MANUFACTURING Slashing cost with alternatives BY TEE KOK ZHUAN MELAKA: Winning numerous awards is never enough for Swanmet Sdn Bhd, a One-Stop Foundry and Solution Centre that is based in Merlimau. Swanmet is never satisfied with its continuous improvement as it serves a lengthy list of reputable customers from varied industries in East Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. After establishing a second machining and fabrication facility in Malaysia that sits on a land area of 8,600 sq meters with a covered area of 2,700 sq meters, Swanmet hones in on enhancing its information technology infrastructure. Mr Lim Hong Ming, the MIS Executive of Swanmet, said, “There are a lot of companies out there that are using pirated software to run their manufacturing activities. “It is very difficult sometimes because the standard software can be very expensive. “Most people are not aware that they have alternatives such as Linux to run their servers and Open Source Software (OSS) to replace the licensed applications.” After engaging IT Jaya to work with the internal MIS team, Swanmet has slashed its IT cost by RM40K. Banggajam, a senior MIS Executive in Swanmet commented, “Swanmet's culture is unique because we are very adaptable to technology and we get excited about improvements. “Our director, namely KS Lim, is a strong supporter of the use of IT to enhance our operations and productivity. “We have always believed in the use of legal software and now, we are able to enjoy that at a fraction of the cost.” “The use of OSS further strengthens our security and we are very impressed with IT Jaya's response time when support is needed,” added Lim.   For more information about Swanmet Sdn Bhd, check out www.swanmet.com