In the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent movement control order (MCO) in Malaysia, an on-line survey was undertaken involving 748 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the furniture industry. The main objective was to examine the impact of the pandemic and the subsequent MCO on the various business aspects of the SMEs as well as to make recommendations to the government on supportive measures for the SMEs. The survey found that although all aspects of the business were impacted, the two major concerns of the SMEs during this crisis were the financial management and the supply chain disruptions. Inevitably, it was found that most of the SMEs were operating well below capacity, which was a huge financial strain on their business viability. It was recommended that the government provide measures to help the SMEs manage their cash-flow and ease the restrictions to facilitate supply-chain commencement that is crucial to their business. The survey also revealed that most SMEs acknowledged the importance of automation and the adoption of technologies. Respondents regarded the shift towards Industry 4.0 was inevitable as a means increase their resilience when facing future uncertainties.
Rubber has been shown to be one of the most important plantation crops in Malaysia, and rubber tree biomass has widespread applications in almost all sectors of the wood products manufacturing sector. Despite its abundance, the exploitation of rubberwood biomass for energy generation is limited when compared to other available biomass such as oil palm, rice husk, cocoa, sugarcane, coconut, and other wood residues. Furthermore, the use of biomass for energy generation is still in its early stages in Malaysia, a nation still highly dependent on fossil fuels for energy production. The constraints for large scale biomass energy production in Malaysia are the lack of financing for such projects, the need for large investments, and the limited research and development activities in the sector of efficient biomass energy production. The relatively low cost of energy in Malaysia, through the provision of subsidy, also restricts the potential utilization of biomass for energy production. In order to fully realize the potential of biomass energy in Malaysia, the environmental cost must be factored into the cost of energy production.
Malaysia has more than 50 species of bamboo, but few that are utilized commercially. In this study, the physical properties of two of the most popular bamboo species in Malaysia, Gigantochloa scortechinii and Bambusa vulgaris, were evaluated. Moisture content (MC) and shrinkage variation at different height sections at both nodal and internodal categories of the bamboo culm were investigated. A comparison between the height sections and between the nodal and internodal categories, as well as between the species, was carried out. Results indicated a trend of decreasing MC along the culm from base to top, though the difference was not statistically significant. It was also observed that radial shrinkage was slightly greater than tangential shrinkage and was much greater than shrinkage in the longitudinal direction. Nodes appeared to have lower MC and a higher percentage of shrinkage compared to internodes. The shrinkage pattern of the two species of bamboo showed a small radial-to-tangential ratio of 1.15:1, which may have contributed to the dimensional stability of bamboo.
In this study, the kiln drying yield of 30 mm Rubberwood (Hevea brasiliensis) used for the furniture manufacturing industry in South East Asia was evaluated. The results showed that the average yield loss was 10%, and end-checks, splits and warping were the most common drying defects. It was found that sawn timber from older trees (> 21 years) were less prone to drying defects, and the use of stress relieving treatments significantly reduced the incidence of drying defects.
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