Research report in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration

Tekspenuh

(1)CY-HANDEE RUBBER MOULDINGS SDN BHD: THE FLUCTUATING COMPANY’S PROFIT MARGIN - A CASE STUDY. By TAN HUI HUANG. Research report in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration. UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA. 2014.

(2) NO. REKOD: PPSP-B-ADK-13. GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS (GSB) UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA. DECLARATION. I hereby declare that the project is based on my original work expect for quotations and citation which have been duly acknowledged. I also declare that it has not been previously or concurrently submitted for any other degree at the USM or any other institutions.. (Signature) Name:. Date:.

(3) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nabsiah Abdul Wahid for her advices, endurance and encouragement throughout this research.. Besides, I would like to give my sincere thanks to my parents for their support and understanding during my MBA study.. In addition, I also want to acknowledge the CYH for providing materials and necessary documents that I required for this project. Special thanks go to the managing director of CYH, Mr. Pong Kai See for allowing me to carry out this research. Again, I have furthermore to thank Mr. Pong Kai See for sharing his knowledge and experiences in the rubber industry.. I am also very grateful to all directors, managers, assistance managers, head of departments, supervisors and those who spent their time to participate in the case study. Last but not least, my sincere appreciation also goes to the manager of Technical and Quality Control Laboratory, Mr. KS Paranthaman for his assistance and encouragement in helping me to complete this case study.. i.

(4) Table of Contents LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ v LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... vi ABSTRAK ....................................................................................................................... vii ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 1 1.1. Background ........................................................................................................... 1. 1.2. Problem Statement ................................................................................................ 3. 1.3. Research Objectives .............................................................................................. 5. 1.4. Research Questions ............................................................................................... 5. CHAPTER 2 - INDUSTRY AND COMPANY PROFILE ........................................... 6 2.1. Malaysian Rubber Industry Profile .................................................................... 6. 2.2. Company Profile: CYH ...................................................................................... 10. 2.2.1. Vision and mission .............................................................................................. 14. 2.2.2. Markets ................................................................................................................ 14. 2.2.3. Organization Structures ..................................................................................... 15. 2.3. Case Issue ............................................................................................................. 20. CHAPTER 3 - LITERATURE REVIEW..................................................................... 23 3.1. Overview of Sustaining Innovation and Disruptive Innovation ..................... 23. 3.2. Profit Maximization versus Growth .................................................................. 25. 3.3. “Commodity Trap” ............................................................................................. 28. 3.4. The Toyota 4P’s Model ....................................................................................... 29. 3.4. Learning-To-See .................................................................................................. 31. 3.5. Quick Response Manufacturing ........................................................................ 32. 3.6. Toyota 4P’s Model versus Learning-To-See versus QRM .............................. 33. CHAPTER 4 - RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ........................................................ 36 4.1. Type of Research ................................................................................................. 36. 4.2. Data Collection and Linkages ............................................................................ 36. 4.3. Data Analysis ....................................................................................................... 38. 4.4. Interviewed Subjects ........................................................................................... 39. CHAPTER 5 - CASE ANALYSIS ................................................................................. 41 5.1. Introduction ......................................................................................................... 41. 5.2. Analyzing Tool for CYH issues and challenges ................................................ 41 ii.

(5) 5.2.1. Strength ................................................................................................................ 42. 5.2.1.1 Good firm reputation .......................................................................................... 42 5.2.1.2 Product quality recognition by customers ........................................................ 43 5.2.2. Weakness ............................................................................................................. 43. 5.2.2.1 Lack of local market products ........................................................................... 43 5.2.2.2 Over-reliance on few major customers ............................................................. 44 5.2.3. Opportunities....................................................................................................... 45. 5.2.3.1 New approach marketing and sales................................................................... 45 5.2.3.2 Emphasis on carbon footprint ........................................................................... 45 5.2.3.3 Product diversification ....................................................................................... 46 5.2.4. Threats ................................................................................................................. 46. 5.2.4.1 Uncertainty in rubber price ............................................................................... 46 5.2.4.2 Slowdown in global economy ............................................................................. 47 5.2.4.3 Price competition ................................................................................................ 47 5.2.4.4 Changes in government policies ........................................................................ 48 5.2.4.5 Currency risk ...................................................................................................... 48 5.3. Analyzing tool for issues and challenges faced by CYH’s production, marketing and management .............................................................................. 49. 5.3.1. Production ........................................................................................................... 50. 5.3.2. Marketing ............................................................................................................ 52. 5.3.3. Management ........................................................................................................ 54. 5.4. Research Question I: Factors that affect CYH’s profit margin ..................... 55. 5.4.1. What are the factors that affect CYH’s profit margin to fluctuate?.............. 56. 5.4.2. What are the issues and challenges faced by CYH’s production, marketing and management in rubber bathmat industry? ............................ 58. 5.4.3. What are the requirements of current bathmat customers? .......................... 61. CHAPTER 6 – DICUSSION, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION ....... 63 6.1. Discussion............................................................................................................. 63. 6.2. Recommendations ............................................................................................... 65. 6.2.1. Recommendations for production aspects ........................................................ 66. 6.2.2. Recommendations for marketing aspects ......................................................... 68. 6.2.3. Recommendations for management aspects ..................................................... 70. 6.3. Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 71. REFERENCE .................................................................................................................. 74 iii.

(6) APPENDICES ................................................................................................................. 80. iv.

(7) LIST OF TABLES. Page Table 1.1. Rubber bathmats shipped to Rubbermaid, 2009. Table 3.1. Comparison between Toyota 4P’s Model, Learning-To-See and QRM. 33. Table 4.1. Data linkage. 37. Table 4.2. People Interviewed. 40. Table 5.1. SWOT Analysis CYH. 42. v. 4.

(8) LIST OF FIGURES. Page Figure 1.1. CYH rubber bathmats shipments 1996-2013. 7. Figure 2.1. Rubber products contribution to national exports. 8. Figure 2.2. Malaysia's export of rubber products by product sector,. 13. Figure 2.3. A perfectly formed suction cup. 14. Figure 2.4. CYH Vision and Mission statement. 14. Figure 2.5. CYH shipment by region, 2013. 15. Figure 2.6. Organization Chart of CYH. 19. Figure 2.7. Yearly average price for SMR L, 2003-2013. 21. Figure 3.1. Toyota 4P’s model. 31. Figure 5.1. CYH shipment by customer, 2013. 44. Figure 5.2. Fishbone diagram for factors affecting CYH‟s profit margin. 49. Figure 5.3. Production aspects. 50. Figure 5.4. CYH production process flow. 50. Figure 5.5. Marketing aspects. 52. Figure 5.6. Management aspects. 54. vi.

(9) ABSTRAK CY-Handee (CYH) Rubber Mouldings Sdn Bhd pada masa ini merupakan salah satu pengeksport utama tikar bilik mandi (bathmat) getah di dunia. Syarikat ini telah memberi tumpuan kepada reka bentuk, pembuatan dan pemasaran tikar bilik mandi sedutan. Dalam tahun-tahun kebelakangan ini, CYH telah mengalami isu turun naik dalam margin keuntungan menjadikannya sesuai dipilih sebagai kajian kes. Kes ini bertumpu kepada pengenalpastian faktor-faktor yang memberi kesan kepada margin keuntungan CYH yang turun naik. Temuduga secara mendalam telah dijalankan dengan tujuh subjek dari CYH untuk mengetahui isu-isu dan cabaran dalam aspek pengeluaran, pemasaran dan pengurusan serta keperluan pelanggan dalam industri tikar bilik mandi sedutan getah. Berdasarkan lintasan sastera, kajian mendapati CYH dibatasi dalam "perangkap komoditi" di mana tikar bilik mandi sedutan getah sebagai komoditi telah meletakkan firma dalam persaingan berasaskan harga semata-mata. Analisis SWOT digunakan untuk mengetahui faktor-faktor luar yang memberi kesan kepada margin keuntungan CYH sementara analisis tulang ikan (Fishbone Analysis) digunakan untuk mengenal pasti isu-isu dan cabaran daripada pengeluaran, pemasaran dan pengurusan aspek. Beberapa cadangan diutarakan untuk pengeluaran, pemasaran dan aspek pengurusan sebagai penyelesaian untuk memastikan CYH boleh kekal sebagai peneraju pasaran dalam industri tikar bilik mandi sedutan getah dan juga untuk memastikan kemampanannya.. vii.

(10) ABSTRACT. CY-Handee (CYH) Rubber Mouldings Sdn Bhd is currently one of the major exporters of rubber bathmat in the world. The company has been focusing on the design, manufacture and marketing of bathroom suction mats. In recent years, CYH has been experiencing fluctuating in profit margin making it a perfect choice as a case study. This case focuses on identifying factors that affect CYH‟s fluctuating profit margin. In-depth interviews were carried out with seven subjects from CYH to find out the issues and challenges in the aspect of production, marketing and management as well as the customer requirements in rubber bathmat industry. From literature review, this study found that CYH is bounded in a “commodity trap” as commoditization of rubber bathmat has put the firm into a purely price-based competition. SWOT analysis is employed to find out the external factors that affects CYH‟s fluctuating profit margin and Fishbone Analysis is used to identify the issues and. challenges. from. production,. marketing. and. management. aspects.. Recommendations for production, marketing and management aspects are proposed to ensure CYH can stay as a market leader in rubber bathmat industry as well as to assure its sustainability.. viii.

(11) CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION 1.1. Background CY-Handee (CYH) Rubber Mouldings Sdn Bhd is one of the rubber products. manufacturers in Malaysia. Throughout the years, the company has grown from a small rubber bathmat manufacturer to the largest rubber bathmat producer in Malaysia. To date, CYH is currently a market leader in rubber bathmat industry, as there is no other known single rubber bathmat manufacturer in Southeast Asia that can match up with CYH in term of capacity. In addition, the rubber bathmats that CYH‟s shipped were estimated to contribute up to 60 to 70 per cent of total rubber bathmat market shares worldwide (CYH, 2013).. Rubber bathmat is viewed as one of a commodity bathroom accessory in many countries. The origin of a rubber bathmat is unclear. Mr. Pong (2014), managing director of CYH estimated that that rubber bathmat was invented and popularized in Europe countries after the creation of modern bathtubs in early 19th century. Normally, most modern bathtubs are made of acrylic or fiberglass which is lighter, cheaper and easier to form into various shapes (GreenGoods Bath Factory, 2014). It can be slippery, especially when wet due to the smooth surface (Slip Doctors, 2014). Falls in the tub can be dangerous, as for a person's head may strike a hard surface like the tub or the floor while falling. Children and older adults are particularly susceptible to falls in the bathroom area (WiseGEEK, 2014). Therefore, rubber bathmat is used to provide safety in the bathtub for people to stand on and to prevent slipping in the tub during a bath or shower.. 1.

(12) In the early days of business, around 1995 to 2006, rubber bathmat market is viewed as niche market where the product is focused on a small market segment derived. The rubber bathmat is aimed to satisfy specific market needs, especially the safety in using bathtub. At that time, CYH had the control on price of the product with a relatively good profit margin. However, the situation started to change since 2007 onwards. A study by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants (2014), entitled "Escaping the commodity trap", shows that 63 per cent of the companies surveyed in United State of America, i.e. rubber products, telecommunications and financial services are experiencing commoditization in their products and services. In Malaysia, the rubber industry is also facing the similar problem. Over the years, the perception of rubber bathmat has somehow been “downgraded” to the level of commodity product rather than shopping product, where it is considered to be the same or similar to the other type of bathmats from other manufacturers. Even the market leader like CYH is now facing the marketplace‟s pressure as the firm‟s profit margin fluctuates due to limited product differentiation, high price of raw materials and price-based competition. Nearly all industries like rubber industry, steel industry, wood industry and etc. today are contesting with the increasing commoditization of their products and services. This is putting significant pressure on prices and margins and leads to more intense competition.. A Roland Berger‟s expert, Michael Zollenkop (2014) explains: “Companies that focus on price competition instead of investing in innovation, added value and adjusting their business models will inevitably face steadily falling prices for substitutable products or services. This means profit margins will continuously shrink, the industry will consolidate and many companies will fold." In CYH‟s case, the company has been 2.

(13) enjoying the growth in rubber bathmat market from 1996 to 2006 but starts to fluctuate from year 2007 onwards.. According to Jaskyte (2011), innovations are increasing in importance especially in the commodity industry as competition becomes more intense in terms of pricing. Innovation has a considerable role in the contemporary business environment. Innovation is the development of new customer‟s value through solutions that meet new needs, articulate needs or fulfilling existing customers and market needs in new ways. For instance, rubber bathmat is traditionally used to provide safety and comfort when using bathtub in the bathroom. Nowadays, bathmat is also used to enhance the artistic of a bathroom. Over the years, CYH has been trying hard to capture a larger market share in rubber bathmat through innovative changes in products‟ design, colour and appearance. Yet the future of company growth is still unclear.. 1.2. Problem Statement A commodity trap is a circumstance when products and services are forced to be. engaged in a purely price-based competition (Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, 2014). Providers of "commodity" products or services will find themselves face increasing price and margin pressure. For example, CYH overall shipments for rubber bathmat have been recording growth since 1996, nevertheless the shipments has been fluctuating between 2.0 to 2.5 million on 2007 onwards. Rubbermaid, a subsidiary of Newell Rubbermaid, an American manufacturer and distributor of many household items is one of the CYH‟s. 3.

(14) major customers. In 2009, the range of rubber bathmats that shipped to Rubbermaid is as Table 1.1.. Table 1.1 Rubber bathmats shipped to Rubbermaid, 2009 (Source: CYH, 2010) No. Model. Size. Colour. Price (RM / piece) 6.50. Volume (pieces) 200, 000. 1. SM 7035. Small. White/ Blue/ Brown. 2. SM 7040. Medium White/ Blue/ Brown. 7.50. 200, 000. 3. SM 7043. Large. 9.00. 100, 000. White/ Blue/ Brown. Figure 1.1 CYH rubber bathmats shipments 1996-2013 (Source: CYH internal report, 2014). Moreover, manufacturers also have faced no escape from the intense marketplace competition by traditional means of exceling from the competition. In Malaysian rubber. 4.

(15) products industry, the trend of sustaining innovation is common with further diversification, emphasizing on high value-added and high technology rubber products, such as products for engineering, construction and marine applications (Malaysian Investment Development Authority, 2013). For CYH, changes are made in designs, textures and colours of rubber bathmat in order to gain a larger rubber bathmat market share. Additionally, the providers also found themselves facing competition from new market players, resulting in production overcapacities which will affect company‟s performance and profitability. For instance, CYH rubber bathmats shipments had shrunk in 2011 due to the new market player, Bao Yuan located in Vietnam (CYH, 2010). Obviously, CYH has to do something different or additional to what CYH has been doing till now to continue the positive growth trend. This may be achieved through the identification of factors that affect the firm‟s profit margin.. 1.3. Research Objectives. The broad objective of this research is to find out the factors that affects CYH‟s profit margin to fluctuate.. 1.4 Research Questions To accomplish the broad objective above, the following questions will be addressed: RQ: What are the factors that affects CYH‟s profit margin to fluctuate? The sub-questions for this Research Question will be:. a) What are the issues and challenges faced by CYH‟s production, marketing and management in rubber bathmat industry? b) What are the requirements of bathmat customers? 5.

(16) CHAPTER 2 - INDUSTRY AND COMPANY PROFILE 2.1. Malaysian Rubber Industry Profile Malaysia is globally renowned for its high quality and competitively priced. rubber products (Malaysian Investment Development Authority, 2012). Malaysian rubber products manufacturers consist of multinationals such as Bridgestone, Dunlop and Goodyear as well as joint ventures from various countries including the German, China, Japan, Europe and USA like Max Groups (Malaysian-China joint venture), Saiko Rubber (M) Sdn Bhd (Malaysian-Japanese joint venture) and Richter Hi-Tech Sdn. Bhd (Malaysian-German joint-venture), and locally-owned medium and small sized enterprises, i.e. CYH, Medical Rubber and Principle Win.. According to Malaysian Investment Development Authority (2012), the local rubber industry has shown tremendous growth over the years. The Malaysian rubber products industry consists of more than 500 manufacturers producing:i). latex products, i.e. Topglove and Hartalega produce gloves and Karex manufactures condoms;. ii). tyres and tyre-related products, i.e. Bridgestone and Goodyear famous for passenger car tyres, commercial vehicle tyres and earthmover tyres; and. iii). industrial and general rubber products, i.e. CYH produce rubber bathmat, Wellcall make hoses and Eliteflex manufactures seals, weatherstrips, gaskets and etc.. 6.

(17) In 2009, top five main importers of Malaysian rubber products include USA, Germany, Japan, UK and Singapore. The United States was the most significant destination for Malaysian rubber product exports, comprising 26.8% of the total Malaysian rubber product exports (International Rubber Study Group, 2010). According to Malaysian Rubber Export Promotion Council (2013), exports of rubber products from Malaysia have been increasing since 2001. Malaysian rubber products are exported to more than 190 countries globally. The value of national exports exceeded RM9.0 billion in 2006 and achieved RM 14.6 billion in 2013, as shown in Figure 2.1. Overall, rubber products accounted for 2.03 per cent of Malaysia's total exports in 2013.. Figure 2.1 Rubber products contribution to national exports (Source: Malaysia Rubber Board, 2014: page 13). According to Malaysian Rubber Export Promotion Council (2013), Malaysia is the seventh largest consumer of natural rubber in 2013. The domestic consumption of natural rubber for 2013 was 434,192 tonnes. China was ranked on the top of natural 7.

(18) rubber consumption followed by India, the USA, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand. In Figure 2.2, latex products accounted for 82.5 per cent of Malaysia's export of rubber products by product sector, followed by general rubber products at 6.1 per cent, where rubber bathmat is grouped in.. Figure 2.2: Malaysia's export of rubber products by product sector, 2013 (Source: Malaysia Rubber Board, 2014: page 25). In term of manufacturing capacity, CYH is one of the leaders in producing rubber bathmat. Existing setup enables CYH to produce up to 3 million rubber bathmat per year. Other rubber bathmat manufacturing industry players in Malaysia are Medical Rubber and Principal Win. Nevertheless, original equipment manufacturer from new emerging countries like Vietnam and China are also catching up fast (CYH, 2011).. 8.

(19) Malaysian Investment Development Authority (2012) pointed that the rubber industry aims to generate RM52.9 billion to the Malaysia‟s Gross National Income (GNI) by 2020. Malaysia government continues to promote the development of Malaysia's resource-based industries like rubber mainly because the country intends to diversify the sources of the country‟s economic growth. The government thus has emphasises on fiscal incentives to promote specific activities especially for the rubber products industry. Pioneer Status (PS) with income tax exemption of 70% of statutory income for 5 years or Investment Tax Allowance (ITA) of 60% of qualifying capital expenditure incurred within a period of 5 years is provided to further encourage investments in resource-based industries; particularly local rubber companies that reinvest to expand their projects. For example, CYH was granted Pioneer Status when the company start up in 1994. Pioneer Status expired in 1999.. Plastics and Rubber Institute Malaysia (PRIM), Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) and Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre (TARRC) are the three of main organisations that provide research and development support in Malaysia rubber industry. The PRIM was founded in 1983, as it advanced from Institute of the Rubber Industry in Malaysia which was formed in 1962. PRIM is attached to the Plastics and Rubber Institute (PRI) United Kingdom, established in 1975, by the merger of the Institute of the Rubber Industry, founded in 1921 and Plastics Institute (1931). The main aim of PRIM is to develop and promote the polymer science and technology in Malaysia and to service the expert needs of those involving in plastic and rubber industry. The Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) which was founded in 1998, on the other hand acts as a custodian of the rubber industry in Malaysia. The research and development work in natural rubber are 9.

(20) done by the Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia (RRIM), a research and development unit under the Malaysian Rubber Board (Malaysian Rubber Board, 2014) Similarly, TARRC which established in 1938 is also aimed to promote and assist the Malaysian rubber and rubber products industries.. In sum, with the ease of accessibility in quality raw materials, good infrastructure, political stability and research and development support from research and development units such as PRIM, MRB and TARRC, Malaysia shall continue to growth as a major player in rubber industry, supplying the world market with a wide range of rubber products.. 2.2. Company Profile: CYH Established in 1995, CY-Handee (CYH) Rubber Mouldings Sdn Bhd is currently. one of the major exporters of rubber suction in bathmat in the world. The word “CY” is a short form for “Chong Yang” (or “中央” in Mandarin), which carries the meaning of “central”. The name of the company is resulted from rebranding of two companies, Chong Yang Rubber Works and Handee Express which are both owned by the same shareholder. The company‟s ownership is made up of 51 per cent Malaysian and 49 per cent Singaporean. It has been a long road before seeing CYH growing from a humble beginning to a dominant position in its chosen niche market by paying close attention to basics.. 10.

(21) CYH is located in Parit Buntar Industrial Estate, Preak with a total land area of 5.5 acres with a built-up area of 55,000 sq. ft. The company has about 200 workers and mainly focuses on production of rubber suction bathmats for international market. This factory was located an hour‟s drive from the tropical island paradise of Penang international airport, which means that visiting buyers will have no problem mixing business with pleasure. Malaysia confers other advantages as well, part of this steam from Malaysia‟s reputation as the world‟s premier producer of quality natural rubber.. Lead by the company‟s Managing Director, Mr. Pong Kai See, a UK-trained rubber techno-economist, with 40 years of experience behind him, CYH‟s rapid growth and marketplace acceptance are the results of offering what customer wants i.e. quality, price and service. Mr. Pong‟s characters are best described as “Type A” personality (McLeod, 2011). He is ambitious, and wishes to bring CYH achieve world‟s best practice. Mr. Pong (2004) mentioned that CYH‟s production systems and product quality have to be at the world best in order to compete with the world‟s best. In addition, Mr. Pong is also actively participated and well-known in Malaysia rubber industry. He is currently the elected president of PRIM for year 2014 to 2016.. For the past 10 years, CYH had gone through a lot of highs and lows. In 2006, the company got a huge order from Rubbermaid, an American manufacturer and distributor of many household items, has boosted the total shipment of rubber bathmat up to the historical high of 2.8 million pieces. Soon after, CYH‟s business was affected 11.

(22) by the economic recession faced by USA and European countries in 2007 to 2008. In 2009, Ikea, a multinational group of companies that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture, appliances and home accessories, placed a huge order for a new series of rubber bathmat with innovative designs. As the company started to recover, Ikea halted their order and switched to another OEM located in Vietnam citing price (cost) as the reason for switching. 2011 is also the year where natural rubber price hit the historical high, over RM 14 per kg. Faced with low orders of rubber bathmat and high price of raw materials, CYH went into a dilemma whether to retreat or continue with the business. After a management meeting, the management concluded there is still a future for rubber bathmat and decided to continue the business. Thankfully, after a year, CYH‟s marketing team won back Ikea‟s order and the natural rubber price had also slowly decreased. Only then that the business picked up its pace and slowly went back on track. However, a rumour that CYH heard from Ikea on the possibility of the company to change their business interest in 2015 may be a blow to CYH‟s profit margin.. In CYH, the company does not view the humble rubber bathmat as a commodity item. CYH strongly believe that the guiding principle is that bathmat should perform its designated function; which means it should grip the bathtub and should not slip. The concept behind the gripping action of the bathmat suction cup is atmospheric pressure. Depressing the suction cup expels air, creating a partial vacuum, when the rubber recovers. Optional sucker efficiency is the result of favourable combinations of suction cup geometry and thickness as well as strength of the rubber compound. In addition, production technology also plays a very important role in ensuring perfect formation of 12.

(23) suction cup during manufacture. The slightest imperfection causes air leakage and destroys the vacuum. A perfectly formed suction cup is shown in Figure 2.3.. Figure 2.3: A perfectly formed suction cup. “A good quality sells itself” (Bryan, 2004). To this we can add, as far as the bathmat is concerned, “A bad product will land you in court”. Safety is an important issue. There is always the possibility of some irate customer will sue if a failed bathmat resulted in injuries. According to Mr Pong (2014), there were several reported cases where the end-users slipped and felt from the bathmat produced by CYH‟s competitors; however the lawsuits are rarely disclosed to the public.. Over the years, through research and development, CYH has optimized the suction cup design to provide maximum suction and ease of production. Their efforts in this area, combined with attention to production and value engineering, have enable CYH to market a premium product competitively in world markets. With the capacity to produce 3 million bathmats per annum, CYH is perhaps one of only a handful of manufactures worldwide able to meet volume delivery at short notice.. 13.

(24) 2.2.1. Vision and mission Vision. To be a world-class manufacturer of repute and excellence in the industry that we are in Mission To lead in the manufacturing of innovative and value-added consumer products with mass appeal worldwide in the industry that we are in Figure 2.4: CYH Vision and Mission statement (CYH, 2014). 2.2.2. Markets The products are sold through corporate customers‟, i.e. Ikea which designs and. sells ready-to-assemble furniture, appliances as well as home accessories and Rubbermaid, an American manufacturer and distributor of many household items to all around the world, such as Canada, USA, Mexico, United Kingdom, Holland, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Thailand, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Philippines, New Zealand, Russia, France, Sweden Norway, Germany, Denmark and so on.. 14.

(25) Figure 2.5: CYH shipment by region, 2013 (Source: CYH, 2014). 2.2.3. Organization Structures Figure 2.6 shows the organization chart of CYH. CYH company structure is set. up with eleven departments headed by the company managing director, Mr. Pong Kai See. Departments such as human resources, production and finishing are directly reported to managing director. Account department and purchasing department are under Administration Director, Mr. Lai Wing Hing. Manufacturing Director, Mr. Derrick Emuang is responsible for Technical & QC Lab, quality assurance department and warehouse. Whereas marketing department and shipping department are managed by Marketing Director, Ms. Joyce Lee. Only Technical & QC Lab, quality assurance, marketing, shipping, production and maintenance department comprise a manager. While other departments have their own head of department.. 15.

(26) Fundamentally, each department operation is interlinked to each other and they have to work together in order to achieve company goals. Therefore, the key performance indicator (KPI) is employed to monitor the performance of each department. Besides, each department has to support other department in synchronization of day-today operations and ensuring the company is running smoothly. The functions of each department are listed as below:. 1. Account department (3 people) Responsible for managing accounting matters, such as cash flow and operations cost. 2. Purchasing department (3 people) Purchase department buys raw materials, packaging materials, spare parts, services and etc. as required by the company. The department also assists in controlling of stock. 3. Technical & Quality Control Lab (8 people) Responsible for managing the quality and technical issues in daily operational activities. This department also responsible for research and development and inspection of incoming raw materials. 4. Quality assurance department (9 people) Responsible for testing and quality assurance of finished goods. The department also assists in setting the specification for packaging materials. 5. Marketing department (4 people) Responsible for providing market information and trend, planning for sales, liaising with customers, executing order processing as well as being CYH 16.

(27) frontline contact with customer. In addition, marketing department also responsible in pushing CYH‟s latest developments and new concepts to customers. 6. Shipping department (5 people) Responsible for managing the output delivery as required by the customers. This department also responsible for managing the appointment transporter and cargo handler. 7. Human resources department (4 people) Responsible for managing the manpower, staff training and staff development. This department also tasked to establish and monitor the safety concerns of the company. 8. Production department (126 people) Responsible for compounding and moulding operations, which are the main functions in ensuring that the products required are produced sufficiently to meet to plan and sales demand. Moreover, the department also responsible for ensuring the factory are operating at the optimum level by taking into consideration the operation cost in every aspect. 9. Maintenance department (10 people) Maintenance department also called as engineering department. The department is responsible for maintenance, repairing and setting up of machines. This department also assists the company in building, maintaining and repairing in daily operational activities as required by the company.. 17.

(28) 10. Warehouse (6 people) Responsible for managing the raw materials and products as well as managing the stock balance for raw materials and products. The department also tasked to upload the finished goods into the container. 11. Finishing department (30 people) Responsible for trimming and packing the products.. Overall, the company‟s business operation is overseen by the managing director, who is responsible for setting of the company direction and strategy as well as monitoring the business performance, financial planning and resources.. 18.

(29) Figure 2.6: Organization Chart of CYH. Source: CYH (2014). 19.

(30) 2.3. Case Issue Mass customization is the new area in business competition for both. manufacturing and service industries. The idea is to increase in variety and customization without a corresponding increase in costs. It can be ranged from mass production of individually customized goods and services up to providing strategic advantage and economic value for the business. According to McCarthy (2004), mass customization involves balancing operational drivers. It is defined as the capability to manufacture a relatively high volume of product options for a relatively large market (or collection of niche markets) that demands customization, without tradeoffs in cost, delivery and quality.. CYH has been focusing on the design, manufacture and marketing of bathroom suction mats is chosen as subject for this case study. The production targets are to meet the output and yield, which are 12,000 pieces per day and 96 per cent respectively. Over the years, increased customization of bathmats is done to attract customers, while the selling price remained at competitive level. Currently, there are more than 500 different designs and over 150 different types of colours in production.. In Figure 2.6, the price for Standard Malaysia Rubber Grade L had increased exponentially from about RM 4 per kilograms in 2003 to over RM 14 per kilograms in 2011. As a rubber manufacturer, the margins and profitability are greatly affected by the natural rubber prices. Being an OEM, CYH orders are very depended from the 20.

(31) customers. Thus, pass on the cost of rubber fluctuations back to CYH‟s customers cannot be done effectively.. Figure 2.8: Yearly average price for SMR L, 2003-2013 (Source: Malaysia Rubber Board, 2014). In 2009, 88 per cent of total CYH rubber bathmat was shipped to Europe countries and USA. Therefore, financial crisis of 2007 to 2008 in USA (Isidore, 2008) and the recession of 2008 to 2009 in Eurozone (Centre for Economic Policy Research, 2014) had a great impact to CYH business. The financial crisis has greatly affected the growth of rubber bathmat market as well as CYH‟s profit margin. In addition, CYH also highly exposed to fluctuation of currency exchange rates as nature of business deal with export markets, especially USA, UK and Australia.. 21.

(32) One of the OEM from Vietnam, Bao Yuan had started price competition with CYH around 2010 (CYH, 2010). It possessed as a threat to CYH, as new emerging country like Vietnam has a low-manufacturing cost and lower labour cost to start off. Assuming that the costs of raw materials and overheads are the same for Vietnam‟s manufacturer and CYH, it is estimated that the Vietnam‟s manufacturer could have 5 to 10 per cent margin in its direct labour costs compared to what CYH can achieve.. CYH‟s core product has always been rubber bathmat and this situation has not been change for years. Other than design, colour and texture, there are barely any significant innovative changes in rubber bathmat. Moreover, CYH is also facing a strong demanded for cheaper bathmat from the customers‟ side. Without significant valueadded innovations and differentiation, CYH has been a price taker.. These situations have been observed as factors for why CYH has been experiencing fluctuating in profit margin in recent years. This has to be tackled to ensure the company can remain as a market leader in rubber bathmat industry as well as to ensure its sustainability. To do this it is thought that the problem can be solved though identifying the factors that affects CYH‟s profit margin to fluctuate.. 22.

(33) CHAPTER 3 - LITERATURE REVIEW 3.1. Overview of Sustaining Innovation and Disruptive Innovation Sustaining innovation and disruptive innovation are broadly discussed in. innovation-based studies. Professor Clayton Christensen (1997) pointed that sustaining innovation occurs when a firm engaged on improvements to their products and processes in order to enhance value propositions that surpass customers‟ expectations. The main purpose of sustaining innovation is to keep pace with current market competition. Sustaining innovation does not create new markets but rather only advances existing ones with better value. It is the common innovation path taken by firms to sustain their business in their existing mainstream market segment where their leading customers and competitions operate.. In contrast to sustaining innovation, a disruptive innovation is an innovation that forms a new market and value network. It wills eventually displacing earlier technology in an existing market and value network. Christensen (1997) proposed that successful companies can put too much priority on customers' current needs, and fail to adopt new technology or business models that will meet customers' unstated or future needs, thus such companies will eventually fall behind. Christensen (1997) theory, i.e. “Disruptive innovation” theory explains the phenomenon by which an innovation alters an existing market by introducing simplicity, convenience, accessibility and affordability where complication and high cost is the current barrier. Initially, a disruptive innovation is created in a niche market that may appear unattractive or inconsequential to current industry, but eventually the new product or idea completely redefines the whole industry.. 23.

(34) Habtay (2012) proposed that disruptive innovation business model could be categorized into technology-driven and market-driven. Technology-driven model is referring to a business model that is led by research and development process with the resultant disruptive innovation technologies which will advance into the market before any business opportunities arise. On the other hand, a market-driven model consists of less sophisticated technologies that fulfill the radical in value propositions of the existing customers.. In technology-driven business model, it will take a longer time to gain acceptability from the existing market. Market uncertainty is an obstruction when it involved new technologies, especially in market positioning. However, with the advancement of the technology, a company can enjoy the advantage of being the first mover in setting the price of the products (Habtay, 2012). For example, glove industry has advanced into a technology-driven type of industry. In future, glove manufacturers will need to compete in technology in order to stay in business. Glove manufacturers want to invest more in technology especially automated production lines, advanced production process technology and latex formulation technology in order to counter rising labour costs and stay ahead in competition (Lim, 2014).. In contrast, a market-driven disruption business model has relative stability in existing technology. The market is demand-oriented and the products positioning is relatively clear for new entrants. Nevertheless, the market tends to undergoes rapid growth and disrupts the mainstream market in a relatively short time due to resource endowments and economic feasibility. In longer term, market-driven disruptiveness will 24.

(35) reach its maximum level and started to turn sluggish as a result of cost impact and specialization effects (Habtay, 2012). For instance, rubber recycling is distinctly a market-driven business where market and customer requirements need to be identified before starting the business (Miles, 2010).. In the perspective of the Malaysian rubber bathmat industry, the bathmat production technology is relatively old and unchanged. All rubber manufactures have similar production set-up like Banbury mixer, two roll mills, calendar, compression machine and etc. which diminishes any advantages made possible by technology. Therefore, in view of the two disruptive innovations business models, Malaysian bathmat industry could adopt the market-driven model as the products positioning for rubber bathmat is relatively clear as a safety requirement in bathtub.. 3.2. Profit Maximization versus Growth Many economists recognize that profit maximization and growth are the two. competing goals of the firm. Profit maximization is viewed as one of the most common hypotheses in the traditional theory of the firm. However, „managerial theories‟ criticize that managers want to maximize the growth of the firm. There is a trade-off between profit and growth. Firm managers have found it difficult when they need to simultaneously work toward achieving both goals. Hence, they are bounded to pursue either profit or growth, but not both (Penrose, 1959). Until today, Penrose (1959) theory still holds to be valid, as the speed of the firm's growth is very depended on its administration. Expansion of the firm requires more recruitment and training are. 25.

(36) required for the new recruits for them can perform effectively. These processes take time and restrain the firm from growing fast.. Profit-oriented managers often opt to give up on growth opportunities to maintain high levels of profit. They view growth as an obstruction for higher profitability, as expansion of projects often takes managerial focus away from profitability. On the other hand, rapid growth increases organizational complexity, which becomes a major challenge to managers. This is because as a firm gets larger, improving profitability becomes much harder to achieve for management (Arbaugh & Camp, 2000).. The debate between profit and growth is an ongoing debate. In Pecking Order theory, Myers and Majluf (1984) proposed that firms prefer internal finance for their investments due to asymmetric information between the firm and outside investors. The main source of fund for internal finance is profit of the firm, as an increase in profit is theorized to make an increase in retained earnings of the firm. Thus, internal finance will enable an increase in investment activities as well as making further expansion for the growth of the firm. These also generate opportunities for more profitability for the firm.. On the other hand, growth can also create opportunities to foster profitability. This argument is often supported by “scale economies”, “network externalities”, “first mover advantages” and “experience curve effects” (Steffens et al., 2009).. 26.

(37) As a company grows, the cost advantage that arises with increased output of production units. Thus, the company will have a better chance to decrease its costs, thus improve firm profitability (Gupta, 1981). Besides, network externalities enable a company to secure favorable contracts with suppliers and buyers, which can lead to more profitable prices (Markman & Gartner, 2002). The access to distribution channels allows a change in the benefit, that an agent derives from a good when the number of other agents consuming the same kind of good changes. Positive network externalities exist if the benefits are an increasing function of the number of other users. The best examples are Topglove and Supermax, market leader in glove industry with 23 per cent and 11 per cent respectively in global market share of glove. Michelle (2010), financial analyst of Deutsche Bank pointed that both companies dominate by scale economies, wide distribution networks as well as pricing power.. In addition, being the first in industry allows a company to acquire superior brand recognition and customer loyalty. This also creates competitive advantage that a company earns by being the first to enter a specific business. According to Kuan (2014), Executive Chairman of Hartalega, the company is acknowledged in first mover advantage of creating lightweight nitrile glove in 2005. The company has pioneered the making of nitrile gloves with over a decade of delivering primary technological improvements as well as an unmatched quality standard.. In addition, the experience curve refers to the effect that firms learn from doing. The higher the cumulative volume of production of a company, the lower the direct cost per new unit produced. This explains that the positive impact of growth on profit is more 27.

(38) likely in established firms rather than younger firms, as younger firms do not have the competitive advantages obtained from growth. Furthermore, younger firms with a higher growth may leads to increased structural complexity, thus causing more problems and challenges to the young firms (Hambrick & Crozier, 1985). For example, over the years, CYH has learned, optimized and balanced the design of the suction cup with the ease of production. This has minimized the production defects due to the formation of suction cup and improved the overall production output. Thus, CYH has the competitive advantages over competitors, particularly in volume of production.. 3.3. “Commodity Trap” "Commodities" are products and services, such as rubber bathmat, coffee bean,. financial service that having high level of uniformities in term of quality, specifications, features and etc. It exposes intense competition with similar, replaceable products and services and it is also subjected to major price transparency for customers, generally in a buyers' market (Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, 2014).. Commoditization is best described as a damaging form of competition which is ruining markets, interrupting industries and affecting long-successful firms. It happens when a firm has to constantly improve quality or features of the product while decreasing prices to maintain with competitors (D'Aveni, 2010). Roland Berger Strategy Consultants (2014) named this kind of situation as “Commodity Trap”, as commoditization put a firm into purely price-based competition. Best example would be the price competition between CYH and a Vietnam‟s OEM in 2011, as the customer demanded for cheaper rubber bathmat and switched their order to Vietnam. 28.

(39) Roland Berger Strategy Consultants (2014) also pointed that commodity trap can be a single or combination outcomes of customers, technologies or products and competition, where each element reinforces each other in the way of technological advancement leads to standardized, new competitor enter the market and customers‟ choice is mainly price-based rather than features. Anyhow, a firm will eventually face the considerable price and margin pressure, consequently, in a commodity trap.. Zollenkop (2014) from Roland Berger suggested that there are two ways to get out from the commodity trap. The firm can either continue to play by the rules and goes in more intense competition or “destroy the trap” by changing the rules. In the former case, a firm has to go on with more aggressive cost cutting in order to compete with competitors. Whereas, the second case requires the company to analyze its products and market position, followed by reformulate the marketing strategy, product portfolios as well as business models to suit the new market conditions for long-term success.. 3.4. The Toyota 4P’s Model Toyota Motor Corporation‟s managerial approach and production system has. been practicing a group of principles and behaviors which is named as “The Toyota Way” (Toyota Motor, 2003). According to Liker (2004), the Toyata 4P‟s model representation of Toyota‟s 14 main principles grouped into four different sections covers the main principles of the Toyota Way. Toyata 4P‟s model emphasizes on lean manufacturing in order to cope with the high-mix, low-volume environment.. 29.

(40) Lean manufacturing is a production philosophy originated from the Toyota Production System. Lean manufacturing examines the resources‟ expenditure in every aspect other than the direct generation of value for the end customer and eliminates those are wasteful. Fundamentally, lean manufacturing is focused on making obvious what adds value by reducing waste or any activity that consumes resources without adding value in design, manufacturing, distribution, and customer service processes (Holweg, 2007).. The base of the 4P model as shown in Figure 3.1 is Toyota‟s Long Term Philosophy of basing all management decisions on the long-term outcome, at the expenditure of short-term financial goals. The second section is the Process principles, such as pull systems, continuous flow, workload leveling, and standardization that administrate Lean Manufacturing. The third section focuses on the development and growth of individuals that live the culture of the company though Principles Tools of managing People and Partners. The last section stresses on Toyota‟s method of solving problems by aggressively seeking the root cause (Liker, 2004).. 30.

(41) Figure 3.1: Toyota 4P‟s model (Source: Adapted from Liker, 2004). 3.4. Learning-To-See Value stream mapping is a lean management method for examining the current. state and mapping out a future state for the series of events that take a product or service from its beginning through to the customer (Rother & Shook, 2003). The purpose of Value Stream Mapping is to make Lean Manufacturing accessible by simplifying Toyota Production Principles into 8 easily steps to be drawn out and practiced. Learning-To-See aids as an innovative tool for Value Stream Mapping to comprehend Lean Manufacturing through observation and prioritize improvements.. Learning-To-See proposes to map out the entire door-to-door production using a very specific set of icons to represent different situations in the process. In the meantime, it also shows the information flow used to control the production floor. Value Stream Map gives a holistic view of the process allows the users to visualize where the most 31.

(42) waste is being generated at a flow level. It also called as Current State Value Stream Map which allows the users with a very useful tool to present ideas and generate ideas outside of Lean Manufacturing.. Once the first map of the process is completed, the map is used to visualize, prioritize, and implement Lean Manufacturing initiatives through the 8 steps based on Lean Philosophy and the Toyota Production System.. Future State Value Stream Map is formed once the 8 steps have been completed on the Current State. It normally incorporates several Lean Manufacturing ideas such as Takt Time, pull systems, continuous flow, small batch size, etc. in order to visualize the operation process after leaned down.. 3.5. Quick Response Manufacturing Quick Response Manufacturing (QRM) is defined as the management. philosophy concerned with the relentless reduction of internal and external lead times. It pointed that lead time is one of the differentiating factors in gaining competitive advantage as large amounts of Work-in-Progress is linked to costs of capital. QRM also proposed producing product with 80 per cent capacity as having the extra capacity enable rapid release of products with the thought that the investment given by utilizing to 80 per cent can reward itself many times over in increased sales (Suri, 1998).. 32.

(43) 3.6. Toyota 4P’s Model versus Learning-To-See versus QRM. Table 3.1: Comparison between Toyota 4P‟s Model, Learning-To-See and QRM. Approach. Toyota 4P’s Model. Learning-To-See. A set of principles and. Prioritize. Quick Response Manufacturing Reducing internal. behaviors in two keys. improvements. and external lead. area:-. through observation. times.. continuous improve. before. through lean. implementation of. management and. lean management.. respect for people. Expected. Lean manufacturing to. Simplified lean. Gaining. outcome. improve overall. manufacturing. competitive. customer value and. implementation by. advantage and. drives organizational. visualizing the. market share.. learning.. production process.. Disadvanta. Supply problems, high. New Inefficiencies,. Increased reliance. ges. cost of implementation,. problems with. on suppliers, large. customer. supply, worker. variations in. dissatisfaction. frustration.. demand, require. problems, lack of. change of. acceptance by. management.. employees. Relation to. Toyota 4P‟s Model. Learning-To-See is. QRM is more. CYH’s. could help CYH in. highly focused in. suitable for highly-. situation. forming a good culture. improving the whole. customized; low-. of control, especially. production flow. This. volume products.. for human resource. could benefits the. Thus, it is not. development and. production in getting. applicable in CYH. enhancing operation. higher efficiency.. production.. management. 33.

(44) Toyota 4P‟s Model and Learning-To-See are similar in the way of both management systems utilize Lean Manufacturing approach to do away with waste, cut back the need for managing large inventories and provide optimum quality at the minimum cost by making quality control decisions a direct part of the manufacturing process in order to improve profitability.. Lean manufacturing has its limits, especially in low-volume, high-variety or customized products. QRM is a more effective strategy for companies that make custom-engineered or high-mix; low-volume product. QRM strategy is going to be increasingly important for competitiveness in the future as the demand for more product options and individually customized products are growing fast. It reduces internal lead times throughout an organization by analyzing the interactions between machines, people and products and how they affect lead times. On the other hands, reducing external lead times means rapidly designing and manufacturing products for specific customer needs. On the other hands, reducing external lead times enable faster designing and manufacturing products for specific customer needs. QRM encompasses material planning and control, purchasing and supply chain management, office operations such as estimating and order processing and new-product development and to be applied throughout the organization.. Like most management systems, all three approaches mentioned above do come with own set of disadvantages. These approaches might create a problem of supply shortage as it limits the quantity of inventories and depends heavily on suppliers for the. 34.

(45) supply of inventories. Issues like product shortages, transportation delays and quality errors on the part of suppliers can cause serious manufacturing halt.. As all three processes are very dependent on supplier efficiency, any disruption in the supply chain can be a problem to the production process that is possibly causing delivery delays to the customers. This could lead to customer dissatisfaction and causing long term marketing problems.. Small and medium-sized companies, in particular, may find the cost of changeover to lean manufacturing or QRM processes prohibitive as it may requires to completely dismantling previous physical plant setups and systems. In addition, training employees can be costly and lengthy, whereas acquiring managers experienced in lean manufacturing process can add considerably to company‟s expenses.. Besides, changes of manufacturing systems may cause stress and refusal by employees who prefer old methods of doing things, as lean manufacturing and QRM requires continuous employee input on quality control, which some employees may feel reluctant or unqualified to do so.. Judging from the variety of products and production volume of CYH, Toyota 4P‟s Model or Learning-To-See is more practical for CYH‟s production environment. Further study needs to be carried out before either method is applied to CYH‟s production.. 35.

(46) CHAPTER 4 - RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 4.1. Type of Research The objectives of this study are to investigate the current situation of CYH that. faces an issue in pursuit of higher profitability. Case study approach is used in this research as it allows researcher to carry out an in-depth investigation.. According to Yin (2009), case study provides an empirical inquiry that. investigates a contemporary appearance in-depth and within its real life issues particularly when the context is not clearly evident. For example, daily monitoring record of CYH production outputs, yield and type of defects can be effectively used for troubleshooting when the rejects of the production has gone up. Besides, case study approach is best preferred as data collection method after gathering preliminary information from literature review. Moreover, in-depth interview with CYH personnel will have understanding on CYH business model in real practice.. 4.2. Data Collection and Linkages. Two methods of data collection are used in this research. The first method involves seven semi-structured interviews with selected CYH personnel, includes directors and senior managers from the production, marketing and technical departments.. Interview questions for directors and senior managers intended to critically access the issues and challenges from the perspective of the organization and the customers‟ requirements. Interpretation from data obtained from interview sessions were sent to the directors and senior managers for review of validity. 36.

(47) Another method of data collection involves review of relevant documents and observation of visual evidence of CYH‟s production as well as business model. Required documents for review include the financial performance report, meeting report, production report, history of products offered, customer feedbacks with regards to CYH‟s product. Table 4.1 represents the data linkage between the research questions, data source and justification.. Table 4.1: Data linkage Research question Data source 1.0 What are the factors that Interview affects CYH‟s profit margin?. Justification with Directors and senior managers. directors and senior had gone through the highs managers. and lows in the company, they have. the. view. of. the. development in the bathmat market,. information. of. competitor and the responding action from CYH. Document review. Reports and documentation of. - financial. meetings can be studied to. performance report. find out the actions that taken. - meeting report. by the company to overcome. - production report. the crisis.. 1.1 What are the issues and Interview. with. challenges faced by CYH‟s directors and senior Reports and documentation of production, marketing and managers. meetings can be studied to. management. find out the actions that taken. in. rubber. bathmat industry?. by. 37. CYH‟s. production,.

(48) Directors. and. senior Document review. marketing and management to. managers have experience - meeting report. overcome. the. and knowledge in managing - production report. challenges.. issues. and. the company. 1.2. What. requirements. are of. the Interview. with Directors and senior managers. bathmat directors and senior have. customers?. experience. and. understanding of customers‟. managers. requirements Document review - meeting report. Customer. - production report. show the difference between. - history of. the product offer by CYH and. products offered. the. - customer. customer. actual. feedbacks. needs. would. of. the. feedbacks Customers may have unfilled needs from the products offer by CYH. 4.3. Data Analysis This study employs descriptive analysis from qualitative data gathered from the. in-depth interview. These analyses will aid to discover the root cause in term of shrinkage of profit margin faced by CYH. SWOT analysis is adopted to analyze the internal and external environments of CYH which both are tightly related to current issues and challenges faced by CYH in rubber bathmats industry. The SWOT analysis presents a framework for the CYH management to exploit operational strategies aimed. 38.

(49) at rectifying shortcoming in current business model, expanding the strengths, find out the accessible opportunities and acknowledge on the potential threats and challenges.. Upon interview and data review, the potential causes and effects of the critical issue are identified. A Fishbone Analysis was employed to determine an underlying cause over an issue. By using Fishbone analysis, all possible causes are systematically linked to the issue and counter measures can be sorted out to work against the root cause. It illustrates the relationship between CYH‟s issues and challenges in rubber bathmat business from production, marketing and management aspects.. 4.4. Interviewed Subjects There were seven sessions of semi-structured interviews. The backgrounds and. justification of the seven subjects used for the study are summarized in Table 4.2. Interviewees include directors and senior managers from CYH i.e. managing director, manufacturing director, administrative director, marketing director, technical & QC lab manager, marketing manager and production assistance manager. Interview questions directed at top managerial level intend to critically assess fluctuation of CYH‟s profit margin and issues and challenges faced by CYH in production, marketing and management aspect. In addition, finding out the requirements of current bathmat customers is also part of this research objective.. 39.

(50) Table 4.2 People Interviewed No.. Interviewee/Position. Department. Date/Duration /Venue. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Mr.. Pong. Kai. See, Overall business operation. 23 May 2014,. Subject 1. 2 hours, CYH. Managing Director. Office. Mr. Derrick Emuang, Production. 12 June 2014,. Subject 2. 1 hours, CYH. Manufacturing Director. Office. Mr. Lai Weng Heng, Administration. 24 June 2014,. Subject 3. 1 hours, CYH. Administration Director. Office. Ms. Joyce Lee,. Marketing. 18 July 2014, 2. Subject 4. hours, CYH. Marketing Director. Office. Mr. Paran,. Technical & QC Lab. 25 July 2014, 1. Subject 5. hours, CYH. Technical & QC Lab. Office. Manager 6. 7. Ms. Stacy Tan,. Marketing. 08 Aug 2014,. Subject 6. 1 hours, CYH. Marketing Manager. Office. Mr. Chandran,. Production. Subject 7 Production. 21 Aug 2014, 1 hours, CYH. Assistance. Office. Manager. 40.

(51) CHAPTER 5 - CASE ANALYSIS 5.1. Introduction Case analysis is used to identify the real issues that create obstacles for the. organization. The main concern of this case study is to identify the issues and challenges encountered by CYH. Then, SWOT analysis is employed to analyze the internal and external environments of CYH which both have significant impact on profit margin of the company.. A variety of methods, including interviews, document review and data compilation, as well as on-site observation, are used. The managers and directors were interviewed. During the interview, opinions and suggestion were collected. Some of the interviewees have given potential solutions for resolving the counterpart needs. Documentations and record review has provided the facts to identify the possible root cause. Date throughout 1996 and 2014 are utilized to ensure the data analysis will be accurate.. 5.2. Analyzing Tool for CYH issues and challenges Environmental scanning is carried out to get a clearer picture of CYH current. business form a strategic perspective. Information was gathered from the related management staff during interview, review of internal reports and on-site observation. SWOT analysis is employed to acquire the details of current internal elements such as strength and weakness, as well as external elements which include probability, future and potential factors such as threat and opportunities.. 41.

(52) Table 5.1 SWOT Analysis of CYH Strength. Weakness. 1.. Good firm reputation. 1.. Lack of local market products. 2.. Product quality recognition by. 2.. Over-reliance on few customers. customers 3. Opportunities. 1.. Threats. New approach marketing and. 1.. Uncertainty in rubbers price. sales. 2.. Slowdown in global economy. 2.. Emphasis on carbon footprint. 3.. Price competition. 3.. Product diversification. 4.. Changes in government policies. 5.. Currency risk. 5.2.1. Strength There are two key strengths to be discussed in the following section, i.e. good firm reputation and product quality recognition by customers.. 5.2.1.1 Good firm reputation Established over 20 years, CYH enjoys a good firm reputation by gaining certain competitive advantages, especially in manufacturing quality rubber bathmats. CYH has gone through many audits from the customers and continuously improving as well as trying the best to meet all the conditions that stated in customers‟ scope of audits, such as social audit, quality audit, environmental audit, safety audit and etc. In a recent unannounced audit (June, 2014) from Ikea, CYH scored 94 per cent out of 100. Ikea personnel was surprised with the high passing marks and commented “Anything above 42.

(53) 90 is considered as excellent”. Overall, CYH is recognized by customers as a reliable supplier in terms of product, quality, delivery and pricing.. 5.2.1.2 Product quality recognition by customers CYH has the capability of maintaining and controlling product quality. In the rubber bathmat industry, safety of the bathmat is crucial factor. As safety is the primary concern, the product must comply with the strength and certain endurance elements. For example, every rubber bathmat produce by CYH must meet the British Standards (BS) 8445: Assessment of slip resistance properties as part of the safety requirement. So far, CYH receive no complaint on slip and fell from using CYH‟s rubber bathmat. There was a case where CYH‟s major customer, Rubbermaid, switched away its order from CYH due to lower offering price by CYH‟s competitors. Eventually, the Rubbermaid has to come back to CYH as the product quality and price ratio offered by CYH is far superior.. 5.2.2. Weakness There are two weaknesses to be discussed in the following section, i.e. lack of local. market products and over-reliance on few major customers.. 5.2.2.1 Lack of local market products Shipment by region for CYH is shown in Figure 2.5. CYH‟s rubber bathmats are sold through corporate customers‟, like Ikea and Rubbermaid to all around the world, exclude Malaysia. Based on studies and experience, CYH (2004) had established that the Malaysia rubber bathmat market is too small and CYH product is too narrow-based. Thus, the difficulties to establish a distribution on a broader range of products can be 43.

(54) overwhelming. As rubber bathmat is the core product of CYH, currently there is nothing CYH can offer for local market.. 5.2.2.2 Over-reliance on few major customers Being an OEM, CYH produce rubber bathmat that is marketed by another company, such as Ikea and Rubbermaid. Thus, CYH sells OEM bathmat without claiming to have manufactured the bathmat itself. Engaging in OEM is good in the sense of the danger of the market can be dodged by letting another company to be in charge of design and sales of the product. Moreover, this also enables CYH to expand, realize economic of scale and accumulate strength for the further development. However, overreliance on two major customers, Ikea and Rubbermaid can be put CYH in a very risky position. Figure 5.1 shows both Ikea and Rubbermaid occupied 65 per cent of CYH‟s shipment in 2013. If either major customers phase out from CYH meant there will be a huge hole to fill. Consequently, put CYH in a big crisis.. Figure 5.1: CYH shipment by customer, 2013 (Source: CYH, 2014). 44.

(55) 5.2.3. Opportunities There are three observed opportunities to be discussed in the following section, i.e.. new approach marketing and sales, emphasis on carbon footprint and product diversification.. 5.2.3.1 New approach marketing and sales New approach marketing strategy such as e-marketing covers larger scope and options compared to conventional marketing methods, especially in finding, attracting, winning and retaining customers. E-marketing uses Internet and digital media capabilities to boost up the sales, as these digital technologies are a valuable addition to traditional marketing approaches. Though e-marketing as delivery and communication medium, CYH can possibly make new strategies to convey the right messages and product to the right customer.. 5.2.3.2 Emphasis on carbon footprint Carbon footprint is used to measure the total sets of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person. Greenhouse gases can be emitted through production and consumption of materials, logistic, fuel, services and etc. In the recent year, the concept of carbon footprint has been increasingly stressed, as emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere can cause climate change. In rubber industry, the use of natural rubber has a negative carbon footprint to start off, due to the carbon dioxide bring sequestered by natural rubber plantation. According to CYH internal report (2012), rubber trees sequester 4.533 kg of carbon dioxide in order to produce 1 kg of natural rubber. In contrast, the production of 1 kg synthetic rubber will generate 3 kg 45.

(56) of carbon dioxide (Cook, 2009). As consumers are starting to recognize the importance of emissions produced across the whole product lifecycle, thus CYH can gain competitive advantage by demonstrate the environmental benefits for making natural rubber bathmat in carbon footprint to the customers.. 5.2.3.3 Product diversification The machines, such as Banbury mixer, two roll mils, calendar, compression machine and etc. used in rubber industry are very similar. By just changing the mould, existing machines in CYH can also be used to produce other rubber products such as beltings, mountings, seals, castor wheels and etc. without the needs of investment in new machine. Therefore, CYH can consider entering into more value-added product or technical product.. 5.2.4. Threats There are altogether five perceived threats to be discussed in the following. section, i.e. uncertainty in rubbers price, slowdown in global economy, price competition, changes in government policies and currency risk.. 5.2.4.1 Uncertainty in rubber price As a rubber bathmat manufacturer, profit margin of the company is directly affected by rubber prices, especially natural rubber which is the main raw material to produce rubber bathmat. In Figure 2.6, the price for Standard Malaysia Rubber Grade L exceeded RM 14 per kilograms in 2011 which translate to 350 per cent increase from 2003! The fluctuation of natural rubber prices in commodity market has implications for 46.

(57) CYH operations, as the natural rubber that is used in the production of premix is directly affected. On average, CYH consume about 60 tons of natural rubber per month. An increase of RM 1 per kg in natural rubber will erode CYH profit by RM 60, 000!. 5.2.4.2 Slowdown in global economy Excluding a product for domestic market also put the company vulnerable to global environment. CYH shipment for USA and European countries made up of 88 per cent of total shipment in 2009, 33 per cent and 55 per cent respectively, as shown in Figure 2.4. Thus, the macro-economy impact like economic recession of USA and European countries in 2007 to 2009 had caused the declining demand for rubber bathmat for CYH, as in Figure 1.1.. 5.2.4.3 Price competition New emerging counties Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia and China do have certain advantages when it comes to cheap labour and low-manufacturing cost. The traditional wisdom was to group costs according to raw material, direct labour and overhead costs. For CYH these are around 40 per cent, 20 per cent and 40 per cent respectively; while new emerging counties has 40 per cent, 10 to 15 per cent and 40 per cent respectively. Thus, these give the OEM from new emerging counties 5 to 10 per cent margin in direct labour costs. This enables the OEM from new emerging counties to price the rubber bathmat lower among competitors. In 2010, an OEM from Vietnam had a price competition with CYH and taken over half of the orders from one of the CYH‟s major customer, Ikea. Although CYH did won back the order in 2011 under certain circumstances. However, most customers still prefer to select the lowest price bid over 47.