As we formally known, Malaysian government has highly committed the implementation of

industrialized building system. The first strong indication by the government after the
Cabinet's endorsement on IBS Roadmap in 2003 was through the 2005 Budget announcement
back in September 2004. It was announced that all new government building projects were
required to have at least 50% IBS content; which is calculated through the IBS Score Manual
that was developed by CIDB (Budget speech 2005). The decision of making the use of
industrialized building system compulsory for government buildings was to create sufficient
momentum for the demand of IBS components (Shaari 2006). The second announcement was
on the levy exemption for housing projects that have 50% IBS components as minimum to
attract private clients (Budget speech 2005).
[8]- Yab Dato Seri Abdullah bin HJ. Ahmad Badawi, Budget Speech 2005.
[9]- (Shaari 2006), Shahrul Nizar Shaari, IBS Roadmap 2003-2010: The Progress and
Challenges, The Ingenieur Sept-Nov 2006 issue.

IBS MALAYSIA
In Malaysia, the industrialised building system (IBS) was initiated in 1964 by the Housing
and Local Government after capitalising on the success of several European countries
(Thanoon et al., 2003). The players in the industry preferred to use the conventional method
until the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) educated the industry on the
essential usage of IBS components and conducted awareness programs on the usage of IBS
since 1998. It is as a way to overcome one of the major problems in Malaysia i.e. delay of
construction projects, construction waste and foreign labor problems. With the intention to
adopt the increasingly rapid technological changes,
Thanoon,W.A.M., Peng, L. W., Abdul Kadir, M. R., Jaafar, M. S. & Salit, M. S., Proceeding On IBS Seminar,
UPM, MALAYSIA, 2003. Year. The Essential Characteristics of Industrialised Building System. In:
International Conference on Industrialised Building Systems, 2003 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

IBS is expected to play a greater role in ensuring improvement in construction activities and
sustainable economic growth. This has improved in the first quarter of 2010, Malaysias
economy achieved a growth of 10.1%. Manufacturing and construction were the two major
sectors which showed an increase growth of 16.9% and 8.7% respectively (MITI, 2010).The
CIDB has conducted three IBS surveys, in 2003, 2005, and 2008, where the respondents were
contractors and architects (Majid et al., 2010). The survey recorded recent trends in IBS
components system, and showed an increasing number of correspondents that gave a good
response on grounds of using IBS as reflected in the achievement of IBS usage in the
building construction in Malaysia.
1.

MITI 2010. Malaysia- Towards Global Competitiveness. MITI Weekly Bulletin. Malaysia.

2.

Majid, T. A., Azman, M. N. A., Zakaria, S. A. S., Zaini, S. S., Yahya, A. S., Ahamad, M. S.S. & Hanafi, M. H. Year.
The Industrialized Building System (IBS) Survey Report 2008--Educating the Malaysian Construction Industry. In:
Computer Research and Development,2010 Second International Conference on, 7-10 May 2010 2010. 615-619.

The commitment of the government in encouraging the use of this approach can be seen with
the development of the Roadmap IBS 20032010. The Roadmap aimed to provide guidelines
towards the establishment of an industrialised construction sector, as well as achieving an
open construction system by 2010. However, the effectiveness of implementing IBS at
construction sites should be reviewed and tested in more detail towards the success and
effectiveness of the Construction Industry Master Plan (CIMP) 20062015 (CIDB, 2007).
CIDB 2007. Construction Industry Master Plan (CIMP) 2006-2015. Kuala Lumpur: Construction Industry Development
Board.

Figure 1: Levels of OSM

Table 1: Categorization of Off-Site System

Moreover, the shift in the trend of the Malaysian construction industry is shown in Table 2.
This scenario has led to the encouragement of adopting IBS in construction activities in order
to reduce dependency on foreign labour, improve productivity and quality of construction, be
environmentally friendly, achieve design standardisation, and speed up construction time.
Based on the IBS Survey (2008), the ranking of IBS benefits listed from the most beneficial
to the least beneficial are as follows: (1) minimal wastage, (2) cleaner environment, (3) less
site materials, (4) reduction of site labour, (5) controlled quality, (6) faster project
completion, (7) neater and safer construction sites, and (8) lower total construction costs
(Majid et al., 2011). There is no doubt that for the initial stage, an initial investment for IBS
requirement ensures long-term return by mass production.
Majid, T. A., Azman, M. N. A., Zakaria, S. A. S., Yahya, A. S., Zaini, S. S., Ahamad, M. S.S. & Hanafi, M. H. 2011.
Quantitative analysis on the level of IBS acceptance in theMalaysian construction industry. Journal of Engineering Science
and Technology, 6, 179-190.

Table 2: The Trend of the Malaysian Construction Industry

Consequently, the IBS component has also undergone changes since the early 60s until
2010, following the new trend of technology described in Table 3. In addition, creative and
innovative ideas are needed in improving the use of IBS components through the use of
appropriate technology suitable to the Malaysian climatic conditions as finally achieved the
six categorized in 2010. Similar to the ancient world, construction materials are made to
adapt to the climatic condition, natural resources, and collective local skills, as well as having
the ability to comprehend the performance characteristics of the construction materials
(Ngowi et al., 2005).
Ngowi, A. B., Pienaar, E., Talukhaba, A. & Mbachu, J. 2005. The globalisation of the construction industry - A review.
Building and Environment, 40, 135-141.

Conversely, CIDB had implemented the IBS Score in the construction industry to measure
the level of IBS usage in buildings and become part of the main monitoring system of the IBS
construction industry. In the 2005 Budget, the policy on the usage of IBS components in
Government building projects increased from 30 percent currently to 50 percent commencing
2005. Housing developers who utilize IBS components exceeding 50 percent, will be given
full exemption on the levy imposed by CIDB (Budget, 2004).
Budget 2004. The 2005 Budget Speech. In: (MOF), M. O. F. (ed.). Kuala Lumpur.

Furthermore, based on the impact of the UBBL in using MC in the construction industry and
the Government ruling that require the contractor to use IBS components, all public buildings
in 2008 are required to achieve the 70% IBS Score at the minimum (Treasury, 2008). While

for the private residential buildings, the contractor need to acquire a minimum of 50% IBS
Score to qualify for an exemption of construction levy for the project. The scoring system is
made accordingly to the principle of usage of prefabricated and precast components, off-site
production of components, the use of standardized components, repeatability and design
building component based on the Malaysian Standard Guide to Modular Coordination in
Building, MS 1064.
TREASURY 2008. Application Industrialized Building System (IBS) in Government Project. In: FINANCE, M. O. (ed.).

Table 3: Categorization of IBS Components

Based on the evolution of IBS components and extension types as well as the imposed of the
government policy, the number of IBS manufacturer and IBS products has also increased.
The most popular IBS components used in the construction industry are precast concrete
system and followed by formwork system and steel framing system, as described in Figure 2.
The number of IBS manufacturers has gradually increased from 75 (in 2009) to almost twice
the number as reported in IBS Info 2010 (Azman et al., 2009).
Azman, M., Ahamad, M. & Hanafi, M. Year. Conceptual Spatial Site Selection for One Stop Centre for
Industrialized Building System Manufacturing Plant in Pulau Pinang. In: Fifth National Conference Civil
Engineering (AWAM09), 2009. School of Civil Eng., Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Figure 2: The Number of IBS Manufacturer and IBS Products

The Manual for Assessment of IBS (CIDB 2000) gives the following parameters as the
assessment criteria for the IBS:i.

structural performance

ii.

system and architectural flexibility

iii.

cost and capital investment

iv.

manufacture and constructability

v.

environment aspects

CIDB (2000) Manual Assessment of Industrialised Building System, Ed.1 Construction Industry Development Board.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

According to the CIDB (2003), there are five main categories of IBS. This categorisation is
based on the structural classification adopted in the Malaysian construction industry. They
are:
1. Pre-cast Concrete Framing, Panel, and Box Systems

Pre-cast columns, beams, 3-D components (balconies, staircases, toilets, lift

chambers),

permanent concrete formwork.

2. Steel Formwork Systems

Tunnel forms, beams and columns moulding forms, permanent steel formwork.

3. Steel Frame System

Steel beams and columns, portal frames, roof trusses.

4. Prefabricated Timber Framing Systems

Timber frames, roof trusses.

Block Work System

Interlocking concrete masonry units (CMU), lightweight concrete blocks.

History and Development of IBS in Malaysia

The IBS agenda in Malaysia began in the early 1960s when the officers of the Ministry of
Housing and Local Government of Malaysia visited a number of European countries and
evaluated their housing development programmes (Thanoon et. al., 2003a). Following their
visits and recommendations, the government initiated an IBS or prefab (known then) pilot
project in 1964 aiming to speed up the delivery time in the building of quality low-cost or
affordable houses.
Despite the introduction of the initial form of IBS in Malaysia over 40 years ago, its
acceptance is not widespread and the pace of implementation of the system is still slow. The
Malaysian government are concerned that uptake of the IBS is low despite the plausible
potential of the system (Hamid et. al., 2008). A survey conducted by the CIDB of Malaysia in
2003 revealed the adoption level of the IBS standing at only 15% (CIDB, 2003). However, in
the last couple of years, the adoption of the IBS has gained momentum. It has gradually
created a niche in the industry, more so after the Government announced that all public
projects RM10m and above must incorporate a certain percentage of the IBS (IBS Workshop,
2011).
Since 1964, a number of private companies in Malaysia have teamed up with foreign IBS
specialists from Australia, the Netherlands, the United States and Japan to offer pre-cast
solutions (CIDB, 2003). This has resulted in a number of key projects adopting some form of
IBS, for example:
1. The 17-storey flats along Jalan Pekeliling, Kuala Lumpur in the early 1960s.
Sperheaded by Gammon/ Larsen Nielsen who used a Danish system of large prefabricated panels for this project (CIDB, 2003).
2. A housing project comprising 6 blocks of 17 storey-flat, and 3 blocks of 18 storey-flat
at Jalan Rifle Range, Penang. Constructed by Hochtief/ Chee Seng adopting the
French Estoit System (Din, 1984).
3. Taman Tun Sardon Housing project in Penang. IBS pre-cast components and building
system were used in the project which was designed by the British Research
Establishment (BRE) in 1978 for low cost housing in tropical countries.
4. Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor (PKNS) low cost housing and high cost
bungalows projects in Selangor (CIDB, 2003). This project is under a state
government development agency which acquired a pre-cast concrete technology from
Praton Haus International, Germany.
5. The 36-storey Dayabumi office and commercial complex which was the first project
to use steel structure (part of the IBS). The construction work was completed in 1984
by Takenaka Corporation, Japan (CIDB, 2003).
6. A number of full and hybrid IBS construction successful landmark projects can be
found throughout Malaysia in the past ten years. Examples are the Bukit Jalil Sports
Complex; Lightweight Railway Train (LRT) terminals; the Petronas Twin Tower; and
Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (SMART Tunnel).