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Ladies and Gentlemen
On behalf of the SMI Association of Malaysia, I bid you all a very good morning. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for taking time off from your busy schedule to attend this morning official launch of the SME Recognition Award 2009.
In particular, I would like to thank our Guest of Honour, YB Senator Heng Seai Kie, Deputy Minister of Information, Communications and Culture for gracing this occasion. Despite YB’s many ministerial duties, she still finds time to officiate our function this morning. Your presence, YB, has certainly enhanced this auspicious occasion, and the SMI Association is most grateful and appreciative of your attendance.
Thank you, YB
Ladies and Gentlemen
The SME Recognition Award 2009 is now in its eighth consecutive year of recognizing and celebrating the outstanding achievements of SMEs in Malaysia. The Award has not only provided publicity but also boost the image, credibility and intellectual property value of the 800-odd Award winners in the past seven years.
However, this year has been a very difficult year for SMEs due to the global recession that was sparked off by the sub-prime crisis in the United States. The recession has hit Malaysia in the face early this year, resulting in a substantial loss of revenue for most of our exporters. Domestic demand has similarly tapered off as Malaysian cut their spending to weather out the recession. This has put further pressure on our industries.
Despite the less than encouraging economic scenario, I urge all SMEs not to lose hope but instead renew your commitment and determination to confront and overcome the current recession.
A number of our Association Members as well as other SMEs have voiced out their hardship following the recession. Our Association has taken cognizance of such complaints and is working out various strategies to assist our SMEs regain their footing. In fact, our most recent initiative was the closed-door dialogue with our Minister of Transport and MCA President YB Dato Seri Ong Tee Keat where members pour out their problems and woes to the Minister. YB Dato Seri Ong who is also the Advisor of SMI Association of Malaysia had since pledged to convey all SME grievances in a “White Paper” to the Cabinet once he completes his “Talk to Tee Keat” rounds with SMEs and other business bodies.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Even as the SMI Association carries out its programmes to assist the development of the SME sector, SMEs themselves must be ready to change their mindset, their traditional way of doing business and reinvent themselves to stay competitive and relevant in a rapidly changing business environment.
That why we have chosen the theme “Innovating and Branding Towards a New Paradigm“ for this year’s SME Recognition Award 2009. This theme reflects the urgent need for Malaysian SMEs to continuously innovate and add value to their products and services in order to compete effectively in an increasingly competitive global market.
For too long, Malaysia has relied on our traditional trading partners – the United States, Europe and Japan for our exports and imports. These markets appeared to have lost their influence and buying power following the US-led global economic crisis. In their place, the emerging economic powerhouse of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and particularly China) has witnessed strong growth in spite of the recession.
These, as well as the non-traditional markets like the Middle East, Central Asia, South America and to a lesser extent, Africa, are the places where SMEs should be diversifying.
However, SMEs will NOT be going anywhere if they do not first change their mind-set and value system.
At the risk of sounding repetitive, I wish to emphasize that for SMEs to move to a new paradigm and to a higher ground, SMEs must constantly innovate and add value to their products. Whatever that is being produced for the global markets must incorporate the latest technological improvements and enhancements. They also need to look into branding their products in order to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Branding provides the means for SMEs to showcase their creativity, ingenuity, quality and added-value to their products.
A good example of what Branding is and can do for you is the shoe product “Nike”. You might think - A sport shoe is a sport shoe, no matter how one looks at it. However, the makers of Nike shoes , through their creativity and innovative design and endorsement by famous sports personalities has created so much value and demand that the pair of Nike sports shoes you buy today is priced ten or even twenty times higher than an ordinary Malaysian brand of sports shoes. Mind you, the Nike shoes are actually made and manufactured in Malaysian OEM factories in Malacca and Johore!!
What it means is that our Malaysian SMEs have the manufacturing capability and capacity to produce world-class branded products. What we lacked is the creativity, the innovativeness and the courage to think and act differently in order to carve a niche for our products for the world markets.
Ladies and gentlemen
The SME Recognition Awards gives our Award- winning SMEs the international recognition that they are among the best and most outstanding manufacturers and providers of goods and services. The Awards give them the extra edge to compete against other lower cost producers, if there is constant innovation and value-add in their products and services.
As much as we advocate innovation and branding to our SME brothers, we ourselves must practice what we preach.
Therefore, this year’s SME Recognition Award s will incorporate many new value-added features and innovations that will enhance the quality and relevancy of the Awards.
One of the changes is in the different Award categories. For instance, in the SME Services Excellence Award Category, the Award will now clearly identify the sector where the Award winner comes from. If the winner comes from say, the travel industry, the Winner’s industry sector will be highlighted in all the Award collaterals, including the trophy and certificate.
The inclusion of the industry sector which your company is in, will serve to highlight the recognition that your company is an outstanding performer in that particular industry sector, thereby enhancing and reinforcing your leadership position there.
This Award “upgrading” is applicable to the following Award Categories – Innovation Excellence, Export Excellence, ICT Adoption, Women Entrepreneur Young Entrepreneur, Product Excellence, Service Excellence, Brand Excellence and Rising Star.
As there are so many sectors within any particular industry, SMEs in any sector of industry is eligible to be nominated for the Awards.
The organizers have also increased and enhanced the benefits accruing to winners of the SME Recognition Award 2009 by ensuring greater media publicity on the domestic and international level, the latter through the setting up of a dedicated SME Achievers website in the world wide web. The website is currently under construction.
Winners will also get to join the SME Achievers Club, which is an exclusive club for the 800-over SME Recognition Award Winners. They will also be given opportunities to participate in a coffee table book showcasing the best of Malaysian SMEs and be featured in a special Astro TV programme entitled “The Best of SME Achievers”, which the organizers are currently negotiating with the respective third parties.
The organizers is also planning to provide Award winners special privileged access to latest industry reports, research studies and ground-breaking information through the internet, as well as fast-line processing for loan applications and automatic admission to special MBA programmes .
Being an Award winner of the SME Recognition Award 2009 certainly has its benefits and perks.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Before I conclude, I would like to share a thought with you. As SMEs we always have to do everything by ourselves. The saying “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going” comes to mind. I strongly believe that our SMEs are a tough lot, having survived numerous recessions, economic and financial crises in its 50-over years history since independence.
While the current global recession is reportedly the worst since the world recession of 1929, I believe our SMEs will pull through if we are prepared to dig in, change their mindset and value system. When we do that, anything is possible, especially as our government is doing everything possible to put in place a new economic model, including the One Malaysia concept, that will take our Malaysian industries and SMEs on a more level playing field and to a higher plane of development.
I look forward to a new renaissance in the SME industry as we unite and work together as One Malaysia to take on the world.
Thank you.
