AFTER visiting Emico Holdings Berhad in the island today, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow took the opportunity to pay a visit to another factory in Seberang Perai on the same day.
He arrived at the Barkath Co-Ro Manufacturing Sdn Bhd in Sungai Lokan Industrial Estate, Butterworth, at 4.30pm and was greeted by its chief operating officer Loh Gim Huat and its general manager Troels Moller Overby.
The visit was to see how the factory was operating in its adaptation to the ‘new normal’ as the nation enters its 44th day of the movement control order (MCO) enforcement.
Also present were Bagan Dalam assemblyman M. Satees, Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) Penang chairman Datuk Dr Ooi Eng Hock and Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) mayor Datuk Rozali Mohamud.
The visitors were soon taken to a meeting room for a short briefing.
During the briefing session, Overby said he was grateful that the factory could now operate at full capacity during the fourth phase of the MCO as announced by International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali on April 28.
“We were earlier allowed to operate with 50% of our workforce of 200 employees per day, which means we are using less than 100 employees working in three of our plants in Penang.
“Because of this, we are slightly struggling to meet the demands of our customers and it disrupted our supply chain.
“It brings such a huge relief to us now that we can operate at full capacity.
“I would like to reaffirm our company’s commitment to continue adhering to the strict guidelines set by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to curb the spread of Covid-19.
“The steps we take include conducting body temperature check, practising social distancing and observing other preventive measures to keep our employees safe,” he said.
Overby also thanked Chow for taking the time to visit the factory.
Chow, on his part, complimented Overby and the company’s management for continuing to comply with the MCO rules and also managing to overcome some of the challenges during the MCO period.
“We understand that it is very challenging for a factory to operate during the MCO period and we are happy to know that although it was difficult at the beginning, the company has overcome the challenges with the support of various stakeholders.
“The state government will also do everything it can to help all the affected factories during this challenging period,” Chow added.
Before leaving, Chow, Rozali, Dr Ooi and Satees were taken on a tour of the production area of the fruit drink manufacturer that is famed for its popular brand, Sunquick.
Apart from Barkath Co-Ro Manufacturing Sdn Bhd and Emico Holdings Berhad, Chow has been consistently visiting several other factories during the MCO period.
He visited construction sites, property developers, small and medium industries (SMIs), and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) because he wanted to see how they operate under the MCO and know firsthand about the challenges they are facing during these trying times.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix by Darwina Mohd Daud
Video by Ahmad Adil Muhamad