How Koon Ken Metal Engineering transformed from paper-based operations to digital excellence

Company overview

Founded in 2005, Koon Ken Metal Engineering has grown to become Malaysia's leading supplier of steel products and metal construction solutions.

The company specializes in comprehensive metal works including roof awnings, aluminium composite panels, polycarbonate roofing, metal decks, auto gates, grilles, fencing, staircases and platforms. Their projects range from residential awnings to large-scale commercial installations, serving both domestic and commercial markets across Malaysia.

With nearly two decades of experience, Koon Ken Metal Engineering has built a reputation for delivering high-quality workmanship and innovative solutions, offering products that combine ultra-modern design with practical advantages like weather resistance and environmental sustainability.

The challenge: breaking free from paper-based operations

As a traditional metal engineering company, Koon Ken Metal Engineering faced significant operational challenges that limited their efficiency and growth potential. The company's reliance on outdated documentation and communication methods created bottlenecks throughout their project lifecycle.

Paper-based documentation issues

CEO Sheng Hong describes their traditional approach: "Since our company, Koon Ken Metal Engineering, is a very traditional company, we have always relied on paper-based documentation. Previously, all our documents were offline -- everything was on paper."

This paper-dependent system created multiple problems including lost documents, unclear handwriting, and inability to access information when needed. While they had started using tools like Google Forms and Excel for record-keeping, the original project documents remained paper-based, creating a hybrid system that was difficult to manage.

This also leads to difficulty in tracking accountability in the long term. "I need a platform that can store documents long-term. This way, if months after a job is completed a problem arises, I can refer back to the original documents to identify what went wrong and who should take responsibility," notes Sheng Hong.

Complex project development process

Their project development involved multiple sequential stages from initial design through final installation and support. Managing this multi-step workflow with paper-based tracking made it difficult to monitor progress, ensure quality at each stage, and coordinate handoffs between different teams and departments.

Departmental communication gaps

With the paper-based management, the company struggled with communication breakdowns between departments. "For instance, when my site engineer goes to the site, he takes measurements and produces a drawing. To pass that drawing to the production department, we still rely on hand-to-hand delivery," explains Sheng Hong.

This manual handoff process created delays and increased the risk of miscommunication between field teams and production departments.

The solution: digital transformation with Rework

Koon Ken Metal Engineering implemented Rework to digitize their operations and create seamless workflows between purchasing, project development, and production processes.

Structured process management

Rework Flows enabled them to digitize and standardize their critical business processes:

• Purchasing process: Streamlined procurement workflows with clear stages and automated hand-off documentation
• Project development process: Digitized their multi-stage development workflow from initial drawings through to post-production support

Integrated project management

Rework Projects provided comprehensive oversight of their development tasks:

• Task management for different project phases across residential, commercial, and industrial projects
• Real-time tracking of project progress from fabrication through installation
• Centralized communication for all project stakeholders

Seamless data integration

A key advantage of Rework's platform architecture is the smooth integration between different applications. Project data flows seamlessly between the Flows (for process management) and Projects (for task execution), eliminating the manual handoffs that previously caused miscommunication.

Implementation and results

The transformation from paper-based operations to digital workflows has delivered significant improvements across Koon Ken Metal Engineering's business operations.

Comprehensive operational visibility: The platform provided the company with multiple levels of oversight that traditional paper systems couldn't offer. As Sheng Hong enthusiastically describes: "Rework is our secret weapon: Not only tiger view and ant view, but also eagle view. It's truly a booster for a company, for everyone. Won't regret about this investment!"

Enhanced operational efficiency: The digital transformation has eliminated many of the communication gaps and documentation issues that previously hindered the company's operations. By moving from hand-to-hand document delivery to digital workflows, the company has significantly reduced the departmental communication issues that previously caused project delays.

Improved document management: The platform now provides the long-term document storage and accountability system that Sheng Hong identified as critical for their business, enabling them to track project history and identify responsibility when issues arise.

Looking forward

With their digital foundation now in place, Koon Ken Metal Engineering is positioned to handle more complex projects while maintaining the quality standards that have made them a leader in Malaysia's steel products industry.

The transformation from a traditional paper-based operation to a digitally-enabled company demonstrates how established manufacturing businesses can leverage technology to overcome operational challenges while preserving the craftsmanship and quality that define their success.