KUALA TERENGGANU: A complicated craft-making process and a dusty work environment with exposure to hot flames could be reasons why many young people have no interest in pursuing a career in brassware production.
However, this did not stop two friends, Shaiful Sani Zakaria and Azuan Aziz from working up some elbow grease because they believe making brassware crafts is where the money is.
Shaiful, 36, and Azuan, 33, are co-owners of SA Unique Craft, a brassware manufacturing company that has been operating at the Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation (Kraftangan Malaysia) incubator centre near Chendering here for the past six years.
According to Shaiful, nothing beats the feeling of seeing the glitter of the finished product after a lengthy process of making them, adding that it is like a form of therapy for him.
He said that his interest in making handicrafts started when he was a teenager, and the course he took in brassware-making at Kraftangan Malaysia had further motivated him to venture into the lucrative field.
“We are also fortunate to be able to use the sophisticated equipment at the Kraftangan Malaysia incubator centre because it saves time and increases productivity compared with using traditional methods,” he told Bernama recently.
There are currently five brass product manufacturing companies in Terengganu and the owners of SA Unique are the youngest brassware craft entrepreneurs in the state.
The process of making brass products consists of design, block moulding, wax heating, melting, casting process, breaking the mould and the final finishing, that is stripping, sanding and polishing.
Shaiful said that demand has been on the rise lately as the public begins to value brass products as a precious treasure that can be used for hundreds of years and passed down from one generation to the next.
“There are also customers who place orders for brass products because they are attracted to the pots used by the Raja Permaisuri Agong, Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah as posted on the queen’s social media accounts,” he added.
“Brass is also a very effective heat conductor, so many customers like it because dishes will stay warm longer,” he said.
On average, SA Unique Crafts can produce 100 brass pots a month, including traditional brassware custom-ordered by the Sultan Mizan Royal Foundation for the palace.
Azuan said that they are fortunate to receive guidance from Kraftangan Malaysia in terms of research and development, purchase of raw materials and information on the latest innovations.
He said that their products were marketed on online platforms provided by Kraftangan Malaysia – e-kraf bazar and My Craft Shoppe – with 60% of sales revenue derived from these platforms.
“Our plan is to further strengthen our online marketing strategy as the market is huge and needs to be explored further to elevate the status of brassware crafts as a precious treasure of Terengganu on the world stage,” he said.