KUALA LUMPUR (March 27): The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) is pushing for more local content to be used in railway projects such as the High Speed Rail (HSR), the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), the East Coast Railway Line (ECRL) and the Light Rail Transit (LRT), to reduce reliance on imported goods and services.

MIDA deputy chief executive officer II, Arham Abd Rahman, said the agency will be hosting the first-ever National Supply Chain Conference that is focused specifically on the railway industry, to showcase opportunities for local outfits to be a part of the supply chain of the bigger industry players in Malaysia.

“This event will be mostly catering to the local players, showcasing the opportunities for them to be part of the supply chain of Malaysian railway owners like MyHSR Corp Sdn Bhd and MRT Corp Sdn Bhd,” Arham said.

The conference will not only be showcasing specific projects as MIDA also intends to look for players that can support the entire railway ecosystem, from the coaches to the signalling and communications systems.

There has to be a push to encourage local players to participate, as a significant amount of input for railway projects has been imported, Arham added.

“One of the main intentions is to push for more local content in our railway projects, getting local companies to supply their services and components which will also reduce our current deficit. I don’t have the statistics on hand, but we do import a lot.

“This is always our aspiration — to have more local content when we develop any particular project,” he said.

There is a local consortium of companies involved in the railway industry — Malaysia Rail Industry Corp (MARIC) — comprising over 30 players, with a significant number of them specialising in IT and electronic communications, Arham pointed out.

The National Supply Chain Conference on Rail Projects will be held on April 11 at the Putra World Trade Centre. The event will see the attendance of corporate leaders from Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD), Prasarana Malaysia Bhd, Malaysian Rail Link Sdn Bhd, MRT Corp and MyHSR Corp.

MIDA will also be hosting a career fair for job seekers on April 11 and 12 at the same venue, showcasing about 20,000 vacancies by 100 companies, including government-linked companies, as well as manufacturing and services companies from various industries.

“Local companies will get to explore business opportunities with rail project owners of project delivery partners, through the one-on-one business matching sessions at the Supply Chain Conference.

“Likewise, the career fair will provide the opportunity for job seekers and participating companies to connect and gain employment available in the market,” Arham added.