When can we see a Bumiputera rubber glove company?

By Zaidi Isham Ismail

Mah Sing group is known to be one of Malaysia's top property players.

Thus when it announced its plans last week to start making rubber gloves, it sort of turned heads.

This is because the two business activities - property and rubber gloves are a trillion miles apart.

Plus, it's not everyday that a highly established property firm like Mah Sing make a major business announcement that it will make a foray in rubber gloves manufacturing.

But the situation is understandable. COVID-19 has forced its hand and the world's business landscape is changing.

The company along with other firms were very fast to adapt to the changing times.

These concerns realize that COVID-19 is here to stay and that they should take quick advantage of the situation.

Companies such as Mah Sing realise that the boom for rubber gloves is not expected to abate anytime soon.

Most medical experts predict that a vaccine for COVID-19 will only be found as early as next year.

Even with the discovery of a vaccine, the demand for rubber gloves will not diminish.

Rubber gloves will always be in fashion post COVID-19 be it in the medical, industrial, office and household world.

Granted that the rubber glove business might be alien to some Bumiputera company.

But it was unfamiliar territory for many non-Bumiputera firms too such as Mah Sing and IT firm MQ Technology and so many others.

A lot of the non-Bumiputera firms opted to work together with other research organisations on how to set up a rubber glove manufacturing facility.

A lot of research and investment will be needed but in the end it will all be worth it.

At a time such as this, necessity is the mother of all inventions and Bumiputera firms have to reinvent themselves.

Government-linked companies (GLCs) especially should lead the way as they have the technical and financial muscle to diversify.

These Bumiputera firms need not mass produce sophisticated crude oil-based nitrile gloves.

All the world needs right now are simple latex-based gloves.

Perhaps Sime Darby, Tabung Haji and other GLCs should take stock of the situation and realign their battle plans.

After all, COVID-19 is expected to be with us for quite some time possibly by 2022.

The COVID-19 pandemic is not expected to go away soon and until then, demand for rubber gloves will be enormous.

Even when the vaccine is found, demand for rubber gloves will not abate as medical professionals still need to wear rubber gloves.

It is time for Bumiputera companies think out of the box and weasel out of their comfort zones.

And all this begets one question..where are all the Bumiputera companies?

Can we see the establishment of a full-fledged Bumiputera rubber glove company anytime soon?

And to the GLCs, what are you waiting for?  -  DagangNews.com

The writer is former NST Business assistant editor