Kangar: Mutiara Perlis Sdn Bhd is investing RM17 million to acquire 15 Kalmar container handlers for the Perlis Inland Port (PIP) via its partner, Mach 1 Group. Group managing director and chief executive officer Wan Ahmad Zaheed Wan Mohamad announced that the acquisition includes six reach stackers, three empty container handlers, and six terminal tractors.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Wan Ahmad Zaheed expressed that with these new Kalmar machines, the company is preparing to handle double the cargo volume currently managed in Padang Besar. This statement was made at the signing ceremony for the equipment sale and purchase agreement between Kalmar, Mach 1 Group, and Mutiara Perlis.

Wan Ahmad Zaheed highlighted that PIP, strategically located within the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle, has the potential to become a key logistics hub connecting the three countries. He stated that with stronger infrastructure and improved connectivity, there could be a more balanced import-export flow benefiting both local businesses and the wider region.

Phase 1 of the PIP, slated for completion by July 2025, is expected to handle up to 300,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) annually, which is more than double the current 130,000 TEU capacity at the Padang Besar Container Terminal.