KILSTANT SEEKS TO EXPAND IN GULF REGION AFTER DUBAI PALACE CONTRACT WIN

By Kisho Kumari Sucedaram

PETALING JAYA, May 21 (Bernama) – Integrated end-to-end termite engineering and management service provider Kilstant Sdn Bhd aims to expand its footprint in the Gulf states of Dubai, Qatar and Bahrain after successfully completing its project in royal properties in Dubai recently.

Director B. Kanishen said the company, which specialises in reticulation system to manage and mitigate termite threats to buildings, is in the midst of completing its second project at Majlis Block in Dubai for United Arab Emirates Prime Minister and vice president Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. 

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“We received the project to install the advance termite system known as Kilstant Reticulation System for the 20,000 square feet (sq ft) building in September 2022,” he told Bernama recently. 

Prior to this, the homegrown Malaysian company was awarded a termite-control contract for the 10,000 sq ft Royal Vailla at Za’abeel Palace in Dubai where a reticulation system was installed in April 2020.

“We received the first Dubai contract during the 2020 movement control order. The biggest challenge was to travel out of the country and manpower because family members were afraid to allow loved ones to fly during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he explained. 

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Having successfully completed the projects at the royal properties, Kanishen now aims to collaborate and seek joint venture contracts with other companies while expanding its services in Dubai.

“We are also in the midst of improving our installation method in Dubai due to the different soil and sand condition there,” he said.

Started as Syarikat Kilstant White Ants by his father in 1975 to provide pest and termite control services in Ipoh, Kanishen said the company grew over the years and ventured into advanced termite-control systems in 2021 under the name of Kilstant Sdn Bhd.

“Generally, we have done a lot of post-construction termite-control projects for schools, hospitals, private properties, factories and courts and we are now focusing on pre-construction work and offering a permanent solution,” he said.

The company also completed pre-construction work at government hospitals including Hospital Putrajaya, Hospital Baru Seri Aman in Sarawak, and Sabah's Hospital Tawau.

He explained that the Kilstant reticulation system, patented in 2013, would be installed through a few stages, namely, consultation and design; ground beam and installation; ground soil treatment; injection box and point installation as well as chemical injection. 

“A series of ‘fishbone’ is formed at the centre of the floor to distribute the termiticide via a system of pipes and dispensers installed between 3.5-feet and 5.0-feet apart from each other to stream the chemicals underneath before the building is constructed.

“Once the system is installed with a few dispensers located outside the building, we will then just need to do routine re-injection yearly or once every two years through the dispensers for maintenance purposes,” he said.

On the installation cost, Kanishen pointed out that it is a one-time investment and the price depends on the size of the building, length of the pipes as well as the number of points needed.

“The cost could vary between RM10,000 and RM15,000 for a terraced house. It could go up to RM45,000 for a bungalow as a wider building would need more coverage compared to narrow one,” he said, adding that demand is also growing for installation at outdoor landscapes. 

He hoped more Malaysian home owners and developers would be aware on the importance of creating a permanent solution to control termites in their properties as the damage could cause the building to be unlivable if left unattended. He added that general housing insurance policies also do not cover damages brought about by termites.

-- BERNAMA