Issue 2
Assunta Hospital
The heart and art of care Assunta Hospital, a pioneering private healthcare provider in Malaysia and the first private hospital in the Klang Valley, is backed by a legacy of caring and dedicated healthcare delivery. Writer Ian Armitage & Chan Li Jin Project manager Eddie Clinton Malaysia is often referred to as the "Asian Dragon" and its healthcare system boasts of high-end hospitals that provide excellent services. The industry – divided into private and public healthcare – has undergone huge transformation since the country's independence in 1957 and the government is committed to improving the system, having already achieved universal coverage for the population. Governmental sources describe the sector as "a major resource which is critical to the success of the nation's socioeconomic status". Among the country's first tier medical provides is Assunta Hospital, a pioneering private healthcare provider with a sound history of providing "quality and affordable healthcare for all". A History of Delivery A look through the history books shows that Assunta, based in Petaling Jaya, a satellite city developed in 1952 to ease the problem of overpopulation in Kuala Lumpur, has always been committed to delivering dedicated healthcare across all levels of society. Assunta started small. What would later become the hospital opened its doors soon after Petaling Jaya's birth. It was established by four Franciscan Missionaries of Mary nuns and was originally a small clinic named Ave Maria, serving the healthcare needs of the underprivileged. Through public donations, the little clinic soon expanded to include a maternity home and convent. By 1957,…
Pan Asia Logistics
Pan Asia Logistics targets Asia growth Asia Outlook profiles Pan Asia Logistics, a preferred air and ocean freight forwarder and logistics partner for many top brands in the East Asian market. Writer Ian Armitage Project manager James Mitchell Pan Asia Logistics (PAL) is a preferred air and ocean freight forwarder and logistics partner for many top brands in the East Asian market. It is a "holistic logistics provider", offering a "complete range" of fully integrated logistics services and supply chain solutions" which are efficient, intelligent and cost-effective. "We have been active in the market for ten years and specialise in air and ocean freight, contract logistics and project logistics for infrastructural projects in Southeast Asia," says founder and majority shareholder Christian Bischoff. "We also have a number of complementary addedvalue services such as customs clearance and storage, distribution management, supply and inventory management, dangerous goods and waste logistics and so on and provide supply chain management as a 3PL and 4PL provider." PAL, he says, "provides highly efficient concepts" which are designed to "optimise" customers' supply chains and "drive value for their businesses." The approach is paying off. The rapidly growing firm recorded a turnover of nearly 100 million euros in 2012 and has over 45 offices in Asia and various agents around the world, all staffed to the highest professional standards. PAL's offices in Asia are linked to this global network and continue to expand living by the mantra, "we go where our customers are". "We started with six people in 2003 and we now…
Cardno BEC
Into Asia: Cardno seeks expansion Asia is undergoing a period of unprecedented economic growth and this represents huge opportunity says Bruce Johnson, Area Manager/ Manager New Projects, Cardno BEC. Writer Ian Armitage Project manager James Mitchell Africa is undergoing a period of unprecedented economic growth and is increasingly catching the attention of foreign investors, who have contributed to a rapid increase in capital expenditure. In fact, it's nothing new - foreign direct investment in Africa has been on the rise since the early 2000s, increasing fivefold in 2000-2010. It is the real deal and the continent's economic outlook for 2013 and 2014 is promising, confirming its healthy resilience to internal and external shocks and its role as a growth pole in an ailing global economy. Africa's economy is projected to grow by 4.8 percent in 2013 and accelerate further to 5.3 percent in 2014. "Now is the time for Africa," says Bruce Johnson, Area Manager/ Manager New Projects, Cardno BEC, the head of project development, service and business development within the Cardno BEC engineering team. "We agree that Africa's potential is huge; there are fantastic opportunities in Africa. Its large reserves of undeveloped mineral resources are in demand and in that there is opportunity." Cardno BEC is part of Brisbane based environmental and engineering consulting services company Cardno Limited. Cardno, with its large project history in Africa, strong infrastructure capabilities, and prior experience working with government policy makers around the world, is uniquely positioned to provide the services to help Africa fulfil its potential, says Johnson.…
APECO
Power Success Asia Outlook profiles Asia Projects Engineering Pte Ltd, a company primarily engaged in plant engineering work and maintenance. With over 40 years of experience, it has worked with some of the biggest names in the power, petrochemical, oil & gas, and utilities industry and has become one of Southeast Asia's most trusted engineering companies. Writer Ian Armitage Project manager Sheridan Halls Tuas Power, YTL PowerSeraya, Singapore District Cooling, Alstom Power, Keppel Infrastructure, Senoko Energy, Babcock-Hitachi, Pfizer Asia Pacific, SembCorp Industries, Siemens, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding. What do all these names have in common? They've all worked with one of Southeast Asia's most trusted engineering companies, Asia Projects Engineering. Also known as APECO, the firm has over 40 years of experience, says Managing Director Mr. ML Heng, in providing "integrated solutions and services in engineering, including design, engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction and maintenance." He says the firm's staff has "decades of experience", paired with "extreme efficiency" and professionalism. "You know you're in safe hands," Mr Heng explains. APECO specialises in the power, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, utility, infrastructure and oil & gas industries and has been steadily and substantially growing as a business thanks to a focus on reliable quality and high standards. In 2009, it enjoyed record turnover, completing successful projects with the likes of SembGas, Senoko Energy and Singapore District Cooling. Although turnover has dipped slightly since, Mr Heng still expects the firm to achieve over S$80 million this year. "In 2009 we achieved our highest turnover at $83 million, completing several…
Lian Beng Construction
Dare to dream It pays to dream big. And dream big is what Lian Beng has done. Within the first four months of 2013, it has secured six construction projects worth about S$750 million, taking its orderbook to record highs. Construction Director Jeffrey Teo tells us more. Writer Ian Armitage Project manager James Mitchell In 1978, Ong Pang Aik joined his father to help run the family business. At the time, the company, Lian Beng, was a civil engineering sub-contractor. Mr Ong wanted more. He wanted to expand. It was his dream and a lot can be said for the power of the dream – he helped grow Lian Beng from a subcontractor that took on small-scale civil engineering a to a Building and Construction Authority Grade A1 main contractor, and subsequently to an SGX-listed company with close to $250 million in market capitalisation and an annual turnover of close to $450 million . Today Lian Beng's wholly-owned subsidiary, Lian Beng Construction, is the chief revenue driver. While it has gone into property development and continues to grow along the value chain into other construction support services such as ready mixed concrete, construction equipment and machinery leasing and engineering works, they are a secondary focus. "While we have ventured into property development and other fields, construction remains our group's main business, forming more than 75 percent of our turnover," Mr Ong said in a recent interview. Notable on-going construction projects include Thomson Grand, developed by the Cheung Kong Group from Hong Kong, Waterfront Isles, developed by…
McDonald’s Thailand
They're loving it Asia Outlook talks to Hester Chew, Chairman of Executive Committee and CEO of McThai, Thailand's sole McDonald's franchisee. Writer Ian Armitage Project manager Eleanor Watson McDonald's sells more than 75 hamburgers every second and its famous golden arches are recognised by millions around the globe. The quick service restaurant chain has 34,000 restaurants in 119 countries. What's its secret? McDonald's has mastered the market with localisation. Nowhere is this truer than Thailand, where it has 183 restaurants, serving eight million customers per month. "We do have localised items on the menu," says Hester Chew, Chairman of Executive Committee and CEO of McThai, the sole McDonald's franchisee in the country. "We have items that are specific to Thailand like the Samurai Pork Burger, the Spicy McWings and the Spicy Chicken Teriyaki and Rice. "That is absolutely important; you have to appeal to your market." Although some items are localised, McThai's core products are the same – and of the same quality – as you would find in any McDonald's globally. "We have global supply system. Our French fries are from the U.S., our cheese is from New Zealand and in the last couple of months have been importing beef from Australia. "McDonald's look at the regional supply system to see who has the best ingredients, quality and price to match the product and we work on a system of delivery." Mr Chew has extensive experience in the food service industry and upon joining McThai quickly introduced some new ideas. He knew exactly what he…
Telenor and Ooredoo win Myanmar telecoms licences
Telenor Mobile Communications of Norway and Qatar Telecom, which has changed its name to Ooredoo, have been awarded telecommunications licences by the Telecommunications Operator Tender Evaluation and Selection Committee to roll out and operate telecommunications networks in Myanmar. Writer Ian Armitage The news came on June 27 despite Myanmar's lower house voting a day earlier to delay the award until after the enactment of a new telecommunications law that is still making its way through parliament. The tender attracted global interest from companies and consortia including Singapore Telecommunications Ltd, Telenor AS, Bharti Airtel and Africa's MTN. In a statement MTN said it was "disappointed" to have lost out but added that the country remained an attractive market and that it would review other options as they became available. "In keeping with our strategy to continue exploring and evaluating suitable opportunities for further growth in developing countries, MTN still considers Myanmar an attractive market. To this end, we will review other options as they become available, and make a decision after the appropriate due consideration," it said. The MTN Consortium, which included Myanmar-based Amara Communications and M1 Telecom Limited, had competed with 11 other bidders for the opportunity to develop the currently underdeveloped network in the nation. Under the deal -- which according to some reports is estimated to be worth about $2 billion -- Telenor and Ooredoo will establish a mobile phone infrastructure in formerly junta-ruled Myanmar and then operate the system for a period of 15 years initially. "We are delighted that Telenor is a…
Ping An buys Lloyd’s building in London
A German Closed End Fund managed by Commerz Real has confirmed the sale of The Lloyds Building in London, home to the world's leading insurance market, to "China's leading insurance company" for £260 million. That company is reported to be Ping An Insurance Group. Jon Crossfield, a director with Savills which advised on the deal, said "This is a potentially landmark transaction, given it is the first by a Chinese Insurance company overseas. "It is a high profile and confident entry to the market for them and further illustrates the dominance of overseas investors in London at present," he added. The Lloyds Building, a landmark property designed by Richard Rogers, is known for its innovative design and is let in its entirety to the Society of Lloyds on a lease expiring in 2031. Commerz Real purchased the building in 2005 for £231 million. Image: © Getty Copyright is owned by Asia Outlook and/or Outlook Publishing. All rights reserved.
Manchester United arrive in Bangkok for Asia Tour
English Premier League champions Manchester United have landed in Bangkok ahead of a tour that will take in five cities in four countries. "Tours like this are great," said United defender Rio Ferdinand. "You have to embrace them. We have fans all around the world who support us so it's good to give something back. They can't get to Old Trafford easily so it's nice for us to come to them. "If you sit down and think: 'I'm going to be away from my family for three weeks and it's going to be really tough' then you won't enjoy it. You may as well not bother boarding the plane if that's your attitude. You need to be positive and that's what I try and do." Manchester United's first match will be against Singha All Star XI on Saturday at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok. They'll then play the A-League All Stars on July 20 in Sydney and move onto Japan where they'll meet Yokohama F-Marinos and Cerezo Osaka. The tour ends in Hong Kong with a game against Kitchee on July 29. Image: © Getty Copyright is owned by Asia Outlook and/or Outlook Publishing. All rights reserved.
Chinese authorities accuse GSK of using bribery to boost sales
British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline is under investigation by Chinese authorities for alleged bribery and price fixing. Gao Feng, head of the economic crimes investigation unit at China's Ministry of Public Security, said an investigation was underway and that four senior company executives had been detained. Authorities suspect GSK offered bribes to officials and doctors to try to boost sales and to raise the price of its medicines. It is alleged they did so through travel agencies. Gao said that since 2007 the company had transferred as much as 3 billion yuan to more than 700 travel agencies and consultancies. "We have sufficient reason to suspect that these transfers were conducted illegally," he said. "You could say the travel agencies and GSK were criminal partners." Image: © Getty Copyright is owned by Asia Outlook and/or Outlook Publishing. All rights reserved.
Samsung posts record Q2 profit
South Korea's Samsung Electronics, the world's largest technology firm by revenue, has posted another record quarterly net profit. The results however disappointed investors who had expected an operating profit of 10 trillion won. Samsung said its April to June net profit jumped nearly 50 percent on last year to 7.77 trillion won, with growth driven by its flagship Galaxy S and higher chip prices. Q2 operating profit was up 47.5 percent to 9.53 trillion won as sales grew 20.7 percent on-year to 57.46 trillion won. The figures were in line with the firm's forecast at the start of the month. Samsung is the world's largest smartphone maker. In the January to March quarter, it sold more smartphones than the next four vendors combined and one in every three smartphones sold in the period was made by Samsung, according to market researcher IDC. Samsung's record earnings come after U.S. giant Apple unveiled its fiscal third-quarter results, which showed net profits fell by 22 percent year-on-year Image: © Getty Copyright is owned by Asia Outlook and/or Outlook Publishing. All rights reserved.
Rio Tinto sells Northparkes stake to Chinese firm
China Molybednum has agreed a deal to buy Rio Tinto's 80 percent stake in Northparkes copper and gold mine in Australia for $820 million. The Northparkes stake is one of several assets Rio has put up for sale as it aims to slash $5 billion in costs, pare debt and focus on its biggest, most profitable mines. Chief financial officer Chris Lynch said the sale "represents great value for our shareholders and demonstrates our continued focus and discipline in the way we allocate capital across the Group. "Northparkes is a successful business but is not of sufficient size to be a good fit with our strategy. We believe it will have a strong future under its new ownership. Rio Tinto will continue to manage Northparkes to the highest safety and environmental standards during the transition to the new owner. "The agreed sale of Northparkes follows our recently completed divestment of the Eagle nickel project in the United States while the Palabora sale is now unconditional and expected to close on 31 July. As always, any decision to sell is driven by our focus on delivering the best value for our shareholders." The sale is subject to regulatory and shareholder approval and to Rio's joint venture partners in the mine, Sumitomo Metal Mining and Sumitomo Corporation Mineral Resources, waiving their right to, or failing to match, the offer. If approved by regulators and shareholders, the deal - which is the biggest Chinese mining deal since China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corp won control of the Husab uranium project…