24/03/2026

BIZ & FINANCE TUESDAY | MAR 24, 2026

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VinFast eyes expansion into M’sia despite losses o Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines also on Vietnamese EV maker’s radar

Mandrill Tech gains recognition as enterprises accelerate AI-led transformation PETALING JAYA: Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a peripheral investment for large organisations. Across sectors, companies are embedding AI into core operations –– from decision-making and forecasting to automation and customer engagement – to stay competitive in an increasingly digital economy. Against this backdrop, Mandrill Tech has been recognised by The Asia Records as the leading AI technology partner for enterprise transformation in 2025, reflecting its growing role in helping businesses operationalise AI at scale. The recognition comes at a time when enterprises are moving beyond pilot projects and into complex, organisation-wide implementations. This shift has raised the stakes for technology partners, with clients placing greater emphasis on execution, integration and measurable impact rather than standalone solutions. Mandrill Tech has built its position around this demand, focusing on end-to-end AI and data driven solutions that are tailored to specific industries. Its offerings span AI deployment, big data analytics and customised system development – areas increasingly seen as critical for companies navigating digital transformation. CEO Davent Low said the acknowledgement reflects both market demand and the company’s approach to implementation. “AI adoption is no longer about experiment ation. Businesses want solutions that are practical, scalable and aligned with their operations. This recognition speaks to the work we’ve done in helping clients translate AI into real business outcomes, not just concepts.” From CxSYS’ nationwide deployments, measurable improvements have been recorded when workflow redesign precedes or accom panies system implementation. These include inventory variance reductions from triple-digit discrepancies to reconcilable balances, faster patient turnaround times due to smoother billing processes, and improved cost visibility through enforced batch-level stock tracking. “The gains are operational first and financial second, but they are real,” Pasupathi said. In terms of scalability, the founders believe success depends less on clinic size and more on governance and discipline. The firm has implemented similar workflows across long-established 50-year-old clinics, small semi-urban practices and multi-location groups. “One-size-fits-all systems fail,” Mugunthan said. “Configurable systems that allow modular adoption scale better.” He added that clinics can start with billing and inventory discipline before layering more advanced features, ensuring stability at each stage. Looking ahead, Pasupathi said private healthcare technology providers must position themselves as system enablers rather than mere software vendors. While government initiatives define standards and compliance requirements, private players must translate those policies into workable clinic-level processes. “Policy defines the ‘what’. Private systems must define the ‘how’,” he said. Pasupathi stressed that accountability for outcomes, including training, process alignment and measurable improvements, will be critical as Malaysia continues its healthcare digital transformation journey. “The future is collaboration,” he said. “Technology must strengthen healthcare delivery, not complicate it.”

PETALING JAYA: Vietnamese electric vehicle (EV) maker VinFast is pushing ahead with plans to expand into Malaysia and other Southeast Asian markets, even as the company reported a wider net loss in the final quarter of 2025. In a Reuters report, the carmaker said it is targeting Malaysia, alongside Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, as part of its regional growth strategy while aiming to deliver at least 300,000 EVs globally this year. VinFast posted a net loss of 35.2 trillion

transitional option. “We view range extender technology as a practical interim step in the shift from internal combustion engines to fully electric vehicles,” senior executive Anne Pham said. Still, profitability remains a concern. A free-charging programme introduced in late 2024 has helped boost sales but added to cost pressures. The company said the initiative was well received by customers and dealers, despite being expensive. Full-year revenue more than doubled to US$3.6 billion, and VinFast is targeting to break even by the end of this year. However, analysts caution that its high cash burn could pose challenges. “Despite backing from Vingroup, VinFast’s high cash burn rate raises questions about its ability to fund the required capital expenditure,” said Third Bridge analyst Ollie Coughlin. For Malaysia, VinFast’s entry signals growing competition in the EV space, as regional players accelerate expansion plans despite a more challenging global market backdrop.

have been working in the background on that,” she said during an investor briefing. Back in Southeast Asia, demand in its home market, Vietnam, continues to anchor growth. Reuters report said the company

delivered 86,557 EVs in the fourth quarter, up sharply from both the previous quarter and a year earlier, with nearly 80% of sales coming from Vietnam. Its two-wheeler segment also saw strong momentum, with deliveries surging more than fourfold year-on-year to nearly 172,000 units,

dong (US$1.34 billion or RM5.2 billion) in the fourth quarter, up 15% from a year earlier, as higher costs and impairment charges linked to its planned US plant weighed on its performance. Adjustments tied to the North Carolina facility alone accounted for US$235.6 million of the loss. Despite the weaker financial

supported by policy measures such as Hanoi’s planned ban on petrol-powered motorbikes in the city centre. VinFast is also positioning itself for markets with limited charging infrastructure, including Malaysia, by developing range-extended electric vehicles. These models use small petrol engines to recharge batteries and are seen as a

performance, the company is pressing on with international expansion, including revisiting plans to build its US plant, which had been delayed due to uncertain EV demand. Chairperson Thuy Le said VinFast remains committed to the US market, with a potential soft launch targeted for 2028. “We are committed to the US market and

Unlocking gains from digitalisation in primary care clinics

Ű BY DEEPALAKSHMI MANICKAM sunbiz@thesundaily.com

Pasupathi cautions against duplicating work instead of simplifying it.

PETALING healthcare digitalisation drive has attracted rising investment over the years, yet outcomes across primary care clinics remain uneven largely because technology has been treated as a procurement exercise rather than a full business transformation. CxSYS founder and director Dr Pasupathi Nadarajan, who is also a medical practitioner in general practice and occupational health, said many clinics adopt digital systems primarily for compliance reasons such as e-claims, e invoicing and reporting. “Digital tools are often layered on top of legacy paper habits without redesigning workflows,” he said. “When that happens, you duplicate work instead of simplifying it.” He noted that uneven results typically occur when systems are implemented without clear ownership, proper process mapping or accountability. In such cases, technology ends up reinforcing operational ambiguity rather than resolving it. CxSYS head of deployment and training Dr Mugunthan Murugan added that poor system design often shifts the burden onto clinic staff instead of easing it. “We routinely see duplicate data entry, inventory mismatches due to batch-handling errors, and staff working around the system instead of through it,” he said. These inefficiencies translate directly into higher operating costs and lost productivity. Longer patient turnaround times, stock write offs and audit exposure become common risks. Over time, some clinics hire additional staff to compensate for broken processes, a costly workaround that erodes margins. “The most expensive solution to a bad system is hiring more people,” Mugunthan said. CxSYS advocates a human-centred design JAYA: Malaysia’s

Mugunthan says poor

system design shifts burden to staff instead of easing things.

He said measurable gains are seen when systems reduce prescription and inventory reconciliation errors, automate claims and documentation, and prevent rework caused by missing or inconsistent data. “The realistic gain is capacity recovery, not headcount reduction,” he said. “Clinics can reclaim hours per day.” However, adoption challenges remain significant. Common bottlenecks include staff skill mismatches, unclear data ownership and training that focuses on button-clicking rather than workflow understanding. “Many systems assume accounting or pharmacy knowledge that frontline staff may not have,” Mugunthan said. “Training must be role-based and tied to standard operating procedures.” He emphasised the need for staged adoption rather than one-off onboarding sessions, allowing clinics to embed discipline gradually before adding complexity.

approach, which starts with how clinics actually function rather than how software vendors assume they should operate. “In primary care, you often have non pharmacist inventory handlers, multi-role clinic staff and high patient flow with low tolerance for friction,” Pasupathi said. “Systems must adapt to these realities.” Under this model, workflows are redesigned around real operating conditions, with built-in guardrails to reduce errors. The distinction, he said, lies in whether the system expects humans to adapt to rigid software logic or whether the software supports human behaviour in a controlled way. With projected shortages of doctors and nurses, smarter digital systems could play a role in easing workforce strain, though not by replacing clinicians. “Digital systems cannot replace doctors or nurses,” Pasupathi stressed. “But they can remove non-clinical work from their plates.”