KUALA LUMPUR: Nine Malaysian companies made it to the Forbes Asia 2007 Best Under A Billion List, with sales under US$1 billion (RM3.4 billion).The firms are among 200 companies drawn from over 22,500 listed companies in the Asia-Pacific region. The nine companies that made it to the list are CB Industrial Product Holdings Bhd, Cheetah Holdings Bhd, Coastal Contracts Bhd, Evergreen Fibreboard Bhd, Hai-O Enterprise Bhd, JobStreet Corporation Bhd, Mah Sing Group Bhd, Padini Holdings Bhd and YNH Property Bhd.
According to Forbes, each of the listed companies is screened for consistent profitability and growth over three years, resulting in an honour roll of high-powered outfits that far outperform the market.
Construction products maker Evergreen Fibreboard tops sales from the local entities with US$180 million made in its recent 12 months, followed by property group Mah Sing with US$153 million sales.
Padini, which makes women's apparel, raked in US$90 million; followed by real estate developer YNH Property (US$76 million); industrial equipment producer CB Industrial Product (US$71 million); Coastal Contracts involved in marine services (US$57 million); multilevel marketing company Hai-O Enterprise (US$54 million); sports apparel maker Cheetah (US$25 million); and online recruitment company JobStreet (US$20 million).
While 80 per cent of the companies are making their first appearance on the list this year, Forbes said returning firms showed that clear vision and strong management were able to adapt and persevere in a region of constant change.
Malaysia's nine companies were more than the five firms from Thailand, New Zealand (four), Pakistan (two) and one each from Sri Lanka and the Philippines.
Taiwan's small and mid-size firms lead the list pack, with nearly all 41 Taiwanese companies featuring parts makers from the information technology sector.
Name
Sales (US $mil)
Net Income (US $mil)
Market Value (US $mil)
Industry
CB Industrial Product
71
9
183
industrial equipment
Cheetah
25
3
23
sports apparel
Coastal Contracts
57
10
271
marine services
Evergreen Fibreboard
180
17
247
construction products
Hai-O Enterprise
54
6
63
multi-level marketing
JobStreet
20
6
124
online recruitment
Mah Sing
153
19
436
real estate development
Padini
90
9
47
women's apparel
YNH Property
76
20
293
real estate development