GEORGE TOWN (Jan 6): Pharmaniaga Logistics Sdn Bhd (PLSB), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia’s leading pharmaceutical company Pharmaniaga Bhd, has officially opened its new distribution centre in Penang. 

In a statement, Pharmaniaga group managing director Datuk Zulkarnain Md Eusope said this new centre is targeted to increase the group’s distribution capacity coverage, buffer the stock readiness, as well as cater to the increasing demand from Peninsular Malaysia’s northern region clientele, especially among health ministry facilities in Perlis, Kedah, Penang and Perak.

Located in Phase 4 of the Prai Industrial Zone in Penang, the new distribution centre is also part of PLSB’s management office relocation, as well as warehouse expansion, which has been initiated since April 2021.

“We target to increase our current distribution capacity significantly, which is in line with our business growth, while improving PLSB’s existing logistics services level and fulfilling customers’ orders in a timely manner across the northern region of the peninsula.

“The new distribution centre boasts a total of 3,500 pallets of warehouse space for controlled medicines and medical devices,” Zulkarnain said.

He said PLSB is currently adopting the Oracle Transport Management System (OTM) to manoeuvre the group’s logistics services, which is also part of its strategic growth towards automation and digitalisation for continuous improvement in its operations.

Moving forward, Zulkarnain said the group intends to increase storage capacity to cater to the demand from more private hospitals and clinics, in addition to the government’s healthcare facilities in the peninsula’s northern region.

“Currently, we are in the midst of conducting a feasibility study to develop our own warehouse in Sungai Petani, Kedah, with a higher capacity to cater to the current and future business expansion needs.

“With this new expansion, our northern region distribution centre capacity for 2021 has significantly increased to 180% compared to 2020. For 2022, the growth has risen by 32% compared to 2021, and 270% compared to 2020,” he said. 

To date, the group has five distribution centres strategically located throughout the country, in Selangor, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak, with a fleet size of more than 200 transporters that deliver via air, water and land.

On the international front, Zulkarnain said that the group has established its footprint in Indonesia via PT Millennium Pharmacon International Tbk (MPI), the public-listed logistics and distribution arm in Jakarta.