A dream come true for elite corporation

Safuan Group’s Malaysian success story is fueling its international quest for technological experiences

Safuan Group’s diversified holdings and range of property development activities has firmly established a place for the Group among Malaysia’s corporate elite. Begun in 1965 as a small-scale construction firm, Safuan Group today has the construction of more than 50,000 housing units under its belt, as well as office complexes, hotels, condominiums, and shopping centers. The Group has also extensive experience in land development and reclamation, and has developed to date over 400 acres in the city of Malacca and 250 acres in Port Dickson Resort City. Safuan Group owns several choice commercial properties, its own dredging ship, airline and air cargo business, and, as the franchise holder for Regency International Hotels in the region, owns and operates four Regency hotels and resorts. In addition, the Group has divisions involved in travel and tours, quarry and mining, infrastructure and civil engineering, and investment and finance.

Safuan’s pieces de resistance include its hi-tech office tower, Menara Safuan, in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, which also houses the Group’s headquarters. Within the city limits, Safuan has also constructed the 23-story Safuan Plaza, which houses the four-star Regency Kuala Lumpur and a five-story shopping podium. Perhaps the developments that the Group is most proud of, however, are the Kota Laksamana in Malacca and Kota Impian in Port Dickson. The Malacca city extension is a self-contained city within a city that will house some 3,400 residential units, commercial complexes, hotels, bungalows, an art and cultural center, a marina, and an aqua park. The project has a total development value of $1.3 billion, and will take ten years to complete. Kota Impian in Port Dickson is valued at $1.7 billion and will take an estimated 15 years to complete. Once completed, Port Dickson will represent Malaysia’s first seaside resort. The development is based on a Mediterranean theme, and will feature a unique coastal village, a public promenade, and shopping and commercial centers. These developments will be complemented by, among others, a specialist medical center, an institute of higher learning, a conference and convention center, and recreation parks. Safuan Group is optimistic about the project’s potential for the tourism market, and hopes to draw the world’s attention to Malaysia’s dream city by the sea.

MATSHAH SAFUAN Exec. Chairman of Safuan Group

Armed with their extensive experience in Malaysia, Safuan Group decided several years ago to venture abroad and currently has several projects underway. The Group is active in Indonesia, South Africa, China and Thailand. In Indonesia, Safuan has a hotel in Bali and housing projects outside of Chempaka. In South Africa, the Group has formed a joint venture project with the state government in Johannesburg to construct 10,000 housing units, and is involved in building a Muslim city in Dahlian, China. Group Executive Chairman Matshah Safuan says that expansion abroad is necessary for the survival of Malaysian companies. He comments, “Our major challenge now is to see how Malaysians can go international. With growing competition in the global business environment, we must venture out of the country, especially considering the opening up of world trade and investment through the World Trade Organization, leading to fewer borders and restrictions.”

Mr. Safuan says the Group is open to forming partnerships and exploring cross investments with American firms as a part of its expansion strategy. American technological prowess would be an added asset to have on board, according to Mr. Safuan. He adds, “I believe we must go out as much as we can to seek new business opportunities and also to share our experiences and knowledge. For example, there are a lot of opportunities in Central Asia, in the Indo-China region, and also in African countries. In the process, we could use U.S. technology. As America’s strength is technology, it would only be practical to work together.”