PR1MA Corporation Malaysia is banking on the Industrialised Building System (IBS) technology, which can lower construction costs while boosting building speed and quality to construct more affordable homes in the country.
The PR1MA agency, under the Ministry of Local Government Development, has been tasked with constructing 100,000 affordable housing units while raising homeownership in accordance with the 12th Malaysia Plan,
It has so far accomplished 70 projects totaling 60,295 units, of which 33,000 have already been completed, 16,445 are under construction, and 10,550 are still in the planning stages.
PR1MA recently inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with SANY Construction Industry Development (M) Sdn Bhd (SCID), a subsidiary of the China-based SANY Group, in order to work together on the IBS development.
This latest MOU is an extension of the previous MOU signed by PR1MA and SCID in March 2022, which aims to construct IBS factories in strategic locations with a potential investment into Malaysia worth up to RM75 million.
SANY Group is the world's second-largest machinery manufacturer. It has a presence in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia with ongoing housing projects.
The chairman of PR1MA, Datuk Azrulnizam Abdul Aziz, ssaid that this partnership will help the agency increase the building of affordable housing to satisfy demand from Malaysian homebuyers.
The strengthened partnership between PR1MA and SCID is intended to fast-track the delivery of 12,000 affordable homes through the PR1MA Mini Township strategic thrust.
PR1MA has identified four locations for the PR1MA Mini Township projects which are Teluk Intan, Perak; Simpang Pulai, Perak; Teluk Kumbar, Pulau Pinang; and Ayer Panas, Melaka.
Under the latest collaboration, SCID will build a teaching IBS factory to produce precast building components for use at nearby PR1MA projects.