METALEX 2013 Videos

For those of you who would like to check International Metalworking News for Asia's METALEX 2013 video coverage in Bangkok, please click the links below:

METALEX 2013: O-INSPECT multisensor CMMs
METALEX 2013: Sutton Tools demos aluminium machining
METALEX 2013: Demo of Renishaw Equator 300
METALEX 2013: Demo of FARO® Edge ScanArm ES
METALEX 2013: Mazak exhibits QUICK TURN PRIMOS
METALEX 2013: VICIVISION's MTL 300 Evo Optical Measuring Machine
METALEX 2013: Taveesak Srisuntisuk, Managing Director, Hexagon Metrology

Majaal on finding space

Majaal WarehousingCompany, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the First Bahrain Real Estate Development Company, embraces SMEs and revolutionises the country’s warehousing industry

Prior to 2007, small and medium enterprises (SME) in Bahrain struggled to find warehousing space. The domination of larger companies left them to use whatever remaining piece of land or space they could find and possibly afford. Majaal Warehousing Company saw this need and started to create that much-needed space.

Mr Amin Al Arrayed, the company’s managing director, shares with the International Metalworking News -Middle East & Africa (IMNE) how Majaal has lived up to its name, and how the company’s foresight has allowed it to define the industry and gain ground in terms of market share.

IMNE: How did the company start?

Al Arrayed: We wanted to diversify our portfolio of products. So, we conducted research studies on the SME sector, looked at all the companies that provide storages, and we found that, while larger companies have the capacity to invest on warehouses, the smaller ones had difficulties because they didn't have the resources, what was available to them was of poor quality, and they questioned if it was a good use of their capital. Some small companies even resorted to simply converting residential units into warehouses. Can you imagine that? We saw that and we wanted to fill the gap in supply. So, in 2007, we decided to invest in small and medium enterprise warehousing and started acquiring land in the Hidd industrial area, which is in the East of the country, near the transportation hubs. It is a very strategic location, as it is only 10 minutes from the airport and just 5 minutes from the Khalifa bin Salman new sea port.

IMNE: What does “Majaal” mean?

Al Arrayed: “Majaal” means “space” in Arabic. Since we are in the business of providing space, it makes a lot of sense. It is easy to pronounce in both English & Arabic, so it works well for the company.

IMNE: What previous experience did you have that made you confident you could succeed in this field?

Al Arrayed: I studied economics and banking and I started my career working for the Central Bank of Bahrain. I did research for the bank and served as superintendent for 5 years. Then I moved to a commercial bank (BBK) in Bahrain and worked as senior manager for the bank for a further 5 years. I specifically worked on the mortgage and prospective finance so that gave me a good insight into the real estate market. It allowed me to become knowledgeable in the real estate financing industry.

IMNE: Can you explain to me a bit the nature of your business? I understand that apart from being a focused developer and operator of industrial facilities, you also offer support services including business administration and logistics support, a 24/7 security, state-of-the-art ICT provisions, transportation assistance, and fit-out management services. How do all of these tie together?

Al Arrayed: Our basic offer is the space. The additional significant services you mentioned are what our tenants require on-site; services they identified they also need.

IMNE: How has Majaal’s own technology and expertise influenced and impacted the warehouse buildings in the Middle East?

Al Arrayed: We created a new category in warehousing, and that is the SMEs. We were the first to enter this sector and we pretty much defined it. In that sense, I believe we have made a significant impact on the market, as we have raised the bar in offering services. To share with you, we have recently been commissioned by a big landowner in the Bahrain Investment Wharf who has taken interest in our business model. So this shows how other people in the development sector are responding and showing interest in our business model.

IMNE: What steps are you taking then, from a management point of view to stay competitive and progressive? 

Al Arrayed: I think the most important thing is to continue to innovate. It is crucial to listen to our tenants and provide them with what they need. So we do surveys to understand their requirements, look at the ways we can further improve, and stay ahead of the curve. It is a continuous review process. So if you will notice, we tend to do projects in phases, instead of just one project in its entirety, because it allows us to get feedback from the clients and improve the services as we go or develop.

IMNE: I read that your company has signed a key sponsorship agreement with Hilal Conferences & Exhibitions (HCE) to participate at the Gulf Industry Fair 2014 next February. Is this the first time that you will be sponsoring the event? Will you keep up the public exposure, attend local international shows and stay out front in the media?

Al Arrayed: This is the third time that we are sponsoring the Gulf Industry Fair. Ever since we opened our doors, we have been involved in this event because it is important to showcase our products. The fair provides that avenue; it gathers investors from the Gulf Cooperation Council or the GCC, which is our market. We want to expand our market in the bloc, and through the fair, we gain access to investors and tenants who want to avail the services we provide or the space.

IMNE: In what areas, or departments, will you continue to invest?

Al Arrayed: Well, we continue to invest on the offers or services we currently provide. It is not so much about creating a new product but enhancing what we have, the existing departments in the business. It is an ongoing process of upgrades.

IMNE: Do you currently have any joint ventures from and R&D or marketing perspective with foreign companies? Would you entertain this idea if you don’t at present?

Al Arrayed: Yes. We have a number of joint ventures. We do have tenants from other countries and we have started partnerships with landowners in the head area. One is with Mazaya Holdings, which is a Kuwaiti company.

IMNE: How has the company progressed over the years?

Al Arrayed: We have made significant growth. We began acquiring land in 2007, where we acquired two plots each of 20,000 square metres. Then, we added another 20,000 square metres in 2008,. So, we currently have 60,000 square metres in total.

IMNE: How involved is the company in the Middle East’s warehouse buildings?

Al Arrayed: We are heavily investing in the warehousing and industrial business. To my knowledge, we are the first company in the GCC to focus on SME warehousing.

IMNE: To sum up, what would you say were the keys to Majaal’s ongoing success story?

Al Arrayed: I believe the key is the fact that Majaal is very flexible in terms of offering its space. Since we also cater to the small and medium enterprises, apart from the large companies, we can provide a space of as small as 250 square metres to many thousands of square metres. To illustrate that point, one of our clients is the local distributor of Proctor and Gamble and it occupies 10,000 square metres. And we also offer space to a small bakery and it occupies 250 square metres. What I mean to say is, everyone can find a space in our units. And that allows us to take a big share of the market.

By: Mia Aureus

MOLTEC execs on strategies & future plans

Located in Selangor, Malaysia, MOLTEC PRECISION Sdn.Bhd is well known locally, as well as internationally for specialising in the design and manufacture of precision injection moulds used in precision electronics, electrical and automotive parts. Moltec’s strong commitment to design and manufacture high-performance quality moulds has earned them the ISO 9001 and 2000 accreditations, and secured their name as one of the most dynamic mould maker in the industry.

International Metal Working News for Asia (IMNA) spoke to Directors Mr Alan Ng and Mr Sunny Ng including Sales & Marketing Manager Ms Jocelyn Tan about the company’s profile, speciality, strategies and future expansion plans.

IMNA: How did you start your company?
Alan: Moltec was founded by both Mr. Sunny and I back in the year 1993; and have been operating for more than 20 years now. Since then, our management and workforce size have been growing steadily, maintaining the quality and standards we offer our customers.

Our manufacturing processes are done locally but we aim to expand outside Malaysia to reach a bigger market. We plan to continue specialising in making quality dies and moulds to meet customers’ demands, and hopefully become an international supplier.

Moltec passed the ISO 9001 and 2000 standards, which is a great accomplishment for us. It has boost up our confidence level with hopes of gaining more prospective customers.

IMNA: What were the difficulties in the beginning and how did you overcome them?

Sunny: We’ve faced a fair amount of hardships and difficulties in the beginning. Our biggest challenge is looking for customers and keeping their loyalty to us. There was a time when Alan and I practically stayed in the office the whole time to help the company become stable. We managed to overcome the first difficult part of searching for new customers by providing quality services to our growing clients. Those loyal to us in return provided us with strong referrals and placed repeated orders.

Moltec uses technologies from Germany, Japan, and China and other countries. We integrate excellence into our day-to-day manufacturing operation to give our customers only the best.

IMNA: What differentiates the company form its competition in Malaysia and outside the country?

Alan: Apart from Moltec’s uniqueness and being one of the biggest manufacturers of die and moulds in Malaysia, we exert in providing good follow ups and after-sales services to our customers.

In comparison to our rivals in the industry whose prices may be cheaper than ours is that we maintain a good practice of delivering quality goods, aside from the follow ups and after-sales services in which our customers appreciate very much.

IMNA: Which country is your biggest market?

Jocelyn: At the moment, Malaysia is our biggest market wherein majority of our sales come from local businesses. However, we have a reasonable share of dealings with multinational corporations that brings in foreign investments into Malaysia.

IMNA: Which particular industry do you supply to and how do you promote your products?

Jocelyn: Our company supplies to mostly electronics, electrical, and automotive industries as well as home appliances. An example of electronic product is the camcorder. We promote our products through advertisements in some associations, in addition to publishing through product directories. Our products are also publicised by existing customers, who are satisfied by our product quality, by word of mouth to potential clients. Moltec’s website is also amply equipped with many details and product information for easy access by interested or possible customers.

IMNA: What are the key marketing factors that have contributed to the company’s success?

Sunny: I think it would be “good communication” between the management and the team. Innovative ideas flow freely during board meetings. Also, our highly committed management executive team performs detailed planning on the company’s day-to-day operations.

Every week we conduct a management meeting with department heads to better examine our performances, as well as to resolve any conflicts that we may have.

In addition, we have good equipment from reputable companies, which in-return generate and produce quality finished goods that we deliver, meeting our customer needs and requirements.

IMNA: With Malaysia being one of the fastest growing economies in the region, what is your strategy to accommodate this rapid growth potential into the future?

Sunny: We plan to strengthen our marketing overseas to generate more sales, and to improve our company presence abroad; since setting up a manufacturing centre in a foreign country may be very costly. For the time being, manufacturing processes would be done in Malaysia. Expanding our presence in the international market can help improve Moltec’s overall business. 

IMNA: What are your plans for the future?

Sunny: We plan to increase our production capacity and meet the rising demand from both local and overseas markets. We also plan to have additional marketing offices abroad so that more people will be aware of our company, and at the same time improve our export activities.

IMNA: What is your view in terms of waste management?

Jocelyn: We have a set of guidelines in place to reduce waste management. Also, our equipment from Blum-Novotest GmbH makes sure we process our waste in full compliance to the rules and regulations set out by the local government.

IMNA: Do you have any particular requirements when purchasing materials and processing equipment?

Sunny: We are most concern over the quality of the materials and equipment purchased as this would greatly affect the outcome of our finished goods. In addition, delivery time is also very important to us, as delays could disrupt the manufacturing process and ultimately cause delivery interruptions to our customers.

IMNA: How long have you been a customer of BLUM?

Sunny: We’ve been BLUM’s customer for seven years now.

IMNA: Can you share with us your experience and lessons learnt while using BLUM’s equipment?

Sunny: By incorporating BLUM’s precision tools into our manufacturing process, our set up time has improved, including accuracy. The time saved has lowered the product rejection rate and has enhanced the input and output ratio of our moulds & dies.

IMNA: What was your reason for choosing BLUM? You must have a wide selection to choose from. Do BLUM’s solutions integrate well with your mould and die manufacturing?

Sunny: To date, BLUM’s solutions have been very efficient and given us no reason to search for alternatives. BLUM has been consistently providing good support to us and there’s no problem so far in our dealings with them. BLUM’s solution integrates very well into our machines, especially when it comes to selecting CNC machines for acquisition.

IMNA: What specific changes/improvements/enhancements would you like to see BLUM build into future releases of their equipment? Are you able to suggest to BLUM specific features that you would like to see?

Sunny: We hope that BLUM could integrate CAD/CAM into their future release of equipment for direct measurement and form control. With continuous upgrades and improvements, we’ll continue to use BLUM’s solutions.

MOLTEC PRECISION Sdn. Bhd.

No. 7, Jalan Empat,Kawasan Perindustrian Selayang Baru, 68100 Batu Caves, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Tel: +6(03) 6138 7110

Fax: +6(03) 6137 5898

E-mail: info@moltec.com.my/sales@moltec.com.my

Website: www.moltec.com.my

Ringier Conference issues call for papers and speakers

Ringier Conferences, organizer of “Asia High Efficiency Metalworking Summit 2014”, announces the Call for Papers and Speakers. The conference will be held in Bangkok Thailand, May 14-15, 2014.

Ringier Conferences is soliciting proposals from speakers with deep technical expertise and innovative applications and ideas for the technical conference program and training sessions about green, smart, innovative, high speed and efficient metalworking processes.

We are accepting applications for the following tracks:

·         Laser machining tools

·         High-speed machining centers

·         Automated metal cutting systems

·         Synchronous grinding

·         Precision electrochemical machining (PECM)

·         Pick-up spindle vertical turning

·         Automated machining

·         Induction hardening

The conference organizer is particularly interested in abstracts describing:

• Talks that are more technical and reveal new ways of thinking about and applying advanced metalworking technology in the automotive and electronics industry.
• Talks that feature content never seen before that you have created specifically for the Metalworking Conference.
• Real-world case studies involving the novel application of technology or illustrating a solution to a technical challenge in an end product, including a detailed discussion of the trade-offs and choices made (and why) during the manufacturing process.
• Hands-on demos illustrating key technical principles and talks that engage the audience in an unusual or more interactive way.