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1990, he joined PETRONAS. During Sazali’s
27 years with the company, PCG has forged
close ties across the chemical and energy
sectors. He says the reason for the company’s
impressive market penetration is multifaceted.
“It’s not only the product quality; it’s
reliability, delivery and cost-effectiveness,” he
says. “When I first joined PCG, I realised that
it is unique, as it has a lot of opportunities
for business growth.”
Sazali notes that many of PCG’s clients
have been working with the company for
more than a decade. This is, in part, a tribute
to PCG’s approach of listening closely to its
customers’ needs. “Our client’s perspective
is important. We do a lot of what we call
‘Client Design Workshops’. We want to
collaborate with them and work with
them as a community. Ultimately, we see
them as part of the system, not as just
buyers and sellers.”
Integrating the suppliers into the system
involves regular communication, Sazali
explains. “We have what we call supply-chain
leadership to review the day-to-day issues
on delivery, consistency and gas feedstock
supply. We always review where we are
and the challenges we face. From this,
we’ve uncovered a lot of opportunities for
improvement. Also, our approach is to help
the suppliers reach the same level we have
reached. We share not just our products but
our best practices with them. Some of our
suppliers were small firms when we started working with
them; now they are global companies.”
PCG has been an acquisitive company but, Sazali says,
it has been highly selective in terms of what it adds to
its stable. The Group will seek both organic and inorganic
growth in the near future, he adds. “We have three
approaches. One is to team up with our existing partners
and clients who are willing to grow with us. Second,
we will search for possible mergers and acquisitions of
technology companies within our selected business segment.
Third, we will invest some of our money into developing
organic technologies.”
He says the Group is also interested in developing
technology that’s related to its existing expertise. In
particular, it would like to move into fields that are
less resource dependent. “We are evaluating these options
now. That will take a bit longer, looking into specific areas
that we want to evaluate.
“Our key business message moving forward is about
‘stepping out’,” he continues. “We plan to venture into
new segments to futureproof our business in the face of
a rapidly changing external environment. We must seize
the opportunity to leverage our strong petrochemical
foundations to enter into niche specialty chemicals markets,
including bio-based products, which have stronger margins
and will benefit from the growth of consumer demand in
emerging economies. This will require the infusion of new
technologies coupled with increased customer focus to
capture a share of the market.
“This growth strategy is taking us into unfamiliar
territory and will require us to be agile and able to embrace
a new mindset to build the capability needed to succeed.
Guided by our strong work culture, I am confident that