By Durratul Ain Ahmad Fuad and Nurunnasihah Ahmad Rashid
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 (Bernama) -- The Asian financial crisis that struck in 1997-1998 marked the end of the road for many businesses, forcing them to fold.
However, for one bumiputera entrepreneur, the crisis presented a golden opportunity to expand his company’s business.
D’Amante Malaysia Sdn Bhd managing director and founder Mohammad Zulkifli Ghapal, 64, said the currency crisis at the time pushed up the cost of securing expertise and technology from overseas, paving the way for his company to be selected as a service and technology provider to support the PLUS Malaysia Bhd's highway operations.
The technologies and products supplied by D’Amante include closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems, wireless emergency telephones, electronic signboards, toll fare indicators, overhead traffic lights (OTLs), variable message signs (VMS), and traffic monitoring systems, which have been installed along the PLUS network of expressways spanning 1,130.5 kilometres.
In an interview with Bernama, Mohammad Zulkifli said he began his career as an engineer in 1987, undertaking design work with a private company before deciding to start his own business.
“The business started in 1998 when the economic situation was not very favourable. I decided to give it a try, seeing opportunities given the industry’s heavy dependence on imported products. When the recession hit, currencies plunged and prices of products increased,” he said.
He said PLUS was seen among the company's prospective clients at the time, leading D’Amante to establish a collaboration with PLUS subsidiary TERAS Teknologi Sdn Bhd, a developer of toll collection systems.
“We worked with them to locally develop a toll fare indicator system that was fully designed -- from A to Z -- by Malaysians, including the printed circuit board (PCB), software, firmware and system integration,” he recalled.
Mohammad Zulkifli said the collaboration between D’Amante and PLUS has remained strong to this day and continues to be enhanced to support the development and upgrade of local expressway management technologies.
Since 1999, D’Amante has served as a strategic technology partner to PLUS, a subsidiary of UEM Group Bhd which in turn is wholly owned by Khazanah Nasional Bhd. In 2022, D’Amante was selected to participate in the PLUS Bumiputera Vendor Development Programme (BVDP).
Bumiputera vendor development is among the initiatives aligned with the objectives of GEAR-uP and the PuTERA35 framework to strengthen local companies' capabilities, not just through procurement opportunities but also talent development and competitive advantage so they can undertake higher-value projects and explore wider markets.
Mohammad Zulkifli said participation in the PLUS BVDP helped the company strengthen its expertise and enhance its management capabilities and operations.
“The programme has helped us significantly in terms of skills enhancement. The course and certification programmes enabled the company to boost its capabilities while improving its work processes until we were able to achieve the ISO 9001:2015 certification," he said.
He said the capability improvements have enabled D’Amante to undertake higher-value projects worth up to 60 times more, along with the upgrade in its contractor classification from G4 to G7.
“The rise in project value and our success in obtaining the ISO 9001:2015 certification were achieved through a phased development process.
“None of this would have been possible if I were working by myself. I required capable and well-trained staff.
“For example, young employees who underwent technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programmes contributed to the company's technical workforce development. Meanwhile, the BVDP also helped in terms of project management capabilities,” he said.
To date, D’Amante has taken in about 40 TVET graduates from institutions such as Malaysian polytechnics, Institut Kemahiran MARA (IKM), Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) and the Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT).
Participation in the PLUS BVDP has also helped D’Amante grow its workforce from fewer than 30 employees to about 90. It had only three employees when the company first started.
The programme also allowed the company to expand its involvement in the highway, rail, transportation and aerospace sectors, as well as establishing an integrated operations facility in Semenyih.
Backed by the PLUS BVDP, D’Amante also benefited from the Vendor Capacity and Capability Development Programme (PPKV) and Vendor Research and Commercialisation Grant (GPPV) grants which have helped strengthen the company's capabilities in Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0) technologies, innovation, digitalisation and sustainable business practices.
In 2024, through a collaboration involving PLUS, the Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii), and the Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development (KUSKOP), D’Amante participated in a technology transfer and market access programme in China focusing on next generation vehicles (NxGV).
The exposure strengthened the company's readiness to contribute to the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) and the electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem.
D’Amante also adopts the Malaysia Business Excellence Framework (MBEF) to bolster its project management capabilities, improve operational effectiveness and enhance organisational governance.
Mohammad Zulkifli said that over the next five years, D’Amante aims to explore more markets, expand the applications of its existing products and increase the value of the projects it undertakes.
He said the company's sensor and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies can potentially be applied across various sectors, including for river, marine and building monitoring, while artificial intelligence (AI) usage is expected to boost the company's services and management.
“Concurrently, we intend to retain our existing employees by upgrading their skills so that they possess new knowledge and skills,” he said.
Moving forward, D’Amante plans to focus also on developing solutions based on AI, green technology and sustainable infrastructure, including EV readiness.
D’Amante's story of tenacity in going against the tide, enduring a challenging period for the business sector and turning adversity into strength, is not unlike the determination displayed by another local engineering company, Coperatech Resources Sdn Bhd.
The latter provides construction services, metal fabrication, machine installation and maintenance.
Coperatech, which started with a construction project worth RM70,000 in 2016, is now entrusted with managing projects worth millions of ringgit after building a track record of providing services to big-name clients, including Inokom Corporation Sdn Bhd and Sime Motors.
Its director, Alif Ikhwan Jamaludin, said the company started out small, but the trust placed in it by well-known companies such as Inokom provided a launchpad for Coperatech's business expansion.
“Coperatech initially did a mechanical machinery installation project for an international brand worth about RM480,000. With that project, we not only gained valuable experience but also began earning clients' trust, leading to the opportunity to manage Inokom's office expansion project worth about RM980,000.
“The experience gained from handling each project became the foundation that prepared us to take on greater responsibilities. Eventually, we secured a project valued at RM2.53 million, which is Coperatech's largest to date,” he said in a separate interview with Bernama.
Alif Ikhwan said the biggest initial challenges included securing business opportunities and earning customer trust, as well as ensuring consistent work quality.
“The support and trust given by Inokom and Sime Motors allowed Coperatech to build up its portfolio and participate in larger projects, including those involving international brands,” he said.
Through these opportunities, the bumiputera company gained experience and learned how to manage larger projects and overcome the challenges involved.
However, as the value of projects undertaken increased, so did its working capital and manpower requirements.
Alif Ikhwan said that for a jig cleaning room project, Coperatech obtained additional financing to meet its working capital requirements and expand its workforce, which ensured the project could be completed according to the client's schedule without compromising quality.
“Following this project, we began receiving invitations from other international companies to discuss their project requirements and submit quotations.
“Our track record with Inokom not only increased the confidence of suppliers and financing providers in extending credit or financing to the company, but it also opened up opportunities for Coperatech to secure projects from other clients, including OEM Autoseats Malaysia and Yanfeng Malaysia Automotive Interior Systems Sdn Bhd,” he said.
He said the increase in the number of projects also allowed Coperatech to grow its workforce from 14 to 25 employees and to create opportunities for other small businesses and suppliers.
Alif Ikhwan noted that the company also provides industrial training opportunities for youth to gain practical experience in their respective fields.
On business outlook, Alif Ikhwan said Coperatech currently has several ongoing projects with a combined value of about RM1.5 million as of October, and these are expected to take another three to four months to complete.
The bumiputera vendor's annual revenue had increased nearly fivefold, from RM890,000 in 2016 to RM4.41 million in 2025. He said the company is targeting RM5 million in revenue by 2027.
-- BERNAMA
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