KUALA LUMPUR: Solarvest Holding Bhd (SHB) did not rule out the possibility of bidding sizeable solar energy projects in East Malaysia should such opportunities arises in the near future.
Group chief executive officer Davis Chong said while the key focus for the company remains in Peninsular Malaysia, the company will explore and study the feasibility of the expansion in East Malaysia.
He however did not rule out the vast opportunities that are available in East Malaysia especially for solar related projects.
"Beyond that, we are growing our international presence with The Philippines being the first target market and followed by Taiwan.
"The overseas expansion plan is crucial in diversifying our portfolio in the long run. We are working with local energy players to fast-track our market penetration in the two countries and deployed our team there to kick start the project bidding activities," he told The New Straits Times.
SHB specialises in solar energy installation for residential, commercial and industrial solar panel system in Malaysia.
SHB partnered with Philippines-based Vivant Corporation, a renowned energy player and clinched 2 pilot projects from the company.
Currently, SHB is in discussion for more projects in Philippines with an aim to tap into Vivant's solar investment plans in Philippines (~1,000MW).
As for Taiwan, SHB has identified a local joint-venture (JV) partner and target to enter Taiwan by end of this year by bidding for feed-in tariff (FiT) rooftop projects.
"Our current orderbook stands at RM178.4 million as at June 2020. We are actively tendering for various projects across the residential, commercial and industrial (C&I) and large-scale solar (LSS) segments," he said.
SHB is also working with GSPARX Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) that focuses on green
retail generation business.
"We are collaborating with GSPARX to drive growth in the C&I segment via a special payment plan where we provide our potential customers the option to invest in solar without upfront costs.
"GSPARX on the other hand will invest in the solar photovoltaics (PV) systems and lease to the consumers," he said.
Davis said in Malaysia, the solar industry is still in its early phase, where awareness and benefits of green energy among the community is still relatively low.
"We are working hard to spread the awareness and actively work with various parties to fill the gaps," he said.
In August this year, SHB chose US-based Epicor Software Corporation latest version of enterprise resource planning solution called Epicor ERP to support business growth.
"We explored different options and decided on Epicor ERP for its expertise in engineering services, as well as its track record in this industry.
"Epicor ERP is highly customisable, allowing us to specify and adapt business processes quickly, which is imperative for our business to expand successfully," Davis said previously.
He said since embarking on its journey towards digital transformation in 2018, SHB have seen enhancement towards its project management capabilities as it allows to effectively manage more projects at the same time.
This is crucial for SHB when expanding business rapidly, and by using an effective ERP system, the company is able to handle more than 100 projects per year now.
"SHB face some significant challenges, specifically around visibility and efficiency.
"To help them meet these challenges we focus on delivering a solution that not only will address the specific requirements and challenges posed by its industry, but was also easy to deploy, operate, manage and upgrade," Epicor regional vice president for Asia Vincent Tang said.
"I am confident that Epicor ERP will continue to provide SHB with the flexible and scalable platform they need to continue to grow its business in the region," he said.
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