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Thursday, 1 March 2012

GROUP ASSIGNMENT MGT300

MGT 300
(BUSINESS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)
GROUP ASSIGNMENT
GROUP MEMBERS     : MOHD SAFIZ BIN YUSOFF (2010820806)
                                      SITI NURSALIMAH BT RUBANI (2010627162)
                                      NUR KHAIRIYAH BINTI MUNIT (2010852208)
                                      NURLIYANA BINTI ROSLI (2010655946)
LECTURER’S NAME   : TUAN SYED MAZLAN BIN SYED MAT DOM
DATE OF SUBMISSION: 8th FEBRUARY 2012


1.0          ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost we are grateful to Allah because give us a chance to finished this report. We also would like to thank to our subject lecturer Tn. Syed Mazlan bin Syed Mat Dom for the valuable guidance and advice. He inspired us greatly to work in this project. We also would like to thank him for showing us some example of the company hat related to the topic of our project.
Besides, we would like to thank the authority of University Technology Mara (UiTM) for providing us with a good environment and facilities to complete this project.
Our biggest gratitude goes to En. Othman bin Tumin, a front manager in Yong Peng Pos Office, as he provide every information needed to accomplish this assignment.
Not forgotten to Pos Malaysia because give the good corporation with us to know all about the company and technology that they use to managed in the company to achieved customers’ satisfaction.
Finally, an honorable mention goes to all friends in the group for their understandings and supports in completing this project. Without workgroup of the particular that mentioned above, we would face many difficulties while doing this project.

                                        2.0   INTRODUCTION

History

In 1992, Pos Malaysia Berhad was corporatised from the PSD. In September 2001, Pos Malaysia Berhad was listed on the then Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (now known as Bursa Malaysia Berhad) through a reverse takeover of a Philio Allied Berhad assuming its listing status. Pos Malaysia Berhad is separated into four main Strategic Business Units called PosMel, PosLaju, PosNiaga and PosLogistik. In 2009, Pos Malaysia restructured its core services into three Strategic Business Units - PosMel, PosLaju and PosNiaga - and the logistics arm will be supporting the delivery operations of the core services.
A courier service in Malaysia is relatively young. In the early 1970s foreign companies such as DHL and OCS beginning their operations in Malaysia. The first local courier company to operate in Malaysia is City-Link Express (M) SdnBhd which began its operations in 1979. This was followed by ABX Express (1984), Nationwide Express (1985). POSLAJU (part of the Pos Malaysia) and UPS appeared in the scene in 1988. FEDEX came in 1991. In 1997 a local outfit GD Express began operating. Today the domestic courier service is mainly dominated by City-Link Express, Nationwide Express and GD Express (GDex). Both Nationwide and GDex are public listed company while City-Link Express had remained firmly in the hands of its founder, David Tan.

The history of Pos Malaysia Berhad can be traced back to the early 19th century with the establishment of postal services first in the Straits Settlements in which it would cover the whole Malaya by early 20th century.

Strategic Business Units

PosMel offers basic postal services which include standard and non-standard mail items. The postal service continues to reinvent itself to produce various innovative products and services in relation to market needs, which cater to both retail and corporate customers.
PosNiaga with its over 1000 network of outlets, including normal post offices, mini post offices, postal and stamp agents offer various services and products ranging from philatelic products, bill payments,financial products and services as well as online transaction services through PostMe.com.my.
PosLaju provides domestic courier service and international courier service through its 50 dedicated courier centers, supported by Pos Malaysia’s retail network. PosLaju also provides value-added services to complement its express services such as pick up service, insurance package,packaging solutions and web-based tracking.

PosLaju is one of the oldest courier companies in Malaysia. It started in 1986 by delivering international mail under the Expedited Mail Service (EMS) banner for Pos Malaysia Berhad. Two years later in 1988, it began to offer domestic courier services under the PosLaju brand name.

After 20 years in the business, PosLaju is now undisputed leading courier and express mail service provider in the country. Each year PosLaju has shown steady growth in volume and revenue which reflects the level of confidence and trust given by our valued customers. PosLaju provides door to door delivery services and customer can choose to send documents or parcels using our Next Day Delivery, Same Day Delivery and Time Certain Service to both local and International destinations.

PosLaju has been awarded the Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand Gold Medal award for two consecutive years; 2006 and 2007 under courier/air freight category. History now repeats itself when the Malaysian consumers again voted PosLaju as a Trusted Brand in 2008. This recognition proves that PosLaju continues to be valued by Malaysians.

In addition to the above, PosLaju was also conferred the Universal Postal Union Bronze level award for the EMS performance in 2005 and nominated for 2007 EMS Customer Care Award. To some, this would be reason to celebrate, but to the hardworking people at PosLaju, strengthening the trust bestowed by Malaysians year after year is what matters.


2.1          TECHNOLOGY USED IN MAKING A DECISION
How Technology is Applied in Operation 
PosLaju used Track and trace system lifts veil on real-time data as the solution in improvement of technology system. PosLaju started on the implementation in 2007 together with Motorola Premier Business Partner Grand-Flo Spritvest (known as Spritvest), and they together developed the front-end application for the Motorola MC3000R mobile computer. After PosLaju had considered several brands and products, and various tests were conducted, the Motorola MC3000R was chosen as it was the most rugged and well-tested device in the market.
PosLaju then purchased 1,300 units of the MC3000R for use by the PosLaju couriers. PosLaju wanted a track and trace solution that allows visibility once the packages are on the road and outside its offices. The company decided to use the batch model, where the synchronization of data is done once a day when the couriers return to the office, and dock the MC3000R into the cradle.
         Labels and bar code were used which several advanced data capture technologies to capture, move and manage key information to and from the different delivery points. Once a package is received by PosLaju, its barcode label which is pre-printed on the consignment note is scanned. Consignment note is adocument prepared by a consignor and countersigned by the carrier as a proof of receipt of consignment for delivery at the destination. Used as an alternative to bill of lading (especially in inland transport), it is generally neither a contract of carriage nor a negotiable instrument.
The package is scanned again just before delivery to the recipient. The use of barcode provides distinctive package identification as each has a unique number or identifier. Combined with the application-specific software, PosLaju managed to harness enterprise mobility systems to offer a unique and secure way to track and trace its packages. As prove to the quality of the track and trace system, Pos Malaysia Berhad won the MSC Malaysia Asia Pacific ICT 2009 Award, for the Best in e-Logistics Category for their development of the Pos Integrated Track and Trace Information System (PITTIS).
With the implementation of the track and trace system, PosLaju now enjoys greater operational efficiency, greater visibility and better customer satisfaction. The MC3000R has given the mobile PosLaju workforce all it needs to achieve high productivity whether out in the field, at the Post Office or checking orders. With the MC3000R, PosLaju employees are now able to perform rapid scanning of packages, and keep track of deliveries accurately. The MC3000Rs’ small form factor combined with a clear visual display, extended battery life and several triggers in various locations help reduce user fatigue and ultimately boost employee productivity. The rotating head configuration of the Motorola MC3000R hand-held mobile computer is small, lightweight and rugged, making it ideal to complement PosLaju’s track and trace application, which requires high-quality data capture and highperformance computing.
As such, scanning is made much easier, and is ideal for the company’s scan-intensive environments, maximizing comfort for its workers throughout a shift. The rugged design has been a winning factor, given its ability to withstand concrete across Operating Temperature Range, so they allow PosLaju employees to perform well during those scan-intensive days where there are high mail volumes.
The advantages of this solution stem from near real-time access to information. The solution includes a tracing and tracking system that allows PosLaju to plan the quickest routes to their delivery destinations. Customers can also track their deliveries online, and know where their goods for delivery are located, thereby improving customer service.


2.2 BUSINESS TYPES IN ORGANIZATION

Pos Malaysia Berhad is the provider of mail services exclusively in Malaysia. With more than 175 years of existence in the country, its vast experience forms a strong backbone, supporting the massive restructuring it passed trough when it became a corporate entity in 1992.

The mixture of its solid market strength and market freedom enables Pos Malaysia Berhad to explore and adapt to new business opportunities beyond the 'traditional postal services' and thus, stay ahead of its competitors.

Pos Malaysia Berhad restructured its entire operation unit in 2003 into three Strategic Business Units. Pos Malaysia Berhad now consists of three types of categories asdetermine to be more focused on its various customers and marketplace.

PosMel is functioning to manage an average of 4 million mail items every day, PosMel is focused in providing day-to-day mailing services both general public and retail customers. PosLaju is being the sole national courier provider, PosLaju aggressively aims to be the preferred courier service among its foreign competitors. Whereas,PosNiaga
 is responsible in heightening the accessibility of the national's postal services via its extensive network of over 700 outlets and Pos Malaysia's transaction portal to reach Malaysians in every corner of the country.

At Pos Malaysia Berhad, they have discovered that the secret to business survival lies in human relationships. Thus, Pos Malaysia Berhad constantly invests in identifying, evaluating and maximising the human capital that drives the organisation and innovating solutions to improve its products and services to fulfill the increasing demands of its customers.

As we enter the new century, Pos Malaysia Berhad continues to reinvent itself to stay focused, competitive and continues to connect Malaysians with the world. Postcode by postcode.


3.0 ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE (TOP MANAGEMENT)
1
YBhgDato’ Sri Haji MohdKhamil bin Jamil
Chairman
2
YBhgDato’ Khalid bin AbdolRahman
Group Chief Executive Officer
3
EncikMohdShukrieMohdSalleh
Group Chief Operating Officer
4
EncikNik Ahmad FauzanNik Mohamed
Group Chief, Corporate Services
5
Encik Bahaman Kamaruzzaman
Chief Operating Officer, PosMel
6
Tuan Haji Nor AzizanTarja 
Chief Operating Officer, PosLaju
7
YBhgDato’ MeariaHamzah
Chief Operating Officer, PosNiaga
8
YBhgDato’ Sabrina Albakri Abu Bakar
Group Head, Legal & Secretarial
9
Encik Faisal Murad
Chief Financial Officer
10
Encik Aziz Manas
Chief Internal Auditor & Investigation
11
YBhgDatoRohaizaHashim
Group Head, Corporate Communications & Customer Care
12
EncikRadinAsrulAdza
Chief Information Officer
13
Puan Pat Wahid
Chief Marketing Officer, Group Marketing
14
YM Raja Nor Izah Raja Jaafar
Group Head, Group Sales
15
EncikAhsimJamat
Group Head, Transport Management
16
Ms Chum Choy Han
Group Head, Pos Malaysia International
17
YBhgDato’ ShahriJikun
Group Head, Facility Management
18
EncikMohd Rizal Hamzah
Group Head, Strategic Procurement
19
PuanBalqaisYusoff
Group Head, Corporate Planning
20
EncikFikri Ahmad
Group Head, Group Human Resource
21
EncikMohdYusriDollah
Group Head, Transformation Management Office
22
EncikZaidiHussain
Group Head, Program Management Office
23
PuanNorlaileeAbedolGhani
Vice President, Customer Care


4.0 TRACK RECORD
Before, Now and In the Future of Achievement.
Enhancing Core ICT Capabilities
2007 in review
The year 2007 saw the achievement of POS Integrated Track and Trace Information System (PITTIS), a flagship project which went live in May 2007.  This system equips Pos Malaysia to better cater for current and future requirements of the business, ashigh availability are built into the design.ICT was actively involved in another flagship project; POS Automated Network Transaction Acceptance System (PosPantas), which kicked off in June 2007.  The project will enable increased efficiency for over the counter transactions at post offices, hence increasing the turnaround time and reducing waiting time for the customers to transact.
Apart from the flagship application initiatives, ICT is also focusing its effort on the service delivery channel improvements. For a good number of years, Pos Malaysia has been constrained by the limited network bandwidth at its various post offices.  In 2007, the Wide Area Network Upgrade Project was initiated in order to provide the post offices with the Managed IP VPN and Broadband network. This will improve system performance and availability which is critical for Pos Malaysia in meeting the service level standards set by its customers, agencies and statutory bodies.
Moving forward to 2008
ICT will further improve Pos Malaysia’s core capabilities in 2008. Major projects planned are the Data Centre Upgrades, Disaster Recovery Centre, Desktop Management and System Security Enhancement.  Continuous improvement to the core capabilities to enable Pos Malaysia to achieve its business targets will be the main strategic thrust and theme for ICT.
Enhancing Risk Management Capabilities:
Pos Malaysia adopted its enterprise-wide risk management framework from AS/NZ 4360,which details the approach and process of systematically identifying, assessing and managing risks. The framework provides relevant guiding principles on the techniques of applying various risk management stage process such as risk identification, analysis, evaluation, treatment and monitoring of risks.  This is applicable across different risk categories with the focus of reducing the likelihood and impact of all identified risks beyond Pos Malaysia’s risk appetite. Control measures will be put in place and monitored using management tools with a view to ensure management action plans to minimizerisks are adhered to. In addition, controlmeasures are also subject to ongoing regular reviews to ascertain the efficacy levels and revised accordingly to enhance effectiveness.Pos Malaysia will continually improve the methodology of identifying, assessing and managing of risks by observing the evolution of global leading risk management practices and in consultation with subject matter experts from time to time.
In the future, the organization is planning to keep holding the market by utilizing the technology. Since PosLaju already ahead in the market, domination is important. The organization will keep improving especially in some niche area to be stronger on their public eyes. Technology like e-mail and online service is already applied and should be improved to meet the global demand. PosLaju will keep sharing latest information technology with the international courier company to be ahead in local market.


5.0 CONCLUSION
On this day courierservice is developed using advanced technology.Besides that, many
 features allow users to easily send information. The mixture of its solid market strength and market freedom enables pos malaysia berhad to explore and adapt to new business opportunities beyond the 'traditional postal services' and thus, stay ahead of its competitors.

PosLaju provides a range of services to send documents, packages to cater all the delivery needs. Every step taken is to be ahead in this field. The use of Track and Trace Technology prove their commitment and the decision to merge with Motorola MC3000R to give greater impact to the market. This step is important for the company to survive in the modern era.

The catchy websites is not only to attract the customer and future stakeholder, it is necessary to create a better and more convenient business environment for the market target.The used of online service like bill payment and pharmacist is only a part to be mention. In fact, they not only provide all this service on the counter, it is just as easy with click to the PosLaju websites.


6.0 RECOMMENDATION

To make PosLaju more advanced than the previous, they may have to give e-mail or message to customer once the letter or parcel sent to them. This is to make sure those customers to be aware about their letter or parcel so that those things are safely arrived to them.

PosLaju also may have to decrease the time taken to deliver the letter or parcel so that this system is able to maintained and attract more customer to keep use PosLajuas their necessities to make delivery.

Moreover, PosLaju could facilitate delivery procedure. Procedure which is set by PosLaju may take customers’ time to make a delivery. They have to fill the form to make sure their parcel is sent to the right receiver. However, this kind of way is take time for those who need rush to go somewhere

Last but not least, to increase the attraction from customers, PosLajumay have to minimize delivery cost in terms of its charge or the price of parcel itself. This may decrease the customers’ burden so that they would keep going use PosLajuas their ‘friend’ in terms of delivery parcel or letter.


7.0 REFERENCES
Annual report of posmalaysia. (2007). Retrieved from

Background of Pos Malaysia. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.pos.com.my/pos/homepage.aspx  1st February 2012

UTAR Engineering Programmes Get Better(UTAR)




   UTAR Faculty of Engineering and Science (FES) welcomed 17 professional representatives from the industry and professional bodies in engineering to the its second Industrial Advisory Panel meeting held on 9 October 2009 at UTAR Kuala Lumpur Campus in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur.
      
      Ir. Rocky H.T. Wong, a representative from The Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) who also attended the first industrial advisory panel meeting commented, "Through my observation, the engineering programmes conducted by UTAR have improved from the time my first assessment was conducted during the first industrial advisory panel meeting."
      
     "UTAR engineering graduates have a competitive edge as they can gain ready employment upon graduation and are candidates of choice when seeking to pursue their postgraduate studies," he added.
    
    During the meeting, FES Dean Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wang Chan Chin briefed the members of the industrial advisory panel on the developments of the University since its first meeting, covering the various programmes conducted in UTAR, the University's organisational structure, student enrolment, faculties, campuses, university achievements, research and collaboration activities as well as research centres.

     Dr. Wang also introduced the panel members to UTAR's new faculty - the Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology - and informed them about the new Architecture programme that would be conducted in UTAR starting next year.
He elaborated on the quality improvement measures taken by the FES and particularly emphasised on the importance of receiving input from industry practitioners to improve the Faculty's engineering programmes.
He said, "It is good for us to receive feedback from the industry on the skills that our students should possess in order to gain employment so that we can further refine our engineering programme curriculum to cater to the industry. There may be certain types of skills and soft skills that our graduates need to possess to succeed in the industry such as interpersonal skills, knowledge in law, management, accounting and economic. To gain an understanding of the skills needed, we need to consult with industry practitioners."
In addition to that, Dr. Wang conveyed his aspiration for UTAR engineering programmes to receive international professional accreditation status so that the Faculty�s graduates would find it easier to obtain employment overseas and the Faculty would be able to attract more international students to study engineering in UTAR.
        The meeting ended with a departmental group discussion based on respective fields of disciplines and a campus tour of the UTAR Kuala Lumpur Campus.
Members of the Industrial Advisory Panel meet periodically to discuss matters related to the engineering programmes of the University and offer feedback and constructive views that can help further improve the programmes.

World Wide Web Domination Win is Malaysia's Gain




Limkokwing University of Creative Technology

World Wide Web Domination Win is Malaysia’s Gain
The award-winning website team does it again and every time they score on the international stage they bring glory not only to the world’s creativity University but also to Malaysia for online creativity and innovation.
The young creators of the Limkokwing official website, World Wide Web Domination (W3D), is on the roll again by taking home 18 international awards over the last two months, probably the only university web in the country to do so with such regularity.
The awards are all the more significant because they are from established US-based organisations known for their high standards and criteria.
The judges who are industry professionals picked the Limkokwing University website based on design, innovation content, technology, interactivity, copywriting and functionality, and the awards are a testimony that clearly reflects Malaysia’s sophistication for producing outstanding multimedia products and services.

Young, talented and savvy

W3D is dominated by dedicated team players who are all alumni below 30 years of age and for them winning is all in a day’s to come up with some amazing stuff.
Along the way, these young men and women have placed the country on the same pedestal as world-class names such as DreamWorks, Paramount, Levi’s, Walt Disney, Nissan, Pizza Hut, FIAT, Hewlett-Packard, Alcatel Lucent, Mattel, Pepsi, MTV, Samsung, Yahoo! among other distinguished brands.
W3D comes under the able command of Dato’ Timothy Lim Kok Wing Jr who is a computer wizard in his own right. Working closely with the University Founder President, Timothy handles the day-to-day management of the outfit, which also includes conceptualization, content creation and direction of the creative team.

Winning streak

Since 2009, Limkokwing University has won 30 more international awards again proving that Malaysia has the talents, resources and professionalism to create great online work of international standards.
Recently, the World Wide Web Domination again proved that have what it takes to be an award-winning web team when they won two Outstanding Achievement Awards under the Education category in the 2011 Interactive Media Awards (IMA) for the Limkokwing Community Portal and iPhone Applications.
The second highest honour bestowed by IMA, it was based on specific criteria: design, content, feature functionality, usability and standards compliance and cross-browser compatibility. The Limkokwing Community Portal and iPhone Applications received an overall score of 464 from a maximum of 500 points.

Worldwide hit

The University’ official website is probably the such portal in Malaysia or in the world to register over 200 million hits annually from 220 countries and territories worldwide, or one that is yet to be matched by others.
This amazing achievement is again to the credit of the Limkokwing web team that is fast changing the landscape of the online skyline through their passion and creativity to excel in the field, and bring home more international awards so it may also be Malaysia’ gain too.
With more than 40 international awards showcasing their performance since 2009, the World Wide Web Domination is already strategising yet another global award, soon.

UMP To Develop IT Product with 6 Firms



KUANTAN: UMP Holdings Sdn Bhd, the business arm of Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP), signed a memorandum of understanding with six companies to pave the way for collaboration to develop an information technology-based product.

It was UMP Holdings’ first commercial collaboration with the private sector.

Its chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman said the product, an integrated management system called E-Management Enterprise Solution, was commercialised after it was developed by a UMP lecturers.

“It was developed by a team from the Computer Science and Software Engineering Faculty led by project manager Prof Madya Wan Maseri Wan Mohd,” he told reporters after the signing ceremony at the UMP campus in Gambang here on Thursday.

Also present was UMP vice-chancellor Datuk Dr Daing Nasir Ibrahim.

Abdul Aziz said that more business ventures were expected this year and the university had the right workforce and resources to develop marketable products.

He said that a good response had been received from publicity campaigns at state departments and agencies.

On other business plans, Abdul Aziz said that UMP Holdings would meet Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob to explore the possibility of working on matters pertaining to information technology.

In his speech, Abdul Aziz said the product was a management and administration solutions provider to minimise time and labour costs.

The companies that signed the MoU were Fifway System Sdn Bhd, MH Equal Management Sdn Bhd, Century Software Sdn Bhd, Casa Inovasi Sdn Bhd, Encoral Digital Solution Sdn Bhd and Maxima System Consultant Sdn Bhd.

The E-Management Enterprise Solution received a quality award under the information technology category from the Malaysian Modernisation and Management Planning Unit in 2004.

UTP: Workshop on Securing Research Funding and Grants


        Research Enterprise Office (REO) had organized and conducted a one-day workshop on 25th November 2009 for staff and students on the opportunity to secure funding and grants from Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd, a company wholly funded by Ministry of Finance. One of the grants introduced by Cradle Fund is the University Cradle Investment Programme Catalyst (U-CIP Catalyst). This grant is specifically targeted to researchers and/ or inventors and students of research institutes, private and public universities, colleges and institutes of higher education in Malaysia. The objective of U-CIP Catalyst is to assist researchers/or inventors to commercialize their invention into marketable products, technologies or services by providing pre-seed funding of between RM50,000 to RM150,000 over a period of 4-12 months. The fund covers the development of prototypes, proof of concepts, business plans, IP search and registration, surveys and other expenses related to the product development.


           Speakers from Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd, Mr Kenny Mah and Ms Syazwani Ismail urged the staff and students to apply for this grants online via www.cradle.com.my as the grant will assist them into transforming their invention into commercially viable products. They added that the grants focus on both ICT and non-ICT ideas and other interesting ideas with strong innovative technology-related component in any industry that has a strong commercial value and will be beneficial to Malaysians, the economy and the world, will also be considered. Besides offering grants, the company also provides advisory support to inventors, industry mentoring programme, and other services related to personal development and competencies.

            Tn Hj Azminuddin, Senior Manager REO in his opening remarks reiterated the importance of U-CIP Catalyst to assist the university in achieving its targets of becoming a Research University by 2013 by producing more inventions and products into the market. .The U-CIP Catalyst grant can be an alternative to other funds as it is easily available and the fund itself covers product which is close to being market-ready. He also encouraged graduating students to apply for the grant and develop their invention into marketable product which can also leading them to become an entrepreneur by establishing their own company. This aspiration suits well with the university’s mission of producing a well-rounded graduate, and the future leaders of the industry.

UNIMAS Upgrades Its Internet Access Capacity



          THE increased application of information communications technology is one of the cornerstones of the Educational Development Masterplan 2006-2010 under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.
In line with this, Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) has signed an agreement with Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) to implement a major upgrade of UNIMAS' Internet leased line capacity from the current 8Mbps to 34Mbps by June 1.
          This increase in Internet access capacity will meet the administration, study and research requirements of 7,500 UNIMAS students and staff.
TM has been the primary Internet connectivity provider to UNIMAS since 2003, and currently provides its tmnet direct solution to UNIMAS via a dedicated link.
           UNIMAS was TM's first tmnet direct customer among institutions of higher learning in the country.
           Founded in 1992, UNIMAS is the eighth public university in Malaysia and the first in Sarawak. It currently hosts 19 faculties, institutes and centres in a wide variety of study and research areas, including computer science and information technology, resource science and technology, as well as biodiversity and environmental conservation

MDeC, University of Malaya, Cisco to Create ICT specialists for Malaysian SMEs Kuala Lumpur, 24


KUALA LUMPUR, 24 AUGUST 2009 – Two young Malaysia-based entrepreneurs have won awards for the design and build of their multi-touch screen called Smart Surface. 

Smart Surface’s co-founders, Faysal Abdulaziz (managing director) and Homam Alghorani (executive director) said the product was envisioned during their student days at APIIT (Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology), where they became interested in multi-touch technology and related natural computer interfacing. 

The first prototype was designed and built at the beginning of 2009 when, in February, an entrepreneur offered the two aforementioned developers to co-form a company and fund their research, said Abdulaziz. 

“Smart Surface is completely designed and built in Malaysia,” said Abdulaziz, who added that the product was launched commercially in May 2009, during the 20th ITEX09 [International Invention, Innovation and Technology Exhibition] exhibition held in Kuala Lumpur. 

During ITEX09, which was organised by MINDS (Malaysian, Invention & Design Society) and the ministry of science, technology and innovation, the product won two awards for Best Invention – Corporate Category, and the ITEX Gold Medal Award. 

Pioneering use of the LCD screen
The company focuses on research and development of in-house multi-touch hardware and software solutions, said Abdulaziz. “As far as we know, another Malaysian provider of a similar product, Kreateevee, uses rear projection technology for display with diffused infra-red (IR) illumination for movement detection.” 

“We do use this technology in some of our early models, but we also are the pioneers in exploring the use of the LCD screen for display technology, instead of rear-projection, as well as LASER [light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation] detection technology, instead of IR illumination,” he said. “Therefore, Smart Surface is the only company that has a full range of multi-touch and surface computer application technologies [rear-projection, LCD display, LASER recognition technology, tabletop and vertical walls].” 

“Smart Surface has already been in commercial use by many companies,” he added. “That means we are technologically ahead in term of solving the many problems associated with any commercial use of the product. For example, for rear-projection technology, we achieved a tabletop display size ratio to the external dimensions of the top of the table of almost 1:1.” 

Future plans
“It is noteworthy that some of our clients, such as British American Tobacco and Cool Merchant Connections had already approached other local companies that offered multi-touch technology,” he added. “However, they opted to use Smart Surface products after they compared all technological aspects.” 

Regarding future developments, he said: “We have already spoken with APIIT for cooperation through internships for students who will learn firsthand about our multi-touch technology and its applications. This will enrich the academic field of multi-touch research in Malaysia.” 

“We also have ongoing discussions with the Centre for Research & Innovation Management at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, for possible cooperation on developing suitable applications for them,” said Abdulaziz.