Penfabric Sdn. Berhad is OEKO-TEX ® Company of the Month for Feb14

In Malaysia is becoming an increasingly attractive growth market for international clothing retailers. The yarn and fabric manufacturer Penfabric Sdn. Berhad, which belongs to the Japanese Toray Group, is one of the leading companies in the Malaysian textile industry. The majority of the companys product range meets the human ecology criteria of OEKOTEX ® Standard 100.

Penfabrics portfolio is huge, ranging from sheer fabrics for scarves and ties, fine materials for shirts and blouses, colourful materials for outer garments, functional fabrics for sportswear, patterned materials for home textiles, or durable furnishing covers right through to specially treated materials for workwear and protective clothing made of pure cotton or cotton/synthetic fibre mixes. Penfabric also produces and distributes undyed yarns and fabrics for further processing. The company, founded in 1973, currently employs approximately 1,600 staff members in its four production facilities in the Malaysian state of Penang. The four factories are organised on the basis of a systematic, vertically integrated production method in accordance with the textile production levels: spinning mill, weaving mill, textile dyeing and finishing and surface finishing. HS Teh, Managing Director, sees huge advantages in this method of production: "Thanks to our perfectly coordinated production processes that are tailored to each other, we can ensure consistently excellent quality and also react promptly to market trends, whether for the finest yarn-dyed qualities in checks or stripes, the highest-quality prints in brilliant colours or specially treated fabrics with functions such as a non-iron finish, for example." Most of the manufactured goods are exported to other regions of Asia, EU countries or the US.

In addition to first-class quality and a strong focus on customers, the companys economic success is due to effective measures relating to environmental protection, occupational health and safety, and sustainability. All the Penfabric production facilities are certified in accordance with the specifications of quality management system ISO 9001-9008, and the ISO 14001 environmental management system is implemented throughout the company. For some time, the company has also been investing in concrete steps to improve its environmental balance.

Since 2008, the company has been able to make sensational energy savings of 3-5 per cent annually, by installing ultra-modern energy and water-saving equipment. Teh is convinced that the investments have paid off: "We realised years ago that the publics awareness for environmental protection and sustainability has changed. More and more people today are concerned about safe products and their environmentally friendly production. We take this into account with our continuous search for new solutions for innovative products and efficient processes." Penfabric has acquired particular expertise through the use of environmentally friendly and biodegradable dyes, the reuse of certain chemicals, and a pioneering technology based on the use of liquid ammonia.

Taking account of employees needs and well-being is also a top priority for the company. Penfabrics corporate responsibility in this area is demonstrated not least by the successfully established and comprehensive catalogue of measures on safety in the workplace.

Malaysia

When it comes to the advantages of the Asian procurement markets for textile products, China, Bangladesh, India or Cambodia will spring to mind first as locations for many buyers. However, Malaysias attractiveness also means it is gaining strongly in importance as a growth market for investments by international clothing retailers.

As an up hand- coming national economy with annual growth of over five percent, this newly industrialising country in South-East Asia with around 29 million inhabitants boasts a<