Distinctive competence

Distinctive competence is a set of unique capabilities that certain firms possess allowing them
to make inroads into desired markets and to gain advantage over the competition; generally, it
is an activity that a firm performs better than its competition. For Asia Poly Holdings Bhd,
their top competitors are BP Plastics Holding Berhad, Ornapaper Berhad, Poly Tower
Ventures Berhad, SKP Resources Berhad, Wawasan TKH Holdings Berhad and SLP
Resources Berhad. All these competitor are related to the production of plastic. Therefore,
Asia Poly Holdings Bhd have distinctive competence because Asia Poly Holdings Bhd.
operates as an investment holding company. It operates though A-Cast Brand which a product
with superior quality at competitive pricing. Asia Polys strength lies in the fact that its
products are certified for compliance with the European Union and Japans EN263 and JIS
standards respectively, something he claims most of his Asian competitors products lack. In
2013, the company installed a pilot plant to aid it in its research and development efforts,
something they are equally proud of.
Asia Polys brand of A-Cast cast acrylic sheet is manufactured from 100% Virgin Methyl
Methacrylate monomer (MMA) sourced exclusively from reputable and reliable suppliers. As
the premier manufacturer of cast acrylic sheet in Malaysia, Asia Poly utilises the cell-cast
production process, maximising the mechanical properties and chemical resistance of the ACast sheet for use in a wide range of applications. With a state-of-the-art manufacturing
facility, A-Cast is produced in small batch quantities which in turn offers the flexibility to
produce an extensive range of colours, finishes and effects with colour matching service also
available.
A-Cast is a cast acrylic sheet that has become synonymous with clarity, colours and choice.
The versatility of the material and wide range of colours, surfaces and finishes enable
designers to quickly realise their creative ideas. The MMA is an organic compound that is
processed through a series of mixing stations to blend the required additives and pigments
which are then cast between two sheets of high quality flat glass. The batch is then
polymerised in specially developed water baths and ovens, allowing the sheets to harden and
cure. The cell cast process has benefited over the years from the application of engineering
technology to increase process control and repeatability from one production batch to the
next and Asia Poly have taken full advantage of these developments to produce a quality cast
acrylic sheet, second to none.

While this batch process delivers significant flexibility in the product mix with a wide range
of colours, finishes and thicknesses, other benefits of A-Cast cell cast acrylic arise from its
molecular structure and inherent physical properties which include:

Clear sheet with a light transmission and optical clarity higher than that of glass at 93%.
High gloss surface finish as standard with single-sided and dual-sided matt options.
Half the weight of glass with five times the strength so less liable to breakage.
Excellent resistance to weathering means the material is suitable for indoor and outdoor

applications.
Excellent surface hardness for abrasion resistance.
Good chemical resistance so durable and easily cleaned.
Thermoplastic so can be recycled into other products and itself.

These physical properties of the product, including the ability to be readily fabricated, formed
and cemented, lend it to many different applications including both functional and aesthetic
uses. As a leading manufacturer and innovator in the production and supply of cast acrylic
sheets, Asia Poly prides itself on its international service and delivery capability, supporting
many distributors worldwide with a wide portfolio of quality products.

Example of product
Building Applications
Glazing

Food Industry / Catering

Bar fittings

Exterior wall lining

Interior

decorative

partitions

Domestic Applications
Aquaria

Cinema ice-cream and

Bathroom cabinets

vending

Coffee table

trays

(illuminated)

Furniture

Interior wall panels

Display counter covers

Lighting fittings

Shower bath cabinets

Food covers

Mahjong sets

Baths

Food

Partitions

Vanity units

Photograph frames

Stair and elevator panels

Signages

conveyor

belt

covers

Food packaging machine

windows

Kitchen and restaurant

partitions

Self-service

food

compartment flaps

Transport
Boat cabin windows

Boat windscreens

Car accessories/visors

Caravan windows

Shelf paneling
Medical Application
Miscellaneous Applications
Hospital
trays
and Bus shelter glazing
equipment

Display cabinets

Incubators

Fire hydrant plates

Illuminated eye testing

charts

General engraving

Coach observation panels

Greenhouses

Coach

Museum

seat

corner

protectors

Motorcycle windshields

Sliding window panels

protective

covers and display units

Slim box displays

Moreover, this company provided FDL e-commerce fulfilment service. FDL e-commerce
fulfilment service was set up in 2013, the Kuala Lumpur based FDL Technology Sdn Bhd
provides end-to-end e-commerce supply chain solutions on an online to offline platform for
domestic and international companies. The advantages of e-commerce fulfilment service not
only customer friendly use but other. Below is the advantages of the e-commerce fulfilment
service : Your whole operation is in one place, under one roof. No need for dealing with different
sites possibly miles apart for different stages of the process.
Costs can often be optimised on the picking and packing resources.
The cost element of outsourcing your e-commerce fulfilment is probably the most
obvious benefit. Even if you are sceptical about having someone else do the doing
for you, it doesnt take a lot of number crunching to see that a fulfilment house
already has the warehouse, IT systems and processes in place, so there is less of an
investment for you. You dont need to buy a massive warehouse that yes, one day will
pay off but at the minute is a huge overhead that you dont need. It also means less
investment in terms of training new people.
Time for you to concentrate on growing your business.
In rapid growth periods all processes can expand therefore its a good idea to
outsource some of those more time consuming operations. This allows you to remove
the stress of delivering your products, so that you can focus on growing your business
further.
Outsourcing increases efficiency

Benefit from the economies of scale; you can rest happy in the knowledge that your
orders will be delivered in a professional and timely manner. Fulfilment houses have
racking designed especially for quick and easy picking. Our Warehouse Management
System designs pick routes for saving time and money and our systems are all stateof-the-art and bespoke for our specific business needs. Outsourcing to a professional
fulfilment company with stream lined processes will maximise customer value whilst
minimising waste. In the fulfilment industry waste is unused time or time that is
used ineffectively, which could be used to generate profit.
Reduces labour costs
In busy periods such as Christmas time, you dont need to try to round up as many
temporary workers as possible or stay until the small hours packing orders; outsource
your picking and packing to a fulfilment partner and you will have a pool of highly
trained staff that is deployed to meet changing order levels. Less recruitment means
less training and therefore less cost.
Outsourcing enables the quick set up of new projects
With all sorts of varying clients, outsourcing to a fulfilment partner will mean that any
new projects that you undertake will be set up quickly and accurately. With processes
already in place and nothing to build from scratch, the only missing component is
your business.
Outsourcing your e-commerce fulfilment levels the playing field
Outsourcing to a specialist e-commerce fulfilment company gives you the opportunity
to compete with other bigger companies in your industry who have in-house support
services. Although a fulfilment house would be located remotely to you
geographically, the business will run as one operation and you do not have to make
the investments that your competitors have, in fact you have more room to grow,
faster and with less risk attached.
Skilled workforce with experience; access to skilled resources & training processes
Large projects may require skills that your staff do not possess in house. Outsourcing
is a good way of expanding your team and gaining people with the skills that you

really need without the arduous recruitment process and the huge expense of taking
on new staff.
Benefit from established relationships with carriers & packaging suppliers
Fulfilment companies gain loyalty through their volumes and repeat custom. This is
turn means that most carriers will give them good discounts in order to maintain this
business. At Hallmark, like most fulfilment houses, we will pass on this discount to
our clients. Not all of whom would perhaps achieve these costs if they were to go it
alone.
Knowledge of industry & any changing policies or laws
We are accredited to industry standards recognised for quality and environmental
management. These accreditations are expensive to achieve but show how trustworthy
your company is; so you know that you are getting a good service because it has been
audited independently.
These days with many companies selling similar products, outstanding service is a way for
businesses to differentiate themselves.

Discussion
Asia Poly Industrial Sdn. Bhd. was established in 1993 by a group of Taiwanese investors
together with a few local Malaysian minority shareholders. This was the third Cast Acrylic
Sheet manufacturer in Malaysia. The company was principally owned and managed by the
Taiwanese using Taiwanese Technology and Expertise. In April of 1998, Asia Poly become a

fully Malaysian owned company, still using Taiwanese technology and expertise. When
things did not work out satisfactorily, the new Malaysian Management decided to reorganise
the entire company with the view of going global. In January of 2001, a new CEO together
with a new technical advisor were brought in to meet the necessary challenges, incorporating
Canadian Technology and know how. At this juncture, the companys capacity was only 100
Tons of PMMA (Acrylic) sheet per month. Today, three years later, production has reached
550 Tons per month, with exports reaching 80%. Production is based on R&D with emphasis
on Quality Assurance, Customer Service combined with Technical Assistance.
The expectation is that the company, which employs 180 employees in total can generate a
net profit of about RM600,000 per year from next year onwards solely from monetising
acrylic scrap. Asia Poly currently generates 25% of its sales domestically with the remaining
coming from export markets like Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, India and
South Africa.

Conclusion
Asia Poly Holdings Berhad operates in the Plastics materials and resins sector. The principal
activities of the subsidiary companies are manufacture and sale of cast acrylic products and
sale of chemical products. The Company was incorporated in 2003 and is based in Kuala
Lumpur within a 200,000 square foot manufacturing facility. After initially developing sales
of the companys A-Cast cast acrylic sheet in the Asia Pacific region, increased production
volumes and customer demand now sees the product supported by a worldwide distribution
network.
With the increased availability, range of thicknesses, sheet sizes as well as an extensive range
of colours, finishes and effects, A-Cast cast acrylic has become synonymous with quality
and choice. Supported by uick-turnaround, colour matching service and low minimum order
quantities, A-Cast has become the material of choice for a number of the worlds leading
brands to satisfy corporate identity requirements.

References
1. Tan, Y. (2015). Asia Poly on the radar. Retrieved May 12, 2016, from
http://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2015/05/09/asia-poly-on-the-radar/
2. Asia Poly holdings berhad Annual Report 2015 (Rep. No. 619176-A). (n.d.). Retrieved
May

13,

2016,

from

http://www.financialreport.biz/File/AR/2016/4/28/0105

1109510093120.pdf
3. ASIAPLY - ASIA POLY HOLDINGS BHD | tradeSignum. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12,
2016, from http://www.tradesignum.com/company/asiaply
4. L. J. (2013, June 10). The benefits of outsourcing your e-commerce fulfilment- for Small
Businesses - Hallmark Consumer Services. Retrieved May 12, 2016, from
http://www.hallmarkconsumer.co.uk/blog/the-benefits-of-outsourcing-your-e-commercefulfilment-for-small-businesses
5.