The Machine Age

Driven by their mission to modernise and mechanise Malaysian agriculture, the wheels never stop turning for Dato’ Khor Chen Heng and Jack Khor, the father-and-son team heading Eurostar Tractors Sdn Bhd.

- Renyi Lim

My childhood was full of oil and mud,” recalls Jack Khor, Executive Director of Eurostar Tractors Sdn Bhd. “I used to climb from tractor to tractor, so I’d joke with my friends that I had lots of toys that were too big to hug. It made me love tractors so much that I still say I have type ‘T’ blood: no one else in the world has it, because there are millions of tractors in my veins!”

It certainly is no exaggeration to say that he and his father, Group Chairman Dato’ Khor Chen Heng, know their machines inside and out. As one of the leading companies in Malaysia’s heavy machinery industry (its headquarters are located in Melaka, while they also have an impressive 11 branches scattered across Malaysia and Indonesia), Eurostar Tractors has been helping to bring about change in farms and plantations across the country, aiding planters and farmers in their efforts to modernise and mechanise agricultural methods.

While it may not have the slickness and rapidity of newer industries like fintech and start-ups, agriculture is just as relevant as it was some 11,500 years ago when humans began planting wild grains. “People tend to think of agriculture as an obsolete, old-fashioned industry,” says Jack, “But just think: if all the farmers disappear, who’s going to do the planting?” Dato’ Khor puts his view across even more succinctly: “Agriculture is a necessity – everyone needs food.”

HEAVY METAL