Former mechanical engineer finds a niche in manufacturing electric lanterns

When Royce Tien says, “Let there be light”, the 36-year-old means business. As managing director of Clent Industries Sdn Bhd in Johor, Tien is one man who can bring light to darkness with the flick of a switch — thanks to his line of electric lanterns.

The idea to create his own brand of lights came during a quest to illuminate his new house. As one who values uniqueness, Tien had his own criteria. Each light had to possess an individual luminosity in the aesthetic sense and no, he was not interested in mass-produced wholesale versions, which may be price-friendly but fade one or two years down the line. None of the lighting fixtures on sale struck his fancy.

“Almost 99.9% of the lights I found were imported from China. Those from Italy belonged to the high-end category. This got me thinking, ‘Why should things be this way? Why can’t we as Malaysians, produce our own price-friendly products?” Tien recalls.

This can-do attitude is not something that comes to a businessman overnight. Tien, who hails from Sarawak, comes from a family of entrepreneurs. His father, Tien Khiong Hin, now in his 70s, was a shopkeeper-cum-poultry farmer.

For four years, Royce helmed a mechanical design company, which reported yearly turnover of RM400,000. His first job, after graduating with a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Leeds, was with Perodua. There he was part of the research and development group in charge of the Myvi project. He also worked with Volvo in the workshop support team for construction equipment.

Tien surrounded by sample designs in his studio.

“The urge to start my own business was very strong,” says Royce on why he chose to strike out on his own.

Clent Industries started with RM300,000 as capital, spurred by Royce’s love for design work (a skill he enhanced during his years with Perodua) and boosted by the confidence of an engineering background.

“The first one and half years were solely focused on research and development, nothing else,” admits Royce, who wanted to put a proper manufacturing process in place first before anything else.

The period was devoted to identifying the machinery needed for cutting, design and production materials. For example, the glue used is purposely chosen for its water-based and odourless qualities to protect workers from exposure to harmful vapours. A solution was also found to address sawdust, a threat to the respiratory system.

“The most crucial aspect I wanted to focus on was to develop an effective assembly line without the need for extensive labour training. So, we acquired a laser cutter. The parts for the lanterns had to be calculated just right, fitting together like Lego blocks. So, I developed a nailless system made up of articulated joints in the designs,” explains Royce. The company’s current capacity is 1,500 units of lanterns per month.

A proper work system, insists Royce, can go a long way, in the event that a production line has to be expanded.

For example, if negotiations with a Singaporean client go through, his assembly line will be producing up to 20,000 units of calendar holders a month.

As easy as 1,2, 3. Each part is measured to fit for ease of assembly.

As a newcomer, Royce does not deny the possibility of being swamped by copycats but he assures contingency plans are already in place. He reveals having 10 phases of designs for his products encompassing ideas for lamps as well as household decorative items like key holders, tissue boxes, calendar casings and gift boxes. Because of the level of preparedness, the production line is able to move through three design phases in just six months.

The present challenge is in taking the products to market. In the beginning, Royce went the usual route of promoting his products to light wholesalers and retailers, but it did not take long before he started to explore the possibility of online sales. Both avenues opened his eyes to stark realities.

“With the retailers, I discovered very keen competition. Most lighting retailers will even go to the extent of replacing a damaged unit though the mishandling is not their fault. When I asked why, they said it has always been that way. If an outlet fails to retain customer loyalty, chances are, they will lose business to the next shop”.

“With online sales, I began to suspect some of the requests may not be genuine when they started asking me to send them my entire catalogue. As it is, the visuals of my products are already online in the company website, so I knew there was no problem in regards to viewing. Only when I talked this over with a friend did he warn me of industrial spies working to pilfer the designs of other companies via high resolution photos,” says Royce.

A laser cutter lends precision to the pattern creation process.

This spurred him to think out of the box.

Since the designs and manufacturing processes were his own, would he not be considered a craftsman too? Though the patterns are laser cut, he was after all, the one manipulating the mouse on his design software.

With this in mind, he approached the Johor branch of the Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation. This turned out to be a rewarding move as the company reported total sales of RM12,000 from their participation at the National Craft Day exhibition, a two-week event at Jalan Conlay.

Tien also found an international route for his designs through the corporation at a trade fair in Dubai last May.

“In anticipation of an Eastern market, I presented a lantern series with Arabic calligraphy. We sold half of the 20 units. Come September, I will be heading to Tokyo with 80 units. I will be presenting a chrysanthemum theme there,” he says.

Currently, Royce’s goal is to latch onto the export market.

An up-close experience with buyers has allowed the comparison of differences between international and local buyers.

A worker giving a final polish before packing.

“In Dubai, product aesthetics come first. Only when the buyers are satisfied with this criterion will they go into price followed by negotiations for number of units, sizes and discount possibilities. With local buyers, it’s price first and whether we will be supplying the light bulb. Agreeing to this ‘free gift’ usually seals the deal,” chuckles Royce.

Since launching his products six months ago, Clent has reported sales of RM100,000.

“We may not be able to match the Chinese mass manufacturers yet, but our strength lies in the ability to cater to small orders, as low as 50 units. At the same time, we are able to tailor them to customer specifications. These have been our strong points,” says Tien.