JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #49 - June 2009 - 12

COMPANIES COMPANIES AN INTERVIEW WITH HABIBUR RAHMAN IBRAHIM, DIRECTOR, DK COMPOSITES JEC Composites Magazine: How did you become a composite specialist? HABIBUR RAHMAN IBRAHIM: My interest in new and contemporary technologies encouraged me to be involved in the process and fabrication of advanced composite materials. My close association with our pioneer German partners of DK Composites Sdn Bhd, 12 years ago, allowed me to be competent and knowledgeable in this technology. JCM: What were the main steps in your company’s development? H. R. J.: In the initial years of the joint venture with our German partners, about 60% of our manufacturing was managed by German and European people. Our Malaysian managers worked alongside the Europeans and learned the manufacturing process, which we have inherited today. With these skills and knowledge, we continue to improve our process by working closely with our raw material suppliers. The resulting success of our business is due to this gradual learning curve. Today, we are 100% Malaysian managed, and produce worldclass products. JCM: What are the strengths of DK Composites today? H. R. J.: Our manufacturing process is of European standard and it shows in the quality of our products. Our DK brand became well known amongst yacht and boat users after major successes in regional and international regattas. Our composite domes are unique in terms of construction and materials. We successfully conducted major architectural projects in the past (especially in the Middle East) that brought more enquiries. Our major strength is the quality of our products, which has stood up to time and remains appreciated by our customers. Domes are highly visible structures, and a well-built dome speaks for itself. We have installed large composite domes in Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Turkmenistan, Zambia, Indonesia, Las Vegas (USA), Brunei, and many in Malaysia. These are mostly iconic structures that have established the DK brand well. JCM: How is your business organized? H. R. J.: Our manufacturing set-up is flexible. We chose this business model due to the varied nature of advanced applications and the small market niche we wanted to be in. To ensure we can meet our varying customers needs, we plan our raw materials, process and labour utilization according to the projects we have. We use common milling, curing, and other preliminary process facilities, and separate the final finishing lines to ensure effective customization of the end product. Presently, our business is 60% architectural products and 40% in marine craft and other products. JCM: What other markets are you involved in? H. R. J.: We have diversified from yachts and boats to hovercraft, and we have gone into the fabrication of architectural claddings. We are also looking into the fabrication of train bodies and interiors. JCM: How much of your production is exported? H. R. J.: We are currently exporting 90% of our production. JCM: What are the main characteristics of the Malaysian composite market and what new developments are you expecting? H. R. J.: The Malaysian market for our products is small. Local architects and marine craft users are still largely unaware of the applications and benefits of advanced composites materials. Cost significantly affects the acceptance of new composite applications against metal and wood materials. The Malaysian Government has been encouraging the use of composites in prefabricated housing units. We are working to capture some of this market. Local universities are strengthening the teaching of composite sciences and engineering. The new generation of graduates will know more about composites than their predecessors. DK Composites Sdn Bhd offers training and R&D activities in local universities to help develop this industry faster. JCM: What are your development priorities for the next 5 years? H. R. J.: Our priorities are to ensure our company’s profitability by improving its efficiency, securing large-volume, repetitive jobs and introducing new advanced composite applications to replace traditional materials in marine craft and architectural structures, while providing a range of customized solutions to single-purpose customers. Through this approach, we’ll develop our employees’ skills and improve our process management efficiency. JCM: What is today’s biggest challenge for your company? H. R. J.: Our biggest challenge is to remain competitive against alternative materials. Much of our raw materials depend from crude oil prices. Planning our material purchases is a big challenge. To achieve success, we must work closely with our raw material and process equipment suppliers and come up with solutions that meet our customers’ needs. We succeeded by using this approach in the past, and will continue with this strategy. JCM: Do you believe in the development of tropical fibre reinforcements? H. R. J.: Yes. I believe renewable materials such a tropical fibre reinforcements will be increasingly used. We are in a country where a vast number of tropical fibre crops are grown. In cooperation with interested parties from Europe and local governmental research institutions, we should exploit these resources to further develop the use of natural fibres in this industry. 12 jec composites magazine / No49 June 2009

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #49 - June 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #49 - June 2009