BERITA GETAH 2024

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT: Malaysian rubber company, Thung Yai Rubber Co. Ltd, is hopeful that the Thai government will consider allowing natural rubber producers to import raw rubber from sources beyond the country.

Director Steven Te of Thung Yai said currently there is a supply shortage and the company is facing difficulties in getting supply of rubber from plantations.

"The supply shortage issue, could be due to the current hot season and influenced by rubber prices," he said here today.

Te mentioned that in order to secure the supply of raw rubber, the company is forced to pay higher prices since the import of raw rubber is prohibited in Thailand.

He expressed hope that this issue can be addressed during future bilateral meetings between the leaders of the two countries.

Te added that the natural rubber produced by the factory is mainly used domestically, with exports to China, Europe, and Middle Eastern countries.

"Our production capacity is estimated at 4,000 tonnes per month to supply STR10, STR20 and STR Mixtures Rubber," he said.

Thung Yai Rubber, a joint venture involving companies from Malaysia, China, and Thailand, is headquartered here and maintains an office in Songkhla, Southern Thailand.

Earlier today, Malaysia’s Ambassador to Thailand, Datuk Jojie Samuel, along with the Consul General of Malaysia in Songkhla, Ahmad Fahmi Ahmad Sarkawi, visited the rubber factory located on Tahan Chang Road.

Jojie stated that Thung Yai Rubber is a well-established rubber factory that has been operating here since 1998.

"We always wanted to hear from the Malaysian business owners on their investment, potential expansion and also challenges in doing business here.

"We are also ready to assist them in anyway we could to help them expand their business," he said. - Bernama

 

https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2024/03/20/m039sian-rubber-company-hopes-thai-govt-will-permit-import-of-raw-rubber

 

Sumber : The Star

KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — Natural rubber (NR) production slipped by 0.2 per cent to 30,273 tonnes in January 2024 from 30,342 tonnes in December 2023, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM).

Year-on-year comparison, however, showed that NR output rose by 2.8 per cent from 29,451 tonnes in January 2023.

In a statement today, chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said 88.3 per cent of the production in January was contributed by smallholders and 11.7 per cent by the estates sector.

On inventory, he said total NR stocks grew by 6.5 per cent to 203,772 tonnes from 191,304 tonnes in December 2023.

He said rubber processing factories accounted for 92.0 per cent of the stocks followed by rubber consuming factories accounted for 7.9 per cent and rubber estates accounted for 0.1 per cent.

Mohd Uzir said Malaysia’s NR exports amounted to 43,111 tonnes in January, down 5.4 per cent from December 2023’s 45,591 tonnes.

China remained the main destination for NR exports, accounting for 32 per cent of total exports in January 2024, followed by the United Arab Emirates, which accounted for 13.5 per cent, Germany, which accounted for 13.0 per cent, the United States, which accounted for 7.3 per cent and India, which accounted for 6.3 per cent.

“The export performance was contributed by NR-based products such as gloves, tyres, tubes, rubber threads and condoms,” he said.

Mohd Uzir noted that gloves were the main exports among rubber-based products with a value of RM1.02 billion in January, a growth of 7.3 per cent from RM0.95 billion in December 2023.

According to DoSM, analysis of the average monthly price showed that concentrated latex recorded an increase of 8.9 per cent in January to 585.74 sen per kg, while scrap rubber increased by 7.4 per cent to 583.29 sen per kg.

“Prices for all Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR) grades increased between 5.9 per cent and 8.8 per cent,” it said.

According to the Malaysian Rubber Board Digest in January 2024, the Kuala Lumpur rubber market showed a mixed trend throughout the month.

“Generally, the market sentiment was supported by favourable market fundamentals, especially tighter rubber supply due to wet weather in major rubber-producing countries,” it said.

— Bernama

 

https://selangorjournal.my/2024/03/malaysias-natural-rubber-output-eases-by-0-2-pct-in-january-2024-dosm/#google_vignette

 

Sumber : Selangor Journal

KUALA LUMPUR: Supermax Corporation Bhd in announcing its second quarter financial year 2024 results said that China glove manufacturers are likely to have taken over global leadership in the rubber glove market, at the very least in  terms of pricing.

In its filing with Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd, Supermax said average selling prices (ASPs) remain suppressed with manufacturers from China proving to be daunting competitors.

At the two most recent large international trade shows, the take-away was that the oversupply situation is expected to moderate gradually over an extended period as the industry goes through a consolidation stage.

Smaller players are expected to exit the market while while the bigger players are scaling back their expansion and retiring older factories and production lines bowing out.

Supermax said a meaningful recovery in demand-supply is likely to only take place sometime in 2025, as it reportednarrower losses in the second quarter ended Dec 31, 2023 of financial year 2024.

It reported a net loss for the second quarter of the financial year 2024 (2QFY24), narrowed to RM44.4 million from RM108.07 million in the corresponding period of the previous year.

This was largely due to lower forex losses and higher interest income.

Revenue however fell 16.7 per cent to RM145.6 million from RM174.8 million in the corresponding period last year.

For the six-month period of FY24, Supermas reported a net loss of RM46.4 million, compared with a net loss of RM102.4 million for the same period in FY23.

This was despite a 23 per cent drop in revenue to RM323.5 million for the six-month period in FY24.

Currently, the Supermax Group is acquiring new contracts at existing low market rates and narrow profit margins.

"The company does not expect to see a significant improvement in performance for the rest of the year 2024 due to the high volume of high-priced stocks at its overseas distribution centres."Cost management measures have helped to improve the company's profitability to an extent but the high material costs and costs of utilities currently and going forward are expected to result in continued squeeze on margins," it said.

Supermax has strategically adapted to challenging market conditions by shutting down outdated manufacturing plants and investing in new, efficient facilities.

"The plan to build 6 new modern and more efficient manufacturing blocks is still in place, with production lines being installed gradually at a pace that takes into account the current and expected market conditions," the report said.

IThey are also expanding overseas operations, notably in the USA, to mitigate rising protectionism and import barriers.

"This initiative will place Supermax in a favourable position amidst the implementation of heightened import barriers, increased import duties, and a shift towards domestic production. "We anticipate this trend not only in the US but also in other major importing nations," the statement said.

Through investments in automation technology and production capacity, Supermax aims to reduce costs and enhance competitiveness, positioning itself for growth when the glove market rebounds in the next four to five quarters.

 

https://www.nst.com.my/business/corporate/2024/02/1015799/supermax-china-likely-have-taken-over-global-leadership-rubber

 

Sumber : New Straits Times