Supermax Corp Bhd will focus on growth markets in Russia and Asia, particularly in India and China, said its Executive Chairman and Group Managing Director, Datuk Seri Stanley Thai.
“This is in line with the current demand and that the Russian and Asian markets offer large growth potential,” he told a media briefing here Tuesday.
He said the company would boost output of synthetic nitrile gloves as the material prices of natural rubber latex gloves were escalating.
Thai said the Alor Gajah plant, which was burnt down in the fourth quarter of 2013, has been fully restored and operational.
The construction of the group’s 10th and 11th plants in Meru, Klang, was 95 per cent completed and the first batch of the lines was expected to be commissioned in the third quarter of this year, he said.
“The commissioning of the plants will add production capacity of 450 million gloves per month and 5.4 billion pieces to the group from 2015 onwards,” he said.
Supermax’s pre-tax profit for the first quarter ended March 31, 2014 fell to RM32.14 million from RM36.76 million in the same quarter last year.
Its revenue declined to RM232.27 million from RM320.54 million previously.
On projection for the company’s performance in Q2, Thai said the glove market was now competitive.
“As for the 2014 financial year performance, it will be lower or similar as 2013’s,” he said.