar photovoltaics and many others. GSG Precision Technology Sdn Bhd of Bayan Lepas, Penang, is offering its expertise in tooling and precision fabrication. "We are already exporting to Europe which accounts for 50 per cent of our overall sales while the remaining