- Nor Hayati Ahmad.

This film depicted her struggle with wanting to be herself rather than the person her family expects her to be. As everyone wishes to live a free life, Princess Merida wishes to do the same. 

The character reminds me of myself, Siti Natasha Binti Surian Sah. I wish I could live like that, but I know there is nothing free in this world. Hahaha. By the way, it's a pleasure to meet you all.

Managing director Jason Koh Jian Hui said the IPO, which involves a public issuance of 49 million new shares at the price of 33 sen per share, is expected to raise the market capitalisation of the company to RM115.5 million.

“We intend to allocate the proceeds from the IPO to acquire machinery and equipment (RM6 million), [for the] construction of our third factory which is expected to house three additional production lines and one block of four-storey detached hostel (RM2 million), and purchase of raw materials (RM5.3 million).

"[Meanwhile] the balance RM2.9 million is to defray estimated listing expenses," he said at the virtual launch of the company's prospectus in conjunction with the IPO on Friday.

Established in 2016, Ecomate is an export-oriented furniture producer based in Muar, Johor, focusing on the production of ready-to-assemble (RTA) furniture products where it undertakes its own design, development production, as well as marketing and sales activities.

Koh said the group offers a diverse range of flat-packed furniture products, including but not limited to coffee tables, console tables, bookshelves, as well as wardrobes, and exports to customers from more than 30 countries across six continents — Asia, Europe, North America, Australasia, Africa, and South America.

"Ecomate has recorded tremendous growth in its financial performance since inception, with revenue and profit after tax and non-controlling interest (PATNCI) grew at an astounding compounded annual growth rate of 52.8% and 59.7%, respectively, from financial year ended February 2019 (FY19) to FY21.

"The revenue and PATNCI stood at RM56.3 million and RM8.5 million, respectively, for FY21," he added.

Koh said the lockdown restrictions and remote working policy implemented around the world to curb the spread of Covid-19 have propelled the demand for furniture as consumers were increasingly pivoting towards purchasing furniture products online to enhance their home experience.

"Hence, we are capitalising on this opportunity swiftly as we primarily sell RTA furniture products that are shipped in flat packs.

"By comparison to fully-assembled furniture, our flat pack format is very much suitable for sale via e-commerce platforms due to its compact nature that enhances logistics efficiency," he said.

Moving forward, Koh said the group is upbeat on its outlook as it accelerates its expansion plans to keep up with the robust order flows, especially via e-commerce sales channels for RTA furniture.

"The group is currently kept busy fulfilling the sizable order backlogs to catch up on the lost time during the Full Movement Control Order," he said.

On the distribution of the 49 million new shares, Ecomate will offer 17.5 million shares to the Malaysian public, as well as 8.75 million shares to eligible directors, employees and persons who have contributed to the success of the group, and 22.75 million shares by private placement to selected investors.