MITI is hosting the Industry Excellence Awards (AKI) 2009 this Thursday, 25 March 2010. The event will be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre with Y.A.B Prime Minister as the Guest of Honour. The AKI is the highest recognition given by the Government to companies for their exceptional achievements in organisational excellence, quality improvement and export excellence. This year, 24 companies will receive the awards in various categories and 33 other companies will receive certificates of excellence. The winner of the Prime Minister’s Industry Excellence Award will be selected from among the winners. Congratulations to all winners!

 

H.E. Kiat Sittheeamorn, President of the Thailand Trade Representative (TTR) led a 130-member delegation for a visit to Malaysia from 28-29 March 2010. Aimed to further strengthen the bilateral economic relations between the two countries, the visit also sought to explore potential business opportunities for both countries. The visit reinforces the commitments made by leaders of both Malaysia and Thailand when Y.A.B. Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak visited his Thailand counterpart, H.E. Abhisit Vejjajiva last year to bring existing bilateral relation to a higher level. A series of activities were held in conjunction with the visit, including a Seminar on Malaysia -Thailand Trade and Investment Cooperation, bilateral meetings with Minister of International Trade and Industry, Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, as well as the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between British Dispensary (L.P.) Co. Ltd. and CCM Co. Ltd. Malaysia. During the bilateral...

I visited Multimedia Development Corp (MDeC) yesterday, 6 April 2010, in an effort to enhance collaboration between my Ministry and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI). I was impressed with the achievement of local ICT companies, which have registered double-digit growth in exporting their services yearly. There are three areas of mutual interest between MITI and MOSTI which need to be followed-through. They are:

• enhancing productivity of local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by utilising ICT; 
• increasing investment promotion; and
• increasing export of ICT services.

We will review the progress of this collaboration once every six months and we want to see value creation out of these efforts.  

During the visit, I met Mr. Kamal Hassan - a renowned actor and film producer of Bollywood. He was attending a meeting with MDeC on creative industry development together with National Film Development Corporation of...

The other company, S.E.H (Shah Alam) Sdn. Bhd., a Japanese company with local participation, manufactures silicon polished wafers – one of the only four major producers of the product in the world. Since its inception in 1973, the company has invested RM2.8 billion in this business. Going down to the ground to get first-hand feedback is imperative in the formulation of policies and creation of conducive environment for industries to expand. The issue of natural gas supply, foreign labour policy and shortage of talents in the middle management level were some of the concerns highlighted during my visit. It is my priority now to review the current policies pertaining to investment to ensure Malaysia remains on investors’ radar.  

In a rapidly changing world, Malaysia holds its own… With a vibrant economy that is progressing… Through rapid industrialisation and transformation…  

YB Dato’ Mukhriz Tun Mahathir officiated the soft launch of INTRADE Malaysia 2010 on 27 April at the MATRADE Exhibition and Convention Centre (MECC), Kuala Lumpur.   INTRADE Malaysia, the leading general trade fair in ASEAN, is part of the Government’s effort to promote Malaysian products and services to the international business community and expand trade with FTA partners of Malaysia in the region and beyond. Themed “One World, One Marketplace”, the exhibition, organised for the fourth consecutive year, will cater to the needs of the business community, both locally and internationally, by creating opportunity for SMEs as well as established brands and players of the industry to promote their products to buyers and visitors from the ASEAN region and beyond. “INTRADE, since its inception, has been positioned as ASEAN’s leading general trade fair, to provide opportunities for companies, especially SMEs in the region, to...

      ASEAN and the US underscored the importance of further strengthening economic ties during the recent visit of five economic ministers, deputy ministers and officials from ASEAN Member States to Seattle and Washington DC from 2-6 May 2010. Malaysia was represented by Dato Sri Mustapa Mohamed, Minister of International Trade and Industry. In the discussions with United States Trade Representatives, officials, congressmen, business leaders and think tanks in the US, South East Asian Economic Ministers stressed that ASEAN represents a significant market for products and services as well as an investment destination for US. Collectively, ASEAN accounts for 6 per cent of the total trade of US which is the same as the US trade with Japan, and more than US trade with Korea (3 per cent) and India (1 per cent).

We at MITI strongly support and eagerly await the upcoming 13th Annual SME Innovation Showcase SMIDEX 2010, organised by SME Corp. This year’s theme “Pioneering Business Transformation through Innovation” is in line with the New Economic Model (NEM)’s approach of holistic development and growth- ultimately growing from small companies into those with the potential to break into global markets. The showcase aims to promote innovative products and services in developing competitive and resilient SMEs in Malaysia, focusing on four exciting areas: Innovation in Technology Innovation in Packaging & Design  Green Technology & Energy Efficiency  Halal Products and Services Regarded as one of the premier and most reputable business “one stop” events for SMEs to network and market their innovative products and services among SMEs, large companies and MNCs, SMEs can now explore new market opportunities and technologies to better enhance their capacity and enterprise. The...

The demand for halal food in Russia is growing partly attributed to the large Muslim population, estimated in the region of 25 million or 18% of Russia’s 140 million people. Moscow city itself has the largest Muslim population amongst the European cities with 2 million people. There is vast opportunity for Malaysian companies to export halal products and services to Russia and CIS countries in view of the growing Muslim population. In 2009, the Russian Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and Metrology registered a halal System which identifies the compliance of food products and medicines within Islamic law and principles. Furthermore, under the platform of Russia Mufties Council, a group of independent experts established a working group to facilitate the development and implementation of Islamic financial services in Russia. As a result of that, in February 2010, the Russian Association of Islamic Financing Experts (RAIFE) was formed. In the last few years, there had been...