Shah Alam, 22 August 2014 – UMW Engineering Services Limited, Myanmar, a unit in the UMW Group, has successfully secured contracts worth RM200 million to supply more than 60 units of Komatsu equipment in Myanmar. The contracts are from its three major customers in Myanmar involved in the jade mining industry in Hpakant, located about 350km north of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city. Hpakant is the source of the world’s highest quality jade. The delivery of the Komatsu equipment is expected to commence from October this year.Myanmar is a country rich in jade and gems, oil, natural gas and other mineral resources. The jade and gems sector sales revenue amounting to USD3.4 billion was generated at the recently-concluded 51st Annual Jade and Gems Emporium held in Naypitaw, Myanmar.
Jade-mining activities in Myanmar were suspended in May 2012 due to security reasons. The government announced recently that the suspension will be lifted effective 1 September 2014. The resumption of the mining activities will offer growth potential and UMW Group is confident of securing more orders for Komatsu equipment in Myanmar.
The UMW Group was awarded the Komatsu heavy equipment distributorship in 1965. The Group has exclusive franchise in Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar and Papua New Guinea. It established market presence in Myanmar in 1999 and currently has four branches there.