24/04/2026

BIZ & FINANCE FRIDAY | APR 24, 2026

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AMS Advanced Material sees margin improvement

ICT access, usage in 2025 remains high, says DOSM PUTRAJAYA: The level of access and usage of information and communication technology (ICT) among households and individuals in Malaysia remained high in 2025, reflecting the country’s continued progress in digital development. The ICT Usage and Access by Individuals and Households Survey 2025 report, published by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) yesterday, showed that 99.5% of households have access to mobile phones, radio and television. Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said access to the internet and computers also increased to 97.1% and 92.6% respectively. “ICT access and usage remain high, reflecting Malaysia’s ongoing efforts in enhancing digital in clusion across all levels of society,” he said in a statement. Mohd Uzir said that while access to paid television broadcasts dropped to 62% compared to 67.1% in 2024, access to fixed-line telephones also declined to 27.6% from 27.9% the previous year. In terms of individual usage, mobile phone usage rose to 99.6%, while computer usage also increased to 81.5%, boosted by growth in both urban (87%) and rural (65.5%) areas. “Internet usage among indi viduals, meanwhile, increased to 98.3% compared to 98% in the previous year, with urban areas recording 99.2% and rural areas 95.7%. Internet usage remains high across all age groups, including those aged 60 and above, which recorded an increase to 92.3%,” he said. In addition, Mohd Uzir said the level of ICT skills among individuals remained high, with more than 90% showing proficiency in basic tasks such as copying or moving files or folders, while skills among youth aged 15 to 24 remained at a high level, with almost all indi cators exceeding 80%. Social networking activities remained dominant, with 99.7% of users engaging on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, followed by the use of digital media, such as downloading music, videos and games, at 94.8%. A total of 94.6%of users also used the internet to search for information on goods and services .– Bernama below 1%, then I would say there is a decent case for higher ratings,“ he said. S&P Global Ratings and RAM Rating Services Bhd jointly hosted the forum, bringing together policymakers, investors and industry leaders to examine how markets are repricing risk amid heightened global uncertainty. The event carried the theme “Pricing Risks, Seizing Opportunities”, reflecting a shift in how capital market participants assess volatility, recalibrate strategies and position for growth. – Bernama

expanding its processing capacity with a new licensed manufacturing warehouse in Penang that will effectively mirror its existing plant. Currently operating seven machines with an output of about nine to 10 tonnes per day over 23 working days a month, the new facility is expected to double capacity and enable the group to meet rising demand. “We are currently running at full capacity. The reason we expand is that we foresee growth. The momentum is very consistent,” Keh said, adding that the group has already seen strong incoming orders supporting its expansion plans. The company adopts an asset-light model, leasing its facilities rather than owning them, which allows for faster scaling while managing capital expenditure. Beyond capacity expansion, AMS is exploring new growth avenues, including setting up a scrap aluminium processing segment, although this remains subject to regulatory approvals. Keh highlighted that the licensed manufacturing warehouse and the scrap processing initiative are two key areas that could drive the group’s next phase of growth. On sector exposure, AMS is shifting its focus towards higher margin industries such as semi conductor and ESI, aerospace, and transportation, while becoming more selective in construction-related projects where pricing pressures have intensified. “Construction is facing a lot of pressure on pricing, so we are more selective. We have the flexibility to choose which industries to focus on,” Keh said. Despite ongoing geopolitical tensions, particularly in the Middle East, AMS said its operations remain largely insulated as it operates in the midstream segment of the aluminium value chain.

o Aluminium products specialist confident of strong demand from semiconductor and electronics industries, to expand processing capacity

KUALA LUMPUR: AMS Advanced Material Bhd expects margins to remain resilient with room for gradual improvement, supported by strong demand from semiconductor and electronics supply chain industries, even as parts of its construction segment face pricing pressure. Managing director Keh Teng Yang said the group’s margins are sus tainable given its first-quarter perfor mance and the current operating environment, noting that tighter material supply and rising activity in the semiconductor and ESI (equip ment, systems and integration) seg ments could lift profitability. “We do see a gradual improvement of margins,” he told reporters after the Ű BY DEEPALAKSHMI MANICKAM sunbiz@thesundaily.com

volume of 105.834 million shares. The aluminium products specialist reported a net profit of RM2.66 million for the first quarter of its financial year 2026, with manage ment signalling confidence of a stronger showing for the full year. Keh said AMS is well-positioned to benefit from ongoing global supply chain shifts, particularly as manu facturers in the US and Europe reallocate programmes and invest ments to Asia. “We are very optimistic about the prospects of the semiconductor industry and ESI segments. We are at a sweet spot right now,” he said, pointing to increased investments from original equipment manu facturers and a steady pipeline of orders. To capitalise on growth, AMS is

company’s listing, adding that AMS is increasingly prioritising higher-value industries over lower-margin con struction-related work. AMS made a flat debut on the ACE Market, opening at 29 sen a share, the same as its initial public offering price, with a volume of 14.8 million shares. Keh downplayed concerns about the company’s performance on its market debut, stressing that manage ment’s priority remains delivering operational results and long-term value. “As management, we focus on the business. By delivering value and results, the share price will reflect that,” Keh said before the market closed. AMS ended the day at 30.5 sen, 1.5 sen or 5.17% above the offer price on

Keh (right) and independent non-executive chairman Fazrin Azwar Md Nor (second from right) at the listing ceremony of AMS Advanced Material on Bursa Malaysia yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC Keh noted that supply disruptions are more pronounced at the upstream smelting stage, particularly in regions such as the Gulf, but added that the group has not experienced any material supply issues to date. “We are not so much affected. The supply has no issue right now.” Malaysia has potential for sovereign rating upgrade: S&P Global Ratings

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has the potential for a sovereign rating upgrade, supported by continuously narrowing fiscal deficits, S&P Global Ratings said. Its managing director and sector lead for sovereign ratings, Kim Eng Tan, however, said an upgrade is unlikely in the near term due to the ongoing global supply crisis, despite a stable economic outlook. He said this is due to Malaysia’s external metrics, which measure foreign assets against foreign liabilities, appearing somewhat weaker than expected, given

tainable way, help to improve Malaysia’s credit metrics,“ he said at the S&P-RAM Forum 2026 yesterday. Tan was a panellist in a session titled “From Tariff Shocks to Energy Shocks: Policy Making in a Multipolar Reality”. Last year, S&P reaffirmed Malaysia’s sovereign credit rating at ‘A-’ with a stable outlook, despite significant uncertainty in global trade flows. The agency said the performance reflected confidence in Malaysia’s macroeconomic management, sup porting stronger growth prospects

Malaysia’s current account surplus. “I think to some extent that reflects a lot of foreign investment in the domestic bond market, which is highly valued by many foreign investors, because they say that the Malaysian domestic bond market is very well developed compared to peers and so on. “But one of the outcomes of that strong investment in Malaysian government securities is that it actually weakens the external metrics that we look at. Now, if these metrics were to improve, it could potentially, in a material and sus

than most sovereigns at similar income levels. Meanwhile, Tan said the rapid growth of the Malaysian economy could support a future upgrade. “If fiscal performance improves and the deficit starts coming down to below 2%, and hopefully even