THE SME Recognition Award will be “going Asean” next year, by first tapping Indonesia and later, eight other countries in the region.

SME Association of Malaysia national president Michael Kang announced this during the SME Recognition Award 2015 Presentation and Gala Dinner held last Friday at the Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre.

The award, in its 14th year, honours Malaysia’s top SMEs for their excellence.

There were 101 award recipients from 17 categories such as SME Achievers Award, SME Green Excellence Award, SME Export Excellence Award, SME Women Entrepreneur Award and SME Service Excellence Award.

The Platinum Entrepreneur 2015 Award was awarded to Kossan Rubber Industries Bhd group managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Lim Kuang Sia.

Besides showcasing the achievements of Malaysia’s top SMEs, this award provides a premium platform to benchmark the service standards and quality of SMEs as well as enhance their intellectual properties and brand image in the global marketplace.

The award theme this year was “Shaping up to the New Economic Landscape”.

Kang said it represented a critical call for Malaysian SMEs to re-invent, harpen their skills, and brace themselves to match the global competition associated with a borderless business environment.

“In terms of productivity, Malaysia ranks low with a ratio of 4:1 and 7:1 compared with Singapore and the US respectively.

“This means that one Singaporean can do the job of four Malaysians, and one American can do the job of seven Malaysian,” said Kang.

“As the National President of the SME Association of Malaysia, I wish to share my perspective on issues affecting SMEs in the country,” he added.

If we continued to be contented instead of improving ourselves, Kang projected that at least 30% of SMEs would disappear when the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) comes into full force, two years after signing, because with companies from the TPPA country partners offering products and services of better quality here, SMEs would die off if they are not ready to advance.

Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah was the guest of honour for the event.

In his speech, he saidSMEs were one of the drivers of our economic growth, contributing 335 to our Gross Domestic Product.

“We expect it to reach 41percent by 2020. On the part of the government, we will provide endless support in order for SMEs to achieve your aim.”

Kang also said the association has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Next Generation Movement to promote growth of young entrepreneurs with effect from Jan 1, 2016.

“The MOU intends to help young entrepreneurs penetrate the ASEAN market of 630 million population through business matching, investment cooperation, and the exchange of information with regard to trade, supply chain, innovation and technology,” he said.

He added the association looked forward to work hand-in-hand with the Next Generation Movement to enhance the capabilities of young entrepreneurs by leveraging on these regional opportunities.