Founded by Gul Mohnani in 1972 and with a pedigree in the import/export business spanning more than five decades, Universal Import & Export has a strong brand in Malta. At the company's helm, Alistair Buttigieg Vella is aiming to extend and expand the company’s consistent growth by rebranding and widening its focus to a more consultative and service-based approach, offering customers more added value.

This October, Universal’s name will change from Universal Import & Export to Universal Industrial Expertise Limited. This marks the completion of the first in a series of steps to see Universal go from a pure import/export business to a more consultative and service-based operation.

“Being an island nation, Malta has always relied on import/export businesses,” says Alistair. “When the company was founded in 1972, that focus made sense. However, the world has become much more open since then, and if we want to remain a leader in Malta’s industrial sector, adding further value to our clients’ businesses is key.”

The team’s experience in imports and exports delivered some of that value, but Alistair and the board of directors felt it was not enough to ensure sustained growth in the 21st century.

“We needed to move from being purely sales-oriented to an approach that has a stronger focus on the client’s business as a whole. Using an approach based on a greater level of technical knowledge, we can spot gaps in a company’s manufacturing and packaging processes and offer solutions rather than just present a catalogue of products, materials or machinery.”

Alistair understood that busy operations managers had no time to sift through catalogues or test every single piece of machinery before choosing it, yet still needed to make a decision for their companies. “We could bridge that gap, either by sharing our experience with a piece of machinery or by narrowing down the possible solutions and then taking the client abroad to show them first-hand how the equipment or solution would perform.”

Of course, Universal’s transformation was also driven by the company’s own needs. “When I became CEO, we were reactive and only relying on client demand rather than building our own pipeline,” Alistair explains. “As a result, our business department saw high-turnover months followed by low-turnover months, which could be quite stressful at times. By transitioning to a more technical approach, we became more intrinsic to our clients’ processes and needs, moving from a simple supplier to a manufacturing consultant and service provider.”

No business transformation is without its challenges, and the past five years have seen the Universal leadership team face hurdles internally and externally. “Internally, we had to convince our team that business as usual was no longer enough,” Alistair says. “Getting the idea of what we wanted to do across to our team was the biggest challenge, but it became easier once people saw tangible change and positive results.”

Externally, Universal had a solid name as an importer and exporter, but the team needed to help clients understand that the company could offer more. “Rather than relying on external expertise for anything beyond importing and supplying materials and machinery, we were now able to advise our clients better and share our technical knowledge to deliver a higher level of service. This applies across our whole portfolio. We can advise on a wide range of topics such as packaging design and technicality, specialised personal protective equipment, end-of-line production setup, and that’s just scratching the surface.”

Allowing customers to see and experience the difference has been critical in achieving this first level of transformation. Alistair adds that customer feedback is vital in the process: “We send clients a three to four-question survey yearly to learn how they feel about the service we provide. We also encourage clients to suggest what they would like to see improve or develop. The responses allow us to continue learning and investing in equipment and people.” This urges customers to work hand in hand with Universal.

One may ask how this strategy provides a higher level of added value. In that context, Alistair is quick to point to the difference in the detail and holistic approach of the solution provided: “We always work with the client to understand what ROI the client is looking for, while also making sure that what we supply meets government regulations, offers longevity and places the client’s product in the market position where they would like it to be. We’re focusing on the overall cost and ROI of the solution.”

“Imagine this scenario: you are looking to implement a new line, whether to increase automation or due to higher demand, where oversights of slight details in format change-over could put a client in a position where they would need to invest in a second line or run the old line for a specific format. Instead, the simple act of sitting down to discuss with a local external partner, that can dedicate time to go through the detail, that has experienced such setups, while also being up to date with the latest solutions on the market could prevent the initial costly oversight.”

Alistair’s goal is to help shape the future of manufacturing in Malta. “We’re in a great position in Europe to focus on high-value, niche products. The industry may have dropped somewhat in importance, but it’s a strong, value-adding pillar of the Maltese economy, and it has a bright future if we take the right steps.”

Alistair agrees with the Malta Chamber of Commerce that emerging technologies offer great opportunities to Maltese businesses. Automating parts of their work and upskilling employees for more complex tasks can drive growth opportunities. “We’ve been taking advantage of process automation for a while, and I believe it’s important to be proactive when it comes to taking advantage of developments including AI,” Alistair says.

“Every big technological change in the past has created more jobs. Now is the time to develop a strategy to harness and leverage the potential of these technologies rather than wait for them to be imposed upon us.”

None of these transformational steps would be possible without the right team in place, and Universal is looking for people who want a career rather than just a job. “We’re looking for people who want to grow and challenge themselves long-term,” Alistair explains. Basic skills are important, but the right character and drive matter even more.

“We want people with a passion for technology who want to learn more and expand their skills throughout their careers. At Universal, our team deals and consults on a wide range of industrial topics, so some of our work can be far broader than other engineering-type roles, but that makes it interesting. This sharing of knowledge and experience with our clients and suppliers is what led to the decision to rebrand our company to Universal Industrial Expertise.”

With the right team in place and a mindset of consistent growth and improvement, Alistair is putting Universal on a trajectory for growth whilst also shaping manufacturing in Malta toward a high-value, low-volume industry. The company plans to shift even more toward the technical side of its business and perhaps even look at building in-house products themselves over the next decade or so as it evolves. The first step has been taken, and there is more transformation to come for Universal Industrial Expertise Limited.