Over 100 at excavators live demo event in Penampang
Published on: Sun, Apr 27, 2025
By: Diana Liu, Esther Glorie Leow Text Size: David and Rosalind in a group photo with other attendees at the event. PENAMPANG: More than 100 builders, contractors, engineers and industry professionals attended the JC Bamford Excavators Ltd (JCB) Live Demo Event hosted by Pansar Heavy Equipment Sdn Bhd in collaboration with the Sabah Builders Association (SBA) on Saturday. The event showcased seven advanced JCB's machinery, including the robust 3CX Plus Pro Max Backhoe Loader equipped with a 6-in-1 bucket, ideal for contractors who want multi-functionality in one machine for tasks like loading, grading, digging, and grabbing, along with the Excavator, Telehandler, and other models. The Excavator was built for heavy-duty performance, while the Telehandler excels in high-reach loading. The Mini Excavator stands out with its compact design, agility, and zero-tail swing. The Single Drum Compactor is ideal for road and soil compaction, and the Skid Steer Loader is versatile in tight spaces. The Articulated Boom provides safe and stable access for elevated work. Other than that, the programme also introduced JCB's hydrogen engine technology, a zero-carbon innovation currently available in Europe. Although not yet offered in Malaysia, the showcase aimed to raise awareness and foster discussions on sustainable construction solutions. Pansar Chief Operating Officer David Tai expressed optimism about Sabah's outlook, describing it as a beautiful land with entrepreneurial people. 'There has been so much development. I remember how, when we first moved to our current office, I stood at the balcony with our MD and wondered how we were going to utilise all this space. 'Today, thanks to the growth in the Sabah economy, we already ran out of space. There are so many big projects like the Tenom Dam, Lahad Datu army camp, Sogip expansion, E Steel factory, Pan Borneo and others that give us opportunities to build the business, and improve the lives of Sabahans,' he said. He said this during his speech at the event held at Micheel Construction Workshop, Jalan Lomunu, Kibabaig, here. Also present were SBA Deputy President Johnny Wong, representing SBA President Paul Luk Tzun Kee, Micheel Construction Holding Sdn Bhd Managing Director and Persatuan Keturunan Vun Sabah Chairman Datuk Michael Voon, Sabah Quarry Owners Association President Datuk Ringo Wong, Pansar Regional Manager Rosalind Law and others. David highlighted the strong partnership between JCB and Pansar, noting that both companies share a commitment to delivering top-notch products and services to customers. He said JCB has been pushing boundaries for 80 years and remains a true manufacturer, with almost every part of its machines made in-house. It also maintains a ready stock of parts to support its products. David also expressed his gratitude to customers, saying that their support has made JCB the market leader in backhoe loaders, the top brand in telehandlers, and one of the major heavy equipment players in East Malaysia. Meanwhile, Rosalind said their goal is to make the best machines more accessible to Sabahans. 'And that includes bringing visibility to the global shift toward sustainable technologies,' she said. Johnny described the event as more than just a demo, calling it a significant step forward for Sabah's construction industry. 'This demo proves Sabah's contractors are ready for what is next, and we are proud to work with Pansar to bring this level of innovation and partnership to our members,' he said. A JCB customer described the brand as more than just machinery. 'JCB is not just a machine, it is a partner in progress,' the customer said. An exclusive offer was also launched during the event, giving attendees access to limited-time promotions as part of Pansar's commitment to supporting local builders and contractors. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
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'But on the flip side, sometimes you need someone with authority to help parties reach a conclusion,' she said. She said success often depends on how well lawyers prepare for mediation. 'If lawyers are well-trained in mediation, it is good because they will prep their clients. But if they are not, then there are problems. And when you come out, it is no longer a win-win situation. 'There are two types of mediation. One is facilitative and the other is evaluative. 'Lawyers should know whether they want facilitative mediation where the mediator helps parties talk to each other, or evaluative mediation where they need a judge to assess the situation,' she said. On how mediation relates to other ways of solving disputes, Samrith said mediation both works alongside and competes with court cases and arbitration. 'It works together when the court sends cases out or gets another judge to handle the mediation. 'It also keeps things private and preserves relationships,' she added. 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'The Hong Kong experience revealed the important role of lawyers in mediation success. When Practice Direction 31 was introduced, making mediation virtually mandatory with cost consequences for unreasonable refusal, the results were telling. 'There were two camps in some ways, the really pro-mediation lawyers and others who maybe did not understand it. They thought they were going to be losing their business if you go to mediation,' she said. She said Hong Kong's latest numbers from their trial settlement programme showed how much lawyers influence the outcome. 'Of 541 cases that went to mediation, 329 settled overall. But the breakdown showed 247 cases with legal representation settled, while only 16 cases without lawyers reached agreement. 'You can see the huge difference between having lawyers as part of the process and not having lawyers. Whereby 75 per cent were settled with lawyers as opposed to four per cent,' she said. She also pointed out that certain types of cases lend themselves better to mediation. 'I personally think that family cases really lend themselves to mediation, because we go back to that win-win situation. 'You do not want family members fighting each other. 'If they go to court, they will just want to destroy one another. But with mediation, you can help them reconcile and get along again. 'Things like fraud and criminal cases cannot be mediated. Or if you need the court to set a legal precedent, then it should probably go to trial,' she said, pointing out which cases are not suitable for mediation. Special Officer to the Chief Judge of Sabah-Sarawak Dr Melissa Chia offered the perspective of someone who has conducted countless mediations within the court system while developing innovative approaches to overcome its limitations. 'I did not choose to become a mediator on my own. Judges would send cases to me. My first boss was Tan Sri David and he was the one who taught me how to mediate,' she said. Melissa has found ways to deal with the intimidation problem that other speakers pointed out. She purposely changes how she looks and acts during mediation sessions. 'I would tell them I am not acting as a judge today. That is the first thing I would say when they came to see me. 'I would wear colourful jackets instead of the usual black and white court robes. I would say, my name is Melissa, please just call me Melissa. 'Today, I am not a judge, I am nobody special. I am just someone helping you work things out,' she said. She has come up with creative ways to handle family disputes involving children. 'With the children, I use drawings. I draw with them. In one case, I actually played hide and seek with a girl before she felt comfortable enough to tell me what was bothering her,' she said. 'Mediation is not just about finding a quick fix or deciding how much someone should pay and calling it done. To me, mediation is about rebuilding relationships. We need to understand what is really troubling people,' she said. She shared a story of one of Malaysia's biggest mediation wins, the longest Native Customary Rights case that involved 300,000 pages of court papers and dragged on for 15 years before being solved through court mediation. 'Every day in court, everyone was protesting outside. But guess what? The case was settled through court mediation. The parties were so happy that afterwards, they were celebrating outside the court. They even built a statue to represent making peace,' she said. Melissa linked this success to local traditions, pointing out that among Sabah's native communities, the old concept of Sogit means making peace, fixing what is wrong and keeping the community in harmony. 'We do not want the native people to think of Sogit as punishment, but as a way to make peace instead,' she said. 'If you ask me whether courts should send all cases to outside mediators, I would say maybe we can work together. We need a balance because not everyone can afford private mediation. 'Everyone, from the people in court cases to the lawyers, needs to understand what mediation really is and why we do it in the first place,' she said.
