16 November 2013 (Saturday) – The Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) High Temperature Drying (HTD) Lumber Treatment System has won the prestigious National Innovation Award 2013 for the Product Category on 14 November.

Abd Latif (second from right) posing for a picture with the research team (from left) Ramzul, Sik and Choo after the award ceremony.

The FRIM research team, comprising Dr Sik Huei Shing, Choo Kheng Ten and Ramzul Ikhlas Ablah, received the trophy and RM50,000 at the awards ceremony, held in conjunction with the National Innovation Conference and Exhibition (NICE) 2013 and World Innovation Forum Kuala Lumpur (WIF KL) from 12 to 14 November.

Upon hearing the good news, FRIM Director General, Dato’ Dr Abd Latif Mohmod, went over to the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) where the ceremony was held to join the team in their celebration.

Abd Latif (in a black suit, seated in the middle) helping Sik (standing on the left) providing explanation on the importance of HTD system to the panel of judges at the FRIM HTD exhibition booth in KLCC on 13 November.

Abd Latif also led the research team in presenting the HTD system to the six-member panel of judges at the AIN final judging session in KLCC on 13 November 2013.

Aimed at creating a new culture of innovation, WIF KL 2013 was jointly organised by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and the Malaysian Innovation Foundation.

From left: Sik and Choo showing the judges the difference between HTD-treated rubber wood and those which had undergone the conventional treatment.

The objective of the National Innovation Awards was to give recognition of innovative and creative efforts in generating ideas, new innovations and products by harnessing science and technology towards impacting economic development of the nation.

FRIM has patented the HTD system, a green technology for treating wood using high temperature drying (HTD) without the use of chemicals. The system also enhances the timber stability and reduces the processing time.

Abd Latif (middle) and those involved in the development and commercialisation of the HTD system at the AIN finalists’ exhibition in KLCC.

FRIM has obtained the patent for the HTD technology from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in March 2013 and from the Malaysian Intellectual Property Corporation (MyIPO) Registrar of Patents in October 2013. The Institute has also filed for patent in six other countries, namely Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, China and India.

The HTD technology is the solution to the concerns of the country’s rubberwood furniture manufacturers and timber trade industry over the increasingly stringent requirements for environmentally-friendly products imposed by various developed countries.