PanaHome MKH Malaysia Adds Value to Malaysia’s Housing Industry Through New Construction and Living Design Business

The launch of 490 terrace houses in Maple @ Hillpark Shah Alam North marks the joint venture company’s maiden project in the country

30 March 2016, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – PanaHome MKH Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PanaHome MKH Malaysia), a consolidated subsidiary of PanaHome Corporation (PanaHome), will provide both construction (building framework) and Living Design Package (built-in interior furnishing and layout planning) for the Maple @ Hillpark Shah Alam North, a housing complex consisting of 490 units of two-storey terrace houses spanning a total area of 6,097m². This marks the company’s foray into the housing business in Malaysia. Construction of Maple @ Hillpark Shah Alam North began early this month and is scheduled for completion by May 2018. Other projects in the pipeline include two upcoming high rise housing projects – SAVILLE @ D’LAKE PUCHONG and TEMARA KL.

In Malaysia, property purchase decisions typically involve two steps – a buyer first purchases the house from the developer with minimal interior finishing, and then separately engages an interior designer to customise the lighting as well as built-in furniture for areas such as the kitchen, and walk-in closet in the bedroom, according to their preference and budget. The provision of PanaHome MKH Malaysia’s construction and Living Design Package serves as a one-stop solution for potential buyers, offering a building framework with compatible interior furnishing.

Three Japan-quality PanaHome technologies will be employed¹:

1. Wall Pre-cast Concrete (W-PC) construction method utilising pre-fabricated materials and structure. W-PC is tailored for the Asian market aimed at keeping cost competitive. PanaHome has developed W-PC by leveraging on its construction expertise and know-how in Japan.
   
   Compared with houses built using traditional methods, pre-fabricated houses2 that are constructed under the W-PC method involve less complex work, ensuring high quality houses and, cutting construction time by building a temporary factory at the development site. At the temporary factory, the building’s exterior components such as flooring slabs, walls and roof are fabricated by pouring concrete into steel moulds, then assembled via a crane.
   
   
2. PURETECH ventilation system filters out dust and air pollutants, thus keeping indoor air fresh for home owners. The special Air-Tech filter can remove up to more than 95% of harmful air particles.
   
   
3. On top of PURETECH ventilation system, the Living Design Package also consists of a Panasonic energy efficient air conditioner, home security system and space-saving kitchen storage system will be available to the terrace houses at Maple @ Hillpark Shah Alam North. “Kajiraku³” a Japanese concept describing efficient flow within houses will be introduced. “Kajiraku” focuses on providing solutions through intelligently-designed house layout and efficient space utilisation that makes housework easier, whilst at the same time enhances security, safety and communication among family members. The joint venture company will provide the Living Design Package to two upcoming high rise housing projects – SAVILLE @ D’LAKE PUCHONG and TEMARA KL.

The company will enhance the value of living spaces by combining the three important elements of a house – building construction, interior furnishing and layout planning, as well as suite of home appliances. Interested parties can view these technologies and solutions in the showroom located at Kuala Lumpur from 31 March onwards.

PanaHome MKH Malaysia is ready to roll out solutions to housing-related challenges faced by people in the country and differentiates itself from local contractors by taking advantage of the Panasonic Group’s comprehensive business strengths and engineering expertise.

■Outline of Maple @ Hillpark Shah Alam North

The development project, undertaken by MKH in the Shah Alam district of Selangor State, began construction in 2014. A total of 2,000 housing units are scheduled to be built. PanaHome MKH Malaysia will construct approximately 490 terrace houses in the Maple precinct under this project using W-PC method designed for the Asian market. The construction for Maple @ Hillpark Shah Alam North began early this month and is slated to be completed by May 2018.

■Outline of Saville @ D’Lake Puchong

PanaHome MKH Malaysia's Living Design Package has been already adopted for a large-scale condominium project in Puchong. Condominium units under this project will start its sales on mid April 2016. The Living Design Package can be viewed at the showroom in Kuala Lumpur that is set to open on 31 March.

About PanaHome

Established in 1963, PanaHome Corporation traces its roots back to the passionate vision of Konosuke Matsushita, founder of Panasonic Corporation, who believed in building quality houses to better people’s lives. As the housing subsidiary of the Panasonic Group, PanaHome recorded consolidated net sales of 325.6 billion yen for the year ended 31 March 2015.

PanaHome has built a total of about 470,000 residences in Japan over the past 50 years. It has expanded its business overseas, to Taiwan in 2010, and Malaysia in 2012. In April 2015, it established PanaHome Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. to strengthen its foothold in the housing industry across the Southeast Asia and Oceania region. The company aims to generate 15 billion yen in sales from the Malaysian market by FY2018 (year ending March 2019).

For more information on PanaHome, please visit the company's website at http://www.panahome.jp/english/ Connect with Panasonic Homes & Living on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/panasonichousing

About MKH Berhad

MKH Berhad (formerly known as Metro Kajang Holdings Bhd), is an established property developer in Kajang - Semenyih with an uninterrupted profit track record since its inception 35 years ago. Since 1979, MKH has earned a distinguished reputation in improving quality of lives by building good quality homes and integrated townships, while 2008 marked the Groups’ foray in to oil palm plantation. Successfully listed on Bursa Malaysia in October 1995, MKH has completed more than 35,000 units of properties in Kajang and Greater Kuala Lumpur with a total value exceeding RM11.6 billion.

The Group has garnered a string of awards including the “Best Company for Investor Relations 2014”, “Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2014”, “The Green Tech Award”, “The Edge Malaysia Affordable Urban Housing Excellence Award 2014 & 2015,” “The Edge Top Property Developers Award 2015”, and “Asia Pacific Property Award” for its seven property developments, apart from recognition of Management leaders for their role in transforming the Kajang township and contributing to Malaysia’s property industry. MKH acquired up to 90 years concession for its 15,900 hectares of plantation land in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Its CPO mill has been upgraded to fully operating at 90 metric tonne per hour.

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ANNEX A

PanaHome MKH Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PanaHome MKH Malaysia), with 51% investment from PanaHome Malaysia, a local subsidiary of PanaHome Corporation based in Japan, and 49% investment from MKH subsidiary, Kajang Resources Corporation Sdn Bhd will focus its business on conducting building contract work for numerous residential and apartment development projects undertaken by MKH. The joint venture company was established in 17 December 2015 to provide construction and Living Design Package, and “Panasonic Homes & Living” solutions to Malaysia’s property market.

Three Japan-quality PanaHome technologies will be deployed under this partnership:

1. Wall Pre-cast Concrete (W-PC) construction method utilising pre-fabricated materials and structure

a. Under the W-PC method, the building’s exterior components such as flooring slabs, walls and roof are assembled at a temporary factory built at the development site, eliminating the need for transportation from point A to point B. This helps to reduce construction period.
b. Consistent quality will be maintained regardless of the skill level of the workers and weather conditions. Maple @ Hillpark Shah Alam North will be the first overseas project utilising W-PC for PanaHome Corporation.

High quality

Wall-Precast Concrete (W-PC) is a pre-fabrication construction method involving large concrete panels moulded at a temporary factory at the development site and later assembled using a crane

2. PURETECH ventilation system filters out dust and air pollutants, thus keeping indoor air fresh for home owners

Indoor air accounts for about 60% of all substances taken in by humans daily. Therefore, PanaHome believes it is crucial for indoor air to be kept clean and healthy. PURETECH ventilation system was developed as a standard for houses built in Japan, following years of research and development. In Malaysia, air pollution caused by haze, soot, smoke and vehicle exhaust fumes can become a serious social problem if not effectively addressed. PanaHome will adopt PURETECH to Malaysian homes aimed at improving indoor air quality in the country.

3. Living Design Package and  "Kajiraku"

"Kajiraku" was developed to promote easy maintainence of households,
and provide comfortable and functional living

Stylish interior design incorporating suitable lighting elements and effective use of space