Malaysia: Companies invited to use research facilities on Biocomposites

The Malaysian Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities (KPPK) is inviting companies to team up with the Malaysian Timber Industry Board (MTIB) to undertake research and development (R&D) on biocomposites at the board’s centre in Olak Lempit furniture village, Banting.

Its Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui said the centre which had cost about one million Euro was 90 percent complete since construction commenced early last year. “Biocomposite has been use widely in the developed countries like Australia, New Zealand and Italy as a construction material and it will benefit Malaysia if such a technology is developed further locally to overcome the shortage of timber in this country,” he told reporters after visiting the centre.

Chin said private companies were welcomed to undertake their R&D with MTIB as well as use the machinery and facilities on rental basis.

He said Italy has been successful in producing furniture made of recycled wood (biocomposite) where old wooden furniture was processed and combined with resin to produce new raw material for furniture making. “Even the product made of recycled wood from Italy were more expensive than the Malaysian furniture which is made of solid wood,” he said.

Chin said the ministry looked forward to the universities and the industries working together with the centre not only to find ways to get biocomposite materials but also the end-products from the material which could be commercialised.

(Cf. news of 2006-09-12 and 2006-03-30.)

Source

Lesprom, 2008-01-29.

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