Management information System
Case Study
Maruwa (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd
The company’s background and history
Company Registered Name: Maruwa (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd
MMSB began operations with only eight workers and one department
Maruwa Co Ltd Japan, founded a short 30 years ago, already has an impressive fact sheet. It had its humble beginnings in Seto City in Japan’s Aichi prefecture dating back to April 1973. Our pioneer product was resistor ceramics. Within two months, the production of ceramics for electronic circuits commenced.
And after several notable achievements, which we perfected through trials and errors, the Yamanota plant in Yamanota-cho, also in the Aichi prefecture, was constructed in 1981. Two years later, we began production of ceramics for mechanical parts.
Due to increasing demand, we expanded to Tsurusato-cho, Toki City in the Gifu prefecture. In April 1989, we began the production of device-related parts.
We achieved a milestone in December 1989 when we established our first overseas sales subsidiary in Taiwan . Two years later we made our presence felt in Korea following the opening of a sales subsidiary there.
After having done well in the Far East, we spread our wings to the United Kingdom with the opening of a sales subsidiary in Kent and the United States, where a similar operation was set up in Illinois. This was in 1993.
In June 1997, Maruwa Co Ltd headquarters moved to Owariasahi City also in the Aichi prefecture from Seto City.
As demand for our quality products exceeded supply, another production subsidiary was set up in Jyoetsu city in the Niigata prefecture in November 1998..
A month later, Maruwa Co. Ltd was listed on the second section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the Nagoya Stock Exchange,
Within 18-months, our stocks were also being traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange as well as the Nagoya Stock Exchange.
Maruwa Malaysia Sdn Bhd (MMSB) was set up at the Batu Berendam Free Trade Zone in Malacca Malaysia at the tail end of 1989. It was and still is Maruwa Co. Ltd’s first overseas production subsidiary.
To broaden our product line-up, the second factory started operations within a year, and the Slider department was set up. Two hundred more employees joined us.
Within four years, the third plant was commissioned. We achieved another milestone in 1997 when the Ceramic Valve department was set up. By then, 900 employees were on Maruwa Malaysia’s payroll
Our operations here were to support the increasing needs of our parent company in Japan as well as demands from our international clients.
A year later, during a debilitating regional financial crisis which forced many big corporations to cease operations, our fourth plant was commissioned and followed by the fifth two years later. By then, we were already awarded the MS ISO14000:1997 and MS ISO9001:2000 certification which recognized our commitment towards safety and quality.
By the end of 2003, Maruwa Malaysia already had 1,300 on its payroll. The year 2004 brought even greater promise when the ground breaking ceremony was performed for plant number six by none other than the Chief Minister of Malacca Datuk Wira Dr Mohd Ali Rustam.
This facility would cater to the customized requirements of our customers who were themselves producing highly sophisticated and state-of-the-art products. About 200 more employees are expected to join Maruwa Malaysia once the plant is commissioned by October 2004.
We steadfastly hold to the principle that our customers should not only be impressed with the quality of our products and services, but they should be given prompt service as we want to be differentiated from our competitors.
The company’s business strategy
Maruwa (Malaysia) Sdn.Bhd has few business strategies. That includes, multitasking and internetworking with other companies. For example, Maruwa would do so many task in order to supply the necessary parts for a electronic components. The ceramic electronic components are widely being used in all electronic components. By internetworking with other companies Maruwa tend to get new venture and new clients for them to proceed to the next level. This is what made them go far very fast. Being a Japanese based company, their commitment any dedication lead them to gain better business strategy.
The company’s objectives/mission
Maruwa (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. is a manufacturer of ceramic electronic components and we are trusted for our dedication to customer satisfaction and environmental preservation. As a global leader in advanced ceramic electronics, we also aim to become the employer of choice worldwide. As a corporate citizen with a conscience, Maruwa (M) seeks to develop on its innovative technology to enhance the quality of our products. Our aim is to constantly innovate our process and products to exceed customer needs. We are confident that we shall remain the global leaders in ceramic electronic products because we,
- Continuously develop and apply leading edge technology.
- Constantly assess process with no compromise whatsoever on quality
- Strong commitment to research and development
- Prepared to learn from others to further innovate our products.
- Continuous investment in people and facilities.
- Make collective decisions
- Give priority to safety, health and preserving the environment
The company’s corporate structure
President: Sei Kanbe
Executive Advisor: Manimaran Anthony
Managing Director: Takashi Shigeoka
Extrusion Department: Extrusion department produces pieces of extruded ceramics rods that are used as a base material for fix resistor. This product is widely used in tv,radio and etc.
Slider, Ferrite and Magnet Department: The department manufactures products there are used in production of floppy disk drive,VCR head and other sophisticated disc drive components.
Substrate Department: Substrate department is the largest department in Maruwa. It produces alumina substrates that are used as the base material for chip resistors.
Ceramic Valve Department: This department produces high themal conductivity, superior heat resistors faucet disc, chip volume and sliding parts, which are mainly user in water heaters and taps.
TPH Department: This department produces high tech alumina ceramic, which are used in automotive industries, aerospace technology, x-ray machineries etc.
Hardware
In Maruwa(Malaysia) Sdn.Bhd, they use few hardware to accomplish their task in producing the ceramic electronic parts. Some of it is being used in their respective department such as the IT Department and also the Processing Department. For example,
Tube mills, port mills and vibration mills to produce their very own alumina balls which Maruwa famous is for. It uses a very low electric appliances and high temperature which melts the alumina thus produce the balls. Next, they also use high-tech pressing and precision processing techniques to produce ceramic valves. This ceramic valve is highly resistant to temperature changes. Next, they use the thermal conductivity processor to create quartz glass products. This thermal conductivity processor is one of the most expensive hardware in Maruwa.
The microwave dielectric processing machines is used to produce the Microwave Dielectric Capacitor. This hardware is used in handling microwaves. This is a heat compressor device with multiple functions.
Internal Layer and Dielectric processor is another hardware which is used in Maruwa to produce Multilayer Ceramic Capacitor which is widely being used in small sized electric circuit. MARUWA lines up 3-terminal chip type EMI filters to which the technology for multilayer capacitors is applied and other various types of products including feed through type capacitors, Screw type EMI filters and filter connectors in order to meet customer’s need by supplying user-oriented products as well as by customizing.
Automobile products for the hardware are also being produced there to reduce the manufacturing cost. Some lubricants are produced to keep the heat level of the device low in Maruwa. This is to make sure that the hardware’s in Maruwa last for long operation hours. For example, diesel and chemical to run and clean the components is produced in-house.
Software
In order to run through the system on hand before production, Maruwa(Malaysia) Sdn.Bhd uses the ‘original or ceramic material software’, ‘press software’, and ‘high-precision processing technology’ which was developed over years of research and development. The company also applies ‘surface mounting technology’ (SMT) that propels miniaturization of many parts thus creating a need for ceramics with high accuracy and characteristics.
‘Alumina substrates glazing system’ is also used to create highly pure Alumina power which are then manufactured under the strict quality control to maintain its stability, quality and excellent characteristics of the product. Meanwhile, the ‘stable mass production technology’ are used to respond to customer’s requests for various processing and machining and supplies the high quality products with the help of high precision processing techniques as well.
In order to meet the different demands by the company, integrated technological expertise at hand as well as years of accumulated ‘processing technology of sheet-casting and printing’, and ‘circuit-designing technology’ is used. This will indirectly increase the production or the output of the company thus reaching the attained customer needs goal. The ‘thin-film metalizing software or technology’ developed over many years permits the production of sophisticated circuit substrates that have physical, chemical properties that meet customers’ needs as well as high-degree integration and excellent electric properties materialized by thin-film metalization. The fusion of the ‘time-tested thin-flim formation technology or software’ meanwhile permits application to RF circuit substrates and single-layer capacitors (SLC).
The company also uses the ‘digital processing technology’ which has expanded the application range in the fields of not only OA/FA devices, information communications devices and automotive electronics devices but also TV, VTR, CD, MD and DVD in the customer electronics. This particular technology spurs on speeding up, multifunction, lower-power operation and miniaturization of those digital electronics. On the other hand, as digital devices increase and the electromagnetic environment becomes diverse, interference by noise against electronics raises public concern.
Maruwa(Malaysia) Sdn.Bhd therefore has lined up 3-terminal chip type EMI filters to which the ‘technology for multilayer capacitors’ is applied and other various types of products including feed through type capacitors, Screw type EMI filters and filter connectors in order to meet customer’s need by supplying user-oriented products as well as by customizing. Our unique ‘materials, multilayer and firing software’s realize multilayer ceramic varsities (chip type) with full of technical advantage in compact size. Wide ranged series are available for information communication devices, car electronics devices and other electronic applications.
bUSINESS VALUE OF THE INFORMATION SYSTEM AND THE INTERNET
OBJECTIVES
- Evaluate models for determining the business value of information systems.
- Analyze the principal causes of information system failure.
- Analyze the change management requirements for building successful systems.
- Select appropriate strategies to manage the system implementation process
The extraordinary abundance and easy accessibility of information mean that its very nature is changing. The tools and technologies used today to gather and share information are contributing to an ever-expanding list of new uses for information, in both business and government. Meanwhile, increasingly advanced, cheaper computing power and data storage have simplified the management of this avalanche of words, numbers and images.
These forces have combined to give companies an unprecedented opportunity to use IT to create business value, the ultimate standard for measuring high performance. For most companies, this will involve three steps: reassessing their information technology plan and approaches; investing carefully to support their IT plan; and mastering the capabilities needed to realize that plan.
Unprecedented data access
A high-performance IT plan involves managing far more than traditional business data derived from enterprise resource systems. Today, corporations also have access to information from real-world observations, made possible by the growing prevalence of RFID tags, sensors, web cameras and GPS, as well as information from shared data banks and the Internet. And, thanks to the advancement of wireless and mobile technologies that tap and share information, ubiquitous access is a near reality. This means information is coming from beyond the firewall, in quantities never before experienced.
Finally, an IT plan must accommodate the crucial need for speed. Business today operates at a frenetic pace, with transactions—and decisions—essentially being made in real time. The technology that makes information available to decision makers needs to be streamlined and flexible. This way, it can connect the many diverse participants in information sharing both inside and outside the organization, handle the demands of this new business environment, and be adaptable as conditions change and opportunities arise.
Consider the immediate opportunities for a major improvement in productivity, particularly in information-based industries. In the United States, the contribution to growth in gross domestic product was roughly equal for the manufacturing and service sectors from 2000 to 2002—yet information-based industries require nearly three times as many workers. As a result, annual corporate profit per worker averages about $13,000 in manufacturing but only about $2,000 in the service sector. That huge difference in productivity is a business opportunity that organizations can unlock by using technology to increase worker productivity through the more efficient sharing and use of information.
Companies seeking to become high performers should aspire to nothing less than their own information revolution. IT makes it possible to achieve in information-based industries what business has already achieved in manufacturing: the smooth and efficient delivery of products, created using standardized processes that incorporate the best and most efficient talent worldwide
As organizations expand their information networks and integrate their hardware and software systems, it becomes possible to deploy work around the globe, broadly share expertise and perform as global teams. The combination of flexibility and efficiency achieved globally is a key element in high performance.
The short-term business potential is clear. Just as important, Accenture believes that information technology is the most fertile ground for innovation that can drive long-term value. As technology advances, it opens up new possibilities that innovative organizations will exploit for competitive advantage. In any industry, whether service or manufacturing, better products and services come through in-depth knowledge of the customer and through providing products rich in context—and, therefore, of real value to the user. This is equally true for governments.
In today’s fast moving competitive business environment, companies increasingly demand that IT investments demonstrate business value through measurable results. David Sward directly addresses this challenge in his book Measuring the Business Value of Information Technology. Intended for IT professionals and consultants as well as business managers, this book covers one of the most important strategies any company can establish to help manage IT in the coming years. Namely, the creation of an IT Business Value Program to execute systematic customer focused approaches to determine the business value for any IT investment an organization may make.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
| Company Profile | |
| 1.Registered Name | Maruwa (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (191424-X) |
| 2. Location | Lot 27, 28, 30 & 31 Batu Berendam FTZ, |
| Phase 3, Industrial Estate, | |
| 75350 Melaka. | |
| Phone No : 606-2848977 / 06-2883391 | |
| Fax : 606-2814194 | |
| e-mail : cs@maruwa.com.my | |
| 3. Capital | RM 101,126,190 |
| 4. Organization | |
| President : SEI KANBE | |
| Executive Advisor : MANIMARAN ANTHONY | |
| Managing Director : TAKASHI SHIGEOKA | |
| 5.Date Established | December 1989 |
| 6.Employee Strength | 1070 (as on 10/11/2005) |
| 7.Land Area | 63,810(M2) |
| 8.Factory Area | (a) First & Second Factory=7,000(M2) |
| (b) Third Factory=5,350(M2) | |
| (c) Fourth Factory=5,150(M2) | |
| (d) Fifth Factory=6,300(M2) | |
| (e) Sixth Factory=7,800(M2) | |
RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendations from the President
Maruwa is a manufacturer of electronic components and ceramics for electronic parts. Our interest is not to become a gigantic corporation, but to become No.1 world wide in each of the product field. Business operation consists of 4 departments which are circuitry ceramic products, Mechanical ceramic products, High frequency products, and capacitor products, and most of our products hold a strong competitive position in the global market. By discerning the needs of the next generation, We will continue to operate on a global scale
Recommendations from Manimaran Anthony
ONE distinct effort has driven Maruwa Malaysia’s growth in becoming the world’s leading ceramic electronics manufacturer. We always aspire to exceed the expectations of customers, irrespective of their size or where they are located.
What MMSB has accomplished in its 15-year history is an open secret. We can confidently say that we have performed better than many bigger companies, both at home and abroad within the said period.
This is because our employees, who are our greatest assets, have the will to accomplish the impossible, an insatiable and unappeasable drive to attempt the unanticipated and for thinking the inconceivable. Quality is MMSB’s middle name and you can never find the words “inferior” or “sub-standard” in our vocabulary.
Our success can be attributed largely to our uncompromising and relentless emphasis on quality in all aspects of our business. Our quality improvement programmer are executed in every department, encompassing everyone, from me to the operator. We reward departments and employees who excel in the area of quality and this is done every quarterly.
We have achieved many extraordinary milestones within a short period, again, a testimony to the quality of our products. We are also the pioneers in many areas as you will see in the relevant section in this website. We started with just eight employees and one manufacturing plant in 1989. And today (Aug 2004), the “midwife” is already here, preparing for the “birth” of our sixth plant which would be commissioned in September.
We have achieved many extraordinary milestones within a short period, again, a testimony to the quality of our products. We are also the pioneers in many areas as you will see in the relevant section in this website. We started with just eight employees and one manufacturing plant in 1989. And today (Aug 2004), the “midwife” is already here, preparing for the “birth” of our sixth plant which would be commissioned in September 2004.
Today, we control an estimated 60 per cent of the world’s ceramic electronics market, a clear indication of international confidence in our products.
Developing and applying leading edge technology has been MMSB’s hallmark. We have a strong commitment to research and development and we have done this through a substantial investment in people, facilities and ongoing product development processes.
While much has changed since we set foot in Malaysia, one thing that hasn’t is an indomitable and resolute drive for distinction which has been the company’s principle since our inception.
Every individual in MMSB knows that only by working in teams and being prepared to learn unashamedly from the achievements of others, are we able to better our business processes and acquire that competitive edge.
We engage our employees and make collective decisions. Our managers are trained to inspire our employees to strive for personal excellence while pursuing the common goals of the company.
We are still on a learning journey. Our employees are told to be proactive as only then we can get things done. Our strategies are planned and carefully thought out to serve and safeguard the interests of all stakeholders.
We also continuously assess the capabilities of our processes to stay relevant and would go that extra mile to understand our customers’ needs.
MMSB employees are encouraged to use their full potential in executing their daily functions. We believe in empowering them and this is done through the many programmers that we have and shall carry out in future. They make decisions – albeit collectively – a privilege which they were never accorded previously to indicate the sense of responsibility and accountability in each if them. This is also aimed to instilling confidence in them.
We’ve always mapped our strategies to suit the needs of our clients. Our employees are told to be inquisitive, because we believe, there is always an opportunity to make a difference and provide the best to the customer.
At MMSB, we are also committed to preserving the environment. We continually strive to reduce, if any, impact on the environment by way of cutting down or eliminating materials for disposal. Recycling is also encouraged. We strictly abide by the country’s laws on the environment and would do that extra to ensure that our minimum standards on the protection of the environment were higher than that put in place by the authorities.
We are also committed to the health and safety of our customers, employees and neighbors. There is absolutely no compromise on safety and well-being of our employees who are members of the MMSB family. Towards this, we have set up the Safety and Health as well as the Emergency Response teams to constantly remind employees on the need to comply with set standards.
We have a corporate governance framework with sound policies and practices to ensure MMSB is governed and managed with the highest standards of responsibility, ethics and integrity.
Despite our achievements, we are still on a learning journey. Our employees are told to be proactive as only then we can get things done, more so following challenges brought about by globalization and all this task of a borderless world..
Strengthened by this spirit, we at MMSB, believe that our best days are still to come as we pursue our goal of improving our position as the market leader in ceramic electronics products
Reference
- Manimaran Anthony
Executive Advisor,
Maruwa(Malaysia) Sdn.Bhd
Melaka.
- Hakimi Gobi
Human Resources Manager,
Maruwa(Malaysia) Sdn.Bhd
Melaka.
- Sathiya
Customer Relationship Officer,
Maruwa(Malaysia) Sdn.Bhd
Melaka.
- Mdm Saleha,
Officer,
Maruwa(Malaysia) Sdn.Bhd
Melaka.
- Mr Tan Khong Sin
Lecturer,
Faculty of Business and Law,
Multimedia University
Melaka.
- Mdm Kogilah
Lecturer,
Faculty of Business and Law,
Multimedia University,
Melaka.
Appendix
Machinery Ceramic Products Of Maruwa (Malaysia)
ALUMINA BALL
CERAMIC VALVE
SLIDER CERAMIC- FERRITE
Circuit Ceramic Products Of Maruwa (Malaysia)
ALUMINA SUBSTRATE – GLAZED SUBSTRATE
Ceramic Rod for Fixed Resistor
Chip Resistor Ceramic Products
Circuit Ceramic Products Of Maruwa
ALUMINUM NITRIDE
Machinary Ceramic Products of Maruwa
Quartz Glass Product
Radio Frequency Products of Maruwa
Multilayer Ceramic Substrate
Thin Film Substrate
Microwave Dielectric Ceramic
Voltage Controlled Oscillator
EMC Components
Multilayer Ceramic Capacitor (Chip type)
Fereydoun Verdi Nejad
Arefeh Verdi Nejad