Industrial belt
The Pasir Gudang estate covers about 8,000 acres and houses petrochemical, engineering and other industries, away from the city core.
Johor Bahru is the state capital of Johor at the southern tip of Peninsular Malaysia, next to Singapore. Heavy industry sits at Pasir Gudang, home to Johor Port with a liquid terminal, and further east at the Pengerang complex, so Zone 1 work is outside the city centre. Distribution partners for Johor Bahru and Pasir Gudang are being identified ahead of the Q4 2026 launch of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Johor Bahru and Pasir Gudang has no appointed SAMS distributor yet: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued, launch planned for Q4 2026), and distributor applications are open.
Current position: certification in progress, nothing issued, launch targeted for Q4 2026. A buyer's engineering review is separate from the certificate. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Ingress protection | IP65 to IP68 sealing | IP68 design |
| Drop and shock | A stated drop height onto concrete | Specification on request |
| Explosion protection | A separate certificate and marking | In progress; not issued |
| Where it applies | Johor Bahru and Pasir Gudang: Refinery and petrochemical process units (Pengerang), Fuel and chemical storage, Port liquid bulk terminals | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Johor Bahru. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Who operates there and which kinds of classified area a handset would meet, from the SAMS site research.
The Pasir Gudang estate covers about 8,000 acres and houses petrochemical, engineering and other industries, away from the city core.
The Johor-Singapore Causeway links the city to Singapore, so supply and specialist services often move between the two.
The city forms Zone A of Iskandar Malaysia, the country's largest special economic zone by investment value, and is part of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone and the Indonesia-Malaysia-Singapore Growth Triangle.
Johor Bahru has an equatorial climate with steady temperatures, daily averages between about 26 and 28 degrees Celsius, high humidity all year, around 2,350 mm of rain a year and no cyclones.
Local industries include plastic manufacturing, electrical and electronics and food processing, so the city is a base for factory and warehouse work, while the heavy petrochemical sites lie further out in Johor.
Rail from the city to Woodlands in Singapore was built in the 1880s and 1890s, the Peninsula railway extension finished in 1909, and the Causeway opened in 1923, so cross-border links are long established.
A rugged phone is built to survive water, dust, drops and rough handling, usually rated by an IP code and a drop specification. Ruggedness is an environmental property: it says nothing about whether a phone may be used where flammable gas or dust is present. That is decided by explosion-protection certification and marking.
The IS-04Z1 combines both: an IP68 sealed rugged build and a design for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4). The explosion-protection certificates are in progress and none has been issued.
In Johor Bahru and Pasir Gudang. Johor is hot and humid all year, with about 2,350 mm of annual rain concentrated in the monsoon periods. IP68 is designed to withstand rain, humidity-driven condensation and dust, which suits outdoor terminal work, but it is a separate matter from explosion protection. Check temperature class and the permitted ambient range for the area.
Distribution of the IS-04Z1 is by authorised partners only, and SAMS has not yet granted a territory for Johor Bahru and Pasir Gudang. Each application is reviewed on its merits. Because opening a certified Ex handset in an ordinary workshop invalidates its certificate, the partner must be able to support and service the device locally.
Not yet. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and its certification is still in progress ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. No unit goes into a classified area before the certificate covering it exists. The datasheet, the certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
No price is published. While certification is in progress there is no list price and no committed lead time, and a supplier quoting a firm figure for an uncertified Ex handset is promising something it cannot stand behind. Indicative pre-launch pricing is issued in writing against a stated quantity and site.
It is designed to IP68 sealing, with glove-friendly controls. Ruggedness is not explosion protection: that depends on the certificates, which are in progress.
Likely candidates are port liquid bulk terminals, petrochemical and oleochemical plants, refinery and petrochemical process units (pengerang), fuel and chemical storage. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
Apply through the distributor page with your company details and the territory you cover. SAMS reviews applications company by company and has not yet granted a territory for Johor Bahru and Pasir Gudang.
An equatorial climate with high humidity, around 2,350 mm of rain a year and steady warm temperatures means moisture ingress and condensation are the main concerns. Devices typically need good sealing and cleaning routines, subject to the plant's rules.
Its position beside Singapore, the Iskandar special economic zone and the Causeway make cross-border supply practical, though customs procedures and border queues apply. Confirm duty treatment, radio type approval and site gate requirements with your freight agent.
No. Pasir Gudang is an industrial estate with a port and many plants, while Pengerang is a separate complex east of Johor Bahru. Each operator sets its own procurement, HSE and classification rules, so ask the specific plant for its requirements.
More on Johor Bahru, and on other places in Malaysia.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.