The government has reaffirmed the country’s commitment to increase the number of affordable housing for purchase and rental. Hence, the adoption of IBS remains relevant and crucial towards meeting this goal.

According to Arham Abdul Rahman, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), the IBS industry can contribute in two ways.

“Firstly, it can speed up the construction of these affordable housings, contributing to the economic development as well as decreasing the wait time for the targeted group. Secondly, it can also indirectly reduce the number of low cost labour in the country as the need for workers in the construction site reduces,” he added.

“To advance the affordable housing and construction agenda, we seek to connect the relevant stakeholders towards fostering stronger collaborations and enhance the existing ecosystem to respond to both current and new challenges, creating liveable and more resilient communities,” he said at the Industrialised Building System (IBS) Adoption and Regularisation Dialogue 2018, held at MIDA HQ yesterday.

With the theme ‘Opportunities Lie Ahead’, the half day event was jointly organised with the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) to highlight the updates and opportunities in IBS. It was the 9th outreach programme following a series of engagements in the northern states of Penang, Perak, Kedah and Perlis; east coast of Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan; as well as Melaka and Johor in the south.

The Dialogue featured presentations on IBS regularisation and opportunities, IBS adoption, product certification and IBS solutions by Najihah Abas from MIDA’s Building Technology and Lifestyle Division, Yuanti Mohamed from CIDB’s IBS Division, Hasnol Zakaria from SIRIM and Louis Tay, Chief Operating Officer of PLY TEC Formwork System Industries.

Topics covered include the requirements of obtaining a Manufacturing Licence. It was highlighted that many companies that have reached capital investments of RM2.5 million or hired 75 or more full-time paid employees, have yet to apply for a Manufacturing Licence from MIDA. For companies that fall below these requirements, they were encouraged to register with MIDA. These will keep them informed for any updates on related facilities and policies in the areas, including IBS.

Last year, MIDA published the IBS and Building Materials Supply Chain Directory 2017/2018. The IBS Directory is a comprehensive and useful reference point which contains in-depth profiles of over 4,000 local building material manufacturers, suppliers, contractors, professionals and relevant stakeholders in the construction industry. Companies seeking to explore business prospects and opportunities for collaboration within the IBS industry can purchase the IBS Directory from MIDA.

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