Page 11 - Berita Sunway - Issue 68

QUARRY-TY Being the backbone of the

country’s growth, Sunway
OVER
QUANTITY Quarry is looking for a more

sustainable growth.

By Alex Kishen Raj

“These developments are now encroaching into quarry territories. FEATURES
We get complaints that we are close to housing areas, when in
fact, it is just the opposite,” Sunway Quarry Industries General
Manager of Production Chew Kiew Mow.
He added that blasting technology has evolved so much that it is
safer to conduct a blast compared to before. The advancement
of technology has reshaped the quarry industry, making it safer
and more sustainable. To date, Sunway has a zero accident rate
across all quarries.
BEING SUSTAINABLE AND
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY

ne of the definitions of ‘sacrifice’ is to ‘give up something With quarrying being a necessity for nation building, Sunway
valued for the sake of other considerations’. While some
Oend up in despair, some could turn out to be favourable. Quarry is continuously finding ways to operate in a socially
responsible and sustainable manner.
Sunway Quarry is one of the few quarry operations in Malaysia
that bounced back after after plummeting from its perch. “Light fuel oil to liquefied petroleum gas initiative will be
implemented at more quarry sites around the country, from
Established in the 1970s, the then Sungei Way Quarry was once Kemaman, Sg Bakap to Gebing,” said Lee.
a major player in nation building and development. However, its
business took a hit during the financial crisis in 1999, which led Hydro seeding is also a key component of Sunway Quarry’s
to the disposal of Sungei Way Quarry to Hanson Quarry. landscape rehabilitation plan. It is an extremely cost-effective
and successful method of establishing new vegetation.
“Without Sunway (Sungei Way) Quarry, Sunway Group would
not be the conglomerate it is today. Without the disposition Sunway Quarry also plants Eugenia trees along the access road BERITA SUNWAY | APR—JUN 2020
or selling of assets to our competitor like Hanson Quarry, we and lemongrass near its quarry offices. These efforts do not only
would have been out of jobs,” said Sunway Quarry Industries make the quarrying site a beautiful place to work in, but it also
Chief Executive Officer Lee Chuan Seng. maintains the natural state of the site.
Just like a tin mine, Mother Earth gave Her precious minerals WHAT IS THE FUTURE FOR
for a greater purpose, necessity and good. SUNWAY QUARRY?
How and what we do next after Her sacrifice is key. Whether to
abandon Her or restore Her beauty it lies solely on us. With nine quarries (Selangor (four), Perak, Melaka, Kedah,
Pahang and Negeri Sembilan) in Malaysia, Lee forecasts more
That being said, Sunway Group Founder and Chairman Tan Sri expansion and growth in market share in the future.
Dr Jeffrey Cheah AO, made the difficult decision to sell off Sungei
Way Quarry. But it was a necessary move to ensure all his staff “After we are done with quarrying, the area will be turned into an
continued to receive their income and fend for their families. integrated development. In short, this will be another ‘wasteland
to wonderland’ transformation.
“Today, we are one of the major contributors in the industry,”
said Lee, on Sunway Quarry’s achievements over the years. “We are confident in rebuilding the ecosystem, and plan to start
THE IMPORTANCE OF QUARRYING with our Semenyih quarry, and then shift out attention to the
Dolomite quarry site. Although it is a long term plan, we are
confident as how we had succeeded with Sunway City Kuala
With the ever growing population and the rapidly changing Lumpur,” said Chew.
world, quarrying has become a necessity. “It has become
essential for the world to use raw materials from quarry mines When asked about Sunway Quarry’s 10-year projection plan,
to build skyscrapers, townships and modern transportation Lee’s answer was simple.
systems like the Light Railway Transit (LRT) and Mass Rapid “We aim to be the No. 1 quarry company
Transit (MRT). Without these mines, we will probably still be in Malaysia, to complement our existing
living life backwards,” said Lee. status of being the No. 1 Premix operator
Being a pioneer and major player in the market did not come in the country. On top of that, we also want
easy for Sunway Quarry; and continuing that legacy will not be Sunway Quarry to be a fun, and
easy, with more competitors, development of society, difference safe workplace.”
in demographics, technology, and most recently the COVID-19
pandemic, as challenges to Sunway Quarry.
BATTLING ONGOING CHALLENGES
One of the challenges faced by Quarry is managing housing and 11
township developments nearby.

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