Tale of the tape tycoon
SB Tape Group was named after its founder, the late Toh Sue Bee or better known as SB Toh. The company was established in 1977 as a trading company and SB Toh had started out his career as a salesman for yarns and trades. The company expanded in 1988, from an import and distribution business to a large-scale manufacturing entity of self-adhesive tapes called Sweet Tape Enterprise (M) Sdn Bhd. In 1999, the company developed its own adhesive formulation and streamlined their adhesive production. Since then, it grew by leaps and bounds, thanks to its outstanding coating efficiency and product innovation that enabled the company to broaden their business across different parts of the world. When SB Toh passed away in 2006, his eldest son and the oldest of his four children, Chee Hui, officially took over the reins of the company as the Managing Director and CEO. Chee Hui had started working for SB Tape Group since 1993 when he made the pivotal decision to leave college and join his father in the family business. Over the years, SB Toh had groomed and mentored Chee Hui for this role. Chee Hui’s younger sister and the third child in the family, Faith Toh, also joined the family business in 1998. Although she came in armed with a degree in industrial engineering, Faith still had to learn about the company’s manufacturing processes from scratch including production, operational process, and assisted to build an ISO system as well as business development functions for the company.
SB Tape Group launched a SEED program where they recruited fresh university graduates to join the company. The purpose behind the program is to expand the business by roping in young talents with the right technical skills and knowledge as the management believed that automation held the key to the future. The company also implemented a new ERP system to take over the existing 20-yearold system. “People play a crucial role in making the ERP program a success. This is where the new engineering recruits come in.” Chee Hui shared. “80% of our business comes from the export market. The Covid pandemic has actually brought in an increase to our sales in 2020.” he added. Over the years, SB Tape Group has benefited from its continuous R&D efforts, combined with its state-of-the-art manufacturing resources, profound industrial knowledge and dynamic marketing strategies. The company and its subsidiaries are now the largest OPP packaging tape manufacturer in Asia after mainland China, and currently holds approximately 4.8% of the global polypropylene tape market share. As of 2019, the company operates four plants in Malaysia with 200,000 square feet of built-up space. They have a turnover of USD80 million with more than 300 containers shipped out per month and are exporting to over sixty countries.
Championing human rights
SB Tape Group is also a member of SEDEX, one of the world’s leading ethical trade membership organisation that collaborates with businesses to improve working conditions in global supply chains. Chee Hui elaborated, “We’re working towards becoming a manufacturer that prioritises people. This means integrating living wages, safe working conditions, free choice of employment, managing our environmental impact, and standing up against child labour and any forms of discrimination in our workplace.”
Spearheading innovation and sustainability
The green initiative has been the key driver of growth for SB Tape Group since the early days. Founder SB Toh started the green manufacturing movement in 1995 by switching the bulk of its production from solvent acrylic base to emulsion acrylic base. This improved safety on the production floor and resulted in eco-friendly products which received certifications from REACH and met RoHS compliance. For many years, Chee Hui and Faith at the helm of SB Group experimented on different types of renewable energy, including biomass to generate electricity for their coating machines. They strived to create long-term value by taking into consideration the ecological, social and economic environments that they operated in.
In 2010, SB Tape Group divided their business into three different segments:
- Biomass Renewable Energy
- Advanced/Automated Equipment
- Fully integrated Processes and Lean Manufacturing
“This move has increased our productivity and efficiency by fourfold while utilizing the same amount space and manpower.” Faith added.
REDUCE
From 2010 to 2019, through advanced automated equipment and energy efficient processes, the company was able to reduce their CO2 emissions and energy usage substantially.
REUSE
Use of biomass as renewable energy to power the machines, 100% usage of recycled paper and reuse of NR Latex for masking tapes.
RECYCLE
Plastic, paper, wooden and metal waste is managed through a DOE appointed collector and biomass waste is converted into fertilisers.
The game changer: biodegradable PP Tape
By taking sustainability to greater heights, the company also successfully created an OPP tape made from biodegradable film and eco friendly adhesive which they aptly named the SB Bio Tape. Faith takes great pride in this game changing product that was launched in 2011. It is non oxobiodegradable and had tested degradation under landfill and marine environments based on ASTM D5511 and D6691 test standards, respectively. “Plastics waste usually ends up in landfills after being discarded.”, Faith observed, but she believes that every problem deserves a solution. In this case, part of the solution lies in the SB Bio Tape that biologically breaks down into biomass and produces zero microplastic. Unlike PLA-based bioplastics, it can be processed under the main plastic recycling stream.
Upholding the green legacy
Chee Hui and Faith are equally determined to continue the green legacy of their late father. This message comes across clearly when the Toh siblings echoed one other and said, “We’re more than just a tape factory as we endeavour to be part of the green manufacturing movement. We will continue to reduce our carbon footprint by focusing on waste
reduction, resource efficiency, sustainable innovation and ecological sourcing.”
