KUALA LUMPUR: Iconic Worldwide Bhd has completed its new RM200 million personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturing facility in Batu Kawan, Penang.
Iconic Worldwide said its subsidiary Iconic Medicare Sdn Bhd had obtained the Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC) on November 9.
Located on a parcel of land measuring 2.23 hectares in Batu Kawan Industrial Park, the facility is installing and commissioning glove and disposable medical face mask production lines.
"The lines are expected to yield a minimum production capacity of 3.3 billion pieces of gloves and 220 million pieces of medical face masks per annum," Iconic Worldwide said today.
At the initial stage, the company said it had started running four double former glove dipping lines, and plans to increase to six by the end of the year.
By the first quarter of 2022, a total of 12 double former glove dipping lines and 20 medical face mask production lines would be installed and commissioned, it said
Iconic Worldwide managing director Datuk Tan Kean Tet expects demand for PPE to be sustainable even after the Covid-19 pandemic due to the new norm and public awareness of the need for self-protection and hygienic practices.
Tan said although the average selling price of gloves had been dropping, raw material prices had also dropped by about 70 per cent.
Hence, the company is confident of maintaining the bottom net figures.
"Furthermore, the company will be exploring the possibility of producing nitrile butadiene rubber in Malaysia to address the market demand for the raw material," he said.
As for the company's gloves and medical face masks businesses, Tan noted that the product quality outcome had been very good so far.
The company has full confidence to move forward and expand even further.
"Iconic Medicare has diversified its medical face masks product range by producing new types of protective masks such as KF99 and KN99 respirators. These come with a 3D mask structure for better fit and double melt blown protection which improves the overall filtration performance.
"We are the first in Malaysia to produce copper oxide KF99 and KN99 masks that are able to kill the coronavirus as proven by lab testing," he said.
Medical face masks production is expected to contribute more significantly to the company in this financial year, whereas gloves production is only expected to contribute by the end of financial year 2022.
Meanwhile, Tan said Iconic Worldwide would continue to grow its property and tourism segments.
The company is also planning a new affordable housing project in Alma, Seberang Perai, Penang, which is expected to be launched in 2022.
"The affordable project entails 750 units of affordable homes and 16 units of shop lots with a gross development value of RM210 million," he added.