Issue 45
Union Medical Healthcare : A Caring Profession
Having expanded its services, Union Medical Healthcare is focusing on what matters – looking after the wellbeing of its clients.
Trukai Industries
Producing for PNGTrukai Industries Ltd has been building up a national rice industry for more than 50 years, its work centred around community and people Project Manager: Josh HylandReally good food - a simple strapline but one that everybody can identify with. As well as keeping us alive and healthy, food forms a focal point of social and family interaction, with few better feelings than providing relatives and friends with a tasty meal. Papua New Guinea’s Trukai Industries Ltd is centred around this concept. The word Trukai originates from a saying in the local language - trupela kaikai - which translates to really good food. Trukai began life as Ricegrowers – Australia Pty. Limited in 1970, and has played a central role in feeding Papua New Guineans ever since. Back then, it exclusively dealt in the distribution of a single variety of white and brown rice, packed and delivered in polysac bags. In the half century since, Trukai has grown into the nation’s leading supplier of rice and is the only firm that manufacturers its products locally, serving as a true bedrock to the community. This important PNG-centric milestone was reached in August 2019 when it launched Trukai Hamamas Rice. It is 100 percent homegrown in the Rangiampum village in Umi, Morobe Province, grown from 275 hectares of rainfed crop in the Markham Valley before being milled and packaged at the firm’s main base in Lae. Speaking at the time of the announcement, CEO Greg Worthington-Eyre said: “It took a lot of hard work and commitment by our hardworking staff and the support…
Tony Ip Green Architects
Architecture for Green LivingTony Ip Green Architects has been instrumental in driving forward sustainable building and renovation work in Hong Kong, bringing a number of landmark techniques and installations to the fore Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Ryan Gray In 2012 Hong Kong celebrated the opening of its first zero carbon building. ZCP, short for Zero Carbon Park, is nestled in the Kowloon Bay area and is designed to produce a surplus of energy, its completion sparking a wave of green building projects which the government is eager to continue rolling out. Working on this breakthrough project was Tony Ip, now Director of his own firm – Tony Ip Green Architects, or TiP as it is commonly known. His multidisciplinary expertise proved invaluable on the ZCP development, although by his own admission, such broad knowledge was almost inadvertently acquired during his education years. Indeed, Tony’s story is a prime validation of the well-cited term ‘if you don’t succeed at first, try, try again’. “I’ve always loved design and architecture but wasn’t accepted into the school of architecture I applied for, so my first degree was in environmental engineering as environmental conservation was not a hot topic two decades ago,” he recalls. “After graduation, I worked as a trainee engineer in an engineering firm. Several years later, and I still retained this passion for architecture, so I tried to enrol on another course and this time, thankfully, was accepted.”Tony never looked back. Having completed the two-year master’s programme, he was nominated and won the Hong Kong Institute of Architects Outstanding Student…
Dhaya Maju Infrastructure (Asia)
Keeping Malaysia On TrackDespite the health and economic challenges presented by the COVID-19 crisis, DMIA continues to spearhead vital rail infrastructure projects across the country to ensure socioeconomic development is sustained Project Manager: Ryan Gray While 2020 will be remembered as the year that saw the coronavirus pandemic cause health and economic crises around the world, it has highlighted the remarkable degree of resilience that exists within societies. In Malaysia, the government’s movement control order, issued in March to safeguard public health, brought large sectors of its economy to a halt. Non-essential workers are staying at home, many have lost jobs and entire industries such as construction have had to pause projects. For companies such as Dhaya Maju Infrastructure (Asia) Sdn Bhd (DMIA), the pandemic has caused mass disruption and presented many logistical challenges, but it has remained resolute throughout and is determined to continue contributing to the socioeconomic development of Malaysia. A leading national public transportation, infrastructure and property company established in 1996, DMIA is committed to delivering world-class projects with integrity, professionalism, and high quality, built on principles of continual improvement, high productivity, and sustainable ambition.Today it’s focus remains the same – to deliver quality and reliable developments for railways, highways, public infrastructure and property. Indeed, DMIA hopes that under the 12th Malaysian Plan covering 2020 to 2025, the country spending for public transport, logistics, urbanisation and communications will become the catalyst for Malaysian growth post COVID-19.This is because rail transportation carries a huge impact on socioeconomic development in Malaysia. It has served as a catalyst that moves…
Halcom Vietnam
The Renewable RenaissanceHALCOM Vietnam continues to drive sustainable development across the country, the company spearheading a number of pioneering renewable energy projects Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Donovan Smith | Photography: Tuan Anh NguyenWhen Vietnam moved to middle-income status in 2018/19, it capped what can only be described as a remarkable economic turnaround. One of the world’s poorest countries in the 1980s, a huge series of reforms launched under Đổi Mới spurred rapid socioeconomic growth. Per capita GDP surpassed $2,700 in 2019, a growth of 270 percent since 2002, a period which has also seen more than 45 million people lifted out of poverty. Early data suggests the Vietnamese economy expanded by seven percent last year although, like many nations, it has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the fundamentals remain extremely positive, a feeling reflected by Saurabh Mathur, CEO of HALCOM Vietnam, a specialist investment and consultancy firm focused on urban and infrastructure development. “It is very exciting to be working in this space because of Vietnam’s fast-growing economy,” he says. “To extend the discussion into our industry, which is largely centred on renewable energy, the opportunity is significant. “Currently, around nine percent of the country’s energy mix is comprised of renewables, surpassing the target set for this year which was seven percent. Developing clean energy is quintessential if Vietnam wants to proceed with its annual growth in a green and sustainable manner.”Indeed, electricity consumption has tripled over the past decade, growing faster than output, and the Vietnamese government has recently encouraged private sector to invest into…
Chip Mong Retail
Michael Vong, Shopping Mall Director at Chip Mong Retail, provides his insights into the volatile, exciting and fast-growing Cambodian retail sector.
B+H Architects
Designed to InspireAs the world responds to the challenges presented by the coronavirus outbreak, B+H Architects has embraced new ways of working, all the while continuing to build on its global reputation for developing inspiring spaces for clients Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Ryan Gray The global health crisis caused by the outbreak of coronavirus has impacted almost every economy and industry around the world. From a virtual standstill in international travel to sweeping reconsiderations of what defines a safe working environment, the human ability to adapt and innovate through challenges is being tested to the extreme. In the words of Bill Nankivell, “the workplace has been turned upside down”. Speaking as CEO of global architecture, design and strategic consulting firm, B+H Architects, he has witnessed first-hand the disruption caused and creativity deployed as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. “Our first concern was for the wellbeing and safety of all our staff across the globe,” he adds. “The novel coronavirus impacted our Shanghai team in late January, and we had the benefit of their experience when the wave reached our other global studios.” “We have taken every precaution, implementing protocols, best practices and measures to ensure peace of mind for our staff and make sure they have everything they need to continue to deliver uninterrupted service to our clients.”B+H’s Shanghai team is now back in its studio, the company continuing to monitor closely the impact of new safety measures while evaluating the effect that working from home has had on employees in different parts of the world. Indeed, not only is…
Andersens Floor Coverings
Andersens Flooring Coverings is embarking on an ambitious plan to grow its franchise network across Australia, the brand built on its unwavering commitment to providing exceptional personalised service.
Global Responders Group
Global Responders Group has emerged as a leading provider of integrated risk management solutions, its responsive, adaptive network of expertise able to satisfy any client’s Crisis Management and QHSE needs.
IoT and the Digital Transformation of APAC Businesses
The Asia Pacific region is well on its way to becoming the world’s biggest hardware, software and services market for the internet of things (IoT), with regional spending expected to reach $398.6 billion in 2023.
Q&A: How has COVID-19 Impacted Hotel Giant OYO?
We ask Hotel Giant OYO how COVID-19 has impacted them and how they have adapted as a business.
How New Zealand Responded to COVID-19 : An Analysis
Four months after a strict lockdown, New Zealand is being held up as a shining example of success after COVID-19. We examine why New Zealand's coronavirus response was so effective.