KUALA LUMPUR: Komarkcorp Bhd, through subsidiary Komark Mask (M) Sdn Bhd, has today received full FDA and CE certification for its suite of medical masks that are 100 per cent manufactured locally in its flagship factory in Balakong.
This allowed the company to export the products, Komarkcorp said in a statement today.
"Medically certified masks are in massive demand due to the worldwide Covid 19 pandemic reaching a global infection toll of 114 million individuals at the time of writing, which started almost a year ago,' it added.
Komarkcorp said the demand for affordable and certified medical grade masks had seen a constant and steady rise over the past 12 months, as more and more individuals rely on the standard three-ply medical mask as the first line of defence against contracting Covid-19.
The company has mobilised 11 separate mask manufacturing lines and is on track to install a further 15 lines by April 2021.
This will bring its current annual capacity of 180 million pieces to 420 million pieces per year of various types of masks, including three ply masks, KN 95 masks and its own Hybrid Dove Plus masks.
Komarkcorp's own brand, Dove Mask, has seen wide consumption locally in the past three months, it added.
In conjunction with being awarded FDA and CE certification, the company has inked its maiden export order to Europe.
In signing the deal with Robayu, a Polish-based medical products trader for the European markets, Komarkcorp said it had secured a US$2 million total contract for one million pieces of masks per month, for an initial three years.
"Subject to demand, Robayu has indicated the order to raise up to four million pieces a month. In addition to the maiden export order, with full certifications in place, Komark will begin immediately to engage its overseas silos in Komark Thailand and Komark Indonesia to tap into immediate regional markets," Komorkcorp chief executive officer Koh Chie Jooi said.
"While export markets remain our focus, as our medical grade masks are now fully certified to be the highest quality, we are seeing huge local OEM demand for masks," Koh added.
He said it was running at maximum capacity at the moment.
"We have forward sold production for OEM orders well into the calendar year, with enquiries still coming in. Our synergy of combining the printing and packaging business with the mask's division has seen us tap into an exciting segment of customised OEM masks."
Komarkcorp expects the demand to continue to be steady and cites the example of previous pandemic scares.
"During the outbreak of SARS in Hong Kong and Japan in 2003, masks became the natural choice for protecting oneself. Post levelling out of the infections, people continued to use masks in their daily routine in these countries. Only now the effect is magnified to include the world," Koh said.
Komarkcorp is also exploring a personal protective equipment segment.