MRC News Archives 2020

KUALA LUMPUR, 12 August 2020: In the recent announcement of the rebranding of MREPC to MRC on 4 August 2020, YB Dato' Dr. Mohd Khairuddin bin Aman Razali, the Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities announced that MREPC will be setting up a RM36 million special fund to encourage the hiring of local workers in the downstream sector of the rubber industry. As an agency under the ministry that is tasked to promote quality rubber products produced by Malaysia, especially in support of the SMEs industry, this fund is in line with the government's policy of prioritising the creation of more job opportunities for Malaysians while reducing the country’s reliance on foreign workers. The setting up of this fund is expected to generate 10,000 job opportunities for Malaysians. This fund is also expected to benefit more than 200 manufacturing companies in the rubber product industry, in particular the glove sector, which is still expanding following the drastic increase in demand for rubber gloves.

MREPC participated for the first time as a virtual exhibitor in the AIDS 2020: Virtual held from 6 – 10 July 2020. The event was organised by the International AIDS Society (IAS) and attended virtually by thousands of people from over 180 countries. The AIDS 2020: Virtual enabled the delegates to access and engage through virtual means on the latest HIV science, advocacy and knowledge traditionally presented at the conference. The event had also witnessed Datuk Professor Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman officially stepped into her new role as the IAS's president for the 2020-2022 term. Dr Adeeba, the chairman of Malaysian AIDS Foundation, was the first Asian to hold the position. MREPC's virtual booth featured contents highlighting the strengths and capabilities of Malaysian manufacturers in producing a wide array of condoms in various textures, flavors, colors and packaging. The booth also provided live chat platform for instant communication with the visitors. MREPC booth received over 600 visits virtually for the five-day event. Majority of the visitors were from the United States, South Africa, India, Mexico, United Kingdom, Brazil and Canada.

The 23rd International AIDS Conference, to be held from 6 – 10 July 2020, has been converted by the organiser into AIDS 2020: Virtual due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The AIDS 2020 will become the first virtual edition of the International AIDS Conference. Organised by the International AIDS Society, the biennial International AIDS Conference is the world’s largest conference on HIV and AIDS. This year, the AIDS 2020: Virtual, with the theme of “Resilience” enables the delegates to access and engage through virtual means with the latest HIV science, advocacy and knowledge traditionally presented at the conference. The conference will be a compelling combination of virtual sessions including pre-conferences, satellites, workshops, interactive posters, commercial exhibitions, Global Village and other collaborative community networking activities accessible from anywhere in the world. MREPC will continue its presence at the event and anticipates an exciting experience as a virtual exhibitor. The interactive 3D environment offers conference participants from all over the world to engage with exhibitors located in the Exhibition Hall virtually. MREPC virtual booth will feature a comprehensive content of the strengths and capabilities of Malaysian manufacturers in producing a wide range of high quality made-in-Malaysia condoms which are available in various textures, flavors, colors and packaging. Virtual visitors could also connect with MREPC representative via Live Chat platform to find out more information during the virtual event period.

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KUALA LUMPUR, 20 MAY 2020: The Malaysian Rubber Export Promotion Council (MREPC), an agency under the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities tasked to undertake market promotion of quality Malaysian rubber products in world markets, today announced the appointment of Yang Mulia Raja Dato' Haji Idris Raja Kamarudin as its new Chairman. Having led various private limited, public listed and multinational companies, Yang Mulia Raja Dato' Haji Idris brings an incomparable wealth of experience and strategic vision to the Council. He has served in leadership roles at Siemens Malaysia, TDM Berhad, Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Berhad, and Kumpulan Perangsang Selangor group of companies among others. MREPC Chief Executive Officer Brandon Chan said, “We are delighted to welcome Yang Mulia Raja Dato' Haji Idris Raja Kamarudin to the MREPC Board of Trustees. Under his stewardship, we are confident that the Council will continue to strengthen Malaysia’s position as a leading global sustainable rubber products player.” Yang Mulia Raja Dato' Haji Idris brings to MREPC more than thirty years of experience and is currently helming TDM Berhad, a public listed subsidiary of Terengganu Incorporated Sdn Bhd (TI), the strategic investment arm of the Terengganu State Government, as the Director and Chairman. He also serves as a Board member of Perbadanan Kemajuan Iktisad Negeri Kelantan (PKINK) and a member of the advisory board of Majlis Penasihat Ekonomi Negeri Kelantan (MPEN). A Fellow of the British Computer Society (FBCS) and the Chartered Management Institute (FCMI) in United Kingdom, Yang Mulia Raja Dato’ Haji Idris also holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Strategic Management from University of Derby, UK.

The Malaysian Rubber Export Promotion Council (MREPC) invites Malaysian contractors to participate in a tender on booth design and construction of MREPC pavilion at international trade shows from July to November 2020. Only prequalified booth contractors are eligible to participate in the tender. The criteria for Prequalification of Booth Contractors are as follows:-

• Must be a registered company with Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia (SSM).
• Company must be established for at least 3 years.
• At least 2 years of experience in handling international trade shows.
• Experience in designing and constructing custom-made booths in at least 6 projects for international trade shows.
• Not suspended from participating in the booth construction and design tenders by MREPC.

Interested companies will need to provide the necessary supporting documents including an UPDATED company's profile and portfolio to fulfil the above requirements to Ms Sheen at sheen@mrepc.com by 12.00 noon, 23 March 2020 (Monday). The information submitted by the companies will be verified by MREPC and a notification will be sent to the prequalified booth contractors/companies. The prequalified booth contractor will receive a tender document via email on 2 April 2020, Thursday.

MREPC's participation in the 45th edition of Arab Health which was held from 27 - 30 January 2020 at the Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai, UAE turned out to be very successful. The newly located MREPC Malaysia Pavilion at Hall 7 which housed 12 Malaysian rubber product companies as co-exhibitors received high number of visitors of more than 3,000 people throughout the event. MREPC also facilitated more than 100 business matching sessions between the potential buyers and Malaysian rubber medical device companies. MREPC embarked on new on-site promotional platforms which included prominent advertisements at the main entrances and huge grid banners on the outside of main exhibition hall that proved to be impactful in branding Malaysia as the source of quality rubber medical devices and garnering more footfall to the MREPC Malaysia Pavilion. MREPC also recorded its highest ever trade leads received which was over 400 enquiries compared to the previous editions. Rubber medical glove was the most sought after products, followed by catheters, condoms and other rubber medical devices. Majority of the enquiries were from the Middle East, Africa and South Asian countries. MREPC was also honoured to receive the visit of Ambassador of Malaysia to the UAE, His Excellency Mohd Tarid Bin Sufian. For the first time, MREPC organized a Chinese New Year's Celebration Dinner which was attended by the Malaysian exhibitors and government agencies in Dubai. The show's next edition will be held from 1 - 4 February 2021 which will also coincide with the World Expo 2020 Dubai.

Chinese New Year Celebration Dinner with Malaysian participants and agencies in Dubai

The Malaysian Rubber Export Promotion Council (MREPC), Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association (MARGMA) and Malaysian rubber glove manufacturers have collaborated and pledged to donate 18 million pieces of medical gloves to Wuhan, China to assist in the fight against the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) epidemic. The initiative was announced by the Minister of Primary Industries, YB Teresa Kok during a press conference which was held on Friday, 31 January 2020 at the Ministry of Primary Industries. During the event, YB Minister together with the Malaysian rubber glove manufacturers symbolically handed over medical gloves to His Excellency Bai Tian, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Malaysia. The glove companies that came forward to support the humanitarian drive are Smart Glove, Top Glove, Hartalega, Supermax, Kossan, YTY, Brightway, Koon Seng and Careplus while MREPC is also contributing 2.12 million pieces of gloves. The medical gloves, both natural rubber and nitrile, will be sent to China in batches at the soonest.

YB Minister of Primary Industries together with His Excellency Bai Tian (right) and Mr Ravi Muthayah (left), Secretary General of the Ministry of Primary Industries during the press conference

For 45 years Arab Health has prided itself as the leading healthcare business platform in the Middle East and North African (MENA) region. This year, Arab Health will be taking place from 27 - 30 January 2020 at Dubai World Trade Center. The event is expected to welcome over 4,000 exhibiting companies, 37 country pavilions and 55,000 attendees from 159 countries. MREPC continues its effort in promoting Malaysia as the source of quality rubber medical devices by having its largest pavilion to date that hosts 12 Malaysian rubber product manufacturers and exporters. The MREPC Malaysia Pavilion, which is located in the main hall, is an ideal sourcing place for high quality Made in Malaysia rubber medical devices such as medical gloves, condoms and Foley catheters. Come and visit MREPC Malaysia Pavilion at Hall 7, Booth H7.A30 for a wide range of high quality rubber medical devices from Malaysia at Arab Health 2020!

MREPC, together with a Malaysian manufacturer will be participating in the 9th International Conference on Building Resilience in Bali, Indonesia from 13 – 15 January 2020. The conference’s theme is “Investing in Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation for Building Resilient Cities” and it will bring together the full diversity of the science community, policy makers, practitioners and researchers globally. This year’s event is organised by Institute Technology of Bandung (ITB) and the Global Resilience Centre at the University of Huddersfield (UK) in association with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). MREPC will be using this platform to increase awareness on Made-in-Malaysia engineering rubber products among the engineering experts from Indonesia and other countries attending this international conference. Come and visit MREPC Umbrella-concept booth at Booth# S2 and S3 to find out more information about High-Damping Natural Rubber Bearings and other quality engineered rubber products from Malaysia!