MITI formulates SOPs for effective business continuity plan

KUALA LUMPUR – The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) has formulated a set of comprehensive, relevant and practical standard operating procedures (SOPs) to enable the smooth flow of operations and ensure effective implementation of business continuity plans.

In a statement on January 12, MITI’s Senior Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said this is particularly for the duration of the movement control order (MCO) from January 13 to 26, 2021.

He said SOPs for the manufacturing sector under the purview of MITI can be downloaded from the MITI website at www.miti.gov.my.

Companies that have registered with MITI’s COVID-19 Intelligent Management System (CIMS) through the link https://notification.miti.gov.my do not need to re-register to operate during the MCO period.

These companies are only required to download the notification of registration confirmation, beginning from January 12, starting from 3pm.

Manufacturing companies which fall under the essential services category that have not registered with the CIMS can do so at the link https://notification.miti.gov.my.

The registration confirmation notification can be downloaded by the company upon completion of registration.

“The aforementioned process of registration (via the CIMS) only applies to companies in the manufacturing sector under the purview of MITI.

“It is the responsibility of employers to download the registration confirmation notification in order to enable the movement of their employees during the MCO period,” said Mohamed Azmin.

Employees of the companies who are allowed to be at work according to the specified times are required to bring along a copy of the notification provided by their employers, together with the employee pass/employer confirmation letter.

This is to facilitate the movement of commercial vehicles as well as the movement of workers between their residence and the workplace, he said.

Meanwhile, in line with the objective of curbing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, only 30% of employees in the management group are allowed to be in the office.

The number of support staff and employees directly involved in the production line will be determined by their respective employers, taking into account strict compliance with the SOPs.

“For work that does not require physical attendance, the work from home (WFH) directive will apply.

“The government calls on the industry and the private sector to enhance the implementation of WFH as a new norm, in line with advances of the latest technologies and online applications,” Mohamed Azmin said.

MITI, in collaboration with the relevant state authorities, will conduct periodic enforcement checks throughout the MCO period on companies to ensure compliance with the SOPs in accordance with the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act (Act 342).

Employers who fail to comply with the SOPs will be subject to legal action, including closure of premises, he said.

The senior minister also said MITI had also provided a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) to assist the industry in obtaining detailed and accurate information on the SOPs set by the government to enable the manufacturing sector to operate during the MCO period.

The government is allowing economic sectors in essential services to operate throughout MCO period in Penang, Selangor, the federal territories (Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan), Melaka, Johor and Sabah.

Mohamed Azmin noted that the six states under MCO are the main drivers of the country’s economic activities and major contributors to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

In 2019, Selangor’s contribution to the nation’s GDP stood at 24.2%, followed by the federal territories (16.9%), Johor (9.4%), Penang (6.7%), Sabah (6%) and Melaka (3.1%).