With having a potential to become a key strategic player in the global glove industry evident during the Covid-19 pandemic whereby Malaysian made gloves occupying 60 percent of demand, the World Gloves International Group City & Development Hub (WGC) has announced an initial investment of RM100 million to construct a glove manufacturing plant in the country.
This comes as part of its future plans to develop the World Gloves City, this latest developmemnt will include a glove manufacturing hub that will house its own value chain ecosystem that will see production by 2025. The plant, located near Kuantan, will manufacture nitrile, latex and vinyl gloves to the global markets and strengthen Malaysia’s position as the largest glove supplier to the world, which currently already accounts for 60 per cent of global exports.
Joining the initiative will be the Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii) making the agency a technology partner to the project and Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Pahang (PKNP) to enable the kick start of the development of the first phase of the World Glove City.
The MoA between MARii and WGC was signed by Dato’ Ts. Madani Sahari, CEO of MARii (witnessed by Chairman of MARii, Datuk Phang Ah Tong) and Dato Gianluca Ernesti, CEO of WGC (witnessed by Tan Sri Syed Mohd Yusof, Chairman of WGC).
This venture is made possible through the public-private partnership of WGC and MITI, MARii and MIDA as collaborating bodies, as well as federal and state level co-operation to initiate a project of such benefit to the industry and Malaysian economy.
The World Gloves City is slated to be a complete ecosystem for the entire value chain of gloves and PPE products, and encompasses the development of a fully-fledged digital and smart city, capable of meeting future global through its smart framework that includes infrastructure, mobility, governance, technology, smart living and commerce.
“This project will see the use of advanced technology within the manufacturing of gloves to meet future global demands, and also transcend into smart living and intelligent commerce”, said MARii CEO, Dato Madani Sahari.
More than half of the area will consist of the industrial park – with 750 plants equipped with clean rooms, chemistry labs, packaging and warehousing. The plants will utilise smart manufacturing applications, manufacturing execution system, intelligent robotics, engineering simulations, big data analytics and IoT systems throughout the manufacturing processes.
In order to support the large-scale manufacturing, the city will house facilities such as supplier factory lots, ports, a power plant, R&D centers, education and training institutions, warehousing, residential areas, recreational areas, etc – to cater for a population of 600,000 by the time the city is fully developed.
“This collaboration opens doors for more businesses and expertise in the field of medical equipment, and widens the applications of smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0 in this sector to remain sustainable and competitive”, Dato’ Madani added.
Apart from the industrial park, the World Glove City will also feature a mixed residential development, that will include housing and condominium for the community, a shopping mall, gardens, parks and a golf course.
