— who we are
We look at what you have before we suggest what to add
Merbau Labs is a small team in Butterworth, Penang. We help trades and service businesses understand which parts of their day-to-day work could run with AI tools — and which parts are not ready for that yet.
Back to HomeHow Merbau Labs came to be
The name comes from the timber — merbau is a dense hardwood common across Peninsular Malaysia, known for its resistance and its ability to hold a joint well. It seemed fitting. What we do is about making things hold together properly rather than looking impressive.
The idea started from a recurring problem. One of our founders had been helping a small air conditioning contractor in Seberang Perai organise job records. The technicians were writing notes on paper or sending voice messages, and someone was transcribing them manually before invoicing. There was software available that could help with this, but every recommendation assumed the company already had clean, connected systems. They did not. Most small businesses do not.
So we started by looking at what was actually there. A spreadsheet on one person's laptop. A WhatsApp group for job updates. A folder of scanned receipts. Once we understood the actual setup, the work of adding AI tools became much more specific — and much more likely to stick.
We opened in Butterworth in early 2023, initially offering only the site survey. The job sheet summary service followed a few months later, after several clients from the trades sector asked whether we could handle the notes directly rather than just advising on it.
The care retainer came later still, in response to a practical problem: software updates broke integrations, and clients had no one to call when that happened. The retainer covers that ground. It is not a support line — it is a monthly check that everything we set up is still running as expected, with a short written note so you can see what was checked.
The team
Rafiuddin Hamid
Founder & Site Surveyor
Leads site visits and readiness assessments. Previously worked in field IT support for manufacturing firms in Penang and Kedah.
Siew Ling Tan
Integration Specialist
Handles the job sheet summary service and the technical connections between tools and invoicing systems. Works closely with technicians to refine flagging criteria.
Azlan Kamarudin
Retainer & Documentation
Manages the monthly care retainer — checks, reports, and cost tracking. Writes the plain-language notes that go to clients each month.
Working standards we hold ourselves to
We look before we recommend
Every engagement starts with a site survey. We do not send tool recommendations before we know what you are working with.
We flag, not guess
When a job note is unclear, we mark it for the technician. We do not fill in details that are not there. A wrong part number costs more than a question.
Data stays where it belongs
Job data and client records are processed for the purpose of producing summaries. We do not retain or use them for any other purpose.
Written outputs, always
Survey notes, monthly reports, and documentation are delivered in writing — not verbal summaries. You have a record you can refer to later.
Your work leaves with you
Documentation and configuration files are handed over in usable form if you stop. Nothing is locked inside our systems.
Costs tracked openly
AI tool running costs are reviewed monthly and compared to what was actually processed. You know what you are paying for and what it corresponds to.
AI integration for trades and service businesses in Malaysia
Small businesses in the trades sector — air conditioning, electrical, plumbing, general maintenance — tend to have operational patterns that commercial AI tools are not designed for. Job notes written in the field under time pressure. Multiple technicians working across sites. Invoicing done later, often by someone different from the person who did the job.
The friction is not usually a lack of software. It is that the software assumes a level of data organisation that does not exist yet. A site survey is useful precisely because it makes that visible — in writing, in order of what needs addressing first.
Our job sheet summary service was designed specifically for this context. It takes what technicians write and turns it into a consistent summary suitable for invoicing, while flagging anything that needs confirmation before a figure is added. The month of checked output that comes with the initial scope builds a reference record of what your team's notes typically contain, which makes subsequent processing more accurate.
The care retainer exists because AI integrations do not stay set up without maintenance. Software updates on connected systems break things. Usage patterns change. The retainer covers routine checks and corrections, and produces a monthly note that gives you a clear picture of what ran and what it cost.
We are based in Butterworth and work primarily with businesses in Penang and the surrounding region. Site surveys are conducted in person.
Talk to us about your setup
A short call or email is usually enough to work out whether a site survey makes sense for your business right now.
Contact Merbau Labs