Friday 29 Mar 2024
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This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on June 20, 2022 - June 26, 2022

AME Development Sdn Bhd is looking to launch i-TechValley, a RM1.5 billion, 170-acre industrial park at Southern Industrial and Logistics Clusters (SiLC) in Johor, by end-June. According to director of property development division Cheryl Lim, this will be the company’s third industrial project in SiLC.

Lim says the previous industrial schemes there were smaller projects and not gated and guarded. In contrast, i-TechValley will be a modern, gated-and-guarded industrial park with properties that have contemporary façades and features.

“i-TechValley is envisioned to set a new benchmark for the industrial sector. Being in SiLC, we are surrounded by mature townships. The industrial park will be equipped with guardhouses, CCTV surveillance, 24-hour security control and high-speed broadband. It will have wide entrances to allow unobstructed access,” she tells City & Country.

“We allow customisation and we have emphasised that industrial properties shouldn’t look old or traditional. They can look like bungalows or semi-detached houses. Our strength lies in being a one-stop customised solutions provider, including end-to-end solar photovoltaic solutions. With these solutions, we are able to cater for various industries and accommodate specific business needs as we do consultation, design and construction.”

AME Development will have a standard design for properties at i-TechValley, but they can be customised to suit the specific needs of a business, if requested. Companies have the option of leasing a property or purchasing it outright. Based on records of past projects, AME Development’s leasing portfolio takes up 20% of the units, but the developer will not restrict itself to that percentage for this project, says Lim.

“We will have some ready-built standard factory buildings, just in case there are clients that need to move in on short notice. And then, if they require it, we can put in the customisation. We also offer vacant plots.

“For clients who need a place of business urgently, they can start with a ready-built building first while we construct a customised factory next door. It provides them with the flexibility and room to expand,” she explains.

“Our clients are mostly end-users but we have seen more investors purchasing industrial properties, though they remain a minority and mainly go for smaller units with land sizes of up to 30,000 sq ft. We are targeting MNCs (multinational corporations) for 50% to 60% of our units, and the rest, locals.”

There are 72 plots in i-TechValley, with two types of 1½-storey detached factories on offer — Type A with a land size of one to two acres, and Type B with a land size of three acres and above. The selling price starts from RM10.02 million.

Attention will be given to the orientation of the buildings to reduce direct sunlight and glare to enable energy conservation, while reflective glass will be used to minimise heat transfer. The factories will also be constructed with industrialised building system steel frames to achieve higher overall quality.

The loading bay will be equipped with dock levellers for smoother workflows while the lobby will have a ceiling height of 4.8m (15.75ft) to accommodate roof jack systems.

There will also be foldable tinted glass doors along the terrace at the mezzanine floor. Lim says this flexibility-of-space design will allow the operators to transform the space into a semi-outdoor garden terrace that welcomes the outside breeze or to close it for a private space.

Meanwhile, employees of factories in i-TechValley will have access to the i-Privilege Club within i-Park @ Senai Airport City, a clubhouse with facilities such as a gymnasium. Such a platform, she believes, would encourage networking among the companies.

i-Park @ Senai Airport City earned an honorary mention at The Edge Malaysia-PAM Green Excellence Award last year.

Lim says there will be a workers’ dormitory within the i-TechValley development, but details have yet to be confirmed. The developer’s previous workers’ dormitories had 2,000 to 2,200 beds each.

“Dormitories help factory operators cut down on transport costs. It is also about sustainability. We also work with merchants to help the workers transfer money back home via mobile phones. Furthermore, we have shuttle buses to send the workers to nearby amenities such as supermarkets and shopping malls,” she adds.

Located in Iskandar Malaysia, SiLC is near the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link, Senai International Airport, Puteri Harbour International Ferry Terminal, Port of Tanjong Pelepas and the customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) complex.

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