Sarawak companies urged to join Industry Excellence Award

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Abang Abdul Karim addresses the session.

KUCHING: Companies in Sarawak are encouraged to participate in the upcoming biennial Industry Excellence Award (AKI) 2020, which will be held in November or December in Kuala Lumpur.

President of the Sarawak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Datuk Abang Abdul Karim Tun Openg hoped that more Sarawak companies and industries would vie for the award this year.

“I hope you will be able to convince your top management to look into this seriously and participate in AKI 2020 in Kuala Lumpur representing Sarawak, and hopefully you gain from this exposure.

“Sarawak companies and industries need recognition and if you want to make known what you produce, what your companies or industries are all about, make use of this channel,” said Abang Abdul Karim.

He said this when speaking to a group of 50 representatives from companies, industries and entrepreneurs who attended the ‘Outreach and Handholding Session AKI 2020’ at MPC Jalan Bako, yesterday.

In AKI 2018, two Sarawak companies won awards in the service sector award — Cita Information System Sdn Bhd in the first category and Amalgamated Plant Engineering in the second category.

The closing date for AKI 2020 is at the end of February.

Abang Abdul Karim, who is also board member of the Malaysian Productivity Corporation (MPC) said Sarawak companies play an important role in contributing to the productivity and revenue of the nation.

“You have to be competitive and our role in Sarawak is very important and we want to encourage businesses to be more competitive and productive,” he said.

AKI was initiated by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in 1991 to recognise outstanding Malaysian companies and to encourage continuous improvement in products and services rendered.

The awards are divided into Manufacturing Sector  and Services Sector.

The categories are the Prime Minister’s Award, Manufacturer’s Sector Award (Category 1, Category 2 and Category 3), Services Sector Award (Category 1, 2, 3 and 4), Open Category Award (Multinational Companies from both manufacturing and services).

The other recognitions are Most Promising Award and Industry4WRD Excellence Award for companies that had successfully adopted Industry 4.0 technologies and
processes.