EXCITING times are ahead for PKT Logistics Group Sdn Bhd as it embarks on new projects that will strengthen Malaysia’s position as the next Asean logistics hub.

Starting 2020 with a bang, The Ship Campus located at the One Auto Hub in Batu Kawan, Penang, will be open to public later this year.

The purpose-built education and lifestyle hub is set to be an icon of Penang’s skyline, as it is modelled after a cruise ship. It will be home to PKT Logistics Group’s education arm Peninsula College, which is able to accommodate over 4,000 students.

The Ship Campus will offer tertiary education courses on logistics and supy chain management, computer science, tourism, accountancy and business studies.

The campus will also see the collaboration between Peninsula College and the United Kingdom’s University of Plymouth as its education partner.

Aside from bringing high-quality UK education to Penang, The Ship Campus will also serve as a base for the start-up and SME community of Batu Kawan through its Entrepreneur Growth Hub.

The Entrepreneur Growth Hub is a start-up incubator that aims to foster the growth of start-ups and SMES in Penang.

Beyond a physical co-working space, those who register with the hub are also able to enjoy the facilities at The Ship Campus, which range from a gymnasium facing the Straits of Malacca and a state-of-the-art library, to lifestyle amenities such as open-air cafes and retail outlets.

The Ship Campus will also feature The Opera Theatre, a large auditorium with a 470-seat capacity, which can be used to host seminars, business conferences and also concerts.

PKT Logistics Group Sdn Bhd group chief executive and managing director Datuk Michael Tio said that The Ship Campus aims to bridge the gap between academia and industry.

“The Ship Campus will be one of the few education campuses located in an industrial park. This was a deliberate decision, as we felt the need for the academia to be close to the industry, in order to produce graduates equipped with the skills and capabilities required in today’s demanding job market,” he said.

Triple bottom line

Beyond eye-catching structures, PKT is deeply rooted in its approach of sustainable business practices, which are encompassed in their mission statement of being a socially responsible company providing logistics services by utilising local human resources, building environmentally friendly warehouses, ensuring open engagement with the communities, as well as inspiring other businesses to provide positive impact to people and communities through its activities.

Tio, a firm believer in the triple bottom line framework, explains that this philosophy is something the group carries out in its strategies and in doing business.

“The first thing is to ensure that the company is profitable, then socially and environmentally profitable.”

As such, PKT’S hubs, namely the One Logistics Hub in Shah Alam, One Auto Hub and The Ship Campus in Batu Kawan are built with nature and community in mind.

The Lighthouse at One Logistics Hub, for example, is the first Green Building Index (GBI) Gold-certified warehouse in Malaysia.

The Lighthouse has built-in solar panels to generate green energy. It is also equipped with energysaving LED lighting systems and a rainwater harvesting system for general usage.

Meanwhile, the award-winning The 12 Waves at Batu Kawan is a 650,000sq ft warehouse that integrates state-of-the-art features such as solar panels, natural lighting and ventilation, and an advanced security and surveillance system.

The 12 Waves also boasts a Nature Walk featuring a Japanese garden that spans over 750m.

Reimagining Bukit Kayu Hitam

The concept of sustainable buildings and hubs is a common theme that threads through PKT’S iconic building designs.

Moving forward in 2020, PKT Logistics Group, through its fully owned subsidiary One Northern Hub Sdn Bhd and its joint venture partner Northern Gateway Logistic Center Sdn Bhd – a fully owned subsidiary of Northern Gateway Sdn Bhd – will develop and operate a truck and inland clearance depot at Kota Perdana Special Border Economic Zone (SBEZ), Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah.

The development will span across a 50-acre (20.2ha) land plot, which can be linked to the Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complex (ICQS).

The integrated logistics hub will cater to an annual throughput of 200,000 containers and feature a truck and inland clearance depot, warehouses and cross-dock facilities for cargo consolidation and container stuffing.

To be developed at an estimated cost of Rm200mil, the Bukit Kayu Hitam ICD will be self-sustaining, as it will also contain a petrol station and a multi-storey tower providing office space, a logistics institute, recreational facilities and more.

Expanding on the campus-inindustry concept, PKT Logistics Group is also in talks with their close partner Universiti Utara Malaysia to potentially collaborate on setting up a logistics institute in the ICD.

When completed, this logistics institute will produce and groom talent and manpower for the ICD and even for the surrounding industries of Kota Perdana in the future.