EPMB DEBUTS CAR SEAT MANUFACTURING PLANT FOR UPCOMING PROTON VEHICLES, FORGING NEW ERA IN PARTNERSHIP

With an annual capacity of 150,000 car seats for future PROTON vehicles, new facility supports PROTON’s growth targets and roadmap

KUALA LUMPUR, 30 October 2023 — Main Market-listed EP Manufacturing Berhad (“EPMB” or “Group”) today announced the opening of a hi-tech car seat manufacturing facility in Tanjung Malim, which is set to play a critical role in the rollout of upcoming Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Sdn Bhd (“PROTON”) vehicles for hundreds of thousands of customers in Malaysia and ASEAN.

Constructed with an investment of slightly over RM30 million, the new facility sits just 2.5 kilometres away from PROTON’s factory in Tanjung Malim, where PROTON’s two major shareholders, DRB-Hicom and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co Ltd, are developing the Automotive Hi-Tech Valley (“AHTV”), a global hub for new energy vehicle (NEV) production.

The plant, which has an initial capacity to manufacture 150,000 sets of car seats every year, shall cater for upcoming PROTON vehicles.

The launch of the plant was witnessed by YAB Dato’ Seri Saarani bin Mohamad, the Menteri Besar of Perak Darul Ridzuan, and Dr. Li Chunrong, the CEO of PROTON.

The development of EPMB’s first car seat manufacturing plant provides a compelling case study of collaboration and technology transfer within the PROTON ecosystem. It involved a technical partnership between EPMB and Chinese vehicle parts manufacturer Zhejiang Jujin Automobile & Motor-cycle Accessories Co., Ltd., which currently supplies car seats to Geely.

EPMB Group Chief Executive Officer — Ahmad Razlan Mohamed said:

“We view the opening of this plant as a major step forward in EPMB’s partnership with PROTON, which spans nearly four decades. This is the first time the Group has ventured into seat assembly manufacturing, and we are honoured that PROTON has given us this opportunity. We are fully committed to PROTON’s success as it pursues its regional growth targets and NEV roadmap. As for the Group, this venture will enable us to diversify our core manufacturing business from the production of metal and plastic products, unlocking a new business stream with substantial growth potential.”

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