TDM Bhd said that the group is shifting into higher gears to capitalise on favourable macro trends in both plantations and healthcare industries, its chairman Raja Dato’ Idris Raja Kamarudin said
.”To date, we have already made promising progress on our strategic expansion plans and efforts to unlock value from existing assets.” he said
The Group has benefitted from the sharp rise in crude palm oil (“CPO”) average selling prices which increased from RM2,822 per metric tonne (“MT”) in 2020 to RM4,447 per MT in 2021. In the first quarter of 2022, CPO average selling prices surged even further to RM5,904 per MT.
“We are also working closely with the respective parties to conclude the proposed disposal of our two Indonesian subsidiaries which have been loss-making since their first year of production and acquisition.
This is a positive move as the disposal will raise RM115.0 million in cash, reduce borrowings and improve capital requirements. Instead of sustaining loss-making operations, we will be able to allocate resources to strengthen our Malaysian businesses which are generating positive returns.” the chairman said
He added, “In our healthcare segment, the global pandemic and an ageing population in Malaysia have increased the need for healthcare services in the country. As such, we plan to extend our coverage with both brownfield and greenfield expansions. We recently completed the acquisition of Tawau Specialist Hospital (“TSH”), now known as KMI Tawau Medical Centre (“KMI Tawau”) following the Group’s post-acquisition plan, under such strategy.”
“On the execution of greenfield expansions, the Group is working towards providing a network of multidisciplinary specialist hospitals to serve more communities across the East Coast of Malaysia. Our current ventures entail the construction of the first specialist hospital with a capacity of 100 beds on a 5.4-acre land in Kemaman, Terengganu, which is expected to begin next year, and another private hospital with a capacity of 94 beds on a 9.56-acre land in Bandar Baru Tunjong, Kota Bharu, Kelantan.”
“The establishment of Ambulatory Care Centres (“ACC”) at strategic locations along the East Coast of Malaysia is currently ongoing and progressing as planned. On top of these expansion efforts, we are also exploring potential collaborations with other leading hospitals to set up new Centres of Excellence (“COE”).”
In the financial year ended 31 December 2021 (“FY2021”), earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (“EBITDA”) for the plantation division jumped by 96.5% to RM176.5 million while the healthcare segment reported an 80.2% increase in EBITDA to RM23.6 million.
