News in brief

Bintulu Port Holdings Bhd has awarded a RM116.42mil contract to PPES Works (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd for the construction of an operations building and a yard for the second inner harbour at Sarawak's Bintulu Port. 

In a statement, the port operator said the construction works were to be completed within 24 months. – AFX 

Software solutions provider eBworx Bhd has clinched a US$1.274mil contract to implement a digital credit management system for Krung Thai Bank Public Co Ltd. 

eBworx said in a statement that it had entered into a project agreement with Hewlett-Packard (Thailand) Ltd to implement this system which enabled the bank to streamline its loan application processing and thereafter monitor and manage these loans. 

The project is expected to be completed in nine months. This is eBworx's second project in Thailand after it secured in August a US$1mil project to implement the system for Kasikornbank Public Co Ltd. 

HCM ENGINEERING SDN BHD, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Protasco Bhd, is targeting an order book of RM1bil from local projects alone by June 2004, managing director Datuk Hasnur Rabiain Ismail said. 

HCM announced on Friday that it had received a letter of intent from the Public Works Department (PWD) regarding its joint-venture project with Molek Engineering Sdn Bhd for design and construction work to rehabilitate and upgrade Jalan Alor Star-Kuala Nerang-Tasik Pedu-Sik in Kedah. 

The project was expected to start in May and would take 36 months to complete, he said during the company's ISO 9001:2000 certification presentation ceremony in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. 

Hasnur said the project was expected to be worth about RM400mil. – Bernama 

Crest Builder Holdings Bhd has secured a new RM53mil contract to build the third phase of the Kompleks Sekolah Bestari in Putrajaya. 

In a statement, Crest Builder said the new contract had raised its order book to RM639mil. – AFX 

SARAWAK CONCRETE INDUSTRIES BHD, which is currently buying a controlling stake in a water concessionaire, said its renounceable rights issue with warrants had been oversubscribed by 21.67%. 

The company has made a one-for-one renounceable rights issue of 18 million new shares with free detachable warrants. – AFX 

ROBERT Bosch GmbH, the world's second-largest auto parts maker, and EP Manufacturing Bhd will sign an agreement tomorrow to jointly manufacture parts for Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Bhd (Proton).  

EP would announce more details in Kuala Lumpur, EP said in an e-mailed statement.  

Customers of Bosch include DaimlerChrysler AG and General Motors Corp's Ger man unit, Adam Opel AG. 

State-controlled Proton plans to introduce new models in 2004, after sales plunged this year, as the SARS epidemic crimped spending and purchasers held out for lower prices next year, when Malaysia will cut tariffs on cars from overseas makers such as Toyota Motor Corp. – Bloomberg 

In a statement, the port operator said the construction works were to be completed within 24 months. – AFX