Global Fastener News

Malaysian Fastener Firm Grows From 1 Person to Multinational in 5 Years

John Wolz

Editor”s Note: Articles in Media Spotlight are excerpts from publications or broadcasts that show the industry what the public is reading or hearing about fasteners and fastener companies.

Five years ago Thum Kam Yew started a one-man fastener manufacturing operation in Subang Jaya, Malaysia. Within two years he started making a profit. After tripling sales last year Thum is now investigating expanding overseas, the Star Malaysia reports.

“For more than a year, Thum Kam Yew was ANT Industrial Sdn Bhd”s delivery man, purchasing manager, sales manager and manager, all rolled into one,” reporter Leong Hung Yee of Star Malaysi a described the start of the business.

He used his previous sales experience with a multinational fastener company to start his own business.
Thum credited his customers” trust for the company”s initial sales. “I was very happy when my first client gave me about MyR3,000 to MyR4,000 (U.S.$806.46 to $1,075.30) a month.” But that still meant Thum had to “secure more orders.”
Customer trust led to longer payment terms from his suppliers.

A former colleague who had started Saima Corp. in Japan encouraged Thum to start his own business.
Initially Thum contracted out the manufacturing. Today ANT also co-owns a plant in China with Saima, which recently acquired a stake in ANT.

Thum now has a 10-person sales and administrative team and the Jiangsu plant employs 15.
“This is not a one-man show anymore,” Thum noted. “I don”t consider myself a boss, I tell my employees, “Treat this like your own business.””

A key to growth has been sales persons with “good knowledge of the products and their applications, as they have to sell to engineers.”
“Service is not just a verbal promise,” Thum observed. “You have to prove it through your actions and help customers cut costs.” �2006 FastenerNews.com