Selangor Launches 'BLAST' To Integrate Local SMEs Into Global Supply Chains
SHAH ALAM, July 14 (Bernama) -- Selangor has launched the Invest Selangor Business Linkages and Advancement Programme (BLAST) to build the capacity and competitiveness of local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and integrate them into high-value global supply chains.
Selangor Investment, Trade and Mobility Executive Councillor Ng Sze Han said the structured six-month programme will guide a total of 12 companies in meeting the requirements of strategic corporate partners, preparing them to secure actual commercial contracts.
Ng said the initiative undertaken by Invest Selangor Bhd also aims to help participating SMEs achieve a targeted five per cent increase in revenue by 2030.
He said BLAST focuses on four strategic sectors, namely aerospace, rail, life sciences and digital technology.
These are the industries that will define the next decade of Selangor’s economy, and they offer our SMEs the opportunity to grow alongside world-class companies, he said.
“When our SMEs can meet the standards of the leading companies operating in Selangor, they can meet the standards of the world.
“BLAST is not only preparing our SMEs to become suppliers. It is preparing them to become globally competitive,” he said during the launch of the programme today.
Ng said the strategic corporate partners are Base Maintenance Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Sime UMW Aerospace, Duopharma Biotech Bhd, Bridge Data Centres Malaysia Sdn Bhd and Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd.
The programme is also supported by ecosystem partners, namely Malaysian Bioeconomy Development Corporation, Malaysia Aerospace Industry Association, National Tech Association of Malaysia and Malaysian Rail Industry Corporation.
“A key milestone will be the business matching sessions this October, held in conjunction with the Selangor International Business Summit (SIBS) 2026 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from Oct 14-17.
“I warmly invite all of you to join us. SIBS is where Selangor meets the world, and this year our SMEs will be at the centre of it,” he said.
Ng also noted that Selangor does not wish to be champions only in numbers, citing the state’s 2025 performance, with a gross domestic product of RM460.1 billion and the highest approved investments of RM33.5 billion.
“The real test is how many contracts our local companies win. It is how many Selangor SMEs enter the supply chains of the global companies we bring in. It is how many local firms grow from supplier to partner, and from partner to champion.
“Every investment we attract must put down roots. It must buy from local suppliers. It must hire and train local talent. It must transfer knowledge to local firms. That is how investment becomes development,” he said.
Meanwhile, in a joint statement, Invest Selangor and its partner, Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC), said that under this programme, MTDC will lead the management and implementation of the SME capacity-building programme alongside corporate and ecosystem partners.
The partners will leverage their expertise in mentorship, knowledge transfer and institutional networking to strengthen Selangor's industrial ecosystem and enhance the competitiveness of local enterprises, they said.
-- BERNAMA