Sahz invests RM100m in Nilai plant

Source From (The Sun Daily): http://www.thesundaily.my/news/320787

Published: on 14 March 2012
EVA YEONG
sunbiz@thesundaily.com

KUALA LUMPUR (March 14, 2012): Sahz Holdings Sdn Bhd, a local small-medium enterprise producing supercapacitors, is investing RM100 million in a production plant in Nilai this year.

Through a collaboration with the University of Nottingham, the company first started out with a RM10 million pilot plant in 2007 at the university's Malaysian campus in Semenyih.

Sahz's CEO Ahmad Husni Ahmad Zainal Abidin said it intends to integrate supercapacitors with batteries, creating a smart hybrid storage system at its new plant in Nilai, which will be funded by private investors (50%) and soft loans (50%).

"It will be a powerful device for application in a number of industries including renewable energy, transport, defence, security and law enforcement," he said.

Through the collaboration with the university, Sahz gets PhD students to participate in its projects as part of their studies, engaging them for three to four years and hiring them upon graduation.

"The industry outlook is very promising as it is market driven; there is always a need for energy storage.
"Despite the economic slowdown in Europe and the US, we are very optimistic. When they (Europe and the US) recover, we will be there to provide our products in various industries," said Ahmad Husni.

He noted that Sahz manufactures products on a small scale at its pilot plant and has received very positive response.

"Batteries alone have a lot of limitations. In the future, electric cars, trains and others will all be using energy storage solutions," he said.

He added that the technology was initially from Britain. Using local materials and labour, the company managed to cut down production costs.

Sahz also runs tests for various technologies and is testing mobile applications for several global companies, including mobile phone and digital camera manufacturers.

Ahmad Husni said Sahz has also worked with several Korean parties, who are interested in further collaboration with the company.