Stellagen and Inno Bio field trip

Stellagen Sdn. Bhd. was incorporated in 2002 that run by Mr. Nur Hilmy Ahmad that acts as CEO with five staffs behind him with different educational field background, which operate the whole company. It was established with the primary goal of recognizing, emergent and commercializing microbiology and biochemical industries technologies that was related to animal and consumer health. The company is running a product which called StellarLac, which act as feed supplement or growth promoter for poultry (mainly chicken) product. Thus, this product can be said a substitute component in a poultry production, instead of injecting antibiotic or feed them with antibiotic-based food that can cause harm towards human. Cause can be in term of the chicken itself will be immune or resistant toward the antibiotic if they keep supplying it to the chicken, or, chemical component that happen to occur in the antibiotic itself will affect human health when we cook and consume the chicken.

Thus, in order to overcome the normal antibiotic injection method, Stellagen company have now come with and want to commercializing a first product called StellarLac, which has undergone a 15 years research in University Putra Malaysia with all of the Master and PhD students. It is known as probiotic since the product is consisted of 11 strains of friendly bacteria from a species of Brevis, Salivarius, Reuteri and Gallinarum sp. that can improve a chicken's intestinal bacteria balance and its digestion of chicken feed. It also helps to restore the presence of beneficial bacteria, which strengthen the intestinal system against disease-causing organisms.
          StellarLac is the pioneer product of the company which is an award winning direct fed microbials for poultry. It is proven to be a natural growth promoter and increase growth performance by improving feed conversion in chicken. StellarLac also act as a hypolipidaemic agent to reduce fat and cholesterol. With all the characteristics, StellarLac is the best possible way to produce a healthy, antibiotics and drugs free chicken.

 When we want to make the comparison between Stellagen with the Inno Biologics, there are certainly big differences with those two companies, which first, in term of what they are offering. For Stellagen, the company was offering a product which is StellarLac feed supplement, rather than Inno Bio which is offering services like cell line development, antibodies service, expression of recombinant protein using mammalian system, cGMP (current good manufacturing practices) and also training in term of laboratory management. Thus, the Inno Bio seems to have need more funding in order to setup and running their company in which the Inno Bio is type of Government Link Company (GLC) that get the funding from Ministry of Finance.

In comparison with the Stellagen, it is private companies that build by a group of people, which their still got the funding by the government around 1.8 million in order to start up their company. Besides, the Stellagen also got the funding from other sources. In term of the company business prospect, Inno Bio was established in order to construct and provide the best infrastructure and facilities for bio-technopreneurs in Malaysia, whereby for Stellagen, they want to commercializing microbiology and biochemical industries technologies that was related to animal and consumer health. In term of business sale and profit making, Inno Bio can be said as making as much of profit and sale compared to the Stellagen since the Inno Bio was making a lot of services including certain products. When it comes to which company is more focusing to market their products or services, Stellagen can be said better than the Inno Bio since they are only came out with on product. Thus, they can be more specific as they want in term of R&D, selling, management and so on. So, they might be said can provide a much superior and quality sort of product rather than Inno Bio that need to divide their skill and workmanship to diverse services area.

At the moment, the main export market of this StellarLac is in the region of Southeast Asia. Thus, in future time, the company might target certain countries like China, India and also Iran in order to expand and spread out their business. Besides, since the current penetration of the product within the local market is only 2% from the other established product, the company might in future want to higher their target business to 5% in the local market. From what that has been told to us, the 2% penetration itself is just a big achievement for them since there is around four million of chicken that have been produced per day, and most of them is just applying the conventional antibiotic. Thus, I can see why the increment of 3% was such a big success for them.

To say how the company will grow in 10 years after, I can see that the company may be succeeded in what their have done today as the people can be educated day by day by the awareness of antibiotic usage in poultry product. As people have been educated, the people and farmers will switch to something that is worth for a greater good, which is StellarLac.

All in all, the trip was met my expectation in term of gain knowledge much better towards the biotech fields or industries that actually have mushrooming rapidly in Malaysia. I, as a personal have been able to see how does a company want to start up with their product, invention or business, how they manage their company, how actually the research and development was done, the up and down in running a business and many valuable information. Besides, from the perspective of the Stellagen Company itself, what that I impress with them is their concern on making a new type of poultry supplement instead of conventional antibiotic that can benefits the consumers, including our health. Thus, I wish that the greatest success for the company to become a giant once in the future. 

The Inovation Process

"Technological innovation is a critical factor for the survival and growth of most industrial enterprises, and should not be left to chance if it can be planned and controlled in a meaningful way"

 
Today class is an extension of what we have learned in the previous session. More details on the concept of invention and innovation itself, which include market orientation, effective project selection and evaluation system, effective project management and control, source of creative ideas, organization receptive to innovation and commitment by one or a few individuals towards the invention or innovation. All of these factors should be analyzed valuably in order to satisfy the targeted people more economically. Everything that cost money between the obtaining of an order and the receipt of the goods by the targeted people (customer) must be considered in relation to its effect on customer satisfaction.

The basic strategy that have been highlighted by Prof Barjoyai in order to value the innovation is by blue ocean strategy. The well known strategy to create new demand and open up market space. In layman term, its just a way on lowering the cost of an invented product so that the number of buyer can be increased, thus, meet the value innovation point.

During our class, we have been introduced by Prof with the microwave rice cooker, whereby the plastic-made cooker can be placed in the microwave without melting. Thus, for who which do not have any electronic rice cooker, they can have this type of cool invented cooker that can withstand high temperature. By the way, we were cooking nasi briyani during this session. And it was grant!

Next, Prof has shown to us a bread-making mini machine, whereby mixture of flour, water, salt, etc. that have been inserted in it can be blend, mix, mold in that container to form a dough, and then being cooked within the machine itself. Just that easy and time consuming. So, we applied that machine to make another bread during the session by using this special wheat flour called Konjac Powder-Premium that can be obtained in local market. This powder can produce more soft and more tasty bread. Indeed, we make a grant bread! Class that full with food. Yumm Yumm.

All in all, be creative! be innovative!

King of Kings

Dear friends,

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: Allah the Almighty says:  

I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it. And if he draws near to Me a hand's span, I draw near to him an arm's length; and if he draws near to Me an arm's length, I draw near to him a fathom's length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.

 [Related by al-Bukhari, and also by Muslim, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah]

In the quietness of thought and clarity of perspective, I come to reflect on this past year and the coming chapter. We often measure our accomplishments (or lack thereof) this way, in yearly portions, so much so that we can assign a particular capsule of feeling to each year. 2006 was a loose canon, 2007 was an exercise in reality, 2008 was hard work, 2009 was a (much welcome) learning curve, 2010 was..

What was 2010?

It seemed from the get go that I was restless of what to come after, all the while coasting through what was once present. That much I can say with conviction. 

At the closing of this chapter and while I step into the light of limbo, I find myself wanting to maintain a certain combination of priorities attributed to 2010. But, for want of change, change must first spring from whom is found wanting, so He reminds in Surah Ar-Ra'd (The Thunder), 13:11. Hence, the perspective for my afters and presents must, I feel, be rendered in the light of God. 

I must still be restless for what to is to come after, only now it refers to so much more than the follies of this world. I must coast through that which is unnecessary of the present, to live with simplicity, modesty and humility as did our beloved prophet, and to be in constant remembrance of Him. This is why I bring to you the above hadith, one of my favorite quotations from our beloved, who delights us in that which was revealed to him.

I sincerely hope the closing of your chapter, or sub-chapter, is touched with fresh aspirations too, that you find delight in that which you have learned, and intend to do so much more here on out. May our hopes, resolutions and dreams for the coming year(s) bring us closer to Him, inshaAllah. For when we approach Him in our walk, He promises to run.

2011?

??

Credit to A. Anuar