sirim link 3/2011

03/2011
PP 10002/05/2010(024916)
116-MG120-12-2011:GN
GREAT
EXPECTATIONS
The rise of Malaysia’s small and medium enterprises
In this issue:
THE bigger the
better
Serious
Soaper
Kelantan
Dynamo
The role of SMEs in the Economic
Transformation Programme.
An entrepreneur has invented a
new way to make transparent soap.
Kelantan-based Kel’s International is
poised for global success.
MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR
CHAIRPERSON
Hj. Nor Rashid Ismail
MEMBERS
Noraini Kassim
Rosmina Mustafa
Zurina Mohd Bistari
Abdul Aziz Long
Futom Shikh Jaafar
Dr. Neelam Shahab
Dr. Kartini Noorsal
Azman Hassan
For any enquiries or further
information with regards to the articles
featured in this magazine, please
contact:
Corporate Communications Section
Group Corporate Affairs Department
SIRIM Berhad
1, Persiaran Dato’ Menteri
Section 2, P.O. Box 7035
40700 Shah Alam, Selangor
Tel: 603 5544 6770
Fax: 603 5544 6745
Or email to: publications@sirim.my
www.sirim.my
Published and Printed by:
SIRIM Berhad
1, Persiaran Dato’ Menteri
Section 2, P.O. Box 7035
40700 Shah Alam, Selangor
Toll Free: 1300 88 7035
Tel: 603 5544 6000
Fax: 603 5510 8095
Writing, Design and Concept:
Marcus Gomez & Partners Sdn Bhd
No. 27, Jalan SS2/2,
47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor,
MALAYSIA.
www.marcusgomez.com
SIRIMLink is an official publication of
SIRIM Berhad. The bulletin is published
quarterly and is distributed free to
our clients, associates, business and
research establishments.
Copyright © 2011 SIRIM Berhad unless
otherwise mentioned.
A very
BIG DEAL
F
or many years, Malaysia
relied upon the public sector and large
conglomerates to drive the country’s
GDP growth. Unfortunately, these
traditional
sources
of
economic
growth are no longer in Malaysia’s favour –
manufacturing and assembly work is being
moved overseas, and although the plantation
sector is strong, the country is running out of
land to till.
The future of the country therefore rests on the shoulders of the
private sector, which largely consists of small and medium enterprises
(SMEs). Today, SMEs account for about 30-percent of the country’s
GDP, but under the Economic Transformation Programme, that figure
should rise to 40-percent by 2020.
One of Malaysia’s most successful entrepreneur development
programmes is the Groom Big programme, spearheaded by the Ministry
of International Trade and Industry (MITI). SIRIM played a major
role in developing the programme at its conception and has been the
ministry’s partner for delivering it to the rakyat. The government recently
allocated RM100mil for the SME Revitalisation Fund, which offers soft
loans of up to a maximum of RM1mil for entrepreneurs to revive their
businesses. SMEs can expect further support from MITI and SIRIM in
2012 as the country continues its transition to becoming a high-income
nation.
In this dual-language issue of SIRIMLink, we revisit some of the
Groom Big programme’s biggest success stories, and speak to the people
behind it. Readers will gain the perspectives of both the programme’s
consultants as well as beneficiary SMEs themselves – in Bahasa Melayu
and English – as we uncover the mechanics of the programme, how it
works and what SMEs need to do in order to make it work for them.
On that note, may I wish you a Happy New Year. Enjoy the issue.
Nor Rashid Ismail
Vice President
Corporate Division
SIRIMLink
03/2011
1
Contents
issue 03/2011 “GREAT EXPECTATIONS”
8
2
12
18
20
SIZE
MATTERS
meet the
groomers
FIRST
IMPRESSIONS
serious
soaper
How the new SME
Development
Centre at SIRIM will
help businesses.
1,000 entrepreneurs
have benefitted
from the Groom
Big programme.
Professional
packaging is
the way into the
export market.
An entrepreneur
has invented a
new way to make
transparent soap.
SIRIMLink
03/2011
Traditional treats like Kuih Baulu can
be turned into multi-million ringgit
businesses if handled correctly. See
page 28.
24
28
30
4
KELANTAN
DYNAMO
SAJIAN klasik
RAJA
mArtabak
WHAT’S NEW
at SIRIM
Kelantan-based Kel’s
International holds
a big promise for
global success.
Jurifah Kadis
meninggalkan
kerjayanya untuk
berniaga kuih.
Menti-menti terawal
dalam program
Groom Big kini
berkembang maju.
The news and
highlights of the
past quarter at
SIRIM Berhad.
SIRIMLink
03/2011
3
NEWS
DPM Launches National Ecolabelling
Programme, ISO 50001 Certification Scheme
SIRIM Ecolabelling Scheme upgraded to National Ecolabelling Programme; Energy
Management System Certification launched.
D
eputy Prime Minister Tan Sri
Dato’ Hj Muhyiddin Hj Mohd Yassin
recently announced the upgrading of
the SIRIM Ecolabelling Scheme to the
National Ecolabelling Programme, along
with the launch of SIRIM QAS International’s
Energy Management System Certification Scheme.
Both of these announcements were made at the
SIRIM-Industry dinner (MSI) 2011 at the Kuala
Lumpur Convention Centre, recently.
The new National Ecolabelling Programme is
an important step towards the implementation of
a National Green Procurement Policy, which will
promote the use of environmentally responsible
products in the public as well as private sectors. This
policy – like similar policies in South Korea, Japan,
Thailand, Germany, the United States and Australia
– is expected to promote green industries and
increase market demand for eco-friendly products.
The Government’s decision to upgrade the
SIRIM Ecolabelling Scheme was based on
SIRIM’s long-standing expertise in the field of
ecolabelling, which was recently reaffirmed when
SIRIM QAS International was accepted into the
Global Eco-Labelling Network (GEN), the world’s
most renowned ecolabelling body.
In addition, the ISO 50001 (Energy
Management System) Standard is the basis for
SIRIM’s new Energy Management System
Certification Scheme, which helps organisations
become more efficient in energy usage. When
implemented, this standard will provide companies
with a system of continuous improvement for
improving their energy efficiency.
Themed
“Quality
and
Technology
Transformation for a Sustainable Future,” this
year’s SIRIM-Industry dinner recognised 950
organisations that achieved certifications in
4
SIRIMLink
03/2011
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Dato’ Hj Muhyiddin
Hj Mohd Yassin presenting the Quality Management
System From Islamic Perspective certificate to one of the
recipients at the dinner
various categories, such as Quality Management
System Certification, Environmental Management
System Certification, Occupational Health and
Safety Management System Certification, SIRIM
Ecolabelling and Product Certification.
“SIRIM offers environmental technologies in
areas such as environmental management, waste
disposal management and Life Cycle Analysis for
measuring the carbon footprint and greenhouse
gas emissions of the manufacturing process of a
given product,” said SIRIM Berhad Chairman
Datuk Hajah Jamaliah Kamis. “This is in line with
SIRIM’s desire to lead the way for Malaysian
industries in quality and green technology, in order
to sustain our environment for future generations.”
According to Datuk Hajah Jamaliah Kamis,
SIRIM has also developed a wide range of green
technologies which are currently awaiting practical
industrial implementation. These include bioplastic
plants capable of producing biodegradable plastic
from palm oil waste, solar-powered dryer systems
for marine products, and solar-powered aquaculture
management systems.
NEWS
SIRIM and KPD (Sabah) sign MoA for
developing personal care products
Body care products to be based on calamansi extract and honey.
S
IRIM and the Sabah Rural
Development Co-Operative (KPD) have
signed a Memorandum of Agreement
(MoA) to join forces in the research and
development of personal care products based
on calamansi and honey extract. According to the
MoA, SIRIM will develop and produce cosmetic
products using calamansi as the base material for
making moisturiser, facial cleanser, body wash and
shampoo, as well as lip balm made from honey.
Both calamansi and honey have many known
health and personal care benefits. Also known by
its scientific name of citrofortunella microcarpa,
calamansi or golden lime is a citrus fruit commonly
used in drinks and cooking. As with other citrus
fruits, it is rich in vitamin C, a natural antioxidant
and antihistamine that boosts the strength of the
immune system. In tropical countries such as the
Philippines, calamansi is used as an ingredient in
natural insect repellent. Calamansi is also known as
natural anti-inflammatory agent, and is used in hair
conditioners and deodorants. Meanwhile, honey
has been known for its soothing and antibacterial
properties. The antibacterial quality of honey
derives from its low water activity, which causes
osmosis; its bonding of free iron; its slow release of
hydrogen peroxide; its high acidity and its content
of methylglyoxal, an antibacterial agent.
In addition to providing expertise and advisory
services as well as label and packaging design,
SIRIM will also perform safety and performance
tests on the products. These tests will be performed
to ensure that the products meet the guidelines of
the National Pharmaceutical Control Bureau of
Malaysia (BPFK) and achieve halal certification
from
Malaysia’s
Department
of
Islamic
Development ( JAKIM).
KPD, an agency of the Sabah Ministry of
Agriculture and Food Industry, maintains calamansi
crops and beehives in the Kundasang district,
making it the ideal supplier of raw materials for
these products. With this MoA, Sabah is set to
emerge as the largest manufacturer of calamansi
and honey extract-based cosmetics in the country.
KPD will further contribute to this project through
value-adding activities for these products, reducing
wastage as well as implementation costs while
increasing their level of commercial value. This
project, along with technology transfer activities,
will benefit farmers under KPD by helping to
improve their economic status.
SIRIM was represented at the signing of the
MoA by Dr Hj Zainal Abidin Mohd Yusof, Acting
President and Chief Executive of SIRIM Berhad,
while KPD was represented by its Chairman, YB
Datuk Saddi Bin Abdu Rahman.
Dr Hj Zainal Abidin, Acting President and Chief Executive
of SIRIM exchanging documents with YB Datuk Saddi
Abdu Rahman, Chairman of KPD (Sabah).
“There is an enormous potential for our
entrepreneurs, including those in Sabah, to engage
in the cosmetics industry,” said Dr Zainal Abidin.
“Judging from the sale of cosmetics, which
amounted to RM800 million in 2005, the potential
for the industry to grow in Sabah is huge,” he
added.
SIRIMLink
03/2011
5
DIAMONDS
ROUGH
in the
With countless entrepreneurs seeking their fortunes, the Ministry of
International Trade and Industry (MITI) sometimes has a hard time
deciding which business plans hold the most promise for success.
L
ifting up small enterprises
to become world-class businesses takes
the work of many helping hands. In
Malaysia’s case, over a dozen ministries
and scores of agencies are involved in these
efforts. While SIRIM’s role in the Groom Big
programme supports numerous food and beverage
(F&B) businesses, the true scale of national SME
development is impressive, encompassing aspects
such as infrastructure, financing, advisory services,
marketing support, technology and training.
Among the many bodies involved in SME
development are the Malaysia External Trade
Development Corporation (MATRADE), SIRIM
and the Ministry of Science, Technology and
Innovation (MOSTI). Many universities and
private companies also play their roles in various
SME development programmes. New companies
can take advantage of business incubation to help
them get off the ground. SIRIM is just one of
several organisations offering incubation services
for businesses – incubators can also be found in
Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC),
6
SIRIMLink
03/2011
Kulim Technology Management Sdn Bhd and
Technology Park Malaysia (TPM).
The Role of MITI
Ultimately, the responsibility of coordinating the
development of SMEs across the country falls to
Small and Medium Enterprise Corporation (SME
Corp) Malaysia, an agency of MITI. Originally
formed as the Small and Medium Industries
Development Corporation (SMIDEC), SME
Corp serves as the Secretariat to the National SME
Development Council (NSDC), which defines
and develops policy to help build the capabilities
of SMEs in Malaysia. Through SME Corp, MITI
plays a leading role in helping small businesses to
grow and prosper.
At the opening ceremony of the local collection
and marketing centre for Groom Big entrepreneurs’
products at the National Agribusiness Terminal
(TEMAN) in July 2011, Dato’ Sri Mustapa
Mohamed, Minister of International Trade and
miti and sme development
Industry reiterated that MITI is committed to
raising the level of entrepreneurs. “The Groom
Big programme, held in collaboration with SIRIM
Berhad as the technical agency, is an initiative
showing the Government’s interest in encouraging
and developing SMEs to become larger, more
competitive, more advanced and more sustainable
on both local and domestic levels,” he said.
SIRIM’s partnership with MITI in the Groom
Big programme is just a part of the big picture.
Groom Big acts as a feeder for MATRADE’s
efforts to create a pool of export-ready Malaysian
products and services. Once SIRIM’s efforts have
made companies ready for the international market,
MATRADE comes into the picture to help those
companies take the next step overseas.
Although SIRIM is very actively involved in
supporting F&B businesses, Groom Big is not just
limited to just that industry alone. Other sectors
supported in the Groom Big programme include
ceramics, cosmetics and Information Technology.
Groom Big provides services tailored to match
the different needs of each sector. For instance,
in the cosmetics and herbal industries, Groom
Big helps entrepreneurs to develop concepts for
products based on traditional herbal remedies.
These products also benefit from SIRIM’s
industrial biotechnology research and development
capabilities as well as the company’s intellectual
property protection and business matching services.
Meanwhile, the ceramics and glass programme
is aimed at helping existing businesses with
techniques such as glass etching. Groom Big
provides training and helps to develop innovative
ideas, with incubators located in both Sabah and
Shah Alam. Other agencies, such as the Ministry
of Rural and Regional Development (MRRD),
and the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based
Industry (MOA), are following with similar
offerings in their respective industries.
Giving a Boost for Anchor Companies
Additionally, MITI has a vendor development
programme, designed to improve the supply chain
Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed: “The Groom Big
programme, held in collaboration with SIRIM Berhad
as the technical agency, is an initiative showing the
Government’s interest in encouraging and developing
SMEs to become larger, more competitive, more advanced
and more sustainable on both local and domestic levels.”
Over 1,200 SMEs have benefitted from the programme.
for several anchor companies in Malaysia’s key
industries. Companies such as Proton, Tenaga
Nasional Berhad and TM Group have asked MITI
to develop both existing and would-be vendors.
“We have many ways to support our local
automotive industry, such as developing the quality
of vendors and component sourcing,” commented
Dato’ Sri Mustapa in Berita Harian on 31 January
2011. “However, it is not an easy task.”
The work to upgrade vendors is an ongoing
effort. The current programme provides a package
of services for existing vendors, tailored to their
needs: Product development, training, conformity
testing, technology support and quality systems
such as 5S, QC, Kaizen and ISO 9001. The second
phase of the vendor development programme
will add more anchor companies to the list of
companies currently being served.
SIRIMLink
03/2011
7
size matters
The new SME Development Centre at SIRIM will help small businesses
become self-sustaining in the new economy
S
IRIM has a long track
record in helping small businesses raise
their game. Practically every department
in the company already has its own list of
SME clients, whether they are looking for
new standards or quality systems or new products
that take advantage of SIRIM’s prowess in research
and development. The new SME Development
Centre will streamline all of the companies service
offerings and effectively become a one-stop service
centre for SME’s that want to grow.
with these basic business requirements as well as
trademark and patent protection in the long-term.”
An SME’s success also depends on sound
management standards. Take any global brand, and
you will find that it is also supported by myriad
quality systems and certifications. SIRIM’s SME
Development Centre can nurture a microbusiness
and ensure that it meets all the demands of modern
retailing, and thus be ready to capture the biggest
prize of all: the export market.
“Most of our clients are mom-and-pop
businesses with good potential but no guidance,”
explains Dr Zainal Abidin Mohd Yusof, Acting
President and Chief Executive at SIRIM Berhad.
“We push up the value of these SMEs by helping
them improve their product quality and overall
management of the business.”
These mom-and-pop businesses constitute the
vast majority of Malaysia’s rural microenterprises.
Nonetheless, some of the products have tremendous
potential. The SME Development Centre will
help these businesses raise their game so that they
can compete with international brands in first the
Malaysian market and then abroad.
“To compete in today’s dynamic market,
businesses need more than just a good product,”
explains Dr Zainal. “The SME Development
Centre will bring together all of SIRIM’s expertise
in SME development under one roof: from design
and product packaging to business planning and
DR ZAINAL: “We help these microenterprises with
marketing. We can help these microenterprises packaging requirements as well as trademark protection.”
8
SIRIMLink
03/2011
sirim’s sme development centre
United Kingdom 2
Canada 1
United States 2
Argentina 1
Tunisia 10
Bulgaria 1
Spain 1
Albania 3
Rep. of
Macedonia 1
Lebanon 3
Israel 1
Palestinian
Libya 6
terr. 4
Chad 6
Mauritania 3
Morocco
32
Senegal
12
Mali 12
Burkina Faso 9
Niger 15
Muslim
Population
1.57 billion
World
Population
6.8 billion
Turkmenistan
5 Tajikistan 6
Kyrgyzstan 5
Uzbekistan 26
Afghanistan
28
Iraq 30
China 22
Nepal 1
Iran 74
Pakistan 174
Jordan 6
Saudi
Arabia
25
Kuwait 3
Bahrain 1
Qatar 1
United Arab
Emirates 4
Yemen 23
Oman 2
India 161
Bangladesh 145
Burma
(Myanmar) 2
Thailand 4
Eritrea 2
Sudan 30
Malaysia 17
Sri Lanka 2
Djibouti 1
Somalia 9
Uganda 4
Kenya 3
Ivory
Coast
Tanzania 13
8
Congo 1
Sierra
Benin 2 Cameroon
Leone 4
Mozambique 5
3
Togo 1
Guinea 9
Comoros 1
Ghana 4
Guinea Bissau
1
South Africa 1 Malawi 2
Gambia
2
Azerbaijan 9
Syria 20
Ethiopia 28
Nigeria 78
Kazakhstan 9
Turkey 74
Egypt 79
Algeria
34
Western
Sahara 1
Russia 16
France 4
Singapore 1
Muslims elsewhere
around the world 8
Indonesia 203
Philippines 5
Credit: Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life
• Mapping the Global Muslim Population, October 2009
Netherlands 1
Germany 4
Bosnia-Herzegovina 2
Kosovo 2
HALAL MARKET: This weighted map of the world show’s each country’s relative size based on its Muslim population.
There are an estimated 1.57 billion Muslims around the globe, almost a quarter of the world’s population. By leveraging
SIRIM’s expertise in the halal standards and certifications, SMEs in Malaysia can tap into this lucrative market, which is
estimated to be worth USD2.77 trillion annually.
“The sad reality is that while there are
programmes out there to help our SMEs break
into the export market, most of these businesses
are not ready for it,” says Dr. Zainal. “Even with the
right certifications, the right product and the right
packaging, most SMEs do not have the production
capacity to meet large overseas orders.”
Through the Groom Big programme, however,
microbusinesses that fall below this standard
definition can have access to financing from SME
Bank, SME Development Corporation and other
government agencies. The money if not free, of
course – full grants are a thing of the past – but it is
easier to get, and easier to pay back.
If they do intend to break into the global
market, however, SMEs in Malaysia have a lot
going for them. Local SMEs are exceptionally
well positioned to take advantage of Malaysia’s
expertise in the halal industry as well as its matured
standards infrastructure to break into the USD2.77
trillion global halal market. The second advantage
of growing big in Malaysia are the many financial
incentives made available through government
agencies.
Under Budget 2012, the government has
allocated RM100 for the SME Revitalisation
Fund, which will offer soft loans of up to RM1mil
for entrepreneurs to revive their businesses. The
fund will be managed by SME Bank and will be
available from January 2012. The SME Emergency
Fund of RM10mil will also prove useful to
entrepreneurs struck by floods and other natural
disasters.
“Conventional business financing is hard to get
unless you have a solid track record and revenues of
at least RM500,000 and above,” explains Dr. Zainal.
“Very few rural mom-and-pop businesses can meet
those requirements.”
“Business fail for all sorts of reasons, many of
which are beyond their control, but that should
not be a reason to write them off completely,” says
Dr Zainal. “These government initiatives offer
entrepreneurs a second chance at realising their
dreams.”
SIRIMLink
03/2011
9
The
Bigger
The
BETTER
As the government’s Economic Transformation Programme shifts into
high gear, small and medium businesses must ready themselves to
become the country’s new engine for growth
S
igning up for Groom Big is
easy. The national roadshows are generally
held all year round where business owners
can meet with SIRIM’s consultants to find
out more about the programme. There,
SIRIM’s consultants will conduct a preliminary
assessment of their needs to find out if the business
qualifies for the programme.
reinvest into new materials once the free resources
run out. The result, of course, is that they fail to
grow, and the government’s investment is wasted.
“In the past, we used to go to meet these
business owners at their business premises right at
the outset, but this method of screening was very
inefficient and time-consuming,” explains Azim
Ng Abdullah, Vice President of the Standards
and Quality Division at SIRIM Berhad. “These
days, we invite business owners to a Groom Big
roadshow at a hotel in a nearby town instead so we
can assess their requirements on the spot. If they
qualify, only then do we arrange for a site visit.”
These days, funding is provided in the form of
soft loans by licensed financial institutions, which
will charge SMEs a nominal interest on their
loans. This model makes business owners more
accountable for their performance and allows the
free market to determine whether or not they have
what it takes to succeed.
The whole programme was once completely
funded by the government, but not anymore.
The idea back then was that by investing in
promising microbusinesses they would one day
grow and eventually contribute to the country’s
GDP and employment targets. But, like similar
grant programmes in other parts of the world,
government munificence eventually breeds SMEs
who are just interested in getting a free ride. They
take the free materials and training, but do not
10
SIRIMLink
03/2011
“Some business owners expect to be given
everything without having to risk their own
money,” explains Azim. “The real world of business
does not work that way.”
“We help them with their applications for these
loans, because there is a lot of paperwork involved,”
says Azim. “These moms-and-pops do not always
understand what is required of them. We have to
explain everything before they sign the dotted line.”
On the upside, SMEs that do succeed in the
Groom Big programme can look forward to better
support from the private sector and governmentlinked companies, which are being encouraged to
buy products and services from new SMEs to help
support their fledgling businesses. Azim cites the
example of the Mydin supermarket chain, which
growing smes big
does not require all its shelves to be stocked with
products in handsome packaging
as long as a
food product complies the country’s basic labeling
requirements, it has a chance of being sold in all
Mydin stores nationwide.
In other words, SMEs are going to have to get
used to being judged based on their performance
and nothing else. There was a time when winning
a tender from a GLC was all about who you knew,
not what you could do. That time is passing.
“The government is firm in its commitment
to transform the public sector and to reward
businesses based on their performance, not their
networks,” says Azim.
That said, Azim still believes that the
government has an important role to play in
developing microenterprises who might not have
much in the way of business acumen but have very
good products.
“One cannot expect rural makciks and pakciks
to be able to write a business plan, conduct
competitive market analysis, submit proposals
and understand food labelling regulations,” says
Azim. “Government agencies like SIRIM can help
bridge that knowledge gap. Let the entrepreneurs
concentrate on making better products.”
AZIM NG: “The government is firm in its commitment
to transform the public sector and to reward businesses
based on their performance, not their networks.”
in his right mind is going to slice potato chips for
the rest of his life, but he might be persuaded to
invest into a potato slicing machine to do the job
for him, along with industrial kitchen equipment,
a packaging and labeling machine and simple
website.”
Such new technologies will make their family
business more competitive in the market. And as
As it stands, most microenterprises under SIRIM’s their parents go into full retirement and gradually
wing are quite content to remain small, and rarely relinquish control over their businesses to their
show an inclination to break into the ‘medium’ offspring, so will these younger entrepreneurs
business category. Once they have their basic be freer to introduce new growth strategies into
product identity and packaging that complies to the business – getting national halal and GMP
national regulations, they are generally happy to certifications, for example, and establishing costay that way. But Azim believes that the future of ops in their villages to leverage collective demand.
these organisations is nonetheless bright despite Automation, ICT, internet marketing and supply
their owners’ apparent complacency.
chain management are just some of examples of
business modernisation techniques that many small
“Today, practically all these microenterprises business owners today feel unsure about, but whose
are run by an older generation of rural Malaysians children can easily grasp.
that are happy with the status quo,” explains Azim.
“However, their businesses will one day pass on to
“It takes a lot of energy to build a business
their children, who are much better educated and empire,” says Azim. “For that reason, I think it’s
connected to the world outside. No 20-year-old best to let the young lead the way.”
Child’s play
SIRIMLink
03/2011
11
Branding &
Packaging
Product
Prototyping
Networking &
Marketing
Testing &
Certification
The Groom Big team at SIRIM has already shown more
than 1,000 entrepreneurs how to turn their start-ups into
competitive businesses, with 1,000 more entrepreneurs
awaiting their turn in the aisles.
W
hat do A&W root beer,
Häagen-Dazs ice-cream and Lays
potato chips have in common?
Answer: they are all examples of
tiny cottage businesses that became
world-renowned brands.
The histories of these brands are typical of
small-town, family-owned enterprises that climbed
the ladder to worldwide success one step at a time
– first, the booth; then, the shop; then, the global
empire.
This is precisely what the Groom Big
programme hopes to do for Malaysia’s rural cottage
businesses.
The Groom Big programme had its origins in
the Daya Saing Perabot initiative, first spearheaded
12
SIRIMLink
03/2011
by the then Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development (MECD). Its objectives
were to increase the competitiveness of the local
furniture industry in the global export market,
and the project had a good run before it had to be
terminated for various reasons.
The backlash from the local furniture industry
was instantaneous. Many businesses which were
in the process of equipping themselves with the
skills and systems they needed to tackle the global
furniture export market were dismayed at being
unable to complete their training. Seeing their
predicament, the MeCD asked SIRIM to develop a
substitute programme to help coach the abandoned
entrepreneurs. SIRIM did so with the assistance
of MARA’s Furniture Industry Technology Centre
(FITEC), and it was a roaring success.
But the best was yet to come.
THE groom big programme
Start small, think big
The success of the mini programme with MECD
begged the question: if there is so much demand
for mentoring programmes in the local furniture
industry alone, what about other industries? Khirul
Salleh Marzuki, Head of the Business and Brand
Consulting Section at SIRIM says that this was
when they knew they had something special going.
“We knew we had stumbled onto something big,
but we didn’t know how big,” explains Khirul.
SIRIM hosted the first Groom Big workshop in
Melaka for a group of small cottage entrepreneurs.
It was a simple presentation that consisted of little
more than a lecture on the importance of branding,
labelling and packaging and how they can help
small businesses jump into the big time (see page
16, “When First Impressions are Everything”).
“The Groom Big workshop was never meant to
be anything more than a seminar, but it was such a
huge success that SIRIM and the MECD decided
to take it onto the road,” says Nik Mohd Nuruddin
Nik Ibrahim, one of SIRIM’s most experienced
Brand and Consulting experts. “Over 1,200 SMEs
have benefitted from the programme to date.”
The Groom Big roadshow trundled across
Malaysia’s major cities and towns and proved
equally successful as the one in Melaka. SMEs
and cottage businesses from all sorts of industries
attended the talks, eager to learn more. Many of
these businesses sustained poor families in rural
areas. Recognising the opportunity to transform
the lives of these rural
folk, SIRIM’s team
hunkered down to
refine the Groom
Khirul Salleh (left)
explaining the Groom
Big Programme. Nik
Mohd. Nuruddin (right)
says that businesses
can leapfrog to more
advanced stages in
the programme
depending
on their
readiness.
Big idea, asking themselves what it would take to
transform a cottage business into a renowned brand
without shooting itself in the foot.
“Many entrepreneur development programmes
try to push a cottage business out of its backyard
and straight into the world export market without
equipping it with the knowledge and tools it needs
to sustain itself,” says Nik Nuruddin. “The result
is a bunch of products that sell very well, but also
a bunch of companies that unable to fulfil the
demands of large customers.”
The result of SIRIM’s brainstorming was
a complete six-step ladder to success that any
entrepreneur can climb, each step preparing
them incrementally for the challenges of bigger
business. But then the MeCD dissolved after a
cabinet reshuffle, and for a time, the Groom Big
programme was in danger of being abandoned.
Luckily, the Ministry of International Trade and
Industry stepped in to fill the void.
With a new partner, a new mandate and a new
model, the Groomers were back in business.
Food for success
The Groom Big model as it exists today comprises
six ‘rungs’ which all entrepreneurs must climb
in order to hit the big time, whether or not they
actually sign up for the programme (see chart).
This is because it is based on practical, real-world
requirements that all businesses face as they
grow from fledgling start-up to market
leader: A&W, Häagen-Dazs and
Lays all had to go through the
same rigorous challenges before
they became the world-renowned
brands they are now – they all
need to be halal-certified to
SIRIMLink
03/2011
13
THE groom big programme
penetrate foreign markets, and they all need to meet
stringent international regulations.
their staff and company for QC and 5S quality
improvement training programmes.”
“The Ministry has since tweaked our Groom
Big model so that it can be applied to other sectors
such as automotive components, electronics,
cosmetics and services like tourism and logistics,”
says Nik Nuruddin. “However, the F&B sector
is the most popular by far among local cottage
businesses, and so that is our focus.”
SIRIM consultants will also help the business
establish a product identity (if it does not have one
already) with the help of professional design firms,
during the Groom Big roadshow. Entrepreneurs are
introduced to graphic designers and photography
firms during Groom Big workshops, and they can
haggle about prices and terms on the spot until they
find a designer they are comfortable with.
The first five rungs of the Groom Big model
improve a product’s quality, packaging and
production processes while supporting the business
with quality systems and certifications. The sixth
and final step prepares the business for the export
market, and tackles issues like international
regulatory compliance, branding and building
human capital. How soon a business reaches the top
largely depends on how badly it wants to get there
– work hard, and you get there sooner; go slow,
and you can expect to be delayed. However, not all
businesses have to start at the bottom.
“Prior to signing up, we will conduct an
evaluation of the business and identify where the
gaps are in its operations before deciding which
rung it should start on,” explains Nik Nuruddin.
“For example: if a business already has a consistent
production and quality control system with its own
licensed premises, it can leapfrog the first rung
and go straight to the second; and if it already has
a state halal certificate, it can leapfrog to the third
rung, and so on.”
Assuming a food business does have to start
at ground zero, then it will have to fulfil two
tasks before moving on to Level Two: first, all
its products must be sold with proper nutrition
labels that meet the requirements of the Ministry
of Health; and second, the business must initiate
company-wide training for quality control and
the 5S quality improvement system – SIRIM’s
preferred quality tool for small start-ups.
“We help them at both tasks,” says Khirul. “Our
laboratories at SIRIM will conduct a nutritional
analysis of up to three products so that they
know what they have to print on their labels, and
our business consultants will help them prepare
14
SIRIMLink
03/2011
“Bakers and chocolatiers in rural areas have
no idea where to start looking for these services,
and graphic design start-ups are eager to get new
business,” explains Khirul. “We match the needs of
both parties by providing a venue for them to meet,
negotiate and shake hands.”
Once the Groom Big client has got its new
identity and design, and the nutritional analysis on
the client’s products is complete, SIRIM will help
with printing the plastic wrappers, stickers and
jackets for their products. It then helps the business
protect its intellectual property and trademarks by
filing the necessary paperwork (although actual
registration takes a few years to go through).
“One might wonder what trademark a cottage
business could have that is worth protecting, and
the answer is quite a bit – Budu Cap Ketereh lost
hundreds of thousands in sales to pirates a few
years ago,” warns Nik Nuruddin. “We redesigned
the packaging with unique security features that
allowed the authorities to discover the fakes and
have them removed from the market.”
The branding challenge
The second rung of the Groom Big model largely
entails applying for state halal certification (in the
food business, that is). This can be a fairly complex
procedure, depending on where the business is
located and the ingredients of its products. Among
other measures at their disposal, businesses can
replace conventional recipe ingredients such as
gelatine and butter with plant-based substitutes
such as agar-agar and margarine to ensure that
their products are halal. Inspectors will also check
THE groom big programme
the location of the production facility to ensure
that it is far and away from sources of non-halal
contamination.
“State halal certification requirements are
more lenient than the MS 1500 halal certification
requirements,” says Khirul. “The MS 1500 halal
mark is valid nationwide, but it is much tougher to
get. That is why it is only introduced on the fifth
rung in the Groom Big model, when a business
wants to make itself export-ready for the estimated
USD150 billion global market for halal food
products.”
Nonetheless, a business that does get its state
halal certification out of the way can then get on
with the real interesting stuff of business: packaging
and labelling, which is the gateway to supermarkets
and hypermarkets.
“A pre-requisite for any product that wants
to be on a supermarket shelf is that it must have
proper packaging that is both durable and attractive
to consumers,” explains Nik Nuruddin, who
actually began his career as a graphic designer. “A
hypermarket in K.L. will not sell a bag of crackers
that is not vacuum packed, airtight or both. Most
second-rung clients do not have either.”
Enter SIRIM’s packaging experts: men and
women who interview entrepreneurs, find out how
they want to position their products, and design the
packaging to fulfil those demographic objectives.
Thus you get the understated sophistication of
Bahulu Classiq™, the classy luxuriance of G’leiz
soap and the trendy colours of the Kel’s range of
cosmetics. And if a product does cover a very mixed
demographic, it gets a steadfast, reliable image that
anyone can trust, such as Martabak Raja.
“Some businesses opt for more expensive
packaging which generally yields better profit
margins, while others choose cheaper packaging so
that they can stay cost-competitive,” says Khirul.
“We tell them what we think they should do based
on our observations, but ultimately, we let them
decide what they want for their businesses.”
This is when a business has to start thinking
about its branding in more serious terms, although
branding itself does not really form part of the
criteria for advancement up the Groom Big ladder.
Nonetheless, marketing textbooks are littered with
case studies about brands that tried to change their
image half-way through their life cycles, only to
confuse customers and ultimately lose everything.
A business has to decide what its brand should
stand for at the outset, because it will not get an
opportunity to re-brand itself again for a long time.
The quality challenge
By Level Three, the 5S quality programme
implemented in Level One should already be
yielding positive results on the company’s culture
and product quality. Businesses on the third rung
will now have their quality improvement practices
upgraded in preparation for their move to the
fourth rung, where things get really tough.
“From Level One to Level Three, the focus is on
building a high-quality product, which is generally
easy to do if you have the right attitude,” explains
Nik Nuruddin. “But from Level Four onwards, the
focus will shift towards building a high-quality
organisation. That is a lot more difficult to achieve.”
The logic behind this argument is simple: highquality organisations tend to produce high-quality
products, no matter what those products are. Build
a better company, therefore, and you automatically
build better products. But that company must be
able to make its goods of consistent quality and in
large numbers, and it must have a sound marketing
strategy and distribution chain to get its products to
market.
“Basically, Level Four is where the business has
to scale up,” explains Khirul. “It has to optimise
its processes, become more efficient and start
developing new products – these are the hallmarks
of all successful companies.”
SIRIM’s in-house expertise in quality systems
and product research and development makes it the
ideal partner for businesses at this crucial stage of
development. SIRIM’s resident engineers can help
the company optimise its production processes and
oversee product development processes, while
SIRIMLink
03/2011
15
THE groom big programme
Export Ready
Human capital
development, compliance
to international
regulations, marketing and
promotions
Halal MS 1500, Good
Manufacturing Practies,
HACCP, ISO 9000 quality
management system
State-level halal
certification
Application
and
assessment
Packaging and
labeling
Quality improvement
culture, product
development, value
engineering, process
optimisation
Basic quality improvement
and production
enhancement
STAIRWAY TO SUCCESS: The Groom Big programme walks an entrepreneur through every stage of the business lifecycle until the company is ready for global expansion.
SIRIM’s quality consultants can help the company
initiate quality improvement systems.
“We also help them source new equipment so
they can upgrade their facilities and scale up,” says
Khirul. “All this takes a lot of money, of course, but
by this time, the business should already have a very
healthy annual turnover. Provided the owner is not
profligate with the company’s funds, the business
should be able to finance its own growth, or at least
be able to secure financing to do so.”
Nonetheless, dollars and cents are only part of
the criteria that are used to measure a company’s
readiness to proceed to the next level.
achieve economies of scale later. That is why we
make this as one of the criteria for Level Two
graduation – it is better to face that problem sooner
rather than later.”
The fifth and final rung on the Groom Big
model demands that a food business be certified
to the standards of MS 1500 (halal requirements)
as well as Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP),
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points
(HACCP) and the erstwhile ISO 9000 quality
management system. These are the standards that a
business must meet to maintain its competitiveness
in the national and global marketplace – if a
company is capable of meeting these requirements,
only then is it ready for the challenges of open
markets.
“Companies at Level Two generally need at
least RM250,000 in annual revenues to move to
the next level, but meeting this criterion alone does
not mean automatic qualification for Level Three,” Co-ops for success
explains Nik Nuruddin. “If a company doesn’t
have the state halal certification, for example, then SIRIM’s world-class consultancy and product
it cannot sell its product outside its immediate development services all come at a price, of course.
community. This will make it difficult for it to However, clients are only expected to contribute
16
SIRIMLink
03/2011
THE groom big programme
10-to-30-percent of the actual costs incurred, with
the rest borne by SIRIM and MITI. They are
asked to put forward 10-percent of the estimated
costs up-front to defray workshop expenses and to
demonstrate their commitment to the programme.
“If you are serious about your business, you
have to invest into it,” Nik Nuruddin warns. “The
sponsors spend between RM0.5 to RM1 million on
each entrepreneur to complete the six-step Groom
Big programme, but some entrepreneurs forget that
their businesses belong to them, not us.”
There are challenges at every level, of course.
Martabak Raja, which has sufficient demand and
quality to fuel its journey to Level Five, is being
hampered by a lack of capacity – the company
has to scale-up its operations quickly if it is to
meet awaiting orders from a large airline and
several hotel chains, for example. i-Medical,
on the other hand, faces the opposite problem:
although the company meets all its quality and
production requirements for Level Five, there is
not yet sufficient local demand for its products to
sustain its global ambitions. The cosmetics industry
requires enormous advertising and marketing
budgets, which is something the Kelantan-grown
brand does not yet have.
Most interesting of all is the challenge for
Bahulu Classiq: a good product with steady
demand that will never be exported because of its
short shelf life.
“Exported foodstuffs need a shelf life of at least
six to 12 months to survive the travel, warehousing
and shipping demands – that is almost a regulatory
requirement,” explains Khirul. “Bahulu Classiq has
a shelf life of about two weeks, which rules out the
possibility of export completely. Instead, we are
exploring a franchise model where booths in malls
could make the cake on the spot.”
These small Groom Big graduates will also have
to tackle the question of capacity. If an importer in
the Middle East wants to start selling your product
to 50 million Arabs, will your small factory in Pasir
Puteh be able to keep up? A visitor to your factory
might not think so… unless you were backed by a
co-operative.
Co-ops also inspire the confidence of traders
that want to make large orders – one small
company might not be able to make one million
snacks every month for sweet-toothed Arabs, but
twenty small companies which sell similar products
should not have a problem meeting that demand.
The co-op model is widely used in Europe and
other parts of the world as way to support small
businesses during their early stages of growth.
ACE Hardware (hardware retail) and Sunkist
(fruits) are both modern examples of successful coops, as is Fonterra – the world’s largest exporter of
dairy products is a co-operative jointly owned and
managed by over 12,000 farmers in New Zealand.
“Co-ops allow a group of otherwise small
entrepreneurs to pool their resources, share costs
and ultimately leverage economies of scale off
each other,” explains Nik Nuruddin. “By pooling
together all their orders for raw materials like
flour, sugar and paper, for example, they can enjoy
better discounts. They can also build stockpiles of
their goods to meet large orders from unexpected
customers.”
The future, then, is bright for Malaysia’s
aspiring cottage businesses, with avenues for global
expansion already available for them to exploit.
Over 1,000 businesses have already benefited
from the Groom Big programme, of which 38 are
senior undergraduates on the fifth rung, preparing
to spread their wings overseas. Most of the other
businesses are still in Levels One and Two, and that
is where most of them will remain – one cannot
expect all programme participants to have the
necessary drive, luck and discipline to make it to the
top.
Nonetheless, even Level One and Two
participants typically report a tripling of their sales
volume once they start including nutrition labels
with their products – not bad for a small business.
“We have 1,000 businesses waiting for their
turn to enter the programme, but we need more
manpower and more money to cater to the
demand,” says Khirul. “Businesses have learned that
the Groom Big programme does not just give them
a first-class product. It turns them into a first-class
company.”
SIRIMLink
03/2011
17
PACKAGING AND LABELING
perfect
package
N
SME’s need good packaging to break into the big time.
ot all bags of crisps are
created equal. Walk into a supermarket
and buy three packets of potato crisps ‑
although the oily and salty chips inside
look and taste similar, there is nonetheless
a distinct difference between the three products: the
packaging.
Before a consumer even gets a look at – or a
whiff of – the contents of a product, its packaging
has typically already created a strong impression.
Marketing research confirms that the look and
feel of product packaging can have an impact on
the perceived benefits of a product, determining
how likely it is to fly off the shelves. And of course,
consistent packaging design helps to promote the
brand identity of the product.
“…like a box of chocolates”
Many small and medium businesses in Malaysia
start out with insufficient understanding of the art
and science of packaging design. This is because
most entrepreneurs are unaware how they should
choose their packaging. Many of these businesses
simply use transparent plastic packaging with
18
SIRIMLink
03/2011
photocopied inserts as labels. This does not enhance
the appeal of the products at all.
One of SIRIM’s roles is to help these entrepreneurs.
SIRIM offers complete product design and
packaging solutions, including styling the
appearance of the product, developing suitable
label standards and training. Package design serves
several other purposes besides making a product
more marketable. This includes protecting the
product’s contents and maintaining its freshness,
convenience, portion control, and compliance with
labelling and packaging regulations. It has to be
robust enough to fit the nature of the contents:
egg cartons, cereal boxes, pet food pouches and
shampoo bottles all need to keep to certain shapes
and forms. Be it food and beverage, toiletries or
household supplies, the package has to guard
against spoilage or leakage of the contents.
Packaging is also a matter of deciding on the
weight and size of a product. Different portion sizes
can cater to different needs. Many food products or
toiletries are made available in small “convenience
store” sizes for quick purchases, appealing to
business travellers and customers of 24-hour
stores who find that they need a small portion of a
PACKAGING AND LABELING
product in a pinch. At the other
end of the scale, we have “bulk”
and “economy” packages of the
sort found in hypermarkets.
Intelligently
designed
packaging should also make
it convenient to dispense and
store the contents, especially
for liquids, powders and finegrained materials. Features like
spouts for pouring fluids, resealable bags for foodstuffs, and
child-proof caps can greatly
enhance a product’s usability.
The right package shape and
material can extend the shelf life
of consumables considerably.
Given the importance of serving consumer
interests and complying with business regulations,
it is vital to present accurate information about the
contents of a product. Some categories of consumer
goods, like food products and household chemicals,
require very specific product information on the
packaging. These requirements are determined by
government regulations and in some cases, industry
standards.
Attaining world-class packaging
standards
first (primary) packaging is intended to protect
the product from damage. When developing the
primary packaging for chocolates or cookies, for
example, the department uses wooden moulds
to create plastic trays through a process called
‘thermoforming’. Other products will require other
types of primary packaging such as sachets or boxes.
The next step to packaging a product would be
the secondary packaging that protects the primary
packaging. For most foodstuffs, this would mean
a box or a durable, airtight bag that may either be
vacuum-sealed or puffed up to protect the product.
The secondary packaging is generally designed in
full-colour and includes labelling and nutrition
information in compliance with standards set by
regulatory bodies such as the Ministry of Domestic
Trade and Consumer Affairs, U.S. FDA, U.N. or
other food agency.
In other words, simple packaging that might be
good enough to get by in your local mini market is
not competitive enough for export markets, which
is where SIRIM’s printing and packaging design
services come in. Here, designers and consultants
put products through a rigorous packaging
design process to ensure they meet the standards
for international markets. The entire process
takes about seven days from concept to the final
automated full colour printing of the packaging,
after which the product is “in the bag.”
In accordance with the government’s goal of
helping SMEs to reach international markets,
SIRIM assists local entrepreneurs with all aspects
of labelling and designing their packaging. Local
entrepreneurs who qualify for this assistance
need only pay a small fee, with much of the cost
subsidised by the government.
The process begins with a product study, in
which the package is designed to specific weight,
dimensions and legal requirements. The package
is outlined with technical drawings on a computer
before any mechanical testing takes place. The
Since the programme has begun, SIRIM has
helped hundreds of local businesses to upgrade
their packaging, significantly improving their sales
both locally and abroad. Having the perfect package
isn’t that hard to get after all.
SIRIMLink
03/2011
19
TRANSPARENT SOAP
Serious
Soaper
An ambitious entrepreneur from Seremban has invented a new and
more efficient way to make transparent soap.
20
SIRIMLink
03/2011
E
TRANSPARENT SOAP
ver since Andrew Pears first
invented translucent soap over two hundred
years ago, transparent soap bars have
represented the peak of luxury in toiletries
and cosmetics. Such soap bars usually offer
exceptionally high-quality cleansing action and are
suitable for even the most delicate skin. They are
also expensive to make, and command a special
place among premium self-care products on the
market.
Safril Saban of Sirius Excel Sdn Bhd has
long been a fan of transparent soap. But as an
entrepreneur, he is also constantly on the lookout
for business ideas. Three years ago, he had the
foresight to see that palm oil was going to become
the preferred ingredient for soap-makers, or
‘soapers’, as they are called. Sniffing an opportunity
that could be turned to his advantage, he decided
explore the idea further.
“The soap business is unique because it has
not stopped expanding ever since it was invented,”
says Safril. “As long as humans are around, we will
consume soap bars; and as long as we consume soap
bars, we will need to make new soap bars. It is a
fast moving consumer good whose market grows
in tandem with the world’s population… and we all
know how fast that is growing.”
kinds of contamination risks. The process is also
very inefficient.”
At the time, Safril’s start-up was an incubatee
at SIRIM. He brainstormed ideas back-and-forth
with the technical team for months, conducting
market research and technology studies. They
found that most soap manufactured today is
produced with stamping technologies, and that
some soaps made in this way are advertised as being
transparent, but are usually only mildly translucent.
In fact, the only known way for making transparent
soaps the way Andrew Pears did two hundred years
ago is to use die-cast processes, which are awfully
inefficient.
“We wanted to have a technological edge against
potential competitors, because that would give us a
solid foundation to our business,” says Safril. “I am
happy to say that SIRIM did not disappoint.”
“Die-casting soap generally means that you have
to wait at least eight hours for the soap to harden
before it may be safely removed from the moulds,”
says Zuriani Usop, SIRIM’s senior engineer.
“During this time, the soap bars are exposed to all
SAFRIL SABAN: “As long as humans are around, we will
consume soap bars; and as long as we consume soap bars,
we will need to make new soap bars.”
And therein lay the opportunity that Safril knew
had been waiting. He challenged Zuriani’s team to
come up with a better method for producing truly
transparent soap bars that are on par with or better
than the soap bars made by the world’s existing diecast and stamping systems.
Cast-off success
Zuriani and her team began by analysing how soap
is usually made. They knew, for example, that diecast and stamping technologies are widely used in
other industries to form plastics and metals. They
began exploring other forming techniques used in
plastics and metals manufacturing, and worked
SIRIMLink
03/2011
21
TRANSPARENT SOAP
THE SOAPERS: Safril Saban with his crew of soapers. The team pays serious attention to quality control, inspecting each
bar of soap by eye to ensure that its transparency is acceptable before it is packaged.
backwards to see which ones might be suitably
applied to soap. They eventually hit upon injection
moulding, which is the basis for Safril’s innovation.
Even though the underlying technology used is
fairly well-known and widely-used in plastics and
metals manufacturing, Safril believes that his is the
first if not only application of injection moulding
to soap-making. Zuriani and her team members
concur, and the patent for Safril’s machine has been
approved and certified by the Malaysia Intellectual
Property Office (MyIPO).
“Our early studies found that no one in the
world uses injection moulding technology to
produce soap, which meant that Safril’s process
could be patented and protected,” says Zuriani.
Using injection moulding will also yield Safril
and his company other cost advantages. Besides
the eight-hour cooling time, the team estimates
that die-cast transparent soap bars are prohibitively
expensive to make (up to RM40 per soap bar, by
SIRIM’s reckoning), which makes economies of
scale very difficult to achieve. A manufacturer
22
SIRIMLink
03/2011
would therefore need to have a lot of expensive
machines in order to instantiate a mass production
process of transparent soap bars with the die-cast
method.
With injection moulding, however, the soap bars
are ready almost instantaneously. And the unit costs
are much lower, estimated to be between RM10RM20 each. Assuming Safril decides to sell his
product on the same price tier as similar premium
products, his profit margins could therefore
potentially be 200-to-300 percent more than his
competitors. And if the market incumbents tried to
muscle him off the shelves in a price war, he would
be able to drop his prices to be much lower than
theirs without suffering a loss.
However, the real challenge to SIRIM’s team
was to meet Safril’s quality demands.
High quality cleanliness
Transparent soap is far more refined than
conventional opaque soap, and is a luxury product
TRANSPARENT SOAP
that wins the hearts and minds of women -- and to
a lesser extent, men -- all over the world. A single
speck of dust, grime or dirt can ruin a transparent
soap bar’s appearance, which is why makers of such
soap pay special attention to quality control in their
systems.
“Look at a premium transparent soap bar in the
right light, and you can actually see its purity -that is the difference,” explains Safril. “That’s what
makes this a premium product.”
The attention to quality
at Sirius Excel’s pilot plant in
Seremban is certainly nothing
to be sniffed at. Each soap
bar is painstakingly examined
by eye for flaws and defects
before being packed. The
chemical mixing processes
are completely automated
within
closed
chambers,
ensuring that there is no risk of
contamination. Environmental
conditions
are
carefully
monitored to ensure that
soap bars are not exposed to
excess humidity that will ruin
the carefully-designed water
content of each soap bar.
applications for his soap bars in high-security
environments such as on airplanes or in prisons.
The advantages of injection moulding technology
can also be extended to foodstuffs such as
chocolates and candies, especially since it is more
hygienic than conventional methods for producing
such goods.
“Our transparent soap recipe is also 100% plantbased, pH-neutral and has been certified as halal by
JAKIM,” says Safril. It is therefore well-positioned
to compete in the USD17
billion global soap market,
especially since it is also nonharmful to the environment
-- a crucially important
characteristic
among
the
wealthy elite, which are Sirius
Excel’s target market.
“If our soap recipe
strays by just one
microgramme of
an ingredient, it is
considered imperfect.
We want our product
to be absolutely
perfect.”
“If our soap recipe strays by just one
microgramme of an ingredient, it is considered
imperfect,” explains Safril. “We want our product to
be absolutely perfect.”
In tests conducted by SIRIM’s research team,
the soap produced by Sirius Excel’s injection
moulding method was calculated to be about
12-percent more transparent than other commercial
transparent soap currently available on the market
(presumably produced with the die-cast method).
Sirius Excel’s soap was also less acidic than
competitors’ soap and performed better in both
detergency and foaming power.
But Safril’s fascination with transparent soap
bars is about more than just the way it looks.
Because they are transparent, objects cannot
be hidden inside them, and Safril sees useful
Market observers say that
the amount of soap a country
consumes depends directly
on its standards of living, and
that the richer a country gets,
the more soap it consumes.
That is good news for Safril
and his soap-making machine,
because Asia, the Middle East
and Africa already account for
over 50-percent of global demand for soap, and as
consumers in these regions get richer, their use of
soap will increase. Sirius is also well-positioned to
take advantage of the developing world’s steady
rise in per capita soap consumption by virtue of its
proximity to the world’s leading sources of palm
oil, which is fast becoming the most preferred raw
material for soap.
“At every exhibition we have ever been to, we
have been overwhelmed by the response to our
product, and we haven’t even started promoting
ourselves,” says Safril. “Foreign companies are
already showing an interest in partnering with us as
a contract manufacturer for their brands.”
Indeed, Sirius Excel has all the ingredients to
one day become a thumping success – the right
technology, a great recipe and a captive market. It is
no longer a question of If, but When.
SIRIMLink
03/2011
23
COSMECEUTICALS
kelantan dynamo
Of all the companies in the Groom Big programme, Kel’s International
probably holds the biggest promise for global success.
W
henever MITI, MATRADE or
other government agency needs a
model company to showcase the
makings of a true entrepreneur, they
call upon Yusmat Mamat: pharmacist,
serial entrepreneur and CEO of Kel’s International
Sdn Bhd.
The company he founded in 1993 started life as
a retail pharmacy in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. After
seven years of selling other companies’ products, he
decided to develop some of his own, and in 2000,
he developed a range of nutritional supplements
based on spirulina. The success of that venture
spurred him to develop other products based
on spirulina, and in 2002, he launched his first
spirulina-based soap.
“Customers loved our spirulina soap,” recalls
the dynamo entrepreneur Yusmat in his office in
Kota Bharu. “We were the first Malay company to
develop spirulina products, which meant a lot to the
captive halal market. Pharmacies all over the state
began asking for follow-up products.”
24
challenge for the R&D team there: develop a range
of cosmetic products based on spirulina that could
be certified as being halal. The project was led by
Zulaikha Paidi, Principal Consulant and Sarifah
Rejab, Senior Researcher at SIRIM. It took 18
months to complete, at the end of which the team
had formulations for six brand new products: day
cream, night cream, body scrub, hand and body
lotion toner and facial wash.
The Kel’s range of spirulina cosmetics products
have proven hugely successful. The company
earned RM2.8 million in revenues last year alone,
mostly through word-of-mouth – it has spurned
traditional retail channels in favour of an older and
far more effective distribution strategy: multi-level
marketing. The firm has about 10 retail outlets
nationwide, and enjoys the support of over 2,000
members within the Kels International network.
These agents buy products from Kels at significant
discount and then sell them for handsome profit.
The spirulina cyanibacterium is a source of
at least one dozen different vitamins and has
been shown to prevent hay fever and increase the
antioxidant potential of blood plasma. The only
drawback, it would seem, is that spirulina is not a
plant and must be carefully cultivated in ponds. For
that reason, Yusmat chose to import the spirulina
he needed for his soap from producers overseas
rather than attempt to make it himself.
This is all besides the company’s own pharmacy
in Kota Bharu, which remains its centre of
operations and generates about RM2 million
in revenues per annum. However, Yusmat has
refrained from selling his products through mass
retail chains, mainly because he does not like the
way hypermarkets squeeze small businesses. Their
unfavourable credit terms – often as long as six
months – and unreasonable pricing demands make
it very hard to make a profit. Far better, he believes,
to rely on a network of independent agents who are
passionate about his products.
Nonetheless, Yusmat knew that the task of
formulating other products would be beyond his
expertise. In 2004, he went to SIRIM with a simple
“The hypermarkets can wait,” says Yusmat, who
has turned down offers of retail space from both the
Tesco and Giant hypermarket chains in the past.
SIRIMLink
03/2011
COSMECEUTICALS
“We will do business with them when we are ready
to, not before.”
Serial entrepreneur
Kel’s International currently boasts over 200
products in its product portfolio, ranging from food
supplements to cosmetics – very impressive for
such a young company. But the energetic Yusmat
believes that much still needs to be done. Besides a
new range of spa products, Yusmat has also roped in
SIRIM’s R&D team to develop a toothpaste based
on spirulina. He intends to extend his product
offering to include a range of men’s skincare
products within the next two years.
To support all these activities and as part of the
criteria for graduating to the fifth and final step
in the Groom Big programme, Yusmat is moving
all his production facilities into a spanking new
factory in Kota Bharu. The factory will be certified
as compliant to Good Manufacturing Practices
for both food and cosmetics products, after which
Yusmat will be ready to take on the world.
“SIRIM has taught us about the importance of
having the right product, the right packaging and of
certifications and standards,” says Yusmat. “We are
using all that knowledge right now as we prepare
for the next step in our journey in the Groom Big
programme.”
With the new factory, Kel’s will also be able
to offer contract manufacturing services to
entrepreneurs that want to get into the cosmetics
and selfcare business. This could open up a whole
new revenue stream for the company. In fact, he is
already in negotiations with interested businessmen
from the U.K. who would like to see Kel’s
International products on the shelves of Boots and
Sainsbury stores across the kingdom. The catch is
that the products have to be redesigned to suit the
tastes of conservative British consumers as well as
the UK climate. This will involve fine-tuning both
the range of colours offered as well as the chemical
composition of the products.
But the real rewards of Yusmat’s hard work
are yet to come. The technology in his Kota
YUSMAT MAMAT: “SIRIM has taught us about the
importance of having the right product, the right
packaging and of certifications and standards.”
Bharu factory does not yet belong to his company,
which means his profit margins are still pretty
slim. However, once the transfer of technology
is complete, Kel’s will begin to realise the benefits
of their years of hard work in the Groom Big
programme.
“We even get to put SIRIM’s logo right next to
ours on our front door,” says Yusmat of the sign that
reads, ‘Technology Under the Guidance of SIRIM
Berhad’. “Not many businesses get that kind of
endorsement.”
Yusmat attributes much of his success from
having benefited from SIRIM’s technology and
expertise, especially with regards to building his
factory. But what he really likes is the fact that he
can call upon SIRIM’s business consultants and
engineers at any time to look over his site to see if it
is operating at optimal conditions.
“SIRIM does not just rubber stamp you and let
you blunder off on your own,” says Yusmat. “The
company sticks with you every step of the way until
you succeed.”
SIRIMLink
03/2011
25
Refreshing Originality
Progressing from factory canteens to hypermarket shelves, Fitrah
Food has built a successful brand on simple thirst-quenching drinks
F
ollowing
an
extensive
private sector career in big-name food and
beverage conglomerates such as F&N,
Pepsi and Socma Trading (Mentos),
Hashim Muhammad decided that he had
an appetite for something different: independence.
He founded Fitrah Food Sdn Bhd to create an
alternative to the sugary drinks filled with artificial
flavouring and preservatives that dominated the
market. Just as importantly, he wanted to see more
small companies taking on the big names.
“I ran away from the big companies because I
wanted to make my own product,” says Hashim.
“I wanted something I could drink myself,
something that I could ensure would be good for
the customers. There aren’t enough small companies
doing this, so I founded my own.”
Although Fitrah Food started out trading
various products, its Fresh Herbal Cincau Drink
quickly became the standout success. The big
breakthrough came when Fitrah managed to
tap into the previously unexploited market of
factory canteens, catering to the thirst of mainlyBumiputra
factory
workers with a drink
that was both halal
and refreshing. Soon,
the drink appeared in
Mydin hypermarket
shelves as well, and
its success was
assured.
26
SIRIMLink
03/2011
“Once we saw that it could be our main product,
we established our manufacturing plant in Subang
USK Industrial Park,” explains Hashim. “When we
first started up, we were one of the first tenants in
the area.” He thinks back and laughs: “There was
nothing here. In fact, this place was practically just
a jungle!”
Fitrah Food was also one of the first participants
in the Groom Big programme, which provided
consultation and advice to help the company to
expand. SIRIM also provided assistance with the
packaging design of Fitrah’s second major product,
the Seaweed with Lemon Drink, which is the firstever seaweed drink in the market.
While Hashim can boast of many
accomplishments, including getting his products
into Mydin Hypermarket, MyMydin, Mydin Mart
and Kedai 1 Malaysia, the toughest achievement to
date has been to get Fitrah’s drinks onto the shelves
of Petronas Mesra stores.
“Petronas requires us to maintain a 24-hour
delivery schedule, which is not easy,” says Hashim.
“Right now, we are able to ensure deliveries to the
250 stores in the Klang Valley, but we need to take
a good look before we are ready to expand to other
states.”
Hashim admits that his seaweed and cincau
drinks, which lack preservatives and have a limited
shelf-life, are not suited for the export market.
That is why Fitrah Food is looking into the export
potential of another product, Beauty Queen, a
collagen drink enhanced with seaweed, royal jelly
and other natural ingredients for promoting skin
regeneration.
The Taste of Success
By selling doner kebab in satay form, Azizul Akmal has brought a
new flavour to dining tables in Malaysia
F
or Malay students pursuing
their education in the United Kingdom,
doner kebabs are an ever-present staple
of a halal diet. For Azizul Akmal, kebabs
also represented something else: an
entrepreneurial opportunity.
“There are so many kinds of kebab over there,
and I saw that there wasn’t anything like it in
the Malaysian market,” explains Azizul. “After I
graduated in 2010, I decided to try producing kebab
in the form of satay to suit local tastes. That was
when I founded Akmal Food Industry.”
Using a special meat-and-spice mix based on
doner kebab, but based on chicken instead of lamb,
Akmal Sate Kebab was born. Although Azizul
experimented with various other products such as
Burger Kebab, Bologna Kebab and Popiya Kebab, it
was the basic Sate Kebab (available in spicy, black
pepper and biryani flavours) that drew the most
interest from the market.
certified as halal. Today, these unique products are
now available across Peninsular Malaysia.
At their factory in Kuala Selangor, a team of
five manufacturing workers shape the kebab meat
paste into satay sticks and pre-cook them at a rate
of 150-200kg per day. The sticks are then packed
into packages of 20 and frozen for distribution,
with a shelf life of one year. However, lack of space
and power supply problems keep the company from
reaching its full potential, and more capital will be
required to expand further.
Azizul quips: “During the Hari Raya rush,
we don’t have enough capacity to catch up. Then,
after 30 Syawal, the drop in demand is like a stock
market crash!”
Standing out from the pack
Meeting the demands of a hungry market is
hard work for the small company, but the company
is proving its mettle. In 2012, Azizul hopes to
expand into hypermarkets. After that, Akmal
Food Industry may tackle other markets such as
Sabah and Sarawak, as well as exporting to Brunei,
Indonesia and may be even Dubai.
“I first learned about the Groom Big
programme through a friend,” says Azizul. “After
we entered the programme in May 2010, SIRIM
helped to redesign our product packaging. The new
food packaging tripled our sales!”
“It is tough to
survive
in
this
business, but we are
still around,” says
Azizul.
The benefits of the Groom Big programme also
included networking and publicity. By participating
in food expos through the SIRIM booth, Akmal
Food Industry gained valuable exposure to the
public. And as part of Level Two of the Groom
Big programme, the company’s products were all
SIRIMLink
03/2011
27
MAKANAN TRADISIONAL
Sajian Klasik
Apabila Jurifah Kadis membuat keputusan berhenti kerja di bank
untuk memulakan perniagaan kuih baulu, dia tidak menyedari
bahawa ia bakal menjadikannya seorang usahawan berjaya.
A
pa yang mungkin tercetus di
minda anda bila melihat Jurifah Kadis
adalah kepastian kendiri dan keyakinan
dirinya yang amat tinggi, apatah lagi dia
berani mengharung segala cabaran dengan
berhenti dari kerjayanya di sebuah bank untuk
memulakan perniagaan kuih tradisi. Tapi tanpa
disedarinya, langkah beraninya itu berjaya menukar
haluan hidupnya sehingga bergelar seorang
usahawan berjaya.
Segala-galanya
bermula
apabila
Jurifah
mengambil keputusan berhenti kerja pada tahun
1997 untuk menumpukan perhatian kepada
keluarga. Didorong oleh kos sara hidup yang tinggi
di ibu kota, dia memulakan perniagaan dengan
menjual kuih bakar secara kecil-kecilan dari rumah.
Perniagaannya terus dipelbagaikan dengan
jualan baulu gulung dan sambutan ramai yang
diterima mendorongnya untuk mengembangkan
perniagaannya dengan jualan kuih baulu. Dia turut
gigih menyertai pelbagai pertandingan memasak
kuih tradisional sehingga berjaya mencuri perhatian
Jabatan Pertanian yang berminat membantunya
mempelbagaikan produk baulunya yang kini
menampilkan pelbagai perisa menarik yang juga
bernilai komersial.
Kuih baulu Jurifah menarik perhatian ramai
dengan menonjolkan resipi inovatif seperti baulu
pandan dan kapucino tanpa menggunakan sebarang
perisa tiruan. Hanya dengan menggunakan pandan
asli dan biji kopi, ia mampu membangkitkan selera
ramai melalui aroma dan teksturnya yang lebih
ringan dan gebu.
“Segala-galanya bermula pada pertandingan
memasak pada tahun 2003 dan sejak itu, saya
tidak menoleh ke belakang lagi,” imbas kembali
usahawan ini di kafe Bahulu Classiq™ miliknya di
Kampung Jawa, Hulu Langat.
Pakej yang berjaya
JURIFAH KADIS: “Reka bentuk dan pembungkusan yang
diperoleh di bawah program Groom Big telah memberi
satu batu loncatan ke tahap yang lebih tinggi.”
28
SIRIMLink
03/2011
Tidak berhenti di situ sahaja, Jurifah terus
mengembangkan sayapnya dengan mengikuti
program Groom Big yang ketika itu diterajui
oleh Kementerian Pembangunan Usahawan dan
Koperasi dan diuruskan oleh SIRIM. Berkat
bimbingan serta inovasi pembungkusan dan reka
MAKANAN TRADISIONAL
bentuk dari SIRIM telah membantu meningkatkan
jualannya berlipat kali ganda.
“Pembungkusan menarik dan praktikal itu
telah memberi batu loncatan ke tahap yang lebih
tinggi dalam perniagaan saya,” tambah Jurifah.
Dahulu, dia menjual baulunya hanya dengan
membungkusnya dalam plastik dan kini dia berdiri
megah dengan pembungkusan inovatif yang
dihasilkan.
Mementingkan kepuasan pelanggan, Jurifah
berkeras menggunakan tenaga kerja manual
tetapi dia berdepan dengan cabaran besar
dengan komitmen yang diberikan pekerjanya
memandangkan ia satu pekerjaan yang amat
memenatkan, apatah lagi dalam keadaan dapur
yang amat panas.
Penyelesaian francais
“Sememangnya teknik pembungkusan dan
pelabelan canggih oleh SIRIM telah memberi
impak yang ketara,” katanya lagi, sambil menambah
bahawa pembungkusan itu telah mendapat
pengiktirafan Majlis Reka bentuk Malaysia dengan
memenangi Anugerah Reka bentuk Terbaik untuk
dua tahun berturut-turut dari 2007 hingga 2008.
Jurifah juga berdepan dengan masalah hayat
simpanan baulu yang amat singkat. Hanya
mampu bertahan selama dua minggu, Jurifah
sukar memasarkan baulunya di pasar-pasar raya
di seluruh negara dan ini mendorongnya untuk
menerokai idea francais gerai satelit yang mampu
mengatasi masalah ini.
Untuk
memenuhi
permintaan
yang
meningkat, Jurifah juga mempunyai kesukaran
mempertingkatkan kapasiti pengeluarannya. Ini
kerana proses pengeluaran kuih tradisi ini tidak
boleh diautomasikan dengan sewenang-wenangnya.
“Orang ramai boleh menikmati baulu segar yang
dimasak di kiosk di pasaraya terpilih tersebut dan
ini dapat menjamin agar jenama Bahulu Classiq™
terus berkembang di pasaran,” kata Jurifah.
“Proses memasak tidak boleh diautomasikan
sepenuhnya,” terang Jurifah. “Saya telah cuba
menggunakan mesin tetapi baulu saya kehilangan
aroma dan teksturnya. Para pelanggan turut
mengadu bahawa ia tidak sesedap dahulu.”
Jurifah turut berkata dia menerima banyak
permintaan sejauh dari Brunei yang berminat
membawa jenama dan francais Bahulu Classiq™
ke negara itu. Bukan itu sahaja, dia turut
mempelbagaikan produknya dengan jualan kek
kukus yang mendapat permintaan yang amat tinggi,
terutamanya sewaktu musim Hari Raya.
“Semua ini tidak mungkin berlaku tanpa
program Groom Big dan SIRIM,” kata Jurifah.
“Bantuan dan nasihat yang diberikan telah
memberikan saya platform yang diperlukan
untuk merancang kejayaan saya.”
SIRIMLink
03/2011
29
MAKANAN TRADISIONAL
raja martabak
Menti-menti terawal dalam program Groom Big kini semakin
berkembang maju.
D
iperkatakan
bahawa
martabak – yang bermaksud “berlipat”
dalam bahasa Arab – berasal dari
India semasa abad ketiga belas, dan
diperkenalkan kepada warga Muslim di
seluruh negara Asia oleh para pedagang ketika
itu. Menarik sekali, martabak turut dikaitkan
pada zaman Kesultanan Melaka sebagai santapan
kegemaran Sultan terutamanya sebagai santapan
berbuka puasa di bulan Ramadhan.
Oleh itu, sewajarnyalah jenama martabak
terkemuka di Malaysia berasal dari Kelantan
Darul Naim dengan menjunjung kedaulatan dan
membawa konotasi diraja. Martabak Raja Zairah
yang didatangkan dalam pelbagai perasa ini bukan
sahaja layak dijadikan santapan diraja tetapi juga
boleh dinikmati oleh semua individu.
Dinamakan Martabak Raja, ia mempunyai
ciri-ciri istimewa yang diilhamkan khas sebagai
hidangan kerabat Diraja Kelantan sekitar tahun
1950an. Bagaimanapun, di zaman dahulu kala,
makanan ini hanya boleh dinikmati oleh kerabat
Diraja sahaja berikutan harganya yang mahal serta
proses pembuatannya yang amat rumit.
30
RAJA ZAIRAH: “Dengan pembungkusan SIRIM, jualan
saya meningkat dua kali ganda dalam sekelip mata.”
Sajian istimewa
Tarikan
utamanya
adalah
ketebalan
martabaknya yang tiga kali ganda lebih tebal
berbanding martabak yang ada di pasaran ketika
itu, membuatkan ramai yang sanggup memandu
begitu jauh, sehingga ada yang merentasi negeri
hanya untuk mendapatkan martabak istimewanya.
Mengangkat namanya sebagai jenama produk, ia
kini sinonim dengan semua penggemar martabak di
seluruh negara.
Pada awalnya, Raja Zairah Raja Zakariah
memulakan perniagaan martabaknya secara kecilkecilan dengan beroperasi dari dapur rumahnya
nun di pelosok Kelantan. Walaupun hanya
mampu menghasilkan 50 keping martabak sehari,
namanya sudah pun menjadi sebutan ramai
berikutan keenakan dan keunikan martabak yang
dihasilkannya.
Martabak Raja berintikan daging ayam
atau daging lembu ini mempunyai resipi rahsia
bertunjangkan rempah raja tradisional Kelantan
dan disaluti dengan telur dan bawang bergred
tinggi. Apa yang istimewa adalah ia disertakan
dengan acar bawang tradisional yang sesuai
dijadikan sebagai hidangan sampingan, sarapan,
makan tengah hari mahupun makan malam.
SIRIMLink
03/2011
MAKANAN TRADISIONAL
Beberapa tahun berlalu, dan martabak yang
sama dihasilkan di rumahnya dahulu kini mampu
dikeluarkan secara besar-besaran di sebuah pusat
pengeluaran makanan di kawasan perindustrian
Pengkalan Chepa di Kelantan. Jika dahulu Raja
Zairah hanya mampu menampung kapasiti
sebanyak 50 keping sehari di dapurnya, kini
syarikatnya mampu menghasilkan sehingga 1,000
keping martabak sehari, jauh melangkau kapasitinya
yang terdahulu. Namun, kejayaan yang dicapainya
pada hari ini tidak membuatnya leka di mana
Raja Zairah tetap mengekalkan standard, kualiti
dan ketebalan martabaknya yang membuatkannya
terkenal di kalangan penggemar martabak.
Bagaimanapun, tidak ramai yang tahu bahawa
kejayaan Raja Zairah yang membawanya keluar dari
kepompong perniagaan yang serba kecil itu adalah
program Groom Big yang disertainya pada tahun
2006.
“Dengan pembungkusan SIRIM, jualan saya
meningkat dua kali ganda dalam sekelip mata,” kata
Raja Zairah, ketika ditemui di dapur kilangnya di
Pengkalan Chepa. “Martabak sejuk beku saya kini
mempunyai hayat simpanan antara enam hingga 12
bulan, yang bererti saya kini boleh mengedarnya ke
seluruh pelosok negara.”
Bukan itu sahaja, melalui kerjasama Institut
Penyelidikan dan Kemajuan Pertanian Malaysia
(MARDI), proses pengeluaran syarikatnya mampu
dipertingkatkan dan dijadikan sebagai produk
makanan sejuk beku di mana ia boleh disimpan
selama setahun, manakala pembungkusan SIRIM
memberikan kemasan kepada produknya untuk
memasuki pasaran antarabangsa.
tiga hingga empat orang dewasa (walaupun penulis
amat gembira dapat menghabiskan satu martabak
dengan sendiri yang menzahirkan betapa sedapnya
martabak ini).
Pada masa ini, Martabak Raja hanya boleh
didapati melalui pengedar tempatan yang terpilih
di bandar-bandar terpilih, disebabkan kilang
kecil kepunyaan Raja Zairah hanya mampu
mengeluarkan martabak pada skala yang kecil serta
sukar memenuhi permintaan yang banyak. Tetapi
ini semua bakal berubah tidak lama lagi apabila dia
berpindah ke kemudahan baru yang lebih besar dan
selesa tidak berapa jauh dari kilangnya sekarang.
“Kemudahan baru ini membolehkan saya
mendapatkan pensijilan yang diperlukan di
Tahap Lima dalam Program Groom Big,” kata
Raja Zairah, merujuk kepada Standard MS 1500
(makanan halal), Amalan Pengilangan Baik
(GMP), Analisis Bahaya dan Titik Kawalan
Kritikal (HACCP) serta sistem pengurusan kualiti
ISO 9000. “Selepas itu, saya lebih bersedia untuk
menerokai pasaran eksport. Ini sudah menjadi
iltizam saya untuk memperkenalkan makanan
tradisional Kelantan ke seluruh negara.”
Bukan itu sahaja, Raja Zairah juga yakin dapat
mencecah edaran sehingga 5,000 pek hidangan
sejuk beku yang pernah menjadi sajian istana itu
berikutan maklum balas positif yang diterima. Ini
membuktikan bahawa Martabak Raja yang pernah
menjadi hidangan kerabat istana Kelantan silam
mampu bertakhta di hati penggemar makanan di
seluruh dunia dengan menitikberatkan kualiti dan
standard yang diperakui.
Kini, martabak Raja Zairah dijual pada harga
sekitar RM12 sehingga RM17, bergantung pada
lokasi anda membelinya. Ia mungkin kelihatan
mahal terutamanya kepada mereka yang biasa
membeli martabak di pasar malam pada
harga tidak sampai RM5. Bagaimanapun,
martabak yang dijual di pasar malam tidak
sama dengan Martabak Raja ini dengan
ketebalan melebihi satu inci dan berat
sehingga 700 gram setiap satu. Bukan
itu sahaja, satu Martabak Raja ini
cukup untuk disajikan kepada
SIRIMLink
03/2011
31
Advertisement Booking Form
SIRIMLink is read by the region’s leading research and development
professionals. Distributed four times a year, it offers businesses a unique
opportunity to reach out to high income individuals and businesses engaged in
research-intensive industries — a highly desirable demographic.
YES! I want to place an advertisement in SIRIMLink. Here are my organisation’s details:
Organisation:
_________________________________________________________
Address :
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Tel:
____________ Fax: _____________Email:_____________________
Contact Person:
_____________________________ Designation: ________________
 x1
Frequency:
 x2
 x3
Position:  ROP  Back Cover
 Inside Back Cover
 Full Page A4
Size:
 x4
 Inside Front Cover
 Specified Positions
 Half Page
Payments to be made by crossed cheque or money order payable to “SIRIM Berhad”.
For further enquiries, please call Nurazlina Ismail at +6 03 5544 6772.
ADVERTISEMENT RATES 2011 (MYR)
Full Colour
ROP
Back Cover (A4)
Inside Front Cover (A4)
Inside Back Cover (A4)
Specified Positions (A4)
Half Page Specified Positions
Half Page Specified ROP
1
3,500
5,000
4,500
4,000
4,000
3,000
2,500
Number of Insertions
2
3
3,000
2,500
4,500
4,000
4,000
3,500
3,500
3,000
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
2,000
1,500
Send all advertisement bookings and other enquiries to:
Corporate Communications Section,
Group Corporate Affairs Department, SIRIM Berhad
1, Persiaran Dato’ Menteri, Section 2, P.O. Box 7035,
40700 Shah Alam, Selangor, MALAYSIA.
Tel: +6 03 5544 6770 | Fax: +6 03 5544 6745 | Email: publications@sirim.my
32
SIRIMLink
03/2011
4
2,000
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,500
1,500
1,000