Waterco Malaysia unit to invest RM5m

Waterco Ltd, an Australian public listed swimming pool and water treatment company, through its Malaysian-wholly owned subsidiary Waterco (Far East) Sdn Bhd, is set to invest RM5 million to produce the world's largest pressurised fiberglass filters within the next 12 months.

Chairman of Waterco Ltd, Goh Soon Sinn said RM3 million from the total investment will cover research and development and cost of manufacturing while another RM2 million would be used for marketing purposes.

"The filter, under the newly launched Micron XL Series, will be ready for production in a year's time.

"We are looking at the Middle East region to market this filter, as many companies situated there have a need for it," he said after Waterco's 30th anniversary celebration, Sungei Buloh, today.

Goh said the jumbo filters, measuring up to four metres in diameter and 12 metres in length, would be manufactured at its Malaysian plant, as customised machinery is needed to handle its gigantic size.

On Waterco's global business, he said the company's growth traditionally, is in the United States and Europe and will stay unchanged for the longer term.

"The Malaysian business currently, contributes less than 10 per cent of global revenue. We always expect a continuous growth from Malaysia," he added.

Waterco's customer base is mainly foreign, especiallythe Middle East and Europe.

Goh was also positive about growth in the United States and Europe with the current debt and financial crisis.

This he said is based on Waterco's performance during the last financial crisis. -- Bernama