• Tested and proven in China; further lab test to be carried out in Germany
• Antivirus tiles the next major trend in property market
• The Company plans to realign its manufacturing lines for mass production of antivirus tiles

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Media OutReach - 3 December 2020 - Bursa Malaysia Main-Market listed tiles manufacturer Yi-Lai Berhad ("Yi-Lai" or "Company" or "Group") (KLSE: YILAI) has successfully come up with yet another ground-breaking product -- the first antivirus tiles in Malaysia.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), people could catch COVID-19 by touching contaminated surfaces, and then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.

While most people pay attention to high-touch surfaces such as handrails and wall surfaces, another surface has been neglected -- the tiles. Just imagine, when an infected person cough or sneeze, some droplets would land on the floor.

Today, with an innovative coating technology, Yi-Lai has successfully invented a unique next-generation antivirus tiles -- a design choice that creates an enhanced surface which could not only deliver 24/7 antiviral protection for life, but also help reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread.

Yi-Lai Berhad Executive Director Mr Au Yee Boon said: "We are pleased to announce that following our official launch of Talos Living Tiles -- Malaysia's first negative ion tiles to improve indoor air quality -- in September 2020, our Group has gone one step further by now offering the country's first tile with antivirus surfaces."

Notably, it is demonstrated that Yi-Lai's much-anticipated antivirus tiles could effectively eliminate contagious viruses, with various tests being performed on the H1N1 influenza A viruses have shown a very desirable antivirus activity rate.

According to the analysis and test results by Guangdong Detection Center of Microbiology (Gmicro), an independent product testing and certification company based in China, the infectivity titre value has dropped significantly after contacting with Yi-Lai's antivirus tiles.

As it is, sample and test specimen have also been sent to Germany for further laboratory tests, which will be carried out by HygCen Germany GmbH, an accredited and internationally renowned testing lab for hygiene and biocidal activity.

Mr Au expects antivirus tiles to become the next major trend in the property industry for the coming years.

"As people become more health conscious and mindful about their safety and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic, we foresee that there will be a huge demand for antivirus tiles in Malaysia in the next few years," he comments.

Mr Au also highlights that antivirus tiles are already gaining traction in many European countries such as Italy, Spain and Austria, as these products can be found in not just residential property, but also hospital and pharmacy, gym and fitness centre, as well as restaurants and commercial property.

Considering that antivirus tiles are materials that could provide enormous health and hygiene benefits, Mr Au believes that the developers, designers, contractors and house owners will make a more forward-looking choices for their buildings.

"Antivirus tiles will be a big selling point for the Malaysian property developers in the future, because every home buyer would want to own a house with residential tiles that are able to destroy all types of harmful bacteria and insidious viruses in an absolutely natural way," he predicts.

Given the anticipated huge market demand, Mr Au points out that Yi-Lai is ready to realign its production lines and resources to mass produce big format antivirus tiles.

"Antivirus tile is going to be one of the most important key product segments for our Group. In terms of volume, it may not be as high as our existing product offerings. But in terms of value, we expect a very significant contribution because antivirus tile is a premium product which could give us fairly attractive profit margin," he concludes.