Malaysia's KEU Targeting Oil & Gas Automation

KEU Control Engineering Sdn Bhd, a machine integration company specialising in the automotive sector, wants to diversify its business by tapping the oil and gas (O&G) market. The company makes factory automation integration for the automotive sector, which contributes some 82 per cent of its revenue. Its clients include Proton Holdings Bhd, Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd, Ta n Chong Motors and Honda Malaysia

Chief executive officer Ang Kok Hua said the group is involved in the O&G sector in a small way and would like to expand further in the lucrative market. “Currently, the automation integration works for oil and gas parts are mostly done from imported machines. We want to provide an alternative for manufacturers, which is more cost effective without compromising on quality,” he told Business Times in an interview.

Partner and chief operating officer Jannis Tan said the company’s best achievement to date is being able to create local expertise in a foreign-dominated field. “We are keen to tap the export market. We are already in Thailand and Indonesia, albeit in a small way,” she said. “Even after more than a decade since we started, we still need to deal with local perception that Malaysian made products are of low quality, and surprisingly, excuses are still given for expensive imported machinery even when they are not functioning properly,” she said.