OM Materials (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd or OM Sarawak has boosted in stages the production of its ferroalloy smelting plant in Samalaju Industrial Park, Bintulu to 12 furnaces following resumption of operations after being suspended in activity since May 28, 2021.

The plant’s operations were suspended by the relevant authorities after an active Covid-19 case detection exercise was done and is now allowed to resume operations with precautionary measures in place since early last month.

Initially only four furnaces were operational but subsequently production was ramped-up in stages with 12 furnaces (6 FeSi and 6 manganese alloy furnaces) currently in production stated OM Holdings Ltd in its latest update on OM Sarawak.

OMH, which owns 75 percent equity interest in OM Sarawak had its secondary listing on Bursa Malaysia in June this year while joint-venture partner Chaya Mata Sarawak Bhd (CMS) own’s the remaining 25 percent stake in OM Sarawak.

OM Sarawak currently has 16 units of furnaces with 10 units allocated for the production of FeSi and 6 units for the production of manganese alloys. The plant has a design capacity to produce between 200,000 to 210,000 tons of FeSi and 250,000 to 300,000 tons of manganese alloy in a year.

The plant’s production plan for the second half of this year may continue to be readjusted as manpower shortages continue to impact the smelting’s plant’s ability to operate at full capacity owing to travel restrictions imposed by the authorities because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE