This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly City & Country's Special Report - Evolving Landscapes,Emerging Opportunities, on October 27, 2025 - November 2, 2025

Under the SHIFT25 strategy launched in 2021 and set to be realised by this year, Sime Darby Property Bhd (KL:SIMEPROP) is transforming itself from a pure-play residential-focused property developer into a real estate company with multiple sources of income.

This means having a broader presence along the real estate value chain, encompassing property development as well as investment and asset management. The strategy brings forth the establishment of an industrial development fund, where the earnings contribution comes in the form of new recurring income streams such as fund management and development service fees.

Since the start of SHIFT25, the developer’s industrial segment has seen robust growth. Through its comprehensive industrial solutions ecosystem, Sime Darby Property offers not only land and buildings but also business facilitation, human capital support, environmental, social and governance (ESG) frameworks and even access to funding in order to help enterprises thrive in a rapidly changing industrial landscape.

At the centre of this is City of Elmina in Shah Alam, along the Guthrie Corridor Expressway (GCE). The township comprises residential, commercial and industrial components that complement one another.

Within this thriving township are two industrial parks — Elmina Business Park and Elmina East Industrial Park — that are redefining the industry.

Sime Darby Property group managing director Datuk Seri Azmir Merican says, “Our industrial townships are built with a long-term view of creating self-sustaining ecosystems, not just standalone assets. What differentiates them is the integration of modern infrastructure with ESG-driven design.

“We champion innovation and technology advancements in industrial operations, investing in renewable energy solutions, flood-resilient infrastructure and well-planned amenities to support both local and multinational operations. We also provide end-to-end industrial solutions that cater to a wide range of business needs, from land development to facility delivery and management.”

Within Elmina Business Park, Sime Darby Property has established the Klang Valley’s largest freehold industrial park, spanning 1,500 acres. With a gross development value (GDV) of RM6.4 billion and slated for completion in 2036, Elmina Business Park is projected to create more than 35,000 job opportunities.

The park’s strategic location provides connectivity to five major highways, namely the GCE, North-South Expressway, Kuala Lumpur-Kuala Selangor Expressway (Latar), New Klang Valley Expressway and Damansara-Shah Alam Elevated Expressway.

The park is 19km from the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, 40km from Port Klang and just an hour’s drive to Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 1. The park also integrates ESG-forward design features such as 110 acres of green parklands, energy-efficient street lighting, renewable energy infrastructure and dedicated staff accommodations.

Following the success of its first phase, Signature Collection 1, which was launched in 2024 and has been fully sold, Sime Darby Property plans to unveil Signature Collection 2, the latest ready-built twin factory offering at Elmina Business Park, in November this year.

Comprising 44 semi-detached units with a total GDV of RM281 million, each unit is sized at 80ft by 200ft with a built-up of 9,573 sq ft and priced from RM6.2 million.

According to the developer, Signature Collection 2 has been thoughtfully designed for operational efficiency, featuring expansive warehouses with a minimum clear height of nine metres and versatile office and reception areas. Other unique features include customisable floor loading starting from 15kN/sq m and an 80ft-wide road reserve to ease truck manoeuvrability.

Taking it up a notch, the developer plans to incorporate some improved features in Signature Collection 2, including three-way loading access with motorised roller shutters fitted with a wind-lock system; air vents on the side walls to allow natural ventilation and translucent panels that allow natural light into the factories while minimising theft or break-ins through conventional windows; as well as hackable walls at the warehouse for easy combination of two adjoining units into one large central warehouse.

The upcoming Elmina Business Park Interchange, set for completion in 2027, will further enhance accessibility by connecting the development directly to the GCE, allowing for smoother logistics and transport connectivity.

For businesses seeking flexibility and lower upfront capital expenditure, Sime Darby Property has also introduced The Cubiz Collection at Elmina East Industrial Park. This built-to-lease development offers larger-format industrial facilities designed for light manufacturing, logistics and warehousing.

Spanning 23.45 acres, the development comprises 20 two-storey twin factory units starting from 29,000 sq ft, with built-in operational efficiencies including up to 11m ceiling heights, mezzanine-friendly, 300-AMP power capacity, 20kN/sq m floor loading strength, 10m covered loading bays and 7.5m-wide internal roads to accommodate the access of heavy goods vehicles.

The Cubiz Collection benefits from its location in the mature City of Elmina township. Tenants will be surrounded by established amenities, including the Temu commercial centre, Elmina City Centre and Elmina Lakeside Mall, all within easy reach.

The development’s unique feature is its leasing model, which grants tenants access to Sime Darby Property’s proprietary six-pillar business enablement framework. According to the developer, this support ecosystem is designed to improve business outcomes through strategic advisory, operational guidance, ecosystem integration and customised solutions aligned with tenants’ growth trajectories.

In addition, The Cubiz Collection is thoughtfully designed to grow alongside businesses. Units are customisable and can be seamlessly combined for expanded operations. There is also solar-ready infrastructure to support the adoption of renewable energy, aligning with the developer’s sustainability goals.

The flexible developer caters for all sorts of businesses such as multinational corporations establishing local operations, small and medium enterprises exploring new markets and transitional businesses in need of interim facilities.

The Cubiz Collection is expected to be completed in 2Q2026, with advance viewing available for prospective tenants to experience it first-hand.

According to Azmir, the developer sees the industrial and logistics sector as a key pillar of long-term, sustainable growth for the group.

“Beyond land development, our strategy is to grow recurring income through the development, ownership and management of institutional-grade assets that champion innovation and sustainable growth under our investment and asset management segment.

“Our portfolio today includes ready-built and build-to-suit facilities such as the E-Metro Logistics Park at Bandar Bukit Raja, which has achieved strong occupancy to date, and hyperscale data centres in Elmina Business Park secured under 20-year leases worth RM7.6 billion. These highlight our capability to deliver institutional-grade assets that support Malaysia’s digital and industrial economy.”

Moving forward, Azmir says they will continue to enhance their industrial townships with “value-added features, including business facilities, staff accommodation and integrated green infrastructure, while pursuing fund-management opportunities to scale this segment.”

He adds, “The goal is a diversified, resilient industrial platform that contributes meaningfully to national growth and recurring value for shareholders.”