PETALING JAYA: US-based construction materials group Tremco sees strong growth prospects in Malaysia in the short term. driven by rising demand from data centres, industrial projects and supply chain shifts linked to global trade tensions.
Tremco Malaysia country manager Chin May Ling said the company’s expanded manufacturing facility in Serendah, Selangor, positions Malaysia as a key production and supply hub for the Asia-Pacific (Apac) region.
“Our plant in Malaysia has been here for more than 30 years, but we recently moved to a much bigger facility to support a wider product range and higher production capacity,” she told SunBiz.
Tremco is a global supplier of building envelope and construction systems, with a strong presence in specialised flooring and waterproofing solutions for large-scale infrastructure, industrial and commercial developments.
Looking ahead, Chin said demand is expected to remain positive, underpinned by Malaysia’s expanding data centre pipeline and rising industrial investment as global manufacturers diversify production bases away from China and the US amid ongoing trade and geopolitical uncertainties.
She said the influx of data centre projects has become a key growth driver for the construction materials sector, given their stringent requirements for high-performance flooring, waterproofing and fire protection systems.
“Commercial projects are a bit slower now, but data centres are flowing into the Malaysian market,“ Chin said. “We are also seeing opportunities in industrial projects, including semiconductor-related facilities and new manufacturing plants.”
She added that Malaysia’s position as a cost-competitive and politically stable location in Southeast Asia has made it an increasingly attractive alternative for companies reconfiguring regional supply chains, which in turn is supporting demand for industrial and mission-critical construction solutions.
“As more companies shift or expand their operations into Malaysia, we expect sustained demand across industrial, infrastructure and data centre developments. Overall, the outlook is very positive,” Chin said.
Its Serendah facility supplies not only the domestic market but also customers across Apac, alongside the group’s other regional plants in Australia and South Korea.
“Okay, our plant is in Serendah. It’s a new plant. But actually, this plant has been in Malaysia for more than 30 years. But we shifted to a much bigger plant because we are going to produce much more product range.”
Chin said Malaysia’s role within Tremco’s global supply chain has grown in recent years, with some customers in North America now sourcing products from the region to mitigate tariff exposure. “Previously, they purchased from the US, but now they are sourcing from other regions, including Apac, to avoid tariffs.”
She that US trade measures have had minimal direct impact on Tremco Malaysia as its core market is the Asia-Pacific region.
On the domestic front, Chin said Tremco has built a strong track record across education, government and commercial projects, including Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, several Public Works Department projects and major commercial car parks in Kuala Lumpur.
In the flooring segment, particularly car park systems, she estimates Tremco commands 50% market share, including some of the largest car parks in the capital exceeding 100,000 square metres.
