MKH Annual Report 2018

16 MKH Berhad Annual Report 2018 CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT In recognising the importance of innovation in value creation for our businesses, our Plantation Division embarked on mechanical-assisted collection and evacuation of crops that has allowed us to improve man-day productivity by approximately 20%. Our Building Materials Trading Division has also established its own ironmongeries trademarked “EGON” to further enhance its product o erings and market presence in the supply of building materials. At our Hotel and Property Investment Division, I am pleased to note that our shopping malls, namely Plaza Metro Kajang and Metro Point Complex, maintained a relatively good tenants' occupancy rate of approximately 93% in the reporting year. In recognising the importance of sustainability as we progress forward, our Sustainability Committee endeavours to align our practices in tackling economic, environmental and social challenges as guided by the United Nation's 17 Sustainable Development Goals. During the financial year, we have contributed over RM1.6 million in community engagement that benefited 147 educational institutions, community clubs, and charitable organisations. In our journey to grow and enhance the sustainability of our business operations, we are grateful to be recognised by The Edge Malaysia as Top 12 th Property Developer in the country, with two residential developments subsequently awarded by Construction Industry Development Board for achieving high QLASSIC scores of 83% and 81% respectively. Through responsible environmental management initiatives by our estate management, we were awarded the Certificate for Estate Management Excellence by the Provincial Government of East Kalimantan for four consecutive years since 2015. MKH's sustainability progress is further detailed in the section on “Sustainability Report” within this report, from page 28 to page 41. During the financial year, the Group repurchased 4,038,600 of ordinary shares, representing 0.69% of the total number of shares, at an average price of RM1.34 per share, amounting to approximately RM5.4 million including transaction costs. The exercise was financed by internally generated funds. Our plantation division is well-sustained by increasingly maturing oil palm trees and a crude palm oil mill with an operating capacity of 90MT per hour Group photo of MKH volunteers with the elderly residents of Caring Home Kajang in a visitation to donate 50 new drawer cabinets