KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government is opening doors for both direct domestic investment (DDI) and foreign direct investment (FDI).
As such, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Joachim Gunsalam has expressed interest to see the Cape Town Group of Companies, which had its factory in Johor, consider setting up another cluster of factories in Sabah.
The state Industrial Development Ministry (MID) would look into the requirements and form a special task force to assist in the DDI, he said during a meeting with Cape Town Group chief executive officer Christina Tee.
Tee, who is also Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI) president, and its general committee members were in the state for a two-day visit recently.
Tee said the success in the manufacturing sector relied on the workforce and access to raw material, besides infrastructure, including utilities and internet.
Being export oriented, she said 100 per cent of the products were exported to the United states.
Tee said she had visited the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP) years ago to start up her fourth factory but this did not materialise due to lack of land size and infrastructure.
However, the proximity of Sabah to the Philippines is ideal for her business where products could be transhipped from the Philippines to the US.
She explained that any move would involve all 20 supporting industries and factory companies when a decision is made to locate another cluster of factories here in Kota Kinabalu.
It would require a workforce of between 10,000 and 12,000 people and a land size of at least 150 acres of land with good supply of utilities including internet and residential-accommodation for workers.