PETALING JAYA: As space constraints intensify across Malaysia, mechanical car parks are no longer a novelty but a necessity, with Liftech Group Bhd leveraging this shift to drive growth.
The group – which predominantly delves in the full engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of industrial lifting cranes, industrial lifts and dock levellers – has been around since 1992.
It has served various industries – property, construction, manufacturing and automotive, among others – providing different kinds of cranes, lifts, hoists and dock levellers that are customised.
Managing director Bernard Ng said mechanical car parks will be a large growth factor for the group in the next few years.
“Looking at the scarcity of space, especially in urban areas, parking cars is proving to be a tough one.
“We ventured into this because it complements what we do – which are cranes that carry from the top,” he told StarBiz in a recent interview.
According to Ng, the game plan was to diversify to create lifts that lift from the bottom using a hydraulic system.
“We have the knowledge on lifters and how to utilise the hydraulic systems. We also have a hydraulic division within our group that can cater for after-sales service, which is very important.
“Say, a car park malfunctions, you cannot leave your car there and hope to get it back tomorrow,” he explained.
The group isn’t the first of its kind to venture into mechanical car parks, but is confident in securing more jobs in addition to the ones in Penang, Johor and Jalan Pudu, Kuala Lumpur, that are in the works.
Ng further said that he expects a lift in contribution towards group revenue of about 20% to 30%.
Liftech runs its operations via eight facilities, including two main manufacturing sites in Puchong and Taiping.
Ng said its other facilities – Ipoh (Perak), Simpang Ampat (Penang), Senai (Johor), Kuantan (Pahang), Bintulu (Sarawak) and Kota Kinabalu (Sabah) – are used for maintenance and repair.
“One of our main advantages is the wide coverage we have that serves the northern, southern and even the Sabah and Sarawak side.
“So, let’s say a customer is looking for some sort of repair service, we are able to quickly deploy a team to provide those services,” he added.
He said in Penang, the group has purchased a new facility there which will undergo renovations soon.
Valued between RM8.8mil and RM9mil, the new facility will be utilised for the group’s after-sales service repair and cater to the northern part of the country.
Expecting to move in sometime in the third quarter of this year, Ng said he is hopeful that revenue from the state will surge approximately 15% to 20%.
“For Penang, we are serving quite a number of customers within the semiconductor industry.
“There are also customers from the plastic and cable industries,” he said.
As for its acquisition of a property in Kota Kinabalu, Ng said prior to this, the group was merely renting the space.
“We noticed there was plenty of potential in the area, so buying a property made sense.
“The rationale is that once we own the property, we would not have to service any loans then,” he said.
The group began operations there in January this year, and optimisation levels have already hit between 50% and 60%.
In fact, Ng reckoned that there is plenty of potential and market in Sabah and Sarawak.
“We see less growth and development in the Klang Valley today.
“Of course, Penang is still a big manufacturing hub, but Sabah and Sarawak are catching up fast. We are well-positioned to capture the market share there too,” Ng said.
Meanwhile, Malacca Securities said despite Liftech only owning 3.5% of market share at the moment, it believes there is growth on the horizon for the group as it continues to capture multi-sector industrial tailwinds across the country.
It also noted that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has not impacted Liftech since its components are sourced locally and from China.
“The shipping routes completely bypass the volatile global maritime choke point,” it added.
“While the group absorbs minor systemic fuel and petrol price hikes, the direct financial impact remains minimal, and the group would insulate its margins by charging back these incremental transport variances directly to clients via its maintenance services segment.”
Notably, the group is expected to list on June 30, 2026, on the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia.
