SHAH ALAM, July 14 — The newly launched Business Linkages and Advancement Programme (BLAST) aims to connect local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with major investors to boost supply chains, state executive councillor for investment, trade and mobility Ng Sze Han said.
He added that BLAST is a collaboration between Invest Selangor Bhd and the Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC).
Ng said the initiative would allow local SMEs to supply products and services to large multinational corporations and domestic firms that have invested in Selangor.
“The main objective is to develop local SMEs. The approach is very straightforward.
“We have identified several anchor investors in Selangor and they will support local SMEs by using their services or purchasing their products,” he said after launching BLAST at Concorde Hotel here today.
Ng added that BLAST Phase 1 involves four anchor investors — Bridge Data Centres, UMW Aerospace, Base Maintenance Malaysia, and Malaysia Rail Link (MRL) — alongside 12 local SMEs.
He said the investors have embarked on significant endeavours in Selangor and require a wide range of products and services, which gives local businesses opportunities to enter larger supply chains.
“The programme aims to help participating SMEs increase their revenue by 5 per cent by 2030.
“This is only the first phase. Together with MTDC, we will organise more programmes like this in the future,” Ng added.
He also said MTDC will guide SMEs to meet international standards, allowing them to supply not only participating anchor investors but also other companies in the same industry.
“Attracting investments worth billions of ringgit remains important, but ensuring those investments generate tangible benefits for local businesses is equally critical.
“For us, what is even more important is how these investments can help local SMEs secure more orders and projects. This is one of the directions (for) investments that we want to attract into Selangor,” Ng said.
