Perbadanan Pembangunan Perdagangan Luar Malaysia

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2017, KUALA LUMPUR: The National Export Council (NEC) in its third meeting for 2017 held today recognised the importance of furniture industry to Malaysia’s economy. It is expected that by 2020, the industry will generate RM12 billion in revenue, with employment opportunities of around 240,000 and is set to continue contributing to the nation’s exports earning.

Currently, Malaysia stands as the eighth largest furniture exporter globally. By 2020, the industry aims to be the world’s seventh top furniture exporter and this is in line with the National Timber Industry Policy (NATIP).

Members of the NEC, chaired by Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak, have agreed that the furniture industry can be further elevated through enhancement in product innovation and creation of high-value segments, adoption of smart and sustainable manufacturing, usage of new materials, and establishment of furniture hub in the country. Both the Government and private sector are making efforts to move up the value chain from being Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to Original Design Manufacturer (ODM).

In 2016, 80% of Malaysia’s furniture exports are wooden furniture, valued at RM7.6 billion. The top three export markets, representing more than 50% share, are developed countries notably the US (valued at RM2.60 billion with 35% of export share), the EU (RM840 million, 11% share) and Japan (RM696 million, 9% share).

At the meeting, the NEC also discussed issues and the way forward to accelerate Malaysia’s petrochemical exports. Petrochemical is a significant sector as it is used in many industries such as agriculture, construction, automotive and electronics, among many others. In 2016, trade of petrochemicals increased by 6.4% to RM54.77 billion with exports at RM25.81 billion. The major export markets include China (valued at RM6.78 billion and 26.3% export share), Indonesia (RM3.30 billion, 12.8% share) and Thailand (RM1.99 billion, 7.7% share). By 2020, the sector export is forecasted to grow by 16% with a value of RM36.58 billion. Growth is supported by increased capacity, thanks to the Pengerang Integrated Petrochemical Complex (PIPC) that will position Malaysia as the largest producer of petrochemicals in ASEAN. The PIPC is poised to generate Gross National Income of RM8.90 billion by 2020, create 4,600 new jobs, attract RM129 billion of private investment and RM2.5 billion of public investment.

The meeting was also updated on the progress of Electrical & Electronics (E&E) industry. E&E industry assumes a crucial role in driving the Malaysian economy and contributed 44.6% to the country’s total manufacturing exports in 2016. This industry has created more than 780,000 jobs until 2016 and contributed 27.4% to Malaysia’s Gross Domestic Product in 2016. NEC acknowledged the prominent role of E&E Multinational Companies in Malaysia in developing local companies to be part of their global value chain. Key areas within the industry namely semiconductor, solar and LED will be further promoted to support the demand for smart devices, digitisation and Internet of Things (IoT).

The NEC was established in December 2014 and meets four times a year. It is tasked with formulating strategies to drive Malaysia’s exports and to advance Malaysia’s exports ecosystem to be accommodative to the development of local industries.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017, KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with in the world’s video games and animation industry and to strengthen this position, Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) is spearheading a mission to Japan in conjunction with Tokyo Game Show 2017 in Chiba, Japan from 19 till 24 September 2017.

The Export Acceleration Mission (EAM) on Games Related Product and Services to Japan, is one of MATRADE’s initiatives to promote Malaysian game industry in Japan through partnership, collaboration and joint-venture. Fourteen Malaysian companies are taking part in this event and they are Gamehubs, Givemesix, Glow Production, Valkyrie Creative Solutions, Illusionist Production, Inspidea, Lemon Sky Animation, Magnus Games Studio, Mediasoft Entertainment, MOL Accessportal, Passion Republic, Soundtrec, Streamline Studios and Studio Kamii. The EAM is also organised in collaboration with Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).

Tokyo Game Show is one of the most important events in video game industry and has proven to be a platform of choice for top Japan digital entertainment corporations such as Bandai and Sony to launch their latest products. Last year, MATRADE had led a similar mission to the event participated by 16 Malaysian companies. The participation in 2016 had generated RM81.3 million in sales.

Apart from Malaysia, other countries featured at the event are Taiwan, India and Indonesia. During the 6-day mission, MATRADE will be coordinating a series of pre-arranged business meetings for Malaysian companies with potential partners and collaborators from Japan. The companies will also be attending a business meeting with members of the Japanese Online Game Association (JOGA) and will be visiting Marvelous Inc. - one of Japan’s top independent digital content companies. To add value to the mission, Malaysian companies will be taking part in seminars on Japan's digital content industry as well as attending a networking session with Japan’s industry players.

The potential of the video games industry is immense. Based on the Global Games Market Report released by Newzoo, 2.2 billion gamers across the globe are expected to generate USD108.9 billion in games revenue this year, which is an increase of 7.8% from 2016. Revenues from games that are being digitally downloaded accounts for 87% of the global video game market valued at USD94.4 billion. This reflects opportunities for Malaysian companies to supply their services to the world. The video games segment is also one of the sectors within the creative industry, which is recognised as a key industry to drive the exports of Malaysian services by the National Export Council, chaired by Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak.

According to MATRADE’s Trade Commissioner in Japan, Mr Shah Nizam Ahmad, “From our participation in Tokyo Game Show last year, some of the Malaysian participants have managed to secure agreements with Japan’s major digital entertainment corporations. We can’t disclosed the details of this agreements due to the Non-Disclosure Agreement they had signed. MATRADE thinks it is important for Malaysia to continue to be present at the event so the local companies can capture more market shares and this will help position Malaysia as a regional leader in the video game industry.”

Last year, Malaysian digital content industry recorded a revenue of RM7.6 billion where RM1.17 billion came from export, mainly on the outsourcing of video game and animation development. Malaysia’s domination in the Southeast Asia video games industry is further defined when some of the best-selling and well-known video game titles in recent years such as Final Fantasy XV, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Bloodborne and Street Fighter 5 were partially developed by local game companies in Kuala Lumpur.

“Thanks to the strong support from the Government, Malaysian companies such as Lemon Sky Animation and Passion Republic have been recognised as one of the top game outsourcing developers. The promotion of the local companies has also in turn made Malaysia a hub for the world’s game development where Malaysian studios are chosen as a base for international companies,” said Mohd Shah Nizam. Two examples of such companies are Streamline Studios, founded in Netherlands that has relocated to Kuala Lumpur (now their global headquarter) and Codemasters, one of United Kingdom’s largest games companies.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2017, KUALA LUMPUR: In an effort to increase local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) awareness in export, Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) and Yayasan Amal Maaruf Malaysia (YAAM) joined forces to organise a seminar titled "Exploring International Markets with MATRADE”. The initiative is targeted at addressing their fear to venture overseas by providing insights on exporting.

The seminar offered a platform for the companies to gain insights on market opportunities in global markets particularly in East Asia, ASEAN, Middle East and Africa. The seminar was graced by YB Datuk Ahmad Maslan, Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry, Puan Sharimahton Mat Saleh, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of MATRADE and Tuan Haji Hamsan Omar, President of YAMM.

The event, which took place at Menara MATRADE has gathered 150 participants who are business owners including Bumiputera-owned companies who are keen to start their export venture. Apart from the market opportunities, the companies were given a briefing on the various export promotion and capacity building programmes by MATRADE. The event also featured a briefing on collaboration opportunities with TPM Biotech Sdn Bhd and the introduction of Lesung.my by Food Fiesta (M) Sdn Bhd – a website to promote Malaysian food products.

Currently, SMEs constitute more than 98.5% of businesses registered in Malaysia, however their contribution to Malaysian exports was a mere 18.6 per cent. In the SME Masterplan, the Government hopes to increase this figure to 23 per cent by 2020.

According to Pn. Sharimahton, SMEs are the backbone of the Malaysian economy as they account for 36.6 per cent of Malaysia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 65.3 per cent of the total workforce. “In moving the nation towards a developed nation status, it is crucial for local SMEs to look beyond Malaysia in expanding their business. Malaysia has a market size of only 33 million people whereas if they were to go into ASEAN or China, they could tap into a market size of 630 million people and 1.4 billion people respectively.”

She added that there are many research and experts citing that the biggest hindrance for SMEs in kickstarting their export is fear. Hence, the awareness programmes such as the seminar held with YAMM is required in ensuring the SMEs who are reluctant to venture into global trade will get better clarity in what exporting is all about and the immense potential it has for them.

In the latest statistics, Malaysia’s total trade surpassed the one trillion mark in January-July 2017, with a value of RM1.008 trillion, expanding by 22.7 per cent from the corresponding period in 2016. This was the fastest period trade breached the one trillion mark, two months earlier than the normal trend.

The expansion was supported mainly by trade with ASEAN, China, the United States of America, the European Union, Japan, India and Taiwan. Exports increased by 22.3 per cent to RM529.68 billion while imports rose by 23 per cent to RM478.71 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of RM50.97 billion.

Exports in July 2017 maintained a steady growth, recording a value of RM78.62 billion, rising by 30.9 per cent compared with a year ago. Exports posted a stronger year-on-year growth than imports for the third straight month. Imports were higher by 21.8 per cent to record RM70.59 billion and total trade has expanded by 26.4 per cent to RM149.21 billion. July’s trade surplus of RM8.03 billion marked the 237th consecutive month of trade surplus for Malaysia since November 1997.

MATRADE as an agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, organises various capacity building programmes and export promotion activities locally and internationally for Malaysian companies. It has 47 international offices around the world and functions as a link to global business for local players.

MONDAY, 18 SEPTEMBER 2017, KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) urges Malaysian private label manufacturers to leverage on the growth of private labels and store brands in India by exporting to the country that has a population of 1.2 billion people, also known as the world’s second largest population. With a growth of between 5% and 8% in the private label industry, the demand for international private labels, especially for fast-moving consumer goods, is booming in India.

Among the factors that contribute to the increasing demand for private labels in India include the improved quality of private label products in the market, resulted in a more affluent consumers in India. According to MATRADE’s market report produced by its trade office in Chennai, India is one of the fastest growing consumer markets in the world and its retail system is becoming ever more organised, indicating a good prospect in strengthening Malaysian manufacturers footprint there.

Currently, the share of private labels in India is around 10% and by 2025 the industry is forecast to have a market share of around 15% of India’s total retail segment. Among the private label sectors in Malaysia that can dominate the Indian market are the food sector, non-food category such as cosmetics, health & beauty, toiletries, auto care products, household cleaners, personal care and fabric care.

Some of the private label goods in India manufactured by Malaysian companies are diapers, surgical gloves, food products, hair styling and beauty products as well as baby care products. Malaysian manufacturers of private label who are keen to explore the Indian market are encouraged to contact MATRADE offices in Chennai or Mumbai by emailing to Alamat emel ini dilindungi dari Spambot. Anda perlu hidupkan JavaScript untuk melihatnya. or Alamat emel ini dilindungi dari Spambot. Anda perlu hidupkan JavaScript untuk melihatnya..

During the period of January to July 2017, Malaysia’s total trade with India recorded a double-digit growth of 37.1% to RM35.44 billion, compared with the same corresponding period in 2016. Malaysia’s export to India rose by 17.4%, amounted to RM20.49 billion, mainly consisting of electrical & electronic products, palm oil & palm-based agriculture products, crude petroleum, manufacturers of metal and chemical & chemical products. In 2016, India was also ranked as Malaysia’s 10th trading partner globally and 9th in Asia.