Issue 15
Jian Huang Group
Leading Professionals in Construction Writer: Emily JarvisProject Manager: Ben WiggerSince 1996, Jian Huang Group has built an impressive portfolio of construction projects which are known for their high quality finishes and timely delivery. With business activities spanning from project management services, rental, sales of equipment, environmental solutions and property development, the Group offers a whole host of solutions to complement the construction industry and associated subsectors across Singapore, China, Vietnam and the Middle East.Key to Jian Huang’s prospering growth in recent years has been its dedication to individual projects through the provision of vertically integrated, value-add services. By nurturing strong relationships with clients, General Manager of Jian Huang Group of Companies, Yew Boon Cheat (BC) believes that the Company’s unique selling point is its enthusiasm not just during a build, but the all-inclusive end-to-end service it provides throughout the design and construction process: “Our team of highly skilled managers work closely with our clients, examining ways to enhance the value of the project. Each project also has a panel of consultants which is our way of ensuring the creation of the perfect building that meets all the required specifications.”The business has been the main contractor of three to four construction projects on average every year since 2007, including multi-million dollar industrial developments for a whole host of internationally renowned companies including US semi-conductor manufacturers, Kulicke & Soffa.Further, the Group’s total commitment to safety, quality, cost effectiveness and on-time delivery has enabled it to grow from strength to strength, even obtaining the ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001 and OHSAS…
Lian Beng Group
Laying the Foundations to Dream Even BiggerWriter: Emily JarvisProject Manager: James MitchellLian Beng Ltd remains cautiously optimistic of its core construction business, which promises to provide a sustainable flow of construction activities through to the end of 2017 via an impressive order book of S$821 million, as at November 2014. As one of Singapore’s major indigenous building construction Groups, Lian Beng is one of the few which has integrated its civil engineering and construction support service capabilities in order to offer an all-encompassing solution.The construction arm of the business has come a long way since opening its doors in 1973. The now-Executive Chairman, Ong Pang Aik joined his father to help run the family business in 1978, transforming the Company from a subcontractor undertaking small-scale civil engineering, to a building and construction authority (BCA) grade A1 main contractor operating across the property development, industrial, commercial and civil engineering subsectors.The A1 rating allows Lian Beng to tender for public sector building projects of unlimited contract value and similarly, its A2 grade in civil engineering allows the Company to tender for engineering projects of up to S$85 million in contract value.Apart from construction, Lian Beng also engages in property development, mostly through joint ventures. Some of its completed and ongoing property development projects include; Lincoln Suites, M-Space, Spottiswoode Suites, The Midtown & Midtown Residences, NEWest, KAP Residences, Eco-tech@Sunview and Hexacube. In addition, Lian Beng has also developed and presently operates a workers’ dormitory, through a joint venture at Mandai Estate.“While we have diversified into property development along with…
Opus Offshore
Simple is BestWriter: Matthew StaffProject Manager: Arron RamplingOpus Offshore is on the brink of a major industry breakthrough as its four drill ships gear up for an inevitable rise in the oil & gas market over the next 18 months.Its four benchmark new-builds have been a signal of intent for the Company since its inception in 2011, with its Tiger 1 rig ready to enter the market this June and Tiger 2 having the finishing touches put to it in the dock also.Given the difficulties and challenges currently engulfing the oil sector at present, Opus is currently playing the same waiting game as many other market players in terms of attaining contracts for the new-builds, but the Company’s Vice President of Operations, Peter Burnett, is confident that once Tiger 1 is picked up and operational, a snowball effect will occur for future rig uptake to fall into place.“When we began building the ships the oil prices were very good and if they had remained as they were, we’d have had them contracted without any problems, but these slumps are very cyclic, and will come around again.“It has also played into our hands strangely because we have been able to build these a lot cheaper in China than we would have been able to in Korea or Singapore, so when the market does pick up, our operating and capital costs are lower too.“We’re ahead of the game in having four rigs ready, so all we need to do is get a contract for Tiger 1, show the…
Angkor Hospital For Children
Treatment, Education, Prevention Writer: Emily JarvisProject Manager: Eddie ClintonSupported by donors in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America, Angkor Hospital for Children (AHC) is an independent, non-profit medical facility that is committed to providing quality healthcare to impoverished children in the Siem Reap area of Cambodia. The hospital works in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and has done so since its founding 16 years ago. AHC’s Hospital Director, Dr. Ngoun Chan Pheaktra urges people to visit the hospital to learn about the hospital care it provides to impoverished Cambodians, and provide their support: “We receive funding from all around the globe and due to this ongoing support, we continue to deliver high quality medical care to children affected by disease and poverty in the country.”Recognised as Cambodia’s first teaching hospital, AHC first opened its doors in 1999 after Japanese-born Kenro Izu, identified the lack of accessible healthcare for poor children. “Mr Izu had a vision to do something for Cambodian children and greatly supported the hospital in the early days. He established the non-profit organisation ‘Friends Without a Border’ in 1996 and after gaining the support of 6,000 health care professionals around the world, Angkor Hospital for Children was born. Since we opened, the Hospital has witnessed immense growth from 7,000 patients a year, to treating more than 160,000 in 2014.”AHC has provided more than one million medical treatments to date, educating thousands of Cambodian health workers and hundreds of families in disease prevention along the way. “Our services are free; we reimburse travel costs,…
KPJ Healthcare
Nurturing Malaysia’s Healthcare Potential Writer: Emily JarvisProject Manager: Eddie ClintonEstablished more than 33 years ago, KPJ Healthcare Berhad Group (KPJ) currently operates 25 hospitals in Malaysia, two hospitals in Indonesia, one hospital in Bangladesh and a sizeable share in a hospital in Thailand. Coupled with its strong network of hospitals in Malaysia and the region, the business recorded significant growth in the number of patients served last year, reporting an increase of more than 100,000 patients year-on-year; taking the total number to more than 2.8 million.As a progressive healthcare provider, comprising more than 11,000 staff members across its clinical, management and administrative teams, KPJ remains committed to investing in leading-edge equipment and state-of-the-art medical technology in an effort to provide positive patient experiences, as well as improve medical and surgical outcomes. This year, the institution continues to focus energies on three areas; further developing its aged care services, growing its health tourism segment and venturing into other healthcare-related industries that will boost the level of hospital care.“These thriving sub-sectors hold tremendous potential for the future, in line with the increasing consumer demand,” said KPJ in its latest annual report.“For example, in growing the health tourism segment, our aggressive marketing strategies continue to show stellar results as we have expanded our footprint into Asia, the Middle East and East Africa.”New hospitalsAs operators of Malaysia’s largest private healthcare network, capacity expansion - including the recent enhancement of current hospitals and the building of two new facilities - has proved integral to securing growth in 2015. Also, KPJ has been…
The Globalisation of Formula 1
To be seen as a key cog in a sport’s annual, international schedule is the minimum requirement of most developed countries around the world, but there are few sports which demand responsibility and pressure to represent the whole entity quite like Formula 1 does.For the chosen 19 nations, the eyes of the world turn towards them for just four days, as they stake a claim not only to retain their position on the calendar for the following year, but to capture the imaginations of supporters, drivers, constructors and owners alike in a showcase that would grace any elaborate film festival.It is a pressure which, for the majority of F1’s existence, has been placed in the hands of Europe’s most iconic racing landmarks; the likes of Monte Carlo, Hockenheim, Silverstone, Monza, Spa and Imola etched into the fabric of the sport. Recent years has seen a shift in the dynamics of Formula 1, however, with the sport’s calendar truly more global than it has ever been before. Once Oceania’s traditional opening salvo in Australia has seen the chequered flag, the 11 globetrotting constructors venture across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Central Europe, North America, Eastern Europe, Central America and South America, before coming to the end of their journey in Abu Dhabi in late November.In fact, less than half of the calendar now revolves around the once dominant European base, with many of those left subject to discussion as to their longevity moving forward.This alludes to a new power emerging as the core of what remains one of…
The Real FinTech Capitals of the World
By Alix Murphy, Senior Mobile Analyst, WorldRemitThe Payments Innovation Jury Report has revealed that CEOs and founders of 40 of the sector’s most prominent firms think Africa and Asia houses the FinTech capitals of the world.Unlike a lot of the hype around FinTech which focuses solely on the US and Europe, the Payments Innovation Jury truly speaks for the whole world, with jurors coming from 23 countries across six continents.In the report, Asia and Africa are recognised as the biggest hotbeds for digital payments, leading the way in particular in Mobile Money, with North America and Europe lagging far behind. The lesson for entrepreneurs in the west is that there are untapped opportunities for FinTech innovations that serve the whole world rather than just developed markets.In the west, there are far too many FinTech products that just do not solve a real problem. Do we really need more retail loyalty apps? More ways to make point-of-sale payments?In emerging economies, the very lack of banking and payments infrastructure, while presenting challenges, breeds an environment of enormous potential for technology-driven financial solutions.Mobile Money services like bKash in Bangladesh, EcoCash in Zimbabwe or SMART Money in the Philippines have enjoyed tremendous consumer uptake because they enable users who don’t have a bank account, or any way of making payments beyond using cash, to make these transactions from their mobile phone.Mobile Money services allow users to store and send money and make payments digitally on their phones. A lot of people in tech circles in the west have heard of…
Owen Mumford Opens New Regional Hub in Malaysia
Owen Mumford, a leader in the medical device industry, has announced its commitment to the Asia Pacific region with the opening of a new regional hub in Nusajaya, located in the south of Malaysia.Under the management of Programme Director APAC, Paula Staples and Site General Manager, Tan Choon Aik, this facility provides Owen Mumford with additional resources to better serve its customers worldwide by enhancing its packaging services and providing additional warehousing within the region. With the Malaysian hub set to be fully operational in September of this year, Paula Staples, Programme Director APAC at Owen Mumford commented: “We are very grateful to all the Government Departments, the Local Authority and the Iskandar Regional Development Authority for their support in helping Owen Mumford to reach this significant milestone in our project.” Staples continued: “We are well on our way with recruiting our local team who will help deliver our company vision and are truly excited to be extending Owen Mumford's global reach with our innovative products, designed to improve lives and reduce healthcare costs.” Appointed Site General Manager for the new Owen Mumford facility in Malaysia, Tan Choon Aik added: “I am pleased to be part of the new Owen Mumford team and I hope to learn from my global colleagues, whilst sharing my knowledge and experience with everyone here, so that we can build a bright and successful future. Our location will allow us to improve our service to existing customers in the region as well as introducing new customers to the quality of our products and our operation.”Headquartered in Oxford, Owen Mumford operates through regional subsidiaries…
CBME China 2015 Marks its Largest Gathering yet
The 15th Shanghai International Children Baby Maternity Industry Expo (CBME China) will open its doors to domestic and international buyers from July 22 - 24, 2015 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. The event will feature more than 2,836 brands across 205,000 square metres of exhibition space, and more than 80,000 volume-buyers of child and baby products are expected to attend, making this year one of the biggest gathering of industry leaders, brands and key players ever. “CBME China 2015 reached another milestone. As more and more companies see the great potential of the China market, more overseas companies wants to exhibit at CBME China as their first step to enter China market. We have seen an increased participation from overseas countries in the past years. The International & Regional Pavilions increased by 39 percent in exhibition space this year,” said Athena Gong, General Manager for CBME. “Through all these years, we've received great support from the whole industry, especially from our partners including the Australian Trade Commission, Czech Trade, Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Korea Trade Promotion Corporation, ASEPRI of Spain, Baby Products Association of the United Kingdom, ABC Kids Expo of United States and more. The Hong Kong Pavilion, South East Asia Pavilion and Czech Republic Pavilion are new to CBME China. These associations and their exhibitors have seen the benefit of being at CBME China as the gateway to enter the China market.” International and regional pavilionsThe Australia Trade Commission will organise its own pavilion to introduce high quality Australian products. Products exhibited include baby food, baby health supplements and skincare products.As a first time participant in CBME China,…
Samsung Prototype Eliminates Safety Risk of Overtaking Lorries
The South Korean electronics giant, Samsung, has revealed that it is working on a prototype to make overtaking lorries much easier for the average car.The ‘Safety Truck’ prototype mounts a wireless camera to the front of the large vehicle and livestreams the footage onto a giant wall of four video screens projected onto the back of the trailer. This means that if find yourself stuck behind a truck, you’ll have a clear, real-time view of oncoming traffic.Based on the 2009 Russian design house Art Lebedev’s ‘Transparentius’ concept, the prototype camera is designed to drastically improve road safety and save lives by reducing road accidents.According to CNN, this is not the first time a company has attempted to make ‘transparent’ vehicles with cameras. In Japan, researchers used mirrors and cameras to make a Toyota Prius see-through. Furthermore, Jaguar is working on a system that will use cameras to give drivers a 360-degree view of what's outside the car, projecting it inside to compensate for blind spots.Just this week, Ford has already announced a 180 degree front camera mounted behind the grill of three of its larger cars to allow drivers to see round corners and exit tight junctions and driveways without edging forward to see oncoming traffic.Unfortunately, Samsung's technology is just a prototype at the moment, but it is clear that the motor industry is making significant efforts and investments into researching this area. Samsung has tested is technology with one truck in Argentina, a country with the fifth highest number of car accidents in the world…