JOHOR BAHRU, 23 February 2022 – Johor-based bus and bus body manufacturer Gemilang International Limited (“GML”) has secured its single largest order from Uzbekistan to supply 190 bus body kits, less than a month after the Group won its biggest order to deliver fully-electric school buses to California, USA. The latest contract from Uzbekistan will position the Malaysia company as a strong player in the emerging Central Asia market and would help the Group to venture into the neighbouring countries such as Belarus and Kazakhstan.
The contract to deliver 190 Completely Knocked Down (“CKD”) bus body kits was awarded in February 2022 and is expected to be completed in October 2022. Since 2015, GML has delivered more than 160 bus body kits to Uzbekistan, making the country an important growth market for the Group. GML expects the latest contract to be a major revenue contributor this year.
Uzbekistan is fast-tracking the upgrading of its infrastructure and connectivity, including transportation and the Hong Kong-listed GML anticipates more future tenders from the country. The Group is optimistic that it will continuously benefit from the infrastructure developments in Uzbekistan, leveraging on its proven track record as one of the leading bus and bus body manufacturers in Asia.
The latest contract was secured via a competitive tender bidding undertaken together with GML’s partners including chassis supplier and local bus body builder. The main winning factor is believed to be GML’s pre-engineered aluminium body kits which are fabricated using craftmanship originating from Switzerland. The materials used for body structure consist of high durability 5000 – 6000 series aluminium alloy (similar to aviation and railroad standards). This is the essence of three decades of industry experience and GML aims to deliver consistent quality as well as clean, simple and environmentally friendly solutions.
More importantly, this contract further demonstrates that GML buses and bus bodies can meet regulatory and statutory safety requirements in the destination countries.
Mr. Pang Chong Yong (“彭中庸”), Chairman & CEO of Gemilang International Ltd said:
“Uzbekistan is one of our six focus markets for 2022, apart from USA, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. The latest contract is a repeat order from Uzbekistan and is recognised as a springboard for us to grow further in the region. We are pleased as this repeat order at a bigger quantity implicitly shows the trust from the country in Malaysian craftmanship and product quality.
Looking ahead, depending on future tenders from Uzbekistan, it is our plan to deliver high-quality products consistently and further building a strong and competitive presence in the market. GML is actively working on securing new projects in the aforementioned six countries. In addition, many tender activities have been delayed in the past two years since the pandemic and we wish to see tenders coming from our target markets this year as the economy is recovering.
With commitments from many neighbouring countries to reduce and eventually neutralise carbon emission, we expect more electrification in transportations and GML is ready to offer environmentally-friendly solutions for the transition. As Malaysia is our base, we hope that our continued growth would allow more economic advantages for the country over the long run such as increased job opportunities, capital investments and innovations in the emerging EV segment.”
While GML focuses on manufacturing and supplying Completely Built Up ("CBU”) buses, the Group sees rising demand in the CKD segment as more countries, especially the USA, are looking to create or reshore domestic manufacturing activities. This trend opens new opportunities for GML internationally, especially with the growing global interest in EV buses.
Furthermore, body kit solutions are distinctive in the bus manufacturing industry and are invented in-house by GML. Domestically, more than 2000 units have been delivered in CKD form. Through CKD body kit solutions, the Group’s business partners will be able to assemble buses in their own regions and enjoy reduced total cost of manufacturing and lower initial capital investments. In addition, these companies could also receive incentives and support from their local governments for promoting localisation, while the final assembly works are done locally.
Based in Johor, GML has designed and manufactured bus bodies, and assembled buses for over 30 years. Its recent projects in the domestic market include Sarawak’s 1st electric city bus for Kuching Metro and an electric bus pilot project by the Sabah government for public transport. It is also notable that GML has supplied buses for Go KL, Rapid KL, Rapid Penang and MRT feeder buses for the past 13 years.
About Gemilang International Limited
Gemilang is a leading bus and bus body manufacturer in Asia Pacific. Headquartered in Malaysia, the company has unique expertise in designing and manufacturing a range of bus and coach bodyworks (SKDs and CKDs) and assembly of buses (CBUs).
With presence in more than 15 markets around the globe, Gemilang is committed to provide distinctive and sustainable solutions to meet the evolving needs of customers who are embracing electrification.
This is in line with its vision to be the most advanced and reliable green transportation solutions provider in the world. To learn more about the business, please visit www.gml.com.my or its Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/gemilanginternational.
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For more information, please contact:
Pang Jun Jie
Gemilang International Limited
Tel: (+607)-599 6666
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Issued by: Gemilang International Limited
Date: 23 February 2022
