KUALA LUMPUR: The Works Ministry supports Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) initiation of IBS vendor development programme to resolve issues such as mismatch of construction joints, standardisation of components size and economies of scale.
"We support CIDB in trying out the IBS vendor development programme next year," said Works Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Zohari Akob.
"This programme will take an integrated approach to help resolve existing issues such as mismatches in slab and column joints and differing standards in doors and windows," he said.
Industrialised Building System (IBS) is not new in Malaysia as it was introduced in the 1990s.
IBS is a construction method where components such as the wall, slab, beam, column and staircase are mass produced in the factories and then brought to the construction site where they are installed insitu.
"We hope, with a more integrated approach, the industry would be able to reap the intended benefits, such as a shorter time-frame to completion, enhanced quality of work, mitigating impact to the natural environment, hence, resulting in a more cost-efficient construction sector,” Zohari said.
He was speaking to reporters at the memorandum of understanding signing ceremony between CIDB IBS Sdn Bhd and SANY Construction Industry Development (M) Sdn Bhd here today.
Among those at the event were SANY Group Co Ltd co-founder and senior vice president Mao Zhong Wu, CIDB IBS deputy chairman Datuk Elias Ismail, CIDB IBS chief executive officer Rozaiman Hassan, SANY Construction managing director Wang Zen Yi and SANY Construction executive director Chang Bar Kuei.
CIDB chief executive Datuk Ahmad Asri Abdul Hamid said as at last month, CIDB IBS had trained and upgraded the knowledge of 3,684 workers, 7,496 contractors and 4,053 professionals in IBS technology.
Following this collaboration with Sany Construction, Asri said CIDB expected 10 per cent more construction personnel being trained in IBS.
SANY's Mao said his company from China was committed in its investment in Malaysia. In the last three years, his team had set up three IBS factories in Terengganu, Selangor and Negri Sembilan.
SANY Construction's Chang said it planned to set up more IBS factories, most probably in Sabah and Sarawak.