KUCHING: The Sarawak Government encourages women entrepreneurs to adopt mechanisation and automation to boost their business production capacity while maintaining high product quality.
Minister for Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development, Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah, said innovation, including the introduction of ‘kek lapis’ machines, is crucial in empowering women entrepreneurs, particularly those who have already achieved strong product quality but face limitations in meeting growing demand.
“When a product such as ‘kek lapis’ becomes popular, demand increases, but because it is made carefully layer by layer and takes time to produce, limited output can restrict both production and sales.
“That is why we strongly encourage women entrepreneurs who have already achieved high product quality but are constrained in quantity to adopt automation, mechanisation or semi-manual systems. This is the way forward.
“With this approach, production can increase up to three times compared to before. By tripling output, entrepreneurs will be better able to meet demand, especially for products such as ‘kek lapis’, which continues to enjoy strong demand after being successfully positioned as a Sarawak heritage cake,” she said.
She said this when officiating the launch of the Sarawak Layer Cake Manufacturing Transformation at Mira Cake House, Metrocity, here yesterday (Sunday, Feb 15).
The officiation ceremony included a demonstration tour of the transformed ‘kek lapis’ machinery, a corporate montage presentation, and a symbolic launch gimmick to mark the beginning of a new technological era in ‘kek lapis’ production.
This transformation introduces the use of a ‘kek lapis’ production machine capable of producing up to 18 moulds at one time within approximately 90 minutes, compared to the manual method which produces only six moulds within one and a half to two hours.
With this transformation, Mira Cake House strengthens its position as a leading player in the Sarawak ‘kek lapis’ industry and demonstrates that heritage products can be modernised without compromising their traditional identity.
Fatimah emphasised that the transformation aligns with the aspirations of the Post COVID-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030), which underscores the need for local enterprises to transition towards technology-driven, data-driven and high-value innovation-based business models.
According to her, Sarawak’s manufacturing sector must move towards large-scale production with added value and export orientation to ensure local products remain competitive in broader markets.
“This is especially true as tourist demand grows, with both domestic and international visitors often purchasing these products as souvenirs to bring home.
“Alhamdulillah, one of Sarawak’s achievements is the increase in tourist arrivals, which in turn creates more opportunities for entrepreneurs to produce authentic Sarawak products.
“These products must not only be authentic but also appealing, delicious and reasonably priced to ensure they meet market expectations and remain accessible to everyone,” she said.
