‘Sime Darby helped boost development of Miri’
MIRI: This city is regarded as the birthplace of the Malaysian petroleum industry.
The first oil well – now commemorated as a landmark named the ‘ Grand Old Lady’ – was drilled by The Royal Dutch Company in 1910, which transformed Miri from a fishing village into a thriving township and later, it became the administration centre of Northern Sarawak by 1929.
This was where and when Sime Darby Industrial was born when it was appointed the dealer of Caterpillar products for Sarawak – now, the company is known as Tractors Malaysia.
“But it was the development of the logging industry that saw the Caterpillar business scaling up tremendously, and resulting in Tractors Malaysia to become a household name, in that the equipment and tools were being used in opening of trails, logskidding, loading and stacking, as well as power generation in the timber camps.
“Besides timber, Sime Darby has also been involved in other major industries in Sarawak including oil palm and construction activities,” remarked former deputy chief minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan during Tractors Malaysia’s 90th anniversary dinner at Pullman Miri Waterfront Hotel on Thursday.
The event also hosted Transport Minister Datuk Lee Kim Shin; Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Sebastian Ting; and Miri mayor Adam Yii.
Adding on, Dr Chan said with timber no longer the mainstay of Sarawak economy, energy-intensive industries began to move in, followed by manufacturing and now, information and communications technology (ICT).
“The state is spearheading digital economy, which will have a farreaching effect for the future of Sarawak. However, construction is the cornerstone activity of any developing country, and Sarawak is no exception,” he said.
Dr Chan then pointed out Sime Darby as being ‘ a versatile and agile company, with various product and notable big projects like the Bakun dam, and the Petronas gas pipe, running from Sabah to Bintulu’.
“There is no question that Sime Darby, in its 90 years, has been involved in and contributed to nation-building.”
Dr Chan also commended the Sime Darby Foundation for its philanthropic initiatives in Sarawak especially in education, providing scholarships for those from the lower-income group, helping the less-fortunate members of the community, promoting the development of sports and cultural activities, and ensuring the protection of the environment for future generations.
“Looking ahead, I can say there are a lot of opportunities for the company in Sarawak, in the usual ‘bread and butter’ area of construction and perhaps, in ‘green areas’ like ICT and medical.
“I am sure the offering of new job opportunities will be welcome by all Sarawakians. Congratulations on your 90th anniversary and we wish you another 90 years of prosperity and success,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sime Darby Industrial Sdn Bhd managing director CK Teoh said the gala dinner was also held to commemorate the company’s 90 years with its customers, current and former employees, and also its stakeholders.
“Miri was where it all started – Tractors Malaysia was born here in 1929. So, we decided to bring this event to where it all began, and it gives me great joy to have all of you here to celebrate it with us.
“Having survived economic downturns, we’re very pleased to be able to continue participating in and contributing to the growth and development of Sarawak, with continued support from the Sarawak government and of course, our customers. We would never have been able to picture this successful journey without all of you,” he said.
As part of the 90th anniversary celebration, Sime Darby Foundation gave away ‘ Back to School’ items worth more than RM70,000 to over 700 pupils from four primary schools in Miri.
Also in conjunction with ‘ Pink October’ – a cancer awareness campaign – the company had painted one of their Caterpillar machines pink, to raise funds via rentals to customers in Sarawak.
Through the support from many customers, this initiative had raised RM50,000 for Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society (SCCS).