Orangeleaf working to bring about quicker app development
“Rapid developers help close the skills gap by democratising application development, which is important given the rising scarcity of qualified IT workers globally.” Ellice Ng Pui San
DESPITE being someone who now has both feet firmly planted in the world of technology, Ellice Ng Pui San, chief executive officer and co-founder of Orangeleaf Consulting, originally had a completely career track in mind when she started working.
Before she started the technology consultancy, she felt she did not fit into the realm of technology.
Recounting her venture into the technology industry, she tells Starbizweek technology was not something that used to excite her and she believed that she would not fit into the industry.
Despite that, her mother persuaded her and enrolled her in a computing diploma.
“I completed my studies. However, despite spending hours studying and working hard on my assignments, I could not see my future in the field and later quit pursuing my degree in computing.
“Instead, I ventured into corporate communications and founded my own public relations agency with just RM500 in my pocket. Thankfully, the PR agency did considerably well, and was enough to sustain me in those early years.
“Even with this achievement, destiny stepped in and brought me back to the technology industry when I met my husband Tim Hendricks, who is now my business partner and co-founder of Orangeleaf Consulting.
“I was intrigued when my husband introduced how ‘low-code’ technology barely needed any coding and utilised visual interfaces, drag-and-drop tools, and pre-built components to quickly design and build software solutions. We are speaking about 10 times faster in development,” Ng explains.
As a communication practitioner who had worked in the corporate sector for many years, she saw a gap in the market, as many technology consultancies were still relying on traditional coding to build systems, and low-code, relatively unknown in the Asian market at the time, was not utilised, though it proved to be much more efficient and easier to implement.
Orangeleaf Consulting utlises Siemen’s Mendix low-code platform and has been successful judging from the fact that Orangeleaf was recently chosen as the only consultancy in Selangor to work with the Selangor Technical Skills Development Centre (STDCX).
STDCX is the Selangor government’s technical professional development centre.
What gives Mendix an upper hand as a low-code platform is its speed to market opposed to the traditional forms of computer programming. Those who do not have a coding background can rapidly adapt to Mendix and seamlessly develop software that caters to an organisation’s needs.
With technical and vocational education and training (TVET) gaining strong momentum and now a focus in Selangor, plans are underway for the use of the latest coding technology.
The 2024 Selangor Budget has provided an allocation of Rm13.85mil for TVET programmes and the state is set to benefit from the use of low-code programming, which enables users to build apps quickly.
Powering this transformation will be Mendix, a low-code app development platform owned by Siemens.
Orangeleaf Consulting is one of the leading experts in Mendix in Asia-pacific. The consultancy provides digitisation and technology innovation consultancy services and custom software system development based on the low-code software development platform.
Mendix enables software development at a much faster pace than traditional software programming.
Realising the potential of low-code technology, Ng and her husband decided to form Orangeleaf Consulting in 2018 with their marriage funds.
The consultancy grew from a two-man team in 2018 to 30 dedicated low-code professionals offering a visual approach to software development that enables faster delivery of applications through minimal coding.
“We saw the opportunity to help develop a high-calibre talent pool in Malaysia that was skilled in low code, and able to take on global markets in developing good software. Since the start of our journey, Tim and I have continued to firmly believe in education, therefore as the team grows and stabilises, we invest time and resources to nurture local talent through the Mendix Certified Digital Professional Programme.
“We recently launched the programme together with STDCX, which is sponsored by the Selangor government.
“The programme aims to groom and educate talent, ensuring they remain competitive and relevant in the low-code landscape, which then contributes to the nation’s technological advancement. We coach talent to understand the needs of businesses before developing an app,” Ng says.
Thanks to its success, Orangeleaf Consulting has expanded and now has a presence in Malaysia, Singapore, the Netherlands, and recently Japan
Elaborating on the future of low-code technology, Ng says, among other things, it is a visual technology for software development that features a drag-and-drop interface, requiring minimal hand coding.
She says low-code technology is adaptable for both the small and medium enterprises and enterprise markets, enabling businesses to iterate and evolve quickly based on customer input and usage statistics.
She says examples of its use include digitising the measurement process for liquid chemicals and developing an application that allows medical staff to monitor realtime temperatures of rooms where key vaccines and medical-grade products are stored.
Ng says the customisability of low-code programming is particularly advantageous for clients as it can cater specifically to their industry and needs.
She adds that the global low-code market is expected to grow significantly, reaching around Us$65bil by 2027 and Us$187bil by 2030, underscoring its scalability and longterm potential.
In today’s rapidly changing technology landscape, she says the versatility of lowcode development is a valuable advantage, fostering innovation and improving operational efficiencies globally.
Commenting on the consultancy’s plans to develop 300 certified “rapid developers” in the next three years, Ng says rapid developers are individuals who undergo an intensive training programme designed to accelerate their journey to becoming certified Mendix low-code professionals. The term “rapid” emphasises the efficiency and speed of the certification process, which typically spans just three days, she adds.
“During this short time frame, participants immerse themselves in a comprehensive curriculum that covers key concepts, tools, and techniques related to lowcode development using the Mendix platform.
“The rapid-developer programme is structured to provide participants with a condensed yet robust learning experience that equips them with the skills and knowledge needed to leverage low-code technology effectively.
“The core of the certification includes training programmes, innovation labs, mentorship programmes, and community-engagement activities.
“Rapid developers help close the skills gap by democratising application development, which is important given the rising scarcity of qualified IT workers globally.
“Through the rapid-developers programme, more people with different backgrounds and skill levels can learn low-code programming, increasing the talent pool to propel technological advancement,” Ng said.
Besides the domestic market, Orangeleaf Consulting is also making its mark in the Japanese manufacturing sector with a strategic collaboration with Macnica Inc, a leading semiconductor company headquartered in Yokohama. Together with Macnica, the consultancy is working on improving and strengthening enterprise digital transformation and innovation within a new market.
“We intend to use advanced technology to revolutionise the way people think and behave in the business-software sector, rather than merely being affected by it,” she says.
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