Inside Malaysia's last match factory
Inside Malaysia's last match factory
Mr Wee, nicknamed “Matchstick Wee”, has worked at the Kelantan Match Factory for over 30 years.
Now 76, he’s the factory manager of the last match factory in Malaysia, established in 1933.
The factory once employed 1,000 workers across three shifts. Now only 30 remain.
Madam Siti Mazenah, 55, has been working at the factory for 37 years. Her main task is to label and sort the matchboxes.
For Mr Fakhrul Syahmi, 26, the job came as a surprise. “Even my friends were shocked when I told them I was working at this match factory. They thought it had closed down.”
Sales have dropped sharply over the years, but demand still comes from rural areas.
A steady stream of tourists has been showing up at the rustic factory in recent years. “They just show up out of nowhere. Every day they come,” said Mr Wee.
