on the banks of Sungai Parit which flows to Sungai Pekan. Early settlement of shops first started in this area. The original wooden structure of these shops can still be seen until today around Pekan Lama. Istana Pantai was once located here, but it is no longer around and the site is now occupied by the Majlis Agama Islam Daerah Pekan building. Bangunan UMNO Pekan Lama is situated nearby and had been on that site since the 1960s. Industries Pekan is home to Malaysia's DefTech's Defence Technologies Division plant. DefTech is Malaysia's largest military vehicle manufacturer. The plant was established at a cost of approximately RM70 million in 2001. The plant is situated on a 25.6-acre site and has a covered work area of approximately 180,000 sq feet. The plant is responsible for the manufacture of all armoured vehicles and was given a RM100 million upgrade in 2014 to prepare for the production of DefTech's chief vehicle, the DefTech AV8. The plant is fitted with required resources and facilities and has the flexibility to undertake a variety of different jobs at once. It is also fully equipped with facilities which are capable of generating most of its requirements in house. The Plant also has: A workshop for the repair (including base overhaul), maintenance, refurbishment, and upgrading of all types of soft skinned and armoured vehicles. A dedicated assembly/production line for all types of military vehicles. A comprehensive Research & Development Department equipped with latest CAD hardware and associated software which enables DefTech to undertake its own design work for its product development. A warehouse with the requisite facilities for the stocking and distribution of spare parts nationwide. A computerised Materials Resources Planning (MRP) System for all aspects of Production Planning and Control of assembly activities and inventory management. A test track for the testing of both armoured and soft skinned vehicles (wheeled and tracked) of up to 60 ton MBT complete with NATO Standard Obstacles. Automotive Plants Since the early 1970s, local and global automotive corporations have chosen Pekan as their base. This industrial chapter in Pekan history was introduced and gathered momentum during Tun Abdul Razak's tenure as the 2nd Prime Minister of Malaysia. The legendary Tun had the vision to make Peramu as the industrial centre of Pekan. Back then, companies like TATA (of India) and Isuzu (of Japan) had assembled motor vehicles in their Pekan base. Past