From its inception, Vohup Lee was in the mineral mining business as a limestone quarry – one of the common materials used for precast concrete product. Explosives were use for blasting rocks from the hill. Rocks that were collected would be process into limestone. The smaller pieces will be processed into 6 inches and 4 inches limestone that can be use for concrete products.
But there was an accident that never had been foreseen—a shaky rock at the top of the hill fell into a rubber estate nearby. Nobody was hurt except that it hit some machineries parked along side the estate when it rolled all the way down to the bottom. The Perak geological department was called upon this matter. After a series of investigation, they have concluded that the quarry’s location was unsuitable and stopped the quarrying operation in the early 1980s.
Wohup Lee then was incorporated and changed its name to Vohup Lee Concrete Works Sdn. Bhd. The focus is changed from quarrying operation to manufacturing of precast concrete products. Vohup Lee manufacturing plant started its business with mostly small precast reinforced concrete drains and road curbs that cater for the local market. Then came technology when the company brought in a semi-auto cement sand brick machine.
After operating for 10 years, it’s paved the way for a new era in precast concrete business.
80's to the 90's Setting New Trends
Quality has always been important at Vohup Lee and today's concrete productions are regarded as a benchmark for others to follow. Take, for example, a fully auto cement sand brick machine with build on conveyer belts that turned sand brick production into a trend overnight. But Vohup Lee has always thought like that and back in the 1980s when the company having trouble hiring labors, it hit on the idea of making sand brick with fully auto machinery when sand brick production followed the principle – never try anything new unless it is proven workable!
The '90s, however, were more important as the start of Vohup Lee entry into the bigger market. The Silo cement was introduced in 1993 followed, in 1994, by a MLK cement brick-casting machine, Shark T.K. 20 – long before such items were even heard of by the general manufacture company in Perak Region.
In the end of 1980's, everyone looked to infrastructures works as the next 'big economic boom' and Vohup Lee was no exception as a major producer of cement bricks, drains, and box culverts in the Perak region.
In the background, however, changes were afoot. Our nation and the rest of the Asian country were going through economic growth in 1990s. Many places in our nation were going through massive development. Houses, highways, apartments, condominiums and shop lots were built. Vohup Lee made the best out of it by supplying precast concrete products to some major projects around Perak Region.
True enough, there were 'competitive' suppliers at the start of the '80's but they were in poor quality and slow. Vohup Lee supplied cement sand brick produced by fully automated machine which is fast and high in quality during 1995 and have continued to expand on the market ever since.
today The 'Big Bang'
It took a technological breakthrough and a change in the management climate to achieve QAS—quality assurance system that the infrastructure markets are increasingly demanding today. The breakthrough was getting nationwide recognition, QAS, which could supply concrete production to anywhere in Malaysia.
At the end of year 1999, the management goal was set to achieve QAS at year 2001. Vohup Lee met the deadline, thanks to the engineering and the production department. Politics and technology have continued to shape the industry. The '90s saw widespread deregulation, which stimulated competition and customer expectations. Vohup Lee changed too and in 2002 Loh Hang Min, the CEO of Vohup Lee Concrete Works Sdn. Bhd. was to head the entire company into a drastic change. The company divested the non-core operations and focused on super size box culvert in the New Age.
2002 and into the future Vohup Lee is harnessing its experience in quality and experience to generate a startling vision of the future. We welcome change and improvement and are willing to embrace new ideas at great speed. Such characteristics will never change but, as to the rest, the story has only just begun!
