Malaysia focuses on quality and design

HAVING EARNED a top 20 spot on the World Trade Organisation’s list of trading partners based on volume, Malaysia is focusing on the aggressive promotion of its local manufactured goods of quality. “We are not selling products just to sell,” says Trade Commissioner Mansor Shah Wahid of the Gauteng-based Malaysia Trade Centre. “We focus on quality and design.” Targeting non-saturated markets has been key to Malaysia’s growing success in global markets and South Africa is no different. Careful market analysis highlights market opportunities – and this led to the introduction of Proton vehicles in 2005. “It’s all a process of educating the manufacturers in Malaysia on the needs in the South African market.” Malaysia’s chief exports to South Africa are palm oil, electronics, chemicals and machinery, all products churned out on the back of a strong manufacturing economy. Malaysia’s manufacturers have had to adapt many of their food products for the South African markets. The juice here, for example, is more concentrated, whereas in Malaysia it is not as strong. “It’s the kind of educating we need to do. “South Africa is not our traditional trading partner, so we need to educate our exporters on the rules and regulations in South Africa. Similar multicultural consumer markets exist in both countries, with many synergies in the variety of consumer products on supermarket shelves. Malaysia is also emerging as a major exporter of Halaal-endorsed products, especially in the cosmetic and medicine sectors.