Rondo is a Australian based company with international offices spanning to New Zealand, Dubai, and of course, Malaysia. We recently sat down with the Market Development Manager in Rondo Malaysia Malcolm Chang to get some insight into the Malaysia operations and its history.
History speaks for itself
The Rondo Malaysia office known as Rondo Metal Products has been around since November 2004. "Back then, the idea was to start an export hub for the Australian and New Zealand markets and to basically supply any of Rondo’s customers outside of the Pacific region," said Malcolm. In just 13 years, Rondo Metal Products has developed and grown, allowing them to work on some of the most incredible, defining projects in all of Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, cementing Rondo as a dependable supplier of metal products within the global market.
“It wasn’t always like this”, Malcolm said. "It all started with a very small team who basically supported our distributors in assisting customers. The small team consisted of Technical personnel who provided solutions and framing proposals for plaster walls, ceilings and drywalls. Rondo Metal Products though has continued to build its reputation and along with that, the portfolio of projects it has had the privilege of working on. Recently Rondo expanded into a bigger factory in Malaysia which has helped facilitate the growing demand for the supply of our products”.
The product range from Rondo Metal Products doesn't stop at ceilings and drywalls, according to Malcolm, we also supply a number of value add services that set us apart from our competitors including our design support (expert technical advice from our Professional Engineers), Quality and Environment Control, Written & Backed Warranty, guaranteed deliveries in full and on time along with working with a well-known and trusted brand
According to Malcolm, the design services offered by the Rondo Technical Team are extremely important to their customers. The KEY-LOCK Suspended Ceiling System and Drywall Stud Framing adhere to specific technical specifications. “This brings strength to the Rondo product over here. We also have strong relationships with our customers, which helps to ensure they are given the most suitable product for their project and their needs."
Kuala Lumpur is one of the target markets of Rondo Metal Products.
Rondo Metal Products would not be the same through without its strong team
To provide the most suitable metal systems and services to their customers; distributors and contractors, Rondo relies on a small, experienced team across all departments. The Malaysian Team consists of 55 staff that breakdown into a Technical Services Team, a Sales Team, a Customer Service Team and a Production Team that all report to the General Manager in Malaysia, Peter Bradley.
"Our production team is strong and consistently delivers product quality," continued Malcolm. "The Rondo KEY-LOCK® Suspended Ceiling System, for example, is a superior product. We use the highest grade of galvanised steel which gives you highest level of corrosion protection. We use all Australian Rondo product specifications, which are produced to the highest standard, in the safest possible environment within our factories.
"The strength of our teams is the technical aspect."
"The strength of our teams is the technical aspect. The Rondo Metal Products team consists of managers, designers and engineers, who provide one-stop solutions to our customers. We are able to provide customers with drawings and quantity surveying for any enquiries they send to us. We have long-term relationships which helps us to retain our clients and we only take two or three days to get back to our customers with a solution, which is always the most practical and cost-effective possible for their projects."
Rondo Metal Products works with customers from the point of enquiry right through to the completion of the project. The operations side of the business organises the shipping around the world with their monthly output equating to approximately 80 containers of steel products each month.
"That includes shipping to markets in Australia, consistent orders from Singapore and the local market, and also some of the seasonal projects in the Hong Kong and Macau markets," said Malcolm.
"Rondo Metal Products is now the international hub for other Rondo factories (Middle East), that are internal customers. We produce and supply to them, but to Australia we supply Access Panels. For partner customers, we supply to manufacturers in Malaysia, Singapore and Abu Dhabi. We have long-term customers all over south-east Asia. When they have sizable international projects, they know to turn to us here at Rondo."
For any large-scale international projects, customers turn to Rondo Metal Products.
What major projects has Rondo Metal Products undertaken recently?
Rondo Metal Products has recently started and completed a number of major international projects that showcase the high quality products and systems we produce from our Malaysia factory. One of these in particular was the Wynn Palace in Macau. To this project, the Rondo Team supplied Drywall, ceilings, and access panels, as well as our WALK-ABOUT Ceiling System.
"It was one of the most challenging and aggressive projects we've had due to its large-scale. It made the list of one of the 20 most anticipated hotel openings in 2016 holding approximately 350 gaming tables. This year though there are a few more major projects we are working on including another in Macau called the MGM Cotai which is a luxury hotel that has achieved China's Green Building Certification. It has about 1,400 hotel rooms and there a project of enormous importance to us."
Other major projects include:
- Marina One in Singapore
- Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur
- W Kuala Lumpur Hotel
- Midfield Terminal in Abu Dhabi
"We have a wide range of experience servicing customers out of Australia and New Zealand. Our core strength builds on the relationships and applications of our various products, systems and regions. Our project experience offers us leverage to exhibit Rondo's superior systems around the world. It has been a long journey to get Rondo Metal Products to where we are today but we couldn’t of got here without the continued support from our global team and continued support from Research and Development in Australia."
For more information about Rondo operations around the world, get in touch with our team today.