Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia—Located in a bustling industrial district, some 30 kilometers from the Malaysian capital city of Kuala Lumpur is the production facility of Golden Pharos Doors Sdn Bhd—subsidiary of Golden Pharos Berhad, a public-listed corporation having diversified interests in forest harvesting operations, timber processing activities as well as the processing of tempered safety glass.
When the company was established in 1980, it was the first to venture into the production of solid and engineered doors in Malaysia. Over the years, it has grown to become one of the largest door manufacturers in the country.
With a built-up area of 330,000 square feet, the factory employs a workforce of 400 who are engaged in a six-day week factory operation that runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The plant is well equipped with state-of-the-art woodworking machinery that is capable of churning out 24,000 units of doors per month. Apart from the production area, it is also equipped with six kiln-drying chambers and a warehouse complex.
Dexter Hong, the company’s marketing manager said, “We use both local as well as imported U.S. timber for the production of quality doors for residential and commercial use. Our products are targeted at the
Dexter Hong is the marketing manager, and Dahalan Ali serves as sourcing supervisor for the company.
middle and high-end segments of the market so they are used mainly in the construction of luxury homes and condominiums.”
The bulk of the raw material is obtained from forest concessions totaling approximately 266,874 acres operated by Kumpulan Pengurusan Kayu Kayan Trengganu Sdn Bhd, another subsidiary of the Group. In harvesting the forest, the company adopts a selective felling system that conforms to International Timber Trade Organization (ITTO) guidelines for sustainable management of natural tropical forest, while steps are also being taken to minimize negative impacts on the environment, thus ensuring biodiversity conservation.
Through another subsidiary, the Group operates an integrated timber complex which is involved in the production of sawn timber, plywood, kiln-dried and treated timber, pallets, roof trusses, railway sleepers and garden furniture, apart from doors.
According to Hong, American timber accounts for about 30 percent of the raw material used for making doors. The factory imports about three 40-foot containers of U.S. timber per month, comprising the species of White Oak, Red Oak and Douglas Fir.
“We
The company uses local tropical hardwoods, as well as imported temperate lumber from the United Kingdom, the United States, Europe, Australia and Japan, among others.
use mainly veneer because solid lumber would make the door too expensive –something which our customers would not be able to accept,” he said.
As the solid lumber passes through the various sections of the production line, they are cut and molded into bars and edges or lippings.
Hong recalled that the company had been importing wood from the United States–averaging 20 to 30 containers a year since it started making doors because of market requirement. Like many other manufacturers, the company ships the finished product back to the United States, which has been the largest market for Golden Pharos until last year. Now the United Kingdom has taken over as the main market while the company also exports a substantial volume of solid and engineered doors to Australia.
Hong said the company had not encountered any major problems relating to the use of American timber. “On the contrary, it is something that is easy to work with and we are also happy that we can obtain supplies on a rather consistent basis.”
At Golden Pharos, only the Select Better grade—considered the best of American lumber—is used for door production. As Hong explained, veneer is laminated over solid wood and panels to provide consistency in color and tone for every piece of the door that rolls out of the production line.
While pursuing its corporate vision of becoming a well-diversified Mal
The firm offers a variety of styles and species, which includes Red and White Oak, Douglas Fir, Meranti, Nyotah, Merbau and other various hardwood species.
aysian timber conglomerate, the production and development team at Golden Pharos Doors conducts research and carries out market surveys to ensure that it is capable of delivering a wide range of products that cater to the diverse needs of customers. Stringent quality control is enforced at every stage of the production process to ensure that doors are produced to meet international standards, according to Hong.
In fact, quality control begins with material selection as workers keep a watchful eye on defects ensuring that the wood that enters the factory is nothing less than perfect. With strong emphasis on quality, the company has been able to carve a niche for itself as a producer of high quality doors in the international market.
But the hallmark of doors produced by Golden Pharos doors is marked not just by excellent workmanship, customers can take their pick of an array of models like Westminster, Richmond, Carolina and Kentucky to name a few. Indeed, the company’s forte lies also in product design with its in-house design team capable of churning out new designs every week.
Through the years, Golden Pharos Doors has established an international product distribution network with the setting up of Golden Pharos Eur
Golden Pharos employs around 400 people who work in a complex that covers 330,000 square feet.
ope Ltd in Batley (United Kingdom) and Golden Pharos USA Inc, which is based in Florida.
In the future, the company aims to become an even bigger player in the international door market. To achieve its objective, Golden Pharos is embarking on an aggressive product development program enabling it to offer even more innovative products to customers, Hong said. Meanwhile, the company is also striving to capture a larger share of the Malaysian market by taking part in trade shows and visiting door specifiers.
In addition to engineered doors, the operation produces solid doors as well.
