Cahya Mata Sarawak
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA Sarawak-based Malaysian investment holding group active in cement, construction materials, infrastructure, roads, industrial manufacturing, property, finance and education.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Cahya Mata Sarawak Berhad, commonly known as CMS, is a diversified Malaysian investment holding company headquartered in Kuching, Sarawak. The group developed from a state-linked cement manufacturer into one of Sarawak's most prominent industrial and infrastructure businesses. Its principal activities include cement and other construction materials, civil engineering, road construction and maintenance, property development, industrial manufacturing, financial services and education. The company was incorporated on 8 October 1974 as Cement Manufacturers Sarawak Sdn Bhd. It was jointly owned by the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation and the Sabah Economic Development Corporation, each holding half of the business. Its creation supported Sarawak's effort to develop local industrial capacity and reduce dependence on imported cement. CMS opened its first Portland cement plant at Pending Industrial Estate in Kuching in 1978. CMS became a publicly listed Sarawak company in 1989. In 1994 it expanded its corporate structure and acquired interests in several state-linked businesses and operating assets, including quarrying, premix, steel and construction-related companies. In 1996, the group adopted the name Cahya Mata Sarawak Berhad. The name is Malay and can be interpreted literally as “the light of Sarawak's eye,” while “cahya mata” can also carry the figurative meaning of a child or cherished offspring. The company's visual identity was changed at the same time to use colours associated with the Sarawak flag. Over subsequent decades CMS broadened its portfolio beyond cement. Its construction and infrastructure businesses have undertaken road building, road maintenance, civil engineering, dam-related work, water infrastructure and undersea pipeline installation. Through subsidiaries and joint ventures, the group has also participated in work connected with the Pan Borneo Highway. Its road-related operations include long-term maintenance concessions covering substantial parts of Sarawak's federal and state road networks. CMS has also participated in financial services and industrial ventures. Its former banking interests were reorganised through a merger with RHB Bank in 2003 and later sold. The group subsequently invested in ferroalloy production at Samalaju Industrial Park through a joint venture with OM Materials. It also pursued phosphate-related manufacturing and cement technology projects, including cooperation on Portland limestone and Portland composite cement products. The company remains closely associated with Sarawak's economic and infrastructure development, although it operates as a diversified commercial group rather than as a single-product manufacturer. Its portfolio combines materials manufacturing, heavy construction, infrastructure concessions, industrial projects and selected property and education activities. CMS's historical development reflects the role of state-linked enterprise in building industrial capacity in East Malaysia while adapting to changing capital, infrastructure and manufacturing opportunities.
History
Cahya Mata Sarawak began as Cement Manufacturers Sarawak Sdn Bhd, incorporated in Kuching on 8 October 1974. The venture was jointly backed by the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation and the Sabah Economic Development Corporation. Its first board meeting took place later that month, with representatives of the two state-linked development bodies among the initial directors. The company was established at a time when Sarawak was seeking to build local manufacturing capacity and reduce reliance on cement imported through trading channels. In 1978, the company commissioned its first Portland cement manufacturing plant at Pending Industrial Estate in Kuching. Before local production, Sarawak had relied on imported Green Island cement from Hong Kong. Cement manufacturing became the foundation for later diversification into aggregates, premix, construction materials and infrastructure services. CMS was listed on the main board of Bursa Malaysia in 1989, becoming the first Sarawak company to achieve that status. A major expansion took place in the 1990s. In 1994, CMS established CMS Cement and CMS Properties and acquired interests in several subsidiaries associated with the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation. These included Sara Kuari and its construction-materials subsidiaries, Steel Industry Sarawak and PCMS. The group also acquired premix plants formerly associated with the Sarawak Works Department. In 1996 it acquired Archipelago Shipping (Sarawak), later renamed CMS Transportation. The transportation business was subsequently sold after an acquisition offer by Achi Jaya Services was completed in 2003. On 13 June 1996, the company adopted the name Cahya Mata Sarawak Berhad. The rebranding also replaced the earlier blue logo with a yellow, red and black design associated with the Sarawak flag. The interlocking form was described as representing yin and yang and the group's combination of infrastructure and investment activities. CMS developed a substantial financial-services presence during the late 1990s and 2000s. In December 2000 it agreed to transfer its futures and securities business to K&N Kenaga in return for an equity interest. In 2003, its Utama banking group merged with RHB Bank as part of Malaysia's banking-sector consolidation. Utama received a significant shareholding in the enlarged RHB Group. Those shares were later sold to the Employees Provident Fund in 2007. Utama subsequently acquired CMS Roads and CMS Pavement Tech in 2008, but those businesses were disposed of in 2009 and later reacquired by CMS in 2011. CMS sold Utama banking group to PetroSaudi International in 2010. During the same period, CMS discontinued its loss-making information and communications technology subsidiary, I-System Group Berhad. The group returned attention to industrial and infrastructure growth in the 2010s. In 2011 CMS entered a joint venture with OM Materials to operate a ferroalloy smelter at Samalaju Industrial Park. In 2013 it joined Malaysian Phosphate Venture and Arif Enigma to establish Malaysian Phosphate Additives at the same industrial area. The first ferrosilicon slab from the OM Materials facility was produced in September 2014, and CMS increased its interest in the ferroalloy plant in 2015. CMS's construction subsidiaries participated in major Sarawak works. PPES Works has undertaken civil engineering, building, utility, dam, water and undersea pipeline projects, while the group's roads businesses have carried out construction, rehabilitation and maintenance. CMS-related joint ventures were involved in a Pan Borneo Highway work package, and in 2016 PPES Works participated in construction of the Datuk Temenggong Abang Kipali Abang Akip Interchange in Petra Jaya, Kuching. In 2017 CMS collaborated with Lebuhraya Borneo Utara on construction methods involving water jets and pressure bars for the Pan Borneo Highway. The company continued to develop cement and education initiatives. In 2014 it worked with Germany's Christian Pfeiffer Maschinenfabrik to develop a cement-grinding plant at Mambong. In 2018 CMS Cement Industries worked with UNIMAS Holdings on concrete using Portland limestone cement and Portland composite cement. That year CMS, Ibraco and HELP Education Group agreed to establish Tunku Putra-HELP International School. In October 2022 the group changed its logo. In 2023 RAM Ratings upgraded its outlook from stable to positive, citing expectations surrounding the phosphate-manufacturing division. CMS remains an active, listed Sarawak conglomerate with a portfolio centred on construction materials, infrastructure and industrial development.
- 2022
Corporate logo change
[1]CMS changed its corporate logo in October 2022.
- 2018
Tunku Putra-HELP International School agreement
[1]CMS, Ibraco and HELP Education Group signed an agreement to establish Tunku Putra-HELP International School.
- 2014
Ferroalloy production begins
[1]The OM Materials facility successfully produced its first ferrosilicon slab on 22 September 2014.
- 2011
Entry into ferroalloy manufacturing
[1]CMS formed a joint venture with OM Materials for a ferrosilicon and manganese ferroalloy smelter at Samalaju Industrial Park.
- 2003
Utama banking group merger with RHB Bank
[1]CMS's Utama banking group merged with RHB Bank as part of Malaysia's banking-sector consolidation.
- 1996
Adoption of the Cahya Mata Sarawak name
[1]The company changed its name from Cement Manufacturers Sarawak to Cahya Mata Sarawak Berhad and introduced a Sarawak-colour visual identity.
- 1989
Main-board listing
[1]CMS became the first Sarawak company listed on the main board of Bursa Malaysia.
- 1978
First Portland cement plant
[1]CMS established its first Portland cement manufacturing plant at Pending Industrial Estate in Kuching.
- 1974
Incorporation as Cement Manufacturers Sarawak
[1]The company was incorporated in Kuching on 8 October 1974 as a 50:50 venture of the Sarawak and Sabah economic development corporations.
Products and positioning
A Sarawak-focused diversified industrial and infrastructure group supporting the state's construction, transport, manufacturing and economic-development needs.
Cement and construction materials · 1978
CMS Cement
CMS's cement operations manufacture and supply Portland cement and related blended cement products for building, civil engineering and infrastructure projects in Sarawak. The business grew from the group's original 1978 cement plant and later included cement-grinding and product-development initiatives, including work involving Portland limestone cement and Portland composite cement.
Construction materials
Aggregates, quarry and premix products
The group supplies quarry products, aggregates, premix and related road-building materials through businesses connected with Sara Kuari and other construction-materials operations. These products support road surfacing, concrete production, general construction and public infrastructure work.
Infrastructure services
Road construction and maintenance
CMS's infrastructure businesses provide road construction, rehabilitation, pavement engineering, road marking and long-term maintenance services. CMS Roads maintains approximately 5,400 km of state roads under a concession, while related federal-road operations have covered approximately 680 km. CMS Pavement Tech applies pavement profiling, cement stabilisation and recycling techniques.
Construction and engineering
Civil engineering and utility works
Through PPES Works and CMS Works, the group undertakes civil engineering, building, dam, water, utility and undersea pipeline projects. These businesses also participate in major highway and interchange construction through joint ventures and work-package contractors.
Industrial manufacturing · 2011
Ferroalloys
CMS participates in ferroalloy manufacturing at Samalaju Industrial Park through its joint venture with OM Materials. The operation produces ferrosilicon and manganese ferroalloys for industrial and metallurgical applications. The facility produced its first ferrosilicon slab in 2014.
Construction materials
Modular housing components
CMS Modular Housing operated a Sejingkat plant supplying prefabricated steel-framed housing components and insulation-related materials. It supplied roofing and wall materials for low-cost housing projects in Bandar Samariang, but later reduced its involvement in housing development and refocused on materials.
Property · 1994
Property development
CMS Properties was established as part of the group's 1990s diversification. The property business complemented CMS's industrial and infrastructure portfolio, although the supplied material does not identify a complete current project portfolio.
Education · 2018
Education services
CMS entered an education-related partnership with Ibraco and HELP Education Group to establish Tunku Putra-HELP International School. The initiative extended the group's activities beyond industrial and infrastructure businesses.
Brand decisions
2018
Development of education and cement initiativesProduct launchBackground
CMS continued diversification while developing new applications for cement products.
Action taken
CMS partnered with Ibraco and HELP Education Group on Tunku Putra-HELP International School and worked with UNIMAS Holdings on concrete using Portland limestone and Portland composite cement.
Aftermath
The initiatives expanded CMS's education presence and supported product development in construction materials.
2013
Formation of Malaysian Phosphate AdditivesStrategyBackground
CMS pursued additional downstream industrial opportunities at Samalaju Industrial Park.
Action taken
CMS joined Malaysian Phosphate Venture and Arif Enigma to establish Malaysian Phosphate Additives (Sarawak).
Aftermath
The phosphate division later contributed to RAM Ratings' positive outlook assessment in 2023.
2011
Reacquisition of roads businesses and ferroalloy joint ventureStrategyBackground
CMS was reshaping its operating portfolio around infrastructure and industrial development.
Action taken
CMS reacquired CMS Roads and CMS Pavement Tech and entered a joint venture with OM Materials for ferroalloy production.
Aftermath
The move strengthened the group's road-maintenance platform and established a new industrial manufacturing presence at Samalaju.
2010
Disposal of Utama banking groupStrategyBackground
CMS continued to streamline its financial-services portfolio.
Action taken
The group sold Utama banking group to PetroSaudi International for cash.
Aftermath
CMS's portfolio became more focused on industrial, infrastructure and construction-related activities.
2003
Merger of Utama banking group with RHB BankM&ABackground
Malaysia's central bank promoted consolidation in the banking sector.
Action taken
CMS's Utama banking group merged with RHB Bank and received a 32.8% shareholding in the enlarged RHB Group.
Aftermath
The RHB shares were later sold to the Employees Provident Fund in 2007, and CMS ultimately disposed of Utama banking group in 2010.
2000
Sale of futures and securities businessM&ABackground
CMS sought to restructure its financial-services activities and reached an agreement with K&N Kenaga.
Action taken
The futures and securities business was transferred to K&N Kenaga in exchange for a 25% interest in Kenaga.
Aftermath
The transaction formed part of CMS's broader evolution from a cement company into a diversified investment group.
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