By Sharen Kaur
KUALA LUMPUR: France-based hotel group Accor S.A. is ramping up its presence in Malaysia as it is upbeat on the local tourism industry, says Eric Tan, the general manager for Pullman Kuala Lumpur Bangsar.
According to him, Accor will manage hotels for operators in Langkawi, Penang, Malacca, Port Dickson, Kota Baru, Johor Baru and Sandakan.
"There are many places in Malaysia that require hotel rooms. We are in talks with hotel owners who have approached us to manage their properties under our brands.
"We will do our own assessment and study the development theme to see if it suits any of our brands.
"We will also evaluate the potential of our brand in that area. We are very strict and will not compromise on the brand," he told Business Times in an interview, here, recently.
Accor is the world's largest hotel chain manager with a presence in 92 countries and operates close to 4,000 hotels with more than 600,000 rooms.
The group provides an extensive range of accommodations - from luxury to budget, and serviced apartment facilities - operating under 13 brands.
In Malaysia, it manages eight hotels with 2,520 rooms under the Pullman, Novotel and Ibis Styles brands in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Kuching.
Tan said Accor will be adding more hotels to its portfolio over the next two years.
These include Mercure Kota Kinabalu, Mercure Selayang, Mercure Bandar Sri Damansara, Mercure Shaw Parade, Ibis Styles Sandakan and Novotel Malacca.
For fiscal year 2013, the Accor group reported a profit of Euro126 million (RM567 million) and Euro5.5 billion revenue. As as the end-2013, it has total assets of Euro7 billion.
"Indonesia is the best performer for Accor in Asia and Malaysia is catching up. Accor will focus on growth in Malaysia," Tan said.
Wednesday 7 May 2014
Saturday 3 May 2014
New role for LCCT
By Sharen Kaur
INVESTMENT PLAN: MAHB to spend up to RM200m turning terminal into global cargo and logistics hub, say sources
MALAYSIA Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) will spend RM40 million to RM200 million to transform the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Sepang into a global cargo and logistics hub.
The investment will depend on the requirements for the said hub, according to people with knowledge on the matter.
"If a large luxury jeweller or pharmaceutical group wants to come in, then the investment will be RM200 million as it will require tighter security and faster processing. But if only smaller industries want to utilise the hub, MAHB will retain the whole shell with upgrading costing about RM40 million.
"MAHB will do whatever it takes to get the investment so that shareholders' dividend wont't be affected," said one of the sources.
The sources said MAHB's aim is to turn the LCCT into one of Malaysia's major cargo and logistics hubs, and help local logistic players to be the "future DHL of Southeast Asia".
DHL is a global market leader in the logistics industry.
According to the source, the transformation of LCCT will take place soon after all the airlines have moved to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2).
Malindo Air, the Philippines' Cebu Pacific Air, Singapore's Tiger Airways and Indonesia's Mandala Airlines and Lion Air will move to klia2 today, while the AirAsia Group will relocate on May 9.
"As soon as all the airlines have moved to klia2, MAHB will make plans to redevelop the LCCT," another source said.
The source said MAHB has received offers from local and institutional funds to fund the development in return for a stake in the project.
These include Permodalan Nasional Bhd and Employees Provident Fund.
"Currently, valuable cargo and lower-end products go to Singapore.
"MAHB hopes that with the transformation of the LCCT into a modern cargo and logistics hub, it will attract some of the players, especially those who are moving expensive cargo," the source added.
Thursday 1 May 2014
Eversendai wins new contracts in the Middle East and India
By Sharen Kaur
Eversendai Corp Bhd recently secured a string of contracts for structural steel projects worth an estimated RM172.2 million through its subsidiaries in the Middle East and India, increasing its order book to RM1.3 billion.
Among the projects awarded, there were 2 contracts valued at over RM40 million and the first project is to construct a complex on Dana Island in Doha, Qatar.
The scope of work undertaken by the Group includes connection design, supply, fabrication and erection of steel.
The construction of this complex is scheduled to be completed by December 2014.
The second large project involves the construction of a facility for the International Airport in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This brand new state-of-the-art facility will handle the carriers’ existing and new aircraft engines and is expected to be completed by January 2015.
"We continue to strengthen our foothold in the Middle East by also securing the contract for an entertainment centre as well as another unique architectural landmark in Dubai; a window frame-like structure which is intended to highlight the old and new sides of the city. Both projects in Dubai will complement and contribute to the UAE’s growing popularity as a tourism hub," said Eversendai founder, Tan Sri AK Nathan.
Eversendai’s success story in the Middle East has been the ability to adapt to the local cultures which has greatly enhanced the group's reputation and to be a well sought-after organisation.
"We can rely on our enviable reputation to bid for upcoming projects in line with the Dubai World Expo 2020 and simultaneously strengthen our position as a global player in the booming construction market in
the region," Nathan said.
He said, having already built many iconic structures, the Group can take great pride in securing the contract for yet another landmark project, a grand mosque located in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi.
Eversendai will be carrying out the design, supply, fabrication and erection of steel for this project which is expected to be completed by February 2015.
"With our vision to continuously move to new frontiers, the Group is pleased to have been awarded a contract for the design, fabrication and erection of steel for a sky bridge in Kolkata, India," Nathan said.
He said India has the potential to become one of Eversendai’s growing markets in the coming years and the launch of its fifth fabrication facility in Trichy would help boost its productivity in the Asian region.
"With increased job opportunities, we are happy to have secured these contracts which prove that Eversendai remains a strong player in the industry. We have a strong and established management who oversees the areas of planning, procurement and execution in a timely manner.
"This combined with our team of experienced managers, engineers and skilled work force has made us a leading and innovative global organisation. We remain committed to our core values of compliance to safety, conformance to quality, adherence to schedule and ensuring consistent client satisfaction as we look forward to a fruitful year in 2014.
"In line with our tagline, ‘Towering – Powering – Energising – Innovating’, Eversendai is continuously looking at delving into new opportunities in inter-related industries whilst maintaining our commendable performance and track record," Nathan said.
ENDS
Eversendai Corp Bhd recently secured a string of contracts for structural steel projects worth an estimated RM172.2 million through its subsidiaries in the Middle East and India, increasing its order book to RM1.3 billion.
Among the projects awarded, there were 2 contracts valued at over RM40 million and the first project is to construct a complex on Dana Island in Doha, Qatar.
The scope of work undertaken by the Group includes connection design, supply, fabrication and erection of steel.
The construction of this complex is scheduled to be completed by December 2014.
The second large project involves the construction of a facility for the International Airport in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This brand new state-of-the-art facility will handle the carriers’ existing and new aircraft engines and is expected to be completed by January 2015.
"We continue to strengthen our foothold in the Middle East by also securing the contract for an entertainment centre as well as another unique architectural landmark in Dubai; a window frame-like structure which is intended to highlight the old and new sides of the city. Both projects in Dubai will complement and contribute to the UAE’s growing popularity as a tourism hub," said Eversendai founder, Tan Sri AK Nathan.
Eversendai’s success story in the Middle East has been the ability to adapt to the local cultures which has greatly enhanced the group's reputation and to be a well sought-after organisation.
"We can rely on our enviable reputation to bid for upcoming projects in line with the Dubai World Expo 2020 and simultaneously strengthen our position as a global player in the booming construction market in
the region," Nathan said.
He said, having already built many iconic structures, the Group can take great pride in securing the contract for yet another landmark project, a grand mosque located in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi.
Eversendai will be carrying out the design, supply, fabrication and erection of steel for this project which is expected to be completed by February 2015.
"With our vision to continuously move to new frontiers, the Group is pleased to have been awarded a contract for the design, fabrication and erection of steel for a sky bridge in Kolkata, India," Nathan said.
He said India has the potential to become one of Eversendai’s growing markets in the coming years and the launch of its fifth fabrication facility in Trichy would help boost its productivity in the Asian region.
"With increased job opportunities, we are happy to have secured these contracts which prove that Eversendai remains a strong player in the industry. We have a strong and established management who oversees the areas of planning, procurement and execution in a timely manner.
"This combined with our team of experienced managers, engineers and skilled work force has made us a leading and innovative global organisation. We remain committed to our core values of compliance to safety, conformance to quality, adherence to schedule and ensuring consistent client satisfaction as we look forward to a fruitful year in 2014.
"In line with our tagline, ‘Towering – Powering – Energising – Innovating’, Eversendai is continuously looking at delving into new opportunities in inter-related industries whilst maintaining our commendable performance and track record," Nathan said.
ENDS
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