Mah Sing Group Berhad, a company listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia, is an instantly recognisable name in property development. It is perhaps not as commonly known that Mah Sing was originally set up in the 1965 as a plastics trading business. In 1994, Mah Sing ventured into property development which then became its core business, but till today, the plastics division remains a major operating segment contributing nearly 19% in revenue for the financial year ended 2020. The plastics division operates in two countries, Malaysia, and Indonesia, with the Malaysian operations housed under a wholly owned subsidiary, Mah Sing Plastics Industries Sdn Bhd (Mah Sing Plastics), while the Indonesian operations sit under a 65%-owned subsidiary, P.T. Mah Sing Indonesia. Mah Sing Plastics currently focuses on production of proprietary products while the Indonesian outfit is mainly an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for large automotive parts. Mah Sing Plastics was incorporated on 15 October 1979 and has since grown into one of the largest high-tech plastic manufacturers in Malaysia and the ASEAN region with an 80-strong fleet of injection machines capable of between 60 tonnes to 4,000 tonnes clamping force.
A respected company that built its name in Malaysia as an OEM for the electronics and electrical industry, Mah Sing Plastics is now renowned for its reliable proprietary products such as plastic pallets and boxes, which are light weight, cost effective and used in a wide range of industries including food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, automotive, electronic & electrical, marine & poultry. Other popular products are the ‘V-Chair’, ‘Magnum’ and ‘Cyber’ brand of indoor and outdoor plastic furniture and the ‘MS88’ motorcycle helmet. Mah Sing Plastics generates up to 40% of its revenue from exports to 50 countries worldwide. Mah Sing Plastic’s Executive Director, Lee Foo Keong, joined the company fresh out of university and has been with Mah Sing Plastics since. Right from the get-go, Lee knew that he wanted to build a career in plastics. “Plastic is a fantastic material!” Lee enthused. “That’s why I chose this industry.” “Plastics have a very good environmental profile and much less energy is used to produce it compared to other materials like wood & metal. Plastics are durable yet lightweight and thus save weight in products like furniture, air-con, cars and pipework. When products made from plastics have reached the end of its life, they can be recycled from waste and given new life. Don’t you think plastics is a fantastic material?,” says Lee. Upon returning to Malaysia in 1992 with a mechanical engineering degree from the UK, he saw an opportunity to join Mah Sing Plastics and took it, choosing the factory floor as a logical starting point. “Mould design is the first step in the process, so I wanted to start on the shop floor as a mould engineer,” Lee explains. “If I had taken on a management position, I probably wouldn’t learn as much about the details of the moulding processes as I would have liked.”
Hardworking and dedicated, Lee’s rise to executive director at Mah Sing Plastics was no surprise given his clear enthusiasm for the industry and solid work ethics. “I normally work six days a week, with overtime,” Lee laughs. “Well, we may be one of the top players in this industry already, but we still need to stay alert and move with the times. I’m a big proponent for technology, automation and sustainability, so I am constantly finding ways to incorporate these values into our business, to continuously improve and make what we do even better.” When asked, Lee recounted how in 1998, Mah Sing Plastics had an operating loss of RM15.8 million where he had just been appointed as the factory manager at the time. “Over the next four years, I worked long hours every day with my team and made many hard and unpopular decisions. In 2002, we bounced back with an operating profit of RM2.6 million. I consider this among my proudest moments in Mah Sing Plastics,” said Lee. The tough period helped to shape Lee’s behaviour and reinforced his belief that hard work, endurance, focus, persistency and never give up attitudes are the keys to overcome challenges. “Love what you do and love those who you work with. Passion in work and in people will keep me going to enjoy my work and my life. It is very rewarding when you see the potential people who trust you, join you, learned along with you, worked together with you in good and challenging time, grown to be independent leaders and deliver better results than you. Just as a teacher who is very proud of seeing his students who are more successful than him. Recognise and reward the performers without neglecting the team,” says Lee.
Automation and sustainability
Mah Sing Plastics’ push towards greater automation is currently centred around its main production facility in Port Klang. The company has been investing constantly in the latest machinery and technology to boost operational efficiency. “We are now in the era of Industry 4.0 with new technologies emerging every so often. So, we are always looking to leverage on these emerging technologies to improve efficiency and competitiveness where possible,” Lee remarks. Mah Sing Plastics is working towards becoming a smart factory in the years to come. Mah Sing Plastics is in the process of integrating best practices in energy management in all their factories by investing in energy efficient machines. Energy usage is measured, monitored, controlled, and optimised to minimise energy consumption.
Material used in our products is 100% recyclable, creating eco-friendly products. To reduce wastage, Mah Sing Plastics buys back unwanted or damaged plastic pallets, boxes, and chairs from their customers. These discarded materials are recycled into resin to produce new plastic products. Most recently in 2020, Mah Sing Plastics invested RM5 million for phase one of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system at its production facility in Klang, Selangor which expects to achieve an estimated 7% per annum savings on our electricity costs. “On top of the electricity cost savings, our entire investment is also claimable as a tax allowance under the Green Investment Tax Allowance,” says Lee. He expects phase two of the solar PV installation to be completed in 2022. “Going green is one of our key strategic focuses at present. We are doing our part to save the environment and at the same time saving costs, it’s a win-win situation,” he adds.
