When Backtakleen introduced their first product in 2008, the response by Malaysians was slow, as the public did not care to invest too much in disinfecting home air conditioners at that time.
However, several car manufacturers liked the product and introduced Backtakleen’s Ultra Mist, their air conditioner disinfectant, as a commercial service at the workshop level which helped them expand into the automotive industry.
Once they began exporting Ultra Mist, they found the export market was far more lucrative and the reception to their products was also better.
Since the pandemic, however, business increased by 700% as sanitization practices were prioritised and aggressively implemented in businesses and home premises alike for safety procedures.
Sia Ban Ian, founder and CEO of Bactakleen, says, “Demand for Backtakleen products shot up tremendously since January 2020. We had to rearrange production flow to cater to the increased demand and also work with raw material suppliers to obtain sufficient materials on a timely basis.”
“We started this business in 2008 to address a specific problem that is often omitted in the cleaning process – the issue of disinfecting air conditioners. Most people do not realise that air conditioners actually harbours and breeds bacteria, viruses and fungus, which eventually makes people fall sick. After trying out a few solutions and through some research we found the right way to disinfect the air conditioning systems in cars as well as in buildings.”
The company develops products to perform specific disinfection functions that are able to balance safety and efficacy. Each product is designed for a targeted function where it is the master of its own area of disinfection.
For example, the Ultra Mist is designed to disinfect air conditioners. According to the founder, it instantly kills up to 99% of bacteria and mold spores in air conditioning systems, providing immediate and long-term protection against viruses. The solution has been clinically proven to improve air quality, reduce the spread of viruses, help individuals with existing respiratory conditions such as allergies, multiple chemical sensitivities and asthma so that they can breathe better.
Marvekleen is the latest among the product range that employs the latest in technology to create safe disinfection for the human body. It is a multi-surface sanitiser and disinfectant.
All products are thoroughly tested for safety and toxicity. They have conducted skin allergy tests to prove that it is safe to use. For the Marvekleen, they conducted oral tests, in order to ensure it can be safe enough to disinfect fruits and vegetables for consumption.
In line with Backtakleen’s mission to ensure efficacy of products and to only provide customers with solutions that are of high quality, they have put their products through stringent testings with international laboratories such as SGS, Chemlab and TUV. Working with several chemists and microbiologist associates, their research is also supplemented by experts from Europe and Japan.
Their main target customers are corporations and there have been significant growth in sales in the corporate sector.
“We are now slowly shifting focus to schools when they start reopening in the next 1-2 months. We are in fact in the midst of developing several new products specifically for children and schools,” he says.
“In the post-pandemic future, we aim to further develop our range of products, catering to pregnant women and even the pet industry,” he adds.
Always looking to innovate with new technology and new products, the company is currently working with several technical partners to incorporate special QR codes on products.
Through this method, customers will be able to buy products and communicate with them. Once customers have scanned the code on the product, they will then be redirected to their website where they will be able to provide specific feedback on what they need and also possible subscriptions which can provide automated shipping of products based on a periodic timeline.
