Business

KUALA LUMPUR, The Ministry of Plantation and Commodities (KPK) said today the number of private smallholders who achieved Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification was only at 73.88 per cent as of June 30. During a question and answer session at the Dewan Negara, Deputy Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin said the percentage was still at an unsatisfactory level. “We want to go to a higher level, with the overall level for all private or organised smallholders and estates to reach 85 per cent MSPO certification,” he said in reply to Senator Abdul Halim Suleiman’s supplementary question

KUALA LUMPUR, Porsche’s assembly facility at Inokom, Kulim, Kedah, is being expanded to 11,000 square metres, and a new assembly line will be introduced. In a joint statement today, Sime Darby Bhd and Porsche said the new assembly line will be for the plug-in hybrid Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid Coupé. Sime Darby group chief executive officer Datuk Jeffri Salim Davidson said this expansion was a significant milestone for the two companies in unlocking new opportunities in the ASEAN region while affirming the capabilities of their highly skilled local talents. ‘We remain steadfast in our commitment to delivering product consistency that

KUALA LUMPUR, Matmerize Inc, a pioneering artificial intelligence (AI)-based polymer informatics company, has announced its engagement with Asahi Kasei, a diversified Japanese multinational company, to advance polymer informatics for sustainable innovation. This collaboration is expected to play a significant role in achieving Asahi Kasei’s sustainability and carbon-neutral goals by enabling the development of polymers with enhanced ionic conductivity and attractive optical and dielectric properties, crucial for applications in fuel cells, batteries, dielectrics, electronic and electrochemical devices. According to a statement, Asahi Kasei aims to leverage Matmerize’s advanced AI algorithms and machine learning capabilities to accelerate the research and development (RandD)

KUALA LUMPUR, Takaful operators disbursed RM2.24 billion in the first quarter of 2024 (1Q 2024), with Family Takaful payouts at RM1.72 billion and General Takaful payouts at RM514 million, said Malaysia Takaful Association (MTA). MTA chief executive officer Mohd Radzuan Mohamed said total Family and General Takaful disbursements rose by 4.9 per cent in 1Q 2024 compared to the same quarter last year. Family Takaful disbursements increased by 2.5 per cent, while General Takaful saw a rise of 13.6 per cent. ‘Comparing the pattern in the first quarter of this year and last year, we observe a return to normalisation,

KUALA LUMPUR, The Malaysian Industrial Development Finance Bhd (MIDF) has approved soft loans totalling RM103.54 million to automate and modernise 29 companies up to June 2024. Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said these soft loans represent the government’s policy stance on incentivising local industries to embrace smart manufacturing using Industry 4.0 (IR4.0) technologies that allow for efficient production in manufacturing. In terms of talent, he noted that these new technologies will require workers with the right skill sets and the government has undertaken multiple initiatives to ensure a robust talent pipeline. ‘The success of