CORPORATE OVERVIEW
The history of Mikro begins with a classic underdog story involving three visionary people coming together, who – with perseverance, brains and a little luck – created a company to design and sell electrical distribution equipment. This pitted them against some of the world’s biggest corporations who already had long established presences in Malaysia and the wider Asian region.
The founders of the company, Yim Yuen Wah, Wong Yin Wah and Fong See Ni, had been working in the electrical industry for many years. They knew that nearly all electrical distribution equipment available in Malaysia was imported from overseas, often by major international players, and sold at a premium. A plan was set in motion to create a company that could offer high quality, locally built, internationally-accredited electrical distribution products, at competitive prices.
The use of electrical distribution equipment was widespread in Malaysia at that time. It was used in all types of buildings, from schools, hospitals and hotels to shopping complexes, banks and industrial plants. Usage was boosted even further in 1994 when the Government passed a law that made their installation compulsory. And it was this upsurge in the demand for electrical distribution equipment, and the fact that large multinationals had a stranglehold on manufacturing and supply, that led the entrepreneurial founders to bring the company into existence.
And so, in 1997, amidst the Asian Financial Crisis, Mikro was born. For the first few years the founders struggled to persuade the market that locally produced products could match foreign competitors in quality, but with perseverance and by always looking for regulatory recognition, Mikro started to develop a reputation for reliability and excellent value.
During the company’s first seven years of existence, the operational focus was placed on creating a large portfolio of products. This was achieved through significant time and monitory efforts being placed on R&D projects, while outsourcing the manufacturing activities to third-party companies. The effect this had was to surprise industry-watchers; here was a relatively small company that could offer a similarly diverse array of products as multinational competitors were offering.
In 2004, to realise the founders’ vision to be a one-stop provider, all out-sourced manufacturing activities were brought in-house. From that point on, the company didn’t have to rely on third-parties to guarantee its output. This also enabled the company to reduce costs while increasing operational efficiency.
Today, with a management team focused on quality and affordability, a dedicated team of engineers and machine operators involved in R&D and production, and with the use of cutting-edge technology, Mikro is going from strength to strength. As it has from the beginning, Mikro continues to deliver quality electrical distribution products at affordable prices.