Firm Aims To Woo More Investors To i-Park, SME City

Pic/Business Times NSTKUALA LUMPUR: Axis AME IP Sdn Bhd expects more multinational companies (MNCs) to relocate their base in Singapore and Asia to i-Park and SME City in Iskandar Malaysia, Johor.

The i-Park (comprising Phase One, Two and Three) and SME City are a 50:50 joint venture between Axis Group and Johor-based AME Group.

Axis group is the owner of Axis REIT Managers Bhd, which manages Axis REIT with over RM1.5 billion assets under management.Axis AME IP is investing RM600 million to develop the 93.08ha industrial city in Indah Pura, which commenced construction three years ago.

The main focus of i-Park is to provide MNCs, manufacturers, logistics providers, food manufacturers and hi-tech industries an industrial park built to international standards.

The attraction of the park is that companies have the option to choose between a "build-to-sell" and "build-to-lease" strategy.

SME City, meanwhile, features semi-detached, detached and cluster factories aimed at small and medium enterprises involved in manufacturing, distribution, services, information technology and packaging.

Axis AME IP executive director Datuk Stewart Labrooy said both i-Park and SME City are on track and ready to meet the demand from companies that want to relocate and operate there.

"The i-Park and SME City are the only 'plug and play' offerings in the market - from piped gas, power and water to TM Unifi broadband services," he said in a statement recently.

According to Labrooy, Phase One and Two is about 70 per cent complete, while Phase Three is slated to be ready by late this year or early 2015.

The i-Park has so far attracted companies like Van Leeuwen, Nippon Kinzoku and Heraeus, he said.

"The location of both SME City and i-Park is synergistic as acti-vities from both developments will complement each other, creating a catalyst for further development of the residential and commercial properties in the area," Labrooy said.

He said the company has secured its first client, a leading multinational in the food industry, for Phase Three.

The company has booked a 6ha site.  

-Business Times,NST