Besides being famous for its spectacular tourism sites, Malaysia also has various natural resources, one of which is kaolin. The mineral used as a raw material for many industries like cosmetics and toothpaste is favored due to its smooth, white, and strong nature. Not to mention that it also has low electrical and thermal conductivity. Find out more about kaolin in Malaysia and its trends, markets, industries, and mining sites below. 

Trends & Markets of Kaolin in Malaysia So Far

The trends of kaolin in Malaysia and other southeast Asian countries are fine printing ink as well as paper. It is widely used in producing high-quality ink due to its excellence as a replacement for titanium dioxide, which is more pricey. The use of kaolin for producing printing ink has been very beneficial, such as preserving the quality of the colors and its glossiness, preventing ink bleaching, and reducing the film’s ability to absorb matters. 

Meanwhile, kaolin for paper resulted in a revenue of more or less USD 1.56 billion in 2021. The development is caused by increasing the demand for paper packages, especially those that wrap up delivered food. The pandemic has somehow turned its disaster into a blessing in disguise for the kaolin industry as it could prosper the request for paper materials. 

The demand for kaolin mainly comes from the region of Asia Pacific, with a rather rapid growth of 4.5% in revenue. It is also predicted that the percentage will continuously grow over the period between 2022 and 2027. 

Kaolin Trade Activities in Malaysia

Malaysia currently exports over fifty percent of its minerals, and they are marketed under the names of its leading ‘players’ such as Kaolin (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Mega Hasil Enterprise, MM Mineral Resources Sdn Bhd, and many more. Each company may have contributed at least one metric ton of kaolin per order. 

They have done their best efforts to meet the rising demand from abroad with their enhanced high-quality manufacturer’s capacity and human resources as well as expertise. Most purchases are made by ASEAN countries, such as Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China, and even the USA and Europe. 

Types of Industry-Grade Kaolin Products in Malaysia

The kaolin products for industry-grade production in Malaysia are kaolin minerals, wollastonite powder, calcined kaolin, surface-treated kaolin clay, sericite mica, hard clay, brown clay, magnesium silicate, talc, silica sand, and many more. The manufacturers also produce a large variety of minerals that are custom-tailored based on what customers need. 

Malaysia also imports some kaolin products from other Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia. The raw kaolin materials are usually transported by massive ships. Then, it is processed into ready-to-use products, including toothpaste, cosmetics (powder), paper, fiberglass, ceramic, paints and coatings, plastic, and rubber. Indonesian kaolin exported to Malaysia, Singapore, and other neighboring countries is from a mine in Air Raya, Tanjung Pandan, Belitung Regency, Indonesia. 

Related: The Process of Kaolin Export and How Much It’s Worth

The Locations of Kaolin Mines in Malaysia

Speaking of locations of kaolin mines, you can also discover kaolin in several places in Malaysia. There are about 112 million tons of kaolin sediment identified across the country. The locations are in the states of Johor, Perak, Kelantan, Pahang, Selangor, and Sarawak. The kaolin production in approximately 30 active mining sites has been increasing since 2006. 

The process of kaolin mining is implemented with the support of electric or diesel shovels. The result then gets loaded in several trucks before it is transported to the processing plant or the manufacturer. Sometimes, the mined kaolin can also get directly dropped from draglines into a machine called ‘blunger’ that processes it into lumps and mixes the lumps with some water to disperse chemicals to make kaolin slurry.

As mentioned above, kaolin in Malaysia is mainly used as fillers and paper coatings, as well as in making paints, ceramics, plastic, rubber, chemical products, and many more. However, the kaolin deposits found throughout the country do not cover the entire customers’ needs. Therefore, it is important to also count on kaolin imports from other countries such as Indonesia. 

Yukami, one of Indonesia’s leading companies in high-quality kaolin production and supply, can be a great solution. They have been serving over 100 satisfied customers for the past three decades. With a chemical-free kaolin washing process as well as the technology of hydro cyclone, the company ensures the best result. This makes the company perfect to be a supplier of kaolin in Malaysia.