Malaysia Eyes Global WPC Market, Unveils Flood-resistant Homes

By Mohd Hafiz Abbas

BERA, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- Malaysia aims to become a leading producer of wood-plastic composite (WPC) materials, which are increasingly recognised globally as durable and eco-friendly building products.

Malaysian Timber Industry Board (MTIB) chairman Datuk Larry Sng Wei Shien said the country possesses ample resources and expertise to produce high-quality WPC products to meet market demand.

"Demand for WPC materials is growing with an estimated global market value last year amounting to USD7.5 billion, of which the building and construction products segment is the largest user.

"Thus, we have started producing WPC material made from wood and plastic waste that can be recycled. I believe our country can export it to other countries more widely later," he said.

He told Bernama this after opening and handing over 'Rumah FAST Rakyat Jenis Banjir' made of WPC  at Kampung Mengkarak, here today.

Sng said the advantages of WPC materials compared to wood are that they are environmentally friendly, affordable, can be used in industrial building systems (IBS), are pre-fabricated, and can utilise metal-reinforced technology that provides additional strength to building structures such as houses.

This is because WPC is a composite material produced from sawdust, other biomass materials, and thermoplastics such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride, he said. 

"In addition to being used to make decks of jetties, landscape fences and outdoor furniture, WPC has a vast potential to be used in house construction, especially in locations prone to flooding, because it is waterproof and anti-termite.

"Certainly, this saves millions of ringgits especially in terms of maintenance, the house construction price is also more reasonable and the time period to complete an 800 square foot house takes only 21 days," he said.

Meanwhile, Perceptive Profile Sdn Bhd Business Development Executive Andy Lai said his company aims to penetrate the local and foreign markets by focusing more on flood house construction.

"We are already exporting WPC materials to countries such as Thailand, Australia and Indonesia, and most recently, Dubai has also shown interest in buying them from us.

"In the country, we are focusing more on helping states that are often struck by floods such as Sabah, Sarawak and Pahang," he said.

At the ceremony, Sng handed over the keys to the FAST Rakyat house, the first of its kind to be built using WPC in the country, to the Bera District and Land Office, where it will be used as a community centre.

The construction of the house, which includes three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, and a kitchen, was made possible with the cooperation of various parties, such as MTIB, the Bera District and Land Office, Perceptive Profile Sdn Bhd, and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).

-- BERNAMA