华商 Chinese Enterprise - 2017 Issue 2

05 融合东、西文化 勇闯中、澳市场

15 Installation of the SCCCI’s 59th Council

CHINESE ENTERPRISE MCI (P) 098/02/2017

第二期 . ISSUE 2/2017

“去海外，先要想好自己的 核心业务与哪个市场能够 对接。每个地方都有好处， 就看企业想走多远。” ——黄山忠， 达丰控股董事经理、 新加坡中华总商会会长

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卷首语 PREsiDEnt’s notE 与时并进的总商会

今年3月，总商会第59届董事会正式就职，确定了未来愿景，带领会员商家与时并进，为国家发展作出贡献。今 后两年，我们的工作目标是结合商团的力量，协助行业提升并转型，全力推动本地企业数码化与国际化，并做好总商 会和企业的传承，弘扬华商精神。

目前，总商会与十多家商团已经搬入裕廊东的商团中心，大家在同一座大厦内办公，拉近了彼此间的距离。在 这里，我希望各行业能共享资源，发现跨界商机，提高创新能力。政府也能从这个平台了解行业发展的具体情况，提 供有效支援。

数码经济近年来发展迅速，许多商家也乐于学习新科技，融入新经济。为此，本届董事会引进了科技界人才，帮 助企业用更加有效的方式了解市场，拓展业务。新加坡市场规模小，总商会一向积极鼓励本地企业到海外发展，我 们将通过海外代表处和世界华商大会的联系网，支持商家把握国际市场的无限机遇。

建国华商取之社会，用之社会的精神成就了国家和社会的繁荣与稳定。为了传承华商精神，本届董事会特意成 立了青年商务委员会，为总商会的永续发展，为华商的未来，培养德才兼备的年轻一代领袖。

朝向美好愿景，我们将不断前进！

a chamber that stays relevant with the times In March this year, the SCCCI’s 59th Council was officially installed, crystallising its vision of leading member companies to stay abreast of the times, and making contributions to national development. Moving forward in the next two years, our work objective consists of integrating the collective strength of the trade associations, helping various industries to upgrade and transform, going all out to promote digitalisation and internationalisation of local enterprises, and laying the groundwork for the succession of the Chamber and of enterprises, to honour the Chinese entrepreneurial spirit.

Currently, more than ten trade associations have moved into the Trade Association Hub in Jurong East, together with the Chamber.

Closer ties have been fostered through co-locating within the same building. I hope that each industry could share resources, discover cross-sector business opportunities, and scale up on innovation capabilities. This platform created by the TA Hub could also enable the government to understand the specific nature of industry development, thereby providing effective assistance.

With the digital economy experiencing exponential growth in recent years, many businesses are keen to learn new technology and embrace the new economy. To this end, the current council has attracted talent from the technology sector, to help enterprises apply even more effective methodology to understand the market and expand their business. By virtue of the small Singapore market, the Chamber has always urged local enterprises to venture overseas. We shall thus leverage on our overseas representative offices and the network of the World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention to help businesses seize the boundless opportunities of the global marketplace.

The Chinese business pioneers’ spirit of giving back to society immeasurably in return for what society had bestowed on them, has made lasting contributions to the prosperity and stability of our nation and of society. In order to carry on the legacy of the Chinese entrepreneurial spirit, the current Council has established the Youth Business Affairs Committee - to achieve Chamber’s sustainable development, and nurture young leaders with capability and integrity for the future of Chinese business.

We shall continue to power ahead in pursuit of this fine vision!

会长 Roland ng, sccci President 请到总商会网站 www.sccci.org.sg 阅读电子版《华商》。 Chinese Enterprise can be viewed online through the chamber’s corporate website www.sccci.org.sg

编辑顾问 EDITORIAL ADVISORS

黄山忠 Roland ng san tiong 蔡其生 thomas chua Kee seng 吴绍均 ng siew Quan 林玉勤 lim geok Khoon

contEnts

出版统筹 PUBLICATIONS SUPERVISION

谭宝锠 tham Poh cheong 主编 CHIEF EDITOR

梁廷昭 leong teng chau

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与时并进的总商会 为推动总商会与企业与时并进，第59 届董事会拟定了三大工作重点：结合 商团力量，协助行业提升与转型；推 动企业数码化与国际化；做好总商会 和企业的传承，弘扬华商精神。

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融合东、西文化 勇闯中、澳市场 新加坡企业到海外发展是大势所趋， 但是，去哪里，做什么，什么时候去， 遇到困难要撑多久，这些具体的执行 问题常常令人困扰。达丰集团的国际 化进程，路线非常清晰，立足新加坡 和东南亚，南下澳洲，北上中国，在风 土人情、经商文化截然不同的国家都 能游刃有余。

英文编辑 ENGLISH EDITOR

胡爱兰 Fiona hu 助理编辑 ASSISTANT EDITOR

李胜保 lee sin Poh 撰稿 STAFF WRITERS

崔东红 cui Dong hong 胡爱兰 Fiona hu 李胜保 lee sin Poh 吴仕安 woo see ann 行销 MARKETING

黄兆荣 leonardo wong 设计

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Editorial enquiries should be directed to the Editor, Chinese Enterprise, singapore chinese chamber of commerce & industry, 9 Jurong town hall Road, #04-01, trade association hub, Jurong town hall, singapore 609431. tel: (65) 6337 8381 Fax: (65) 6339 0605 E-mail: research@sccci.org.sg. unsolicited material will not be returned unless accompanied by a selfaddressed envelope and sufficient return postage. while every reasonable care will be taken by the Editor, no responsibility is assumed for the return of unsolicited material. mci (P) 098/02/2017.

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永健集团的企业传承故事 在永健集团的传承过程中，领导人勇 于放权，给予新人发挥空间，经历长 时间的磨合，培养出与企业文化高度 契合、情系团队的接班人。

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installation of the Sccci’s 59th council march 15 has always been a date etched in history for the singapore chinese chamber of commerce & industry. Every two years, on this auspicious date, the chamber would be poised to welcome a new President to the council to steer the chamber forward.

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women for women Established panelists and performers of diverse backgrounds ranging from the business, community and social services, sports, to music, came together to celebrate “women for women”, the international women’s Day event held by the sccci career women’s group. focuS on Smes

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狮城经贸

新加坡中华总商会 singapore chinese chamber of commerce & industry 9 Jurong town hall Road #04-01 trade association hub Jurong town hall singapore 609431 tel: (65) 6337 8381 Fax: (65) 6339 0605 E-mail: corporate@sccci.org.sg website: www.sccci.org.sg

in The leaD

华商焦点

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在动荡局势中寻找机遇 瑞信高级顾问陶冬分析全球市场的 近期变化，包括美国贸易保护主义的 中国的服务业发展转型等趋势，探讨 企业未来发展策略。

XDel: Technology enthusiast Spearheading express courier in Singapore in the sccci-nus survey on innovation Effort of smEs conducted in 2016, managing Director of XDel harold lee shared the innovation efforts which led to his success in the delivery industry. economic review

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navigating the global economic uncertainties with a new administration in the us and britain formally leaving the European union, the current economic sentiments are highly uncertain. the sccci-credit suisse business outlook Forum gathered experts to analyse the global economic climate, and how singaporean businesses could prosper in these uncertain times.

华商焦点

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与时并进的 总商会 总商会第59届董事会正式就职，并确定未来愿景和工作重点， 推动总商会与企业与时并进。

在张志贤副总理见证下，黄山忠会长带领第59届董事会宣誓就职。

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华商焦点

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“我希望总商会能在未 来经济里，继续帮助企业 掌握和善用精深技能，提 升数码科技能力和落实 产业转型蓝图。这能加速 企业创新，帮助企业走出 去，为国家和社会继续作 出贡献。” ——张志贤副总理

张志贤副总理：希望新一届的董事会“继续帮助我国的企业走向国际，百尺竿头， 更进一步。”

总商会第59届董事会于3月15日正 式就职。新任会长黄山忠借此宣布了新 任董事会的三大工作目标，包括：结合 行业力量，协助商家转型与升级；协助 企业数码化与国际化；促进商会和企业 的传承，弘扬华商精神。

引进新血，促进华商精神传承

近年来，总商会通过属下的青年 Young Entrepreneurs 企业家联系网(Young )吸引更多年轻企业家参与 Network)吸引更多年轻企业家参与 商会活动。为了进一步扩大影响力， 第59届董事会成立了新的常务委员 会——青年商务委员会，致力于传承 取之社会、用之社会的建国华商精神， 栽培青年华商成为商会与社会的未来 领袖。委员会的职责包括：推动青年 华商关心社会和商会事务；鼓励青年 商家弘扬与传承华商文化与精神；提 供青年华商交流学习、共同进步、促进 商机、紧密合作的平台；拓展及深化 和世界各地青年华商的互联互通。

城市发展集团(CDL)副首席执行员

城市发展集团(CDL)副首席执行员 郭益智担任这一新委员会的主席。他 表示，新委员会在致力争取更多会员

的同时，也希望吸纳不同类型的青年 企业家，包括白手起家的创业者和家 族企业的继承人。

谈到华商精神的传承，黄山忠会 长也举出了一个具启发性的例子：星 和(StarHub)首席执行员陈东海曾在大 和(StarHub)首席执行员陈东海曾在大 学时期得到总商会的资助，现在事业 有成，加入成为总商会第 59 届董事会 的新成员。 “这就是华商精神的传承。 无论是商会还是企业，只有做好传承 准备，积极培养年轻一代，我们的事业 才能持续发展。”

凝聚行业，善用科技，走向国际

另外，总商会也将通过商团中心 凝聚行业力量，并倡导善用新科技提 升商会和企业能力，推动企业进军国 际市场。

黄山忠会长表示： “商团中心马 上就要开始运作，二十多家商团和我 们一起搬进中心，大家共享资源，互 相帮助。我们和商团合作的范围非常 广，包括发现跨界商机，提高创新能 力，加强政商沟通，提供专业培训，帮

助企业尽快适应变化的商业环境。” 此外，总商会将积极配合政府，通过 商团中心推动数码化，让本地企业了 解什么是数码经济，及如何采用新科 技进行业务转型。今年，世界华商大会 总商会也 秘书处将回到新加坡，总商会也会通 过世界华商网络，更有效地协助我国 商家到海外发展。

张志贤：肯定总商会对商界和华族的 贡献

本届就职典礼张志贤副总理为主 宾。张志贤在典礼上肯定总商会的贡 献。他说，总商会一直是政府重要的 合作伙伴，也希望总商会能在未来经 济里，继续帮助企业掌握和善用精深 技能，提升数码科技能力和落实行业 转型蓝图。

华商焦点

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融合东、西文化 勇闯中、澳市场 新加坡企业到海外发展是大势所趋，但是，去 哪里，做什么，什么时候去，遇到困难要撑多久，这些 具体的执行问题常常令人困扰。达丰集团的国际化进 程，路线非常清晰，立足新加坡和东南亚，南下澳洲， 北上中国，在风土人情、经商文化截然不同的国家都 能游刃有余。

黄浦江畔：达丰参与上海白玉兰广场项目。

达丰由黄山忠的父亲创办，如今 已经是亚洲最大的起重机分销商和运 营商，业务分布在东南亚、澳洲和中 国，参与了众多的基础设施工程和工 业建设项目。经过六十年的稳扎稳打， 达丰已经从当年的本土新加坡企业， 逐渐发展成为国际化的上市集团。

1993年，黄山忠加入达丰时，公 司已经是年营业额近亿元的企业，几 位兄弟协助父亲管理业务，生意做得 有声有色。黄山忠曾在英国上大学，毕 业后进入裕廊镇管理局担任土木工程

Overseas expansion of Singapore enterprises is a general trend, but where to venture to, in what area, and when to do it, how long should be hang on should we face difficulties – these are all worrisome implementation problems. The internationalisation journey of Tat Hong Group has been perfectly clear. Based in Singapore and Southeast Asia, down south to

师，回到父亲创办的企业，他希望能 在现有业务之外，为公司开疆扩土。于 是，他重点做了内外兼修的两件事：对 内，实行公司电脑化，提升管理实力； 对外，走出新加坡，到海外寻找新 市场。

摸准市场脉搏 调整业务

新加坡市场小，达丰希望到地 方大，工程多的国家去发展，澳洲、中 国、印度，都曾经列入考虑范围。谨慎 评估了市场成熟度、文化差异、消费 习惯、沟通效率、管理成本等多重因

Australia, up north towards China, Tat Hong is well acclimatised to doing business in different countries.

When Roland Ng joined Tat Hong in 1993, the annual company turnover was already close to $100 million. Several brothers helped their father to run the business, which performed very well. Roland Ng went to university in England, and after graduation he

素后，达丰在1997年收购了一家澳洲 的机械公司。澳洲地广人稀，市场对租 赁业务的模式接受程度高，当地人喜 欢“DIY” （自己动手），租用机器、设 备的风气普及，而且顾客素质良好，在 用完租用的机械之后清洗干净才会归 还。了解到这种市场特性，达丰在澳洲 的业务范围从起重机逐渐扩大到其它 各种机械和工具，大到石油和天然气 项目，小到修理自家的院子，顾客都可 以从达丰租用机械设备，因此出租的 机械种类比新加坡市场增加了很多。

joined Jurong Town Corporation as a civil engineer. After returning to the company founded by his father, he hoped to help the company break new ground. He prioritised two areas: internally, he computerised the company operations to improve maznagement capability; externally, he ventured beyond Singapore to identify new markets.

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能的舞台。于是，黄山忠再次调整了业 务模式，在提供设备的同时，也提供资 金、设计、人员、维修等一系列的增值 服务。竞争者可以购买同类机器，但是 很难复制机器背后的全套服务流程。 达丰在中国发展，采用强强联合、前后 布阵的方式：前方是信誉良好的大型 建筑承包商，后方是设计能力出色的 机械生产厂家，大家形成一个产业链， 彼此支援。

黄山忠，新加坡中华总商会第59届董事会会长，达丰控股董事总经理。

同时，澳洲本地缺乏大型机械生产厂 家，达丰在租赁业务之外，也开始销售 机械，把其他国家的优质品牌带进 澳洲。

在用人方面，黄山忠坚持采用员工 本土化策略。作为股东，达丰在收购澳 洲公司后只派出了一位总经理，其他管 理人员仍然聘用原有的团队。现在，澳 洲市场已经成为达丰的主要营收来源。

Tweaking The buSineSS To be aTTuneD wiTh The markeT

As Singapore has a small domestic market, Tat Hong aspired to develop its operations in larger countries and with more engineering projects. Australia, China and India were all within the radar. After carefully evaluating important factors such as market maturity, cultural differences, consumer habits, ease of communication, and management costs, Tat Hong acquired an Australian machinery company.

Australia is a vast country with a small population, and the market had a high acceptance level to the machinery rental business model.

Native Aussies enjoy the DIY concept; renting machinery and equipment was a common practice. Customers were also very responsible. Machinery would be thoroughly cleaned after

机械有价值 服务能增值

2007年，达丰进军中国市场，情 况和澳洲比起来复杂很多：技术方面， 达丰的起重机是履带吊车，当地却惯 用塔吊；市场方面，经营者多，竞争激 烈，人际关系复杂，拿项目不单单是凭 业务实力，也要靠关系。但是，快速增 长的中国经济带动大批的施工项目， 特别是基础设施建设，其规模之大，潜 能之高，足以为达丰提供充分发挥潜

usage. After understanding the special characteristics of the market, Tat Hong’s Australian operations gradually expanded beyond heavy lifting machinery to other types of machinery and tools. Tat Hong’s machinery and equipment could be leased to customers handling projects as expansive as oil and natural gas projects, or as humble as the repair of backyards,. Compared to the Singapore market, many other types of machinery were being leased in Australia. Besides, since Australia lacked manufacturers of heavy machinery and equipment, Tat Hong also started to sell its machinery, and brought quality brands from other countries into Australia.

As for human capital, Roland Ng sticks to the strategy of using local workers. Being a shareholder, after the

黄山忠总结达丰的国际化经验： “去海外，先要想好自己的核心业务与 哪个市场能够对接。每个地方都有好 处，就看企业想走多远。澳洲开展业务 相对容易，利润空间大；中国的不确定 性因素多，但业务量更大！我们的核心 业务是租赁，但是出租什么，要根据当 地的情况做调整。澳洲人使用租来的 设备时很负责任，所以我们什么都敢 出租；到了中国，我们只出租大型的， 操作复杂的重型机械，而且在机械上 安装GPS追踪系统，设备一旦移动，我 们就会知道。我们的海外布局，包括东 南亚各国的投资，都在6小时的飞行时 间之内，超过这个时间，管理起来比较 辛苦，控制起来有难度。”

acquisition of the Australian company, Tat Hong only assigned one General Manager. The other management staff came from the original team.

Currently, the Australian market has already become Tat Hong’s main source of revenue.

ServiceS can aDD value To machinery

In 2007, Tat Hong ventured into the China market, a much more complicated market compared to Australia. Technology-wise, Tat Hong rents crawler cranes, whereas China customarily uses tower cranes. As for the market, competition was intense with many players in the same industry.

Relationships were also complex, because swinging a deal did not depend solely on business capability, but on connections. Notwithstanding

华商焦点

企业发展 重在培养人才

黄山忠用人喜欢充分放权，在澳 洲、中国的企业，都是物色好总经理的 人选，在财务上、制度上全力支持，其 他的员工都聘用当地的人才。黄山忠从 父辈接班，今后要把管理的重担交给 谁，现在仍在摸索当中。他认为，家族 企业不一定要用自家人管理，企业规模

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越来越大，在股东结构上有家族成员，但 是高管团队需要专业人士。无论是不是家 族成员，只要认同公司的文化、理念和价 值观，都可以作为接班人选。

不过，达丰在澳洲的情况比较特别： 黄山忠的大儿子原本在银行工作了八年， 已经升任管理职位，因为澳洲公司的总 经理过世，需要人尽快接手，大儿子愿意

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加入公司帮助父亲，甚至在薪酬方面 做出很大的牺牲。他现在已经在澳 洲业务管理上独当一面。

黄山忠早期接班的时候，达丰 是新加坡本地企业，现在，达丰已经 成为跨国企业，对接班人的要求更 高。在海外市场，达丰并没有按照家 族企业模式发展，聘用的都是专业

新加坡滨海湾金沙项目。

this, the rapidly growing China economy fuelled innumerable construction projects, especially in infrastructural development with vast scope and potential, and offered an enormous stage for Tat Hong to exercise its potential. Thus Roland Ng had to tweak his business model once again. Besides providing equipment, it also offered ancillary value-added services like finance, design, staff and repair. Competitors could buy the same machinery, but it would be very difficult to replicate the entire suite of services. Tat Hong’s development in China applied a business model that covered all upstream and downstream connections. In the forefront were large and reputable building contractors, whereas occupying the downstream were machinery manufacturers with strong design capabilities. Together

they formed an industry supply chain that helped one another.

Summarising Tat Hong’s internationalisation experience, Roland Ng said: “When venturing overseas, one must first consider which market could be suitable for one’s core business. Every place offers its advantages, but it depends on how far you wish to go. It is relatively easy to expand business in Australia, as the profit margins are big; while China has many uncertain factors, the business volume is even larger!

Our core business is rental, but what we wish to rent would need to be adjusted based on the local context. Australians take great responsibility with equipment they rent, and thus we dare to rent anything to them; when in China, we only rent very large, heavyduty machinery that is more operationally complex. Moreover we install GPS system on these machines; every movement can be tracked. Our overseas distribution includes

investments in every Southeast Asian country within a 6-mile flying radius of Singapore. Beyond this time, management becomes more difficult and control more of a problem.” imporTance of grooming TalenT

Roland Ng believes in delegating work to his people. His enterprises in Australia and China are all ideal examples of having general managers who are fully responsible for finance and systems. Other areas are staffed by local talent.

Roland Ng succeeded the family business from his father; moving forward, who to hand the management responsibility to is still being explored. He believes that family businesses need not be managed by family members. When the enterprise expands, family

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人士，其成功经验可以作为新加坡总 部的接班参考。黄山忠找接班人，除 了才能，一个核心条件是衡量这个人 是否能够融入企业。黄山忠认为，每 个企业——无论是家族企业还是非家 族企业，都有自成一派的文化，最好 的方式还是从现有队伍中去培养接班 人，原因是他们了解公司系统，与人合 作顺畅，可以省去磨合的时间和内耗 过程。

这些企业传承的经验也用到了总 商会。担任第59届董事会会长，黄山 忠力主成立了青年商务委员会，为年 轻人提供学习、成长和施展才华的机 会，为华商培养接班人。 达丰在选择海外市场时，做了怎 样的评估？ 达丰是20年前开始到海外发展， 我们做的是租赁业务，必须考虑 当地市场对“租赁”这个概念的接受 程度。澳洲是西方国家，他们讲究“轻 资产、轻设备”，能够接受租用机器。 刚开始去到澳洲，我们不熟悉当地的 情况，于是专门物色那种有一定的历 史，有同类业务，管理系统不错却一直 没有扩张的当地公司。后来，被我们收

members can become shareholders, but the senior management team needs to consist of professionals. As long as they agree with the corporate culture, ideals and values, they could be identified as successors even if they are not family members.

However, Australia presented a different scenario for Tat Hong.

Roland Ng’s eldest son, after working in a bank for eight years, had already assumed a management portfolio. But with the demise of the Australian company’s General Manager, someone was needed to fill the position right away. His eldest son agreed to help his father out by joining the company, and even took a large pay cut. Currently he

在澳洲，达丰的起重机业务涉足多个领域，包括铁路、港口和液化天然气工厂的建设。

is in charge of the entire business operations in Australia.

In the early days when Roland Ng took over the company, Tat Hong was only a local enterprise. Having grown into a multi-national enterprise, the expectations of appointing a successor have become even greater.

In overseas markets, Tat Hong did not adhere to the family business model, as it recruited all professionals. This successful experience could become a good reference for the Singapore headquarters in its succession plan.

Besides capability, Roland Ng’s key consideration for successor is whether the incumbent could blend into the enterprise. Roland Ng feels that each enterprise – family

business or non-family business alike – has its own culture. The best method is groom a successor from within the current team, the reason being that they understand the system, and enjoy a smooth working relationship. This would reduce the time taken to adapt to a new business environment and internal processes.

These experiences of corporate succession have also been applied at the SCCCI. As President of the 59th Council of the SCCCI, Roland Ng formalised the establishment of the Youth Business Affairs Committee, to provide young people with the opportunities for learning, growth and display of talent, and to groom successors for the Chinese business community.

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购的澳洲企业就属于这种，管理层都 是当地人，老板人在伦敦。我想，如果 老板在伦敦可以管理这家公司，我们 在新加坡就距离更近，也可以把公司 管好。我们收购这家公司后只派出了一 位总经理，其他员工100多位员工都是 当地人，高峰期扩展到600多人。

10年前，我们在澳洲发展的已经 相当不错，我就想再多走一步，去中国 或者是印度。那时，中国到处都在大兴 土木，工程非常多，但是他们不用履带 吊车，用塔吊。我仔细研究后发现，中 国有实力雄厚的塔吊生产厂家，可以 根据工程的特点设计塔吊，不管难度 有多高，他们都能设计出来。而且，在 施工现场，塔吊可以跟着建筑物一起 升高，一旦租出去，工程期至少一年半 到两年，塔吊的租赁市场潜能更大。 但是，中国的经商环境和新加坡很不 同，我们决定与人合作，善用合作伙伴 在当地的关系，不用自己从头开始。当 然，文化背景不同的人一起合作，需要 互相磨合，理念一致的会留下来，不一 致的会离开，管理层有空缺，就把员工 当中能干的人提升上来。 黄山忠的企业发展眼光独到，管理能力卓越，曾获颁新加坡商业奖的“杰出商人奖” （2008）与“年度总裁奖” （2010）。

What considerations did Tat Hong make in choosing an overseas market?

Tat Hong began to expand overseas 20 years ago. We were involved in the rental business, and needed to consider the acceptance level of certain markets to the “rental” concept. Australia is a western country which places emphasis on being assetlight and equipment-light, and could therefore accept the notion of renting machinery. When we first started out in Australia, we were not familiar with the local situation. Hence we targeted those companies with a comparative history which ran a similar business, and had a fairly good management system, but which had never expanded.

Later on, the Australian company we acquired had this set-up, with the management run by local Aussies, while the boss resided in London. I thought that if the boss could manage this company all the way from London, then Singapore was even closer in proximity, and could manage the company well.

After the takeover, we only posted a General Manager to Australia, while the rest of the employees, numbering more than 100, were locals. At its peak we had more than 600 employees.

Ten years ago, our growth in Australia was already considerably promising, and I thought of going one step further, either to China or India. At the time, China was like a huge construction site, and there were engineering projects

everywhere. But they did not use crawler cranes, using tower cranes instead. After more investigative research, I discovered that China has strong capability to manufacture tower cranes, and could design tower cranes according to the specific needs of the engineering project, no matter how difficult or complex. Moreover, at the construction site, tower cranes could be elevated together with the buildings under construction. Once we rent them out, the construction period is at least 16 months or two years, and the potential of the tower crane rental market is even higher. However, the business environment in China is very different from Singapore. We decided to collaborate with partners to leverage on their relations locally,

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所以，走国际化道路，有两个重 点。首先，时间点要选对，如果20年前 我们先去中国，不一定会顺利，我们等 了10年，在中国市场开放程度提高，理 念转变之后再去中国，今天看来是正 确的。其次，要深入了解当地市场，了 解人们的思维习惯。我在新加坡长大， 在英国读书，对东西方文化理念都能 够接受，懂当地的语言，能够和这两个 国家的人沟通，所以达丰走了一条纵 贯南北半球，融合东西文化的海外发 展道路。 达丰在中国参与了很多大型项 目。如何才能拿到这些工程？ 在海外市场，当地人自然有很多 优势，我们去了之后，一定要在 两个方面下功夫。一方面是资金要雄 厚，专做大型工程，做那种别人做不来 的项目，包括发电厂、机场、火车站，立 交桥、大型展览中心、石化工厂等；另 一方面，和大型项目的承包商建立良 好的合作关系：如果与达丰合作，他们 可以更专注发展主要业务。我们在中 国的合作伙伴大部分是大型的国营企 业，我们不是单单出租机器，还有专业 的施工团队，为客户提供好的设备、训 练有素的操作人员和管理系统，特别 是在安全保障方面经验丰富。承包商 拿到项目，常常会和我们的工程师一

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起讨论，用什么操作技术、什么设备会 比较有效率；如果需要特殊设备，我 们也有能力和生产厂家定做。中国有 家永茂建筑机械公司专门生产塔吊， 技术好，质量高，我们和永茂合作愉 快，根据承包商的需求定做机械，服 务到位。

在中国，我们从东南沿海一带起 步，现在开始向西部发展。在长期合作 中，我们与大型的国营项目公司培养了 默契，他们的项目去哪里，我们就会去 哪里。达丰是新加坡的私营企业，坚持 为合作伙伴创造价值，虽然在中国有 许多竞争者，但是我们把资源集中在 大型项目，在市场上跑出绝对优势，与 合作伙伴的关系非常牢固。 现在许多传统行业都在转型，您 对达丰的未来有什么看法？ 新加坡经济在转型，很多传统企 业现在都很担心，我反倒很乐 观。其实，像我们做基础建设的企业， 虽然是传统行业，却是不可能被淘汰 的，只要有建筑工地就必须有重型机 械。我们的口碑以前只是在顾客之间 流传，现在可以用互联网传播给更多人 知道。我们的核心业务、核心团队、核 心设备都在，要善用高科技对接客户， 提供更好的服务，扩大市场。 新加坡市中心的地铁工程项目。

and not start the business on our own.

To be sure, collaborating with people having different cultural backgrounds needs mutual adjustment. Those who share the same philosophy would stay on, while those without would leave. Should there be a vacancy in the management ranks, a capable employee would be promoted.

Hence, there are two important points in the path of internationalisation.

Firstly, the timing must be right. If we had ventured into China first 20 years ago, it may not have been smooth-

going. We waited another ten years until the China market became more open and concepts had transformed.

On hindsight this was the right thing to do. Secondly, it is necessary to understand the local market more deeply, and understand people’s mindset and habits. Because I grew up in Singapore and studied in England, I could accept the culture and concepts of both East and West, could understand the local language, and could communicate with people of both countries. Hence Tat Hong went half-way round the globe to

the South and North, and pursued an overseas growth path that combined the cultures of both East and West.

Many traditional industries are now beginning to transform.

What is your view regarding Tat Hong’s future?

The Singapore economy is transforming, and many traditional enterprises are very concerned. On the contrary I am very upbeat. Actually, enterprises like ours in infrastructural

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新科技出现，不用怕，要勇敢去尝 试。比如，出于兴趣，我投资了互联网 公司，目的是从中学习高科技的应用， 学到技术，总结经验，了解、熟悉之后 再借用到传统业务。

中国的“一带一路”带动很多大 型中资企业到东南亚发展。 “一带一 路”的重点领域之一是基础设施工程， 达丰很看好未来的发展趋势。我们在 东南亚有设备，有人员，熟悉文化和经 商环境，又有与中国企业合作的经验， 从长期来看，未来二十年的前景都很 有潜力。

development may be traditional industries, but would definitely not become obsolete. As long as there are construction worksites, there is a need for heavy machinery. Our reputation used to be transmitted by word of mouth among our clients, but now we could rely on the Internet to publicise to more people.

Our core business, core team, core equipment is all there, and we only need to leverage on technology to interact with customers, provide even better services, and expand our markets.

We should not be fearful of new technology that emerges, and we must be brave enough to try. Out of interest, I invested in an Internet company. The aim was to learn how to apply new technology, learn the skills, accumulate experience, and then apply it on traditional business practices after gaining proper understanding.

China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative has attracted many large China enterprises to invest in Southeast Asia. One of the key areas of “One

Belt, One Road” is infrastructural works, and Tat Hong is very optimistic about this future growth. We have the equipment and people, are familiar with the culture and business environment, and the experience of collaborating with China enterprises.

Over the long term, the outlook for the next 20 years is full of potential.

The above is a translation of the original article in Chinese.

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永健集团的 企业传承故事 在永健集团的传承过程中，领导人勇于放权，给予新人发挥空间，经历长时间的磨 合，培养出与企业文化高度契合、情系团队的接班人。

永健集团 (Wen Ken Group) 以创立“三脚标”品牌而闻名 的永健集团成立于1937年。当 时，四个来自中国大陆的移民 家庭一起合作，根据祖传秘方 生产和销售传统药品。经历 了三代人的努力，永健集团在 研发、制造和销售传统中药、 医药产品和健康产品的方面， 已拥有超过80的经验。近年 来，公司致力研发并生产中成 药和健康产品，成为国际上传 统药和医疗产品市场的主要 领导者之一。 永健集团的三脚标志象征着 仁慈的相传和对人们的效 劳；三只脚代表着企业的三 个核心价值观：勤奋、谦卑和 同等。

成立于1937年的永健集团一向有 个成文规定，就是公司股份必须由四 个股东的家族后人持有，绝不能售予外 人。因此，今天继承祖业的第三代领导 胡向礽（担任集团董事主席）、胡守礽 （担任董事）兄弟身负一项重任，那就 是传承家族企业，促进永续发展。在总 商会与（UBS)举办的第四场家族企业分 享会上，主讲嘉宾胡氏兄弟谈到了企业 传承的多个面向，包括企业价值观、培 养接班人的考量、管理和营销的现代 化、化解分歧的方式等。

通过实战成长和融入团队

两兄弟加入企业的过程有些不同， 哥哥胡向礽在毕业后直接加入家族企 业，弟弟胡守礽则先在外从事会计，后 来才选择加入永健集团。接班多年并 积累经验后，处于中年的两兄弟对于企 业传承也自有一番心得。

胡向礽回忆起自己在加入企业的 初期，亲眼见证了父亲对下属放权和包 容过失的胸襟。当年，他的父亲从外招 揽一位职业经理人，负责推动企业改 革。这位管理专才也带着他入行。在处 事过程中，职业经理人会与他的父亲分

享业务状况，父亲也会给予意见，但还 是全权交由经理做决策。 “父亲用人不 疑，疑人不用，给管理团队很大的决策 空间，也让我们有犯错的空间。成长的 过程自然会犯错，如果没有这么大的参 与程度，我们也不会从从工作中得到这 么多满足感和热忱。”

笑称自己“半路出家”的弟弟胡守 礽则坦言，自己在进入企业时太急于表 现自己。他表示，如果历史能重来，他 一定会付出更多的耐心向长辈证明自 己的能力。

以人为本的企业价值

目前，永健集团已着手物色和培 育新一代接班人。胡向礽指出，他十分 看重接班人的人品和价值观，尤其必须 与企业的价值观高度契合。因为必须透 彻了解一个人的素质，他估计培养接班 人必须用上10到15年的时间。

成长在一个充满关爱的家庭深刻 影响了胡向礽。如今，他志在担任一个 有为他人服务的“仆人心”的领导，以 为家人及员工打造幸福生活为工作的 动力。 “父亲的处世智慧教会我们以人

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总商会于4月23日举办的第四场家族企业系列分享会；左起为瑞银集团亚太区家族咨询服务董事黄奕斌、永健集团董事主席胡向礽、永 健董事胡守礽及瑞银集团财富规划执行董事林昉芳。

为本的道理——生意其实也是在良好 的人际关系上建立起来的。经营企业 时，我以继续维持良好的家族关系为目 的，赚钱也是为了让家人和员工过上好 日子。”

无味，不知道是否真的有效？为此，永 健在马来西亚投资研发项目，为产品获 取科学认证，提高公信力。此外，产品 的设计和营销方式也可以不断创新改 进，迎合大众需求与口味。

对于接班人的筛选，胡守礽则指 出，企业既考虑让非家族企业成员接 班，将所有权和经营权分开并进行专 业化管理，也不排除让家族企业成员接 班，不过对此要求则更为严格。 “企业 开放让家族成员参与管理层，但会把门 槛调得更高、更严格。这是因为，如果 招纳家族成员参与后又发现他不具备 理想的接班条件，事情会更难处理，甚 至伤及亲情。”胡向礽说道 。

“我们对合作伙伴和客户都要保 持谦卑的心，随时准备改进。我们曾经 进行问卷调查，有的消费者认为我们 的清热水味道太淡，于是我们就增加了 水果口味的清热水；有的人嫌枇杷膏的 瓶口粘着难开，我们也在设计上做了改 善。”

虚心迎变是常青要诀

虽然已是历史悠久、业务稳定的 企业，但商业环境变化迅速，胡氏兄弟 也不断思索如何进行有效改革，与时 并进。

饮水思源，不忘回馈 ““滴水之恩，涌泉相报”是胡家世代 相传的祖训。永健在成立初期，蒙受商 界和社会人士的支持，在取得成就后 也不忘回馈社会。企业目前的包括赞助 家庭护理基金、柔佛济世之家残废院、 孩童癌症基金和柔佛小儿麻痹患者协 会等。

作为传统药物的生产商，永健集 团面对的其中一个挑战来自新一代人 对传统药方的信任已不如前。例如，有 的人会怀疑道：永健出产的清热水无色

胡向礽相信为善应由内而外，帮助 社会的前提是要先保护好伙伴和员工 的利益。来自瑞银集团的财富规划执 行董事林昉芳也给予相关建议；她观

察到越来越多的成功企业愿意做慈善， 但她认为做慈善的一个重要理念是做 得有持续性，想办法做到以一块钱达到 十块钱的效果，惠及更广大的群体。

“父亲用人不疑，疑人不 用，给管理团队很大的决 策空间，也让我们有犯错 的空间。成长的过程自然 会犯错，如果没有这么大 的参与程度，我们也不会 从工作中得到这么多满足 感和热忱。” ——永健集团董事主席胡向礽

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Economic Review

在动荡局势中 寻求商机 瑞信高级顾问陶冬分析全球市场的近期变化，包括美国贸易保护主义的崛起、中国 的服务业发展转型等趋势，并探讨企业未来发展策略。 中国年轻人消费更注重个性

瑞信高级顾问陶冬应邀担任总 商会举办的2017年经济展望论坛。谈 及未来经济的需求时，他认为应该市 场应更重视年轻人消费的思维。他说 明， “90后”的消费储蓄薄弱，更加愿 意消费，但他们重视的是个性和体验； 这是中国经济消费结构出现的重大转 变，也是供应端必须适应的。

瑞信高级顾问陶冬

“例如，中国现在很流行一种陈 醋兑碳酸饮料的产品，价格比普通碳 酸高，但销量也高出许多。年轻人喜 欢不同果醋加不同碳酸饮料的组合， 是能凸显个性的一种体验。未来10 年、20年如果要争取市场，就得往这 方面发展。”

特朗普政策旨在供给侧改革

另一边厢，针对美国特朗普政府 的贸易保护主张，陶冬认为世界经济 增长会随之出现一次结构性下挫。他 分析道，特朗普经济政策的核心思路 并不是刺激需求，而是供给侧改革，旨 在重燃美国的企业家精神。他认为，特 朗普当选并不是一个小周期，而是一 种主义的抬头。然而，目前的整体环 境不至于坏到需要彻底改变，因此需 要“几个特朗普”的时间才可能看到机 制的改变和生产力的提高。

本届论坛以“在局势动荡之中寻 求商机”为题，除了陶冬外，也邀请瑞 信东南亚投资顾问主管贺尔本、普华 永道会计师事务所合伙人吴绍均担任 主讲嘉宾，分享经济展望。

华商焦点

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installation oF thE sccci’s 59th council march 15 has always been a date etched in history for the singapore chinese chamber of commerce & industry. Every two years, on this auspicious date, the chamber would be poised to welcome a new President into the council to steer the chamber forward.

Roland Ng San Tiong, the Chamber’s Vice-President, succeeded Thomas Chua as President of the 59th Council.

He was sworn in during the Installation Ceremony, a short but meaningful occasion which included a collective oath-taking in addition to a signing ceremony for each council member in the presence of the Guest of Honour, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.

As Roland Ng took to the rostrum to address the crowd in his first speech as President, he identified three key thrusts which had been mapped out for the Chamber for the next two years. whaT leaD you To purSue innovaTion? firSTly, To inTegraTe The STrengTh of The TraDe aSSociaTionS, anD help buSineSSeS To upgraDe anD TranSform.

The Trade Association Hub (TA Hub), located at the former Jurong Town Hall and which would be operational in later March, would offer not only good physical facilities but shared Secretariat services for the trade associations

co-locating at the TA Hub. The newly set-up Trade Association Committee would also help TAs to consolidate their resources, promote mutual cooperation and function as a useful channel for government feedback on industry issues.

SeconDly, To help enTerpriSeS DigiTaliSe anD inTernaTionaliSe.

The Chamber would align efforts with the government’s thrust to promote digitalisation via the Trade Association Hub. This would enable local enterprises to understand the digital economy and transform their industries by applying new technologies. The IE-SCCCI Singapore Enterprise Centre in Shanghai and the Representative Office in Chongqing would help businesses with their internationalisation efforts.

ThirDly, To prepare for SucceSSion aT The chamber anD for enTerpriSeS, anD upholD The chineSe enTrepreneurial SpiriT.

To this end, the Chamber announced the formation of a new Youth Business Affairs Committee to groom successors

and nurture future Chinese business leaders. Sherman Kwek, Deputy CEO of City Developments Limited, would shoulder the responsibility of chairing this new committee.

Noting that the Chamber has always been an important partner of the government for over a century, DPM Teo hoped that the Chamber would continue to assist enterprises in the Future Economy to acquire and utilise deep skills, build up digital capabilities, and help implement the Industry Transformation Maps. All council members gathered at the façade of the SCCCI Building for the traditional group photograph after the Installation Ceremony, before joining all guests at the ensuing Lunch Reception.

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华商焦点

in thE lEaD

Established panelists and performers of diverse backgrounds ranging from the business, community and social services, sports, to music, came together to celebrate “women for women”, the international women’s Day event held by the sccci’s career women’s group.

Grace Fu, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, acknowledging the importance of women’s contributions and offering suggestions to promote greater gender equality and women’s advancement.

华商焦点

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The event successfully raised $100,300 for two charitable organisations: Tsao Foundation’s Hua Mei Centre, which promotes p omo es successful success u ageing age ng and provides p ov des medical, med ca social soc a and psychopsycho social soc a care ca e services se v ces to o mature ma u e adults adu s living v ng in n the he community; commun y and the he Yellow Ye ow Ribbon R bbon Fund, Fund which wh ch iss dedicated ded ca ed to o funding, und ng developing deve op ng and implementing mp emen ng reintegration e n eg a on programmes p og ammes for o inmates nma es and ex-off enders, ex offende s and family am y support suppo programmes p og ammes to o strengthen s eng hen their he family am y ties. es

In n the he p presence e ence o of M Minister n e G Grace ace Fu Fu, incoming ncom ng SCCC SCCCI P President e den Ro Roland and Ng and SCCC SCCCI CWG Cha Chairperpe son on Quek Soo Boon p presented e en ed the he cheque o of $50 $50,150 150 to oD Dr Ma Maryy Ann TTsao ao for o the he TTsao ao Founda Foundation. on

“A lot o o of ou our ach achievements evemen s iss due to o our own ha ou hard d wo work, k and really ea y the he determination de e m na on that ha we have shown for o many yea years. s Bu But let’s e s no not forget; o ge that ha I’m m su sure e if you asked aaround ound and refl eflec ected ed on you your own journey, ou ney there he e have been many men and women who have g given ven you that ha b breakthrough eak h ough in n your lives. you ves Tha That b breakthrough eak h ough that ha has made a d diff ffe erence ence in n you your ca career, ee the he person pe son that ha had counse counselled ed you you, who had encou encouraged aged you to o take ake that ha nex next sstep. ep A All I’m m ask asking ng really, ea y iss to o affirm m the he importance mpo ance o of such ‘nudging’, nudg ng such opportunities, oppo un es and let e the he rest es have the he benefit o of these hese oppo opportunities, un es o of this hs access to networks. Do something for the other women behind you.”

In tandem with the theme of the event “Women for Women”, Minister Grace Fu called for women’s unity and mutual support to scale greater heights, as she delivered a speech at the International Women’s Day celebration.

She particularly took note of the tendency of women having fewer contacts and less diverse networks than men, hence she encouraged career women to build up stronger networks

to o facilitate ac a e the he flow flow o of information n o ma on and resources. esou ces Her speech aalso He so comp comprised sed ways to o promote p omo e g greater ea e gende gender equa equalityy aat home home, increase nc ease women women’ss pa participation c pa on in n the he workplace, wo kp ace champ champion on women in n bus business ness and he help p women in n need in n soc society. ey The ce celebration eb a on was he held d on Ma March ch 4 aat the he Reso Resortss Wo World d Thea Theatre, e Reso Resortss World Wo d Sen Sentosa. osa SSingapore ngapo e Indian nd an Chamber o Chambe of Comme Commerce ce & Industry ndus y was the he co co-organiser o gan se o of this h s even event. Amongs Amongst the he ou outstanding s and ng ca career ee women invited nv ed as keyno keynote e speake speakerss for o this h s even event we were e Ong Ch Chih h Ch Ching, ng Execu Executive ve Cha Chairman man & Execu Executive ve D Director, ec o KOP LLimited; m ed Yang Yanq Yanqing, ng Depu Deputyy Ed Editor-In-Chief, o n Ch e Yicai Y ca Med Mediaa G Group; oup and Non Noni SSri Aya Ayati Purnomo, President Director, Blue Bird Group Holdings.

Besides, in a panel titled “Women in Roads Less Travelled”, Mary Ann Tsao, Chairman of Tsao Foundation; Theresa Goh, Paralympic Swimmer; and Siow Lee Chin, Concert Violinist and Professor of Violin, College of Charleston, also shared their inspiring stories of success.

“wE FacE mult multi-FacEtED -FacEtED challEngEs; at homE challEngEs homE, in n businEss bus nEss anD in n soc sociEtY. EtY thEsE incluDE ncluDE hav having ng to balancE bEtwEEn woRK anD Fam FamilY, lY Fac Facing ng RoaDblocKs to caREER PRogREssion PRogREss on oR not having hav ng thE REsouRcEs oR contacts to staRt thE thEiR R own bus businEssEs. nEssEs hEncE hEncE, ‘womEn womEn FoR womEn womEn’ inDEED nDEED iss a woRthY unDERtaKing. unDERtaK ng wE nEED to suPPoRt onE anothER anothER, anD to bE activE chamPions FoR womEn.” – grace Fu, minister for culture, community and Youth

华商焦点

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in thE lEaD

SIOW LEE CHIN Violinist Siow Lee Chin performing excerpts from the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto, Franck’s Violin Sonata and Wieniawski’s Grand Polonaise in D major, accompanied by pianist Svetlana Anatolievna Smolina. Lee Chin is the first Singaporean violin soloist to make a mark and forge a solo career in the international classical music arena, appearing as soloist with renowned orchestras like the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and National Symphony Orchestra of Chile. She is currently a professor of violin at College of Charleston.

When Lee Chin was asked for her views on Singapore’s arts scene, she stressed the needs of searching for one’s cultural identity. As she spent most of her years in the United States, she appreciated the importance of being in touch with her roots when she had a short stint in China. A good reflection of this identity which encompasses both East and West was portrayed by her impassioned performance of the Chinese classical piece “Butterfly Lovers”, which is also her father’s favourite piece.

ONG CHIH CHING Ong Chih Ching of KOP Limited sharing her story of success. She was responsible for a number of groundbreaking real estate projects which includes The Ritz-Carlton Residences and the multi-award winning Montigo Resorts. Her success won her two consecutive spots in the Forbes Asia 50 Power Businesswomen in 2014 and 2015.

Despite the challenges that she faced in the construction industry which she referred to as “a man’s world”, Chih Ching opposes legislations that stipulates a gender quota in company boards – it should be based on merit instead. She also thinks that, in general, women could judge less and help each other more.

NONI PURNOMO Noni Purnomo is the President Director of Indonesia’s largest taxi operator Blue Bird Group Holdings. Noni’s business serves millions of customers every month in almost 20 cities in Indonesia, and she was voted as one of 2015 Power Businesswomen by Forbes Asia.

Noni even drives taxis herself now and then to experience the challenges that could happen on the street. As a leader of a taxi company, she was once required to negotiate in a protest held by taxi drivers. The way she dealt with it was by adopting the soft, feminine approach – dressed in a skirt and attending to the conflict with smiles. She believes that everyone has both masculine and feminine sides, and presenting the right side at the right moment would make one most tactful.

华商焦点

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DR YANG YANQING Dr Yang Yanqing, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Yicai Media Group, the Managing Director of YICAI Think Tank, as well as host and commentator of YICAI TV. Being a media leader, Yanqing attended and moderated many sessions in prominent global and domestic events, such as the World Economic Forum.

Based on her analysis of some research outcomes, Yanqing reminds us that overall global gender gap will close only after some 80 years. She also argues that a closer gender gap would contribute to a higher GDP; thus closing the gap is not only a right thing to do, but also a smart thing to do.

THERESA GOH Theresa Goh, Singapore Paralympic Swimmer and Bronze Medallist at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. She expressed gratitude to her parents for encouraging her to pursue her dream, and giving her continuous support over 18 years of her swimming career

DR MARY ANN TSAO Dr Mary Ann Tsao, Chairman of Tsao Foundation. The Tsao Foundation is dedicated to promoting successful ageing by transforming the experience of longevity for it to be an actualisation of full potential for growth, health and fulfillment in a society for all ages. The Foundation was founded by Mary’s grandmother, Mrs Tsao Ng Yu Shun, who established the Tsao Foundation in Singapore at the age of 86 to enhance the quality of life of the elderly. In her sharing, Mary recounted the journey of taking over the Foundation in Singapore after studying and working in the United States as a physician.

OLIVIA ONG Renowned local artist Olivia Ong performing two of her famous pieces, You & Me and «如燕»,, a famous theme song from local Chinese drama“Little Nyonya”.

WEE WEI LING Wee Wei Ling, Executive Director (Asset & Lifestyle) of Pan Pacific Hotels Group performing two Mandarin songs, «茉莉花» (Mo Li Hua) and «甜蜜蜜» (Tian Mi Mi).

中小企业

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Focus on smEs

XDEl: tEchnologY Enthusiast sPEaRhEaDing EXPREss couRiER in singaPoRE

in the sccci-nus survey on innovation Effort of smEs conducted in 2016, managing Director of XDel harold lee shared the innovation efforts which led to his success in the delivery industry.

XDel is a leading service provider in express courier service, occupying about 40 per cent of local market share. Riding on innovation in technology and service model, it is also a pioneer in personalised and customised delivery solutions.

efficient way without compromising quality. Also, to be able to observe and learn from the successful experiences of others is a great source of inspiration.

whaT leD you To purSue innovaTion?

Our proprietary IT infrastructure is the backbone that allows us to innovate our business model and services. Since 2003, we have continuously enhanced our in-house ERP system and this has enabled us to cater to the diverse and customised needs of our customers.

Our pursuit of continuous innovation is what differentiates us from the competition. To mitigate the challenges in this highly labour-intensive industry, we have been using innovation to increase our manpower productivity output through the years. We are able to build an elite and lean workforce, where one person can perform the amount of work of up to three persons. This enables us to offer higher remuneration to reward our staff.

Our philosophy is to have well-controlled and lean processes which are critical to business profitability and growth. These are supported through our in-house IT capabilities where technology is a key enabler deployed to achieve it. Another strong innovation motivator is to get the job done in the simplest and most

can you Share how you innovaTe your buSineSS moDel anD ServiceS?

As early as 2004, we introduced “XDel VCS (Virtual Customer Service)”, a livechat platform where customers can communicate online with our customer service staff, receive service notification and retrieval of Proof of Delivery via our online platform. Currently we are able to offer integration with customers’ systems for automated order placement directly.

Today, our core market is B2B where corporate customers contribute close to 80 per cent of our annual revenue, and the remaining 20 per cent comprises

e-commerce and fulfillment services.

E-commerce is a huge and growing market, which will be one of our growth engines. In this business segment, we focus on the end consumers. During the initial stage we designed a solution using our technology capability to address the end consumers’ demand for personalised and customised delivery solutions. For instance, we empower the consumers to customise their deliveries based on their preferred schedule and delivery time slots, as well as allowing them to redirect or change their delivery addresses at their convenience. Such delivery personalisation focusing on the consumer is unheard of in the industry.

But XDel has done it. can you Share how you innovaTe your operaTing proceSS?

A large part is leveraging on technology as an enabler to control, improve and innovate our processes. Another part involves service innovation where we focus on and emphasise positive customer experiences.

中小企业

Back in 1998, we introduced our first inhouse system that served a wide range of functions from customer relationship management to accounting, human resources and payroll services. Over the years, we have committed our resources to improve and upgrade its functionality. Today, the system has become the core backbone of our daily seamless operations linking and synchronising data across all the internal departments and our customers.

However, innovation is not necessarily only about new technology.

For instance, when we took on a new project from an existing customer, we listened and deliberated with the stakeholders on the existing manual processes and recommended

Focus on smEs

using technology to automate the entire processes. Instead of using headcount to handle data entry, the information was scanned and extracted electronically and submitted to the customer automatically without any human intervention.

To improve the credibility of “real time” delivery status updates by our courier messengers, we introduced Mobile Apps which required our courier messengers to update the delivery status at the point of delivery and the information is transmitted back instantly to our system. how DiD you encourage innovaTion in your company?

In XDel, our management team and IT personnel are challenged to look for areas of improvement in terms of work flow

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and our deliverables to customers. For instance, instead of just providing the basic door-to-door delivery service, we work towards providing our customers with insightful delivery data for them to understand their service demand patterns, spending by department for management reporting, and more.

Although the majority of ideas originate from the management team, we also encourage staff and customers to provide feedback. For instance, one of the staff at the self-collection Counter found that the old way of using printed self-collection receipt by the consumers was inefficient. Noting the feedback, we worked with our IT department to improve the processes. We included a QR code into the self-collection email sent to the consumer. Now the staff only needs to scan the QR Code from the

中小企业

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consumer’s mobile device to draw out the required information, resulting in quicker retrieval of item and reducing the overall processing time to just under 2 minutes. have you benefiTeD from governmenT SupporT in your innovaTion efforT?

In the early part of the company’s development, we had not given thoughts of exploring the various government schemes. With the right people coming on board in the company, we are now more proactive in leveraging on the government supports to improve on our productivity and drive the business growth.

Readily available solutions and grants from the government agencies were explored and served well with our current structure.

To date, we have benefited from the Productivity and Innovation Credit Scheme and the Innovation and Capability Voucher for staff training to spearhead some improvement projects.

On the marketing front, we embarked on re-branding supported by IE Singapore’s Global Company Partnership Grant. For our venture into China, we sought the support from IE Singapore’s Market Readiness Assistance.

Focus on smEs

Another current innovation project is the development of a “Telematics Fleet Management System” [TFMS].

Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology’s R&D expertise were tapped, alongside funding support from SPRING’s Capability Development Grant.

TFMS was an unchartered project as we struggled with the engagement of the right consultant to complete the project.

on noticeboard serves as an indication of compliance and effort. Attention and assistance were given to weak performers to improve.

An R&D phrase is needed to understand the availability of the components needed in the development. The cost of R&D weighs heavily on the shoulders of an SME company. whaT are The Top challengeS you face in innovaTion? how DiD you overcome Them?

One of the biggest challenges we faced is to educate staff to give up one’s old work practices and embrace new processes and technology adoption.

This is a difficult issue for an SME, especially when we have staff with lower education and those mature workers who are not embracing IT. There was a lot of resistance on the ground when we first launched the Mobile Apps.

To manage this challenge, we had to introduce the change in phases and provide ample training and sharing with the team the benefits of such changes. Individual performance posted

“innovation is not mERElY limitED to nEw tEchnologY; but also about bEing cREativE anD bEing oPEn-minDED.” – harold lee , managing Director of XDel

狮城经贸

Economic Review

Navigating the global economic uncertainties With a new administration in the US and Britain formally leaving the European Union, the current economic sentiments are highly uncertain. The SCCCI-Credit Suisse Business Outlook Forum gathered experts to analyse the global economic climate, and how Singaporean businesses could prosper in these uncertain times.

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狮城经贸

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Economic Review

Dr Dong Tao

Ng Siew Quan

Claude Harbonn

Managing Director and Senior Advisor, Private Banking Asia Pacific, Credit Suisse

Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Managing Director, Head of Investment Consulting South East Asia, Credit Suisse

The annual SCCCI-Credit Suisse Business Outlook Forum took place on April 19 at the Credit Suisse Auditorium.

This edition of the Forum boasted an extremely distinguished list of speakers and panelists, who shared their expertise over a wide range of topics.

examples. It was neither created by Trump, nor will it end with him.

The big picture – global outlook and Sino-US relations

Dr Dong Tao kicked off the Forum by providing a brief outline of global economic sentiments, with a focus on the United States and Donald Trump.

He provided some insights on how the economic climate ultimately led to Trump’s surprising victory in the elections, before diving into the USSino relations. Dr Tao described this relationship as the friction between the world’s largest and second largest superpower; history has shown us many

China property

The focus then shifted to China’s property market. Dr Tao shared a quote from President Xi Jinping - “Houses are for staying, not for flipping”, which he believes marks the turning point of China’s property market, as it signifies the reverse in the property market strategy of the past. Dr Tao believes that China’s property prices have been rising rapidly, and might currently be massively overvalued. He explains that the reason for the huge spike in property prices is due to the credit expansion strategy by the Chinese government. That is why the Chinese government is trying to curb property prices, by slowly squeezing out excess capital from first tier cities, to the second tier ones, and finally, to the third tiers.

China’s purchasing power

Another effect of the credit expansion was the explosion of China’s purchasing power. Dr Tao explains that this is unsustainable, and to achieve sustainable economic growth, the purchasing power in the world needs to be rebalanced. He mentioned that the most feasible method to do this would be the depreciation of its currency, which is the most common method used by countries plagued with debt problems in history (South Korea and Indonesia in the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis).

An achievable 4 per cent growth for China

In closing, Dr Tao remarked that no country has ever achieved a growth rate as high as 4% after transforming from a manufacturing-oriented economy into

狮城经贸

Economic Review

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From right to left: SCCCI Vice-President Kuah Boon Wee; Dr Dong Tao, Managing Director and Senior Advisor, Private Banking Asia Pacific, Credit Suisse; Ng Siew Quan, Chairman of SCCCI’s Research & Publications Committee; Claude Harbonn, Managing Director, Head of Investment Consulting South East Asia, Credit Suisse; Jean Yip, Founder and Chairman of Jean Yip Group; and Jay Samathivathanachai, Managing Director, Allswell Trading.

a services-based one, but China might be able to do it. This will be driven by the decrease in China’s savings rate, as spending has been transferred to the future generations, who generally lack an understanding of the concept of saving.

Developing core businesses and competencies

Next up was Ng Siew Quan, who discussed the key challenges faced

by Singapore businesses, and offered sound advice on how to tackle them.

A key thesis of his argument was the concept of core competency – what value can the business create for the market? He urged the business people to develop their core businesses and core competencies, and guard them closely.

The final speaker Claude Harbonn then closed the sharing session by discussing market sentiments. He describes it as guarded optimism, whereby global growth is picking up, banks are ready to lend, and engines of growth are ignited, yet people are not too keen on investing, preferring to hold cash. This is due to

the uncertainty surrounding issues like the impact of higher interest rates, and the possibility of an EU breakup, which he feels is highly overestimated. He then proceeded to share his views and analysis on a wide range of market data.

Views from the panel

Two additional panelists were invited to join the other three speakers on stage for the Q&A. Jean Yip, founder of Jean Yip Group, and Jay Samathivathanachai, Managing Director of Allswell Trading Pte Ltd, joined the panel to share their wealth of experience in the business world.

Ms Yip spoke about the importance of business partners, networks and connections when doing business overseas, while Mr Samathivathanachai talked about the importance of technology, going overseas, and business models. One question was directed to Dr Tao, asking him how China could depreciate its currency to solve their debt problem, when the US is opposing such actions. Dr Tao responded that with a huge crisis at hand and social stability

at stake, the Chinese government will find a way to execute the depreciation quickly. He then expounded on the debt crisis, saying that a business cycle might be occurring soon, which means that the current timing might not be ideal for investing in Asian properties.

Claude Harbonn was then asked what would happen if the EU breaks up. Mr Harbonn responded that this was an extremely complex scenario to predict accurately. His position on this is that when push comes to shove, people will want to stay in EU. The last question on the rising middle income class prompted a very thoughtful response from Dr Tao. While he agrees that middle income class drives economic growth, he feels that their impact might be diminishing.

Quantitative Easing (QE) has made people who have less resources and knowledge worse off, and it is now harder for young people to make their fortune. Lack of proper structural reforms would result in lower growth, lower productivity gains; ultimately, the middle income class loses out.

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