- The full battery ecosystem is starting to take the picture in the northern states of Malaysia.
- KLIA Aerotrain will start to operate by the end of January 2025 *fingers crossed*.
- China is the lansi of the world, at least in the chipmaking sphere.
IN Malaysia
Winter Battery Ecosystem is Coming from the North
China-based battery maker, Zhuhai CosMX Battery Co Ltd will invest RM1 bil to build a manufacturing plant at the Kulim East Industrial Park, Kedah. The construction of the factory will be done in phases with the groundbreaking work to commence in 4Q2024. According to the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida), the project is set to create over 1,000 jobs.
Source: https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/724916
This is not the first battery deal inked in the west coast and northern region of Peninsular Malaysia. While Johor is known as the land of data centres, we can start to call the North as the kingdom of battery production. Below are some of the deals inked this year –
- United States-based battery manufacturer, Enovix Corporation, which just launched its first high-volume battery manufacturing facility (Fab2) in Penang, intends to invest an additional RM5.8 bil more in the country for the next 15 years. Enovix COO Ajay Marathe said that the country’s deep pool of technical talent, business-friendly environment and geographical location make it the ideal place to set up a battery production shop.
- Another China-based battery maker, Gotion High-Tech Co Ltd (Gotion) has plans to set up a battery assembly plant in Malaysia, where the battery cells will be coming from China. At the moment, Gotion has battery assembly plants in Indonesia and Thailand and a battery cell factory in Vietnam.
Not just new battery factories, but companies also rushing into the North to complete the battery ecosystem. Econili Battery New Energy has opened its new Integrated Critical Metals Recovery Plant in Perak. The company stated that the new plant will not only serve the Malaysian market but also revolutionise lithium-ion battery recycling for Europe.
The development of the battery ecosystem is timely as both local car manufacturers, Proton and Perodua will roll out their own electric vehicle (EV) soon. As for Proton, although the recently launched Proton e.MAS7 will be fully imported CBU units at first, but the locally assembled CKD version will begin production towards the end of 2025.
Choo choo news
- The days of using the bus to shuttle to the satellite building of KLIA 1 may be over as Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that the aerotrain is expected to resume operations by Jan 31, 2025. Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) has received two out of three train sets from French train maker Alstrom and currently both sets undergoing a 4-month testing. The plan is to ensure two train sets run concurrently while the third set remains as a backup.
- The dormant MRT3 Project, which is the proposed metro circle line in Klang Valley, is alive again after Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) announced a revised public display for MRT 3, running for three months from Sept 2 to Dec 2. Despite the announcement of the public display, no timeline for the project is given. According to CGS International, the MRT3 Project may be included in Budget 2025, but rumours from the grapevine indicated that KL-SG High-Speed Rail (HSR) may trump MRT3, in terms of priority.
PM Anwar to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin
In another surprising move by PM Anwar Ibrahim, PMX will take part in the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) that will be held at Vladivostok, where PM Anwar is poised to meet President Vladimir Putin at the forum’s sideline. According to Russia’s Roscongress Foundation, the topic of conversation between the two leaders will be on economic cooperation, emphasising the independent position of Malaysia. Malaysia’s trade figures with Russia are rather small, with bilateral trade between both nations valued at RM12.8 bil in 2019, representing about 2.5% of the bilateral trade value of Malaysia with our largest trading partner, China. However, Russia is still an important market and the current chairman of BRICS. Plus, recently, Russia-based retailer, Svetofor Group is planning to make its entry into Malaysia, possibly its first Southeast Asian destination.
Source: https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/725192
Around the S.E.A.
China preparing to show the middle finger to Japan
China has warned Japan not to restrict sales and servicing of chipmaking equipment to Chinese firms, threatening a trade war between both East Asia countries. Recently, Japan began restricting exports of 23 types of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, aligning its technology trade controls with a US push to curb China’s ability to make advanced chips in July.
Why the US and its allies are scared of China? Despite the US’s best efforts to handicap China’s chipmaking abilities, according to Tokyo-based TechanaLye, China is only three years behind industry leader Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC). Generally, the smaller the nanometer size, the higher the performance and the smaller the chip. At the moment, China is able to commercially produce 7-nanometer (nm) chips while TSMC is developing the next generation 1.6-nm chips by 2026. Knowing the capabilities of China, it will just be a matter of time before the country surpasses TSMC’s level.
Algeria to join the BRICS Bank
Algeria has been accepted to be a member of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB), the financial arm of the BRICS Group. NDB aimed to provide alternative financing for countries, apart from the Western-backed international financial institutions like the World Bank and IMF. At the moment, NDB’s members consist of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Bangladesh, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Algeria. Perhaps, Malaysia will be the first SEA country to join NDB?Source: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/business/2024/09/01/algeria-joins-brics-new-development-bank/
For your EYES only
While people were amazed at the Merdeka Day Parade at Putrajaya, in which 17,000 took part in the march, there is no lack of creativity in other Merdeka Day parades held across the country. If there is a prize for the most creative Merdeka Day parade, we will hand it to the ones in Kuala Lipis, Pahang.
This is the last one we promise. Part 4 – buruh, nelayan dan juga petani~ tenenene~ pic.twitter.com/U0ozRN1h2D
— BFM89.9 (@BFMradio) September 2, 2024
