CEO: Pos Malaysia open to setting up e-commerce hubs in other locations

KUCHING: Pos Malaysia Bhd group chief executive officer Datuk Shukrie Salleh says they are always open to setting up e- commerce hubs in other locations, similar to the one at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport ( KLIA) Aeropolis.

According to him, the ecommerce hub in KLIA, which is part of the nation’s Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ), is expected to be launched at the end of this year and major online market sites such as Lazada and Ali Baba have started to fill up their warehouses at the hub for the year- end sales, he added.

“Building other hubs in other locations or states will greatly depend on each state working together with the government to declare an area to be a digital free trade zone,” Shukrie told reporters when asked on the possibility of Sarawak having its own DFTZ, after the launch of the state-level World Post Day 2017 celebration at the Main Post Office here yesterday.

He also said they touched on the DFTZ and e- commerce hub when Pos Malaysia made a courtesy call on Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg a few months ago.

“So far he (Abang Johari) has expressed interest in setting up the hub,” said Shukrie, adding that if everything went well Sarawak would be the second location to have an e-commerce hub.

The DFTZ in KLIA Aeropolis was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Alibaba Group founder and executive chairman Jack Ma in March this year. The DFTZ consists of three main components that combine both physical and virtual zones. The physical zone comprises the e-Fulfilment Hub and Satellite Services Hub, while the virtual zone consists of the eServices Platform.

According to the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation ( MDEC), DFTZ has the potential to double the growth rate of Malaysian small and medium enterprise ( SME) goods export by 2025. It is also estimated to support US$ 65 billion worth of goods moving through DFTZ, generating 60,000 direct and indirect jobs by 2025.

Meanwhile, the World Post Day is celebrated globally on Oct 9 after the formation of the World Post Union in 1874.

Currently ranked 23rd globally, Pos Malaysia is setting its sights realistically to be number 20 in 2020.