Sustainably Engineered BioComposites for Mass Transit, Automotive & Aerospace

Midwest Composites is a local Malaysian engineering firm that manufactures sustainably engineered advanced composites and BioComposites, more specifically plant-based natural fibers sourced locally from plants such as hemp, kenaf, flax and jute for the green mobility industries.

Early Doors

At 16 years old, Sethu Raaj Munusamy was first introduced to composite engineering in a high school class in Malaysia. Sethu, a WSU (Winona State University) 2010 alum, was fascinated by idea of taking a plastic and a fiber, mixing them together, and creating something so much stronger than any other material.

“This sounds like the future,” Sethu said as he reminisced.

When Sethu told his father — a lecturer and professor with university ties — about his desire to study composite materials, he was met with enthusiasm and soon after was enrolled at Winona State University through the American Degree Transfer Program. He moved overseas and started his pursuit in Composite Materials Engineering. They were the only school in America that offered this program as an Undergraduate program.

The knowledge Sethu gained there didn’t satisfy his thirst. Then he enrolled at North Dakota State University to learn about Bio-based Composites, where they use natural-based fibres and resins from bio-based sources such as plants. Sethu instantly fell in deeper love with Composite Materials, especially the sustainable and eco-friendly types.

Upon graduation, Sethu took up a job as a Project Manager at Sintex-Wausaukee Composites where he had the privilege of working on multiple projects for Fortune 500 Original Equipment Manufacturers. The experience of working with Caterpillar, John Deere, Siemens, Oshkosh Truck, General Electric, and many other notable clients in the Heavy Construction, Mass Transportation, Military, Agricultural and Medical industries gave me greater insight into the usage of composites in the global market.

Sethu and his team working on a project for his first startup

After ten years of being abroad and receiving an H1-B visa, Sethu traveled back to Malaysia made the decision to stay near his family and embark on his entrepreneurial journey that was always his destiny. Sethu created his own startup business, Compositecniq, and with his sophisticated understanding of composites he partnered with SKSBUS, the largest bus manufacturing company in Malaysia.

Like many other industries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the bus industry fell rapidly. With several devastating government shutdowns threatening his chances to get his fledgling startup off the ground, Sethu needed to pivot his business.

In March of 2020, Sethu created his second start up called Midwest Composites.

Greener Beginnings

Midwest Composites was established with the aim to revolutionize and pioneer the new movement of composites within the country and ultimately globally. They believe in creating world-class products that are stronger, lighter, more durable and most importantly, environmentally sustainable.

Initially when the company was incorporated, it was in the midst of the worst period of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hence, traction and consistent business was few and far between. Therefore, Sethu then applied and was subsequently accepted into the Global Accelerator Program which is funded by the Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity, which is a branch of the Ministry of Science and Technology. The program was a great opportunity for us to learn from some of the best people in the startup ecosystem and to get visibility.

Shortly after that, Midwest Composites was invited and accepted into the ScaleUp Malaysia program where he met some of his mentors that have helped him with the skills he was lacking as an engineer pivoting into the startup ecosystem. It was during this program that Midwest Composites had successfully raised it's pre-seed funding of $100K USD from Indelible Ventures. The pre-seed funding helped establish some new hires and allowed for the continued research & development (R&D) to progress successfully.

Natural Fiber BioComposites Bus Engine Cover

As for traction, Midwest Composites had successfully developed further partnerships with a drone building company, a military tank provider, and several small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Furthermore, Midwest Composites and the National University of Singapore (NUS) had collaborated on their Formula SAE car build. In addition to that, they had also completed a project building spoilers for a motorsport team in the FIA Formula 4 South East Asia.

Most recently, Midwest Composites was accepted into the PETRONAS FutureTech 3.0 program which they hope will bring them a step closer to fulfilling their vision and objectives.

"We have ambitious goals of becoming the Premier Advanced Composites Company in the Region and then Globally. My experience in the Global Composites Market plus my extensive network of contacts in the USA and India will give us an edge in this growing and exciting industry poised to take over the world. We have a 5-year plan of building sustainable bio-based composites for every manufacturer out there that need our materials in their products. Our most ambitious plan is to be a premier bio-based manufacturer for the space industry." Sethu Raaj Munusamy.

For customers who are interested in utilizing Advance Composites or Biobased composites to their highest potential in their industrial need, we are "Your Engineered Composites Partner".

Midwest Composites Sdn Bhd was established in early 2020 by Sethu Raaj Munusamy in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. The company specializes in manufacturing advanced composites and natural fiber BioComposites for the green mobility industries which consists of automotive, mass transit and aersopace. The purpose of using natural fiber BioComposites is to reduce the amount of non-degradable & synthetic fibers used as well as offering customers an alternative to traditional materials which is light, strong & most importantly environmentally sustainable.

Sunil Raaj sunilraaj@midwestcomposites.com.my www.midwestcomposites.com.my