华商 Chinese Enterprise 2018 Issue 2 by Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry

04 迈向专业化、可持续发展的汽车维修业

14 In Conversation: She Is Global

CHINESE ENTERPRISE MCI (P) 162/03/2016

第二期 . ISSUE 2/2018

$5.00 (incl. GST)

新加坡国立大学中文EMBA硕士学位课程

最国际化的中文EMBA

SLP

世界著名高等学府，亚洲顶尖商学院 · ·

历史悠久百年学府，多次蝉联亚洲第一 1997年首开先河，创办中文EMBA课程

国际化师资，全球化视野 · ·

理论权威、学术精英与实战专家齐聚亚洲实践、全球化经验、跨文化解读

移动课堂，学贯东西 · ·

横跨亚、欧、美三大洲小班教学、密集学习

群贤毕至，深度人脉 · ·

砥砺思维、激荡灵感华人精英云集、成就事业新高度

更多详情, 请浏览官方网站 embac.nus.edu

李添胜新加坡首席执行官和执行主席扫描二维码，关注微信新加坡国立大学EMBA

ecoWise Holdings Limited 绿科控股有限公司新加坡国立大学EMBA 2015级

卷首语 PRESIDENT’S NOTE

“全球化女性”是带动社会高质量发展的助力总商会配合三八妇女节举办的“全球化的她”论坛晚宴反应热烈，多位卓越女性分享了她们精彩的事业与生活故事。我们见证到，视野广阔的全球化女性不仅为企业注入新活力，同时带动了社会发展与进步。其中，印尼Sintesa集团首席执行官欣达 (Shinta Widjaja Kamdani) 女士支持女性权益和关怀社会的诚意深深打动了我。她关注到，许多有才华的印尼女性，在开拓市场、争取融资和学习经商时都受到种种的限制。为此，欣达发起成立天使投资基金，广邀成功的女性企业家加入，通过提供资金和做生意方面的引导，目前支持了超过一千家女性创业者立足成长。欣达的理念提醒我们，国家的发展、社会的进步和个人潜力的发挥息息相关，相互依存。每个人唯有充分发挥其潜能与作用、同时贯彻关怀社会的理念，国家繁荣稳定，企业和个人才能受惠。总商会也致力弘扬华商精神中“回馈为民”的宗旨，例如最近事业女性组带团参访樟宜监狱，探讨如何让商家与有关当局合作，鼓励囚犯培养一技之长，以重新融入社会。我很高兴新一代的女性，站得高、望得远，也鼓励商界肩负起更大的企业社会责任，共同向高质量经济和社会的发展目标迈进！

“Globalised” Women Add Vigour to the Drive for High-Quality Social Development The “She is Global” dinner forum organised by the Chamber to mark the International Women’s Day was enthusiastically received. Several extraordinary women shared the stories about their careers and their lives. We saw proofs that a “globalised” woman with a wide-ranging vision not only could inject new vitality into an enterprise, but would at the same time spur social development and progress. Among them, Ms Shinta Widjaja Kamdani, CEO of Indonesia’s Sintesa Group, moved me deeply with her support for women’s rights and her sincerity in caring for society. She is concerned that many talented Indonesian women are subject to restrictions of all kinds when opening up markets, seeking financing and learning how to do business. Because of this, Shinta took the initiative to set up the Angel Investment Network Indonesia and invited successful women entrepreneurs to join in. By providing funds and business guidance, the network has up to now supported more than 1,000 women entrepreneurs in finding their foothold and in their growths. Shinta’s philosophy reminds us that the development of a nation, the progress of a society, and the expression of each person’s potential are closely related and inter-dependent. Only through the full play of each and every one’s potential and impact, and at the same time putting into practice by each the belief in caring for the society, could a nation be prosperous and stable, and would enterprises and individuals reap benefits. The Chamber is also dedicated to promoting the principle of “giving back to the people”, which is contained in the spirit of Chinese entrepreneurship. For example, the Career Women’s Group recently led a team to visit Changi Prison to find out how enterprises could collaborate with the relevant authorities, so that prisoners are motivated to acquire skills that would help re-integrate them into society. I am very pleased that the new generation of women is standing tall and looking far. I also encourage the business community to shoulder greater corporate social responsibilities and advance together towards a high-quality economy and social development.

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 CHIEF EDITOR

梁廷昭 Leong Teng Chau

英文编辑 ENGLISH EDITOR

张明亮 Larry Teo 助理编辑 ASSISTANT EDITOR

李胜保 Lee Sin Poh 撰稿 STAFF WRITERS

李胜保 Lee Sin Poh 明永昌 Ming Wing Cheong 洪尉恩 Joanne Ang 特约撰稿 EXTERNAL CONTRIBUTOR 麦俊荣 Nicholas Mak

行销 MARKETING 黄兆荣 Leonardo Wong

设计 DESIGN Egg Creatives

出版 PUBLISHER

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 FOLLOW US ON

SCCCI SME ICC

华商交流站 Chinese Enterprise is produced and designed by Egg Creatives Pte Ltd (Registration No. 200504905G) for Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (Registration No. S61550014E). Copyright of the materials contained in this publication belongs to SCCCI. Nothing in here shall be reproduced in whole or in part without prior written consent of SCCCI and/or Egg Creatives Pte Ltd. The views expressed in Chinese Enterprise by authors and contributors are not necessarily those of SCCCI and no liabilities shall be attached thereto. All rights reserved. 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. Printed by Hock Cheong Printing Pte Ltd (Registration No. 197600590C).

IN THE LEAD

华商焦点

主编

迈向专业化、可持续发展的汽车维修业——专访新加坡汽车维修业公会会长林委德经营汽车维修业多年的林委德如今带动这个传统行业转型提升，目标是打造更专业化、可持续发展的汽车维修业。他关注业者良莠不齐的现象，策划建立维修业认证体系，以提升透明度和安全保障；他也带领公会设计职业生涯规划，呈现修车技工罕为人知的光明前景，吸引年轻一代入行、进修，推动行业可持续发展。家族企业走出代工宿命——Sunseap 集团总裁潘凌峰如何在“守旧”、 “除旧”和“布新”之间平衡当Sunseap集团总裁潘凌峰留学归来，准备接手父亲的生意时，他想尽办法说服父亲让他落实公司转型计划，从太阳能板的生产者变成太阳能源的“ 包租婆”，即光伏租赁业务，却遇到不少阻力。他如何摆脱困境？

In Conversation: She is Global In conjunction with the International Women’s Day, six career women sharing on career, family and gender equality, in conversations flavoured with interesting global perspectives.technological innovation, et cetera.

A Borderless, Open-Ended Thrive Michelle Yeoh sharing the many limits she has overcome to become what she is today – a famous name in Hollywood, a United Nations ambassador, a lady always in elegance and grace, and a great inspiration to Asian women wanting to shoot for the stars, not just in acting, but in any domain. ECONOMIC REVIEW

期待教育改革牵动新经济活力未来的经济和企业，都需要动力十足、应变能力特强的创新人才。年轻学子就像充满生命力的种子，只要能适应环境，用心寻找适当的土壤，就能茁壮成长，他日成为枝繁叶茂的丛林。

Industrial property market poised for recovery —— Signs pointing towards gradual upturn in industrial property market Recent contraction in industrial property prices and rentals are showing signs of moderation, indicating that the industrial property market is finally reaching the bottom of the price and rental cycle.

商会时讯

交流联谊

华商焦点

IN THE LEAD

迈向专业化、可持续发展的汽车维修业经营汽车维修业多年的林委德如今担任新加坡汽车维修业公会会长，带动这个传统行业转型提升，目标是打造更专业化、可持续发展的汽车维修业。他关注业者良莠不齐的现象，策划建立维修业认证体系，以提升透明度和安全保障；他也带领公会设计职业生涯规划，呈现修车技工罕为人知的光明前景，吸引年轻一代入行、进修，推动行业可持续发展。

华商焦点

IN THE LEAD

16年前，林委德从零售领域转行，加入亲戚的修车房Billy Carcare Centre，随后接管并发展成今天的BCC Automotive，在全岛经营三家车房。他也担任新加坡汽车维修业公会会长，响应政府的“行业转型蓝图”，为推动汽车维修业的转型升级作长远布局。本期《华商》专访林委德，一探行业境况。

您如何带领BCC Automotive发展至今天的规模？有几个阶段。在我接手时，公司本来是雷诺(Renault)车的授权维修厂，生意很不错。直到2007年，占我们95% 顾客源的雷诺停止授权，这是第一次危机。因为对法国车已经熟悉，有技术优势，我决定转型做其他法国品牌如标致 (Peugeot)、雪铁龙（Citreon)，并投资在相关维修装备上。转型相当成功，建立起我们维修法国车的专业水平。但后来霍士华根 (Volkswagen) 进军新加坡时，来势汹汹，把价格压得很低。法国和德国车价钱差不多，一般新加坡人就情愿买德国车。所以 2011年我在西部开一家新分行，专门发展维修德国车的能力，招揽相关的外国人才，让他们向本地员工传授技术。发展到今天，我们就以维修欧洲车为专业。我加入这行后，也曾去工艺教育学院 (ITE) 修读汽车工程(NITEC in Automotive Technology)，两年内读完了四年的课程。当时的考量是，我本

BEEFING UP PROFESSIONALISM AND SUSTAINABILITY OF CAR SERVICING INDUSTRY Having run a business in car servicing for many years, Mr Francis Lim is now spearheading the transformation and upgrading of this traditional industry as the incumbent president of the Singapore Motor Workshop Association. The goal is to forge the industry into a more professional and sustainable one. Concerned about workshop operators being disparate in their services, with some good and others bad, he is taking steps to establish an accreditation scheme to increase transparency and raise assurance of safety in the industry. He also leads the association in mapping

out career plans that bring to light the little-known bright future of vehicle mechanics, with a view to attracting the younger generation to join the line and further their studies, thereby driving the industry to develop sustainably. Sixteen years ago, Mr Lim switched from the retail sector to join Billy Carcare Centre, a relative’s motor workshop. He subsequently took it over and developed it into the present BCC Automotive, which runs three workshops across the island. Being also the president of the Singapore Motor Workshop Association, he is driving the transformation and upgrading of the

car servicing industry with long-term plans in response to the government’s “Industry Transformation Maps”. Chinese Enterprise interviewed Mr Francis Lim to find out the state of the industry. HOW DID YOU LEAD BCC AUTOMOTIVE TO DEVELOP TO ITS PRESENT SCALE? There were several stages. When I took over, the company was originally an authorised repair shop for Renault, and business was good. This went on till 2007 when Renault, which accounted for 95% of our customers, ceased the authorisation. This was the first crisis. Because I am already familiar and have an

华商焦点

edge in skill with French cars, I decided to convert to dealing with other French brands, such as Peugeot and Citreon, and invest in related maintenance equipment. The conversion was quite successful and established our professional standards in repairing French cars. However, when Volkswagen entered Singapore, it came with a vengeance, with prices kept very low. French and German cars differ very little in prices, and so Singaporeans in general would rather buy German cars. Due to this, in 2011, I opened a new branch in the west, which focuses on developing the capabilities to repair German cars and recruiting related foreign talents to impart their skills to our local employees. All this took us to this day where we regard servicing Continental cars as our specialty. After joining this line, I also made it a point to go to the Institute of Technical

IN THE LEAD

Education (ITE) to study for the NITEC in Automotive Technology. I completed the four-year course within two years. The consideration at that time was that I myself must possess the basic skills to be able to operate in this line for a long time. I also feared that the government would in future want to regulate this industry, requiring possession of a certificate to open a motor workshop. WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF RUNNING A MOTOR WORKSHOP? There are quite a lot of challenges, some in the technical and human resource aspects. Regarding technical, new vehicle models keep coming into the market, but the dealers will not share with us the technical skills. Therefore, we have to think of ways to learn them ourselves - such as by searching for information on the Internet. We also have to get the software of testing instruments upgraded. Local

training is also limited in content. For servicing of hybrid vehicles and electronic vehicles, there are no professional courses available. The Association is sending its first group of members to Germany this year for training and come back to share the skills. As for human resource, we need to have more young people join the line. We also have to groom the really outstanding ones. There is now only one polytechnic offering automotive engineering course, where most young people are attending in fact not of their own accord but have gone to having failed to enter their desired faculties. To put it less nicely, it is for “killing time”. How then to train talent? That is why the Association now conducts an internship programme in collaboration with the polytechnic, which allows students spend a few months working in a real environment. If a member company

华商焦点

身必须具备基本技能才能长久做这行，而且担心以后政府会管制，需要有证书才可以开车房。

经营车房有什么挑战？挑战挺多，有技术和人力资源方面的。技术方面，新的车型不断面市，但代理商不会和我们分享技术，就得想办法自己学——比如上网找资料，此外还要给检测仪器做软体升级。本地的教育内容也有局限，像混合动力车、电子车的维修，这里就没有专业课程上。公会今年会派第一批人到德国培训，回来分享技术。人力方面，我们需要更多年轻人入行，还有培养真正优秀的人才。目前只有一家工艺学院开办汽车工程课程，而且事实上大多数年轻人都不是自愿读的，而是进不了理想科系才去，说难听点就是“过时间”。怎么培养人才？所以公会目前和学院合作办实习计划，让学生花几个月来到现实环境工作。如果会员公司相中人才，就可以做对接，毕业后来上班。看不到前景，也是年轻人不愿意入行的原因。公会和总商会、标新局制定行业转型蓝图，其中一个重要目标就是给年轻人看到职业生涯前景，让他们知道前途其实相当不错。

spots a talent, a match-up can be made, and the job can start after graduation. Not seeing any prospect is also the reason why young people are not willing to join the line. The Association, the SCCCI and the SPRING have mapped out an industry transformation blueprint. One of the important goals is to let young people see the career prospects in the job and let them know that the future is in fact quite good. WHAT ARE THE ASSOCIATION’S TARGETS AT THIS MOMENT IN IMPROVING THE STRENGTHS OF THE INDUSTRY? One of the major problems in the car servicing industry is the absence of benchmarks and a quality certification system. Therefore, we must first systematically carry out accreditation to improve professional standards. This is an important issue because it affects traffic

IN THE LEAD

“维修业的一大问题是缺乏标准和质量认证体系，所以首先要系统化地实施认证，提高专业水平。” ——林委德

公会目前在提升行业实力上有什么目标？维修业的一大问题是缺乏标准和质量认证体系，所以首先要系统化地实施认证，提高专业水平。这是个重要课题，因为汽车影响到交通安全，事关人命。在新加坡每个人拿起扳子都可做技术人员，完全没有监管和标准，我们出国交流看到马来西亚都已经设立认证体系，作为“第一世界”国家，是很没面子的。在没有认证的情况下，谁来修你的车是看你“兴衰” （即靠运气）的，ITE刚出来的毕业生可在不受监督的情况下维修刹车系统，也有可能不

safety and concerns human lives. Anyone in Singapore who picks up a spanner can be a mechanic. Absolutely no oversight and criteria. When we are abroad for mutual sharing with counterparts, we have seen that Malaysia has established an accreditation system. It is very shameful for a “first world” country. In a situation where accreditation is nonexistent, who happens to service your car is decided by your “heng shuei” (that is, depends on luck). A student who has just graduated from ITE might service braking systems unsupervised, and possibly return a car to its owner without conducting quality checks on the system. I once told Ms Sim Ann, former Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, about the dangers involved and mentioned a case where a mechanic who had not received training serviced a CNG car unsupervised, resulting in the blow-up

经质量检查就还给车主。我向贸工部前高级政务部长沈颖讲过这其中的危险，说到曾有一个案例，一名技工未受培训就维修压缩天然气汽车，结果因气桶爆炸而受伤。我们也看到现在越来越多混合动力车、电子车，如果员工没有受训，都是“agak-ration” （大概大概）来修，错用金属工具就会有触电的危险。公会反映这些事并采取行动，是为大家好。在公会新制定的认证体系下，会让每位修车员都做技能评估测试，拿一个公会颁发的基础凭证。然后他可以再考取不同单元课程的认证，像做空调、变速箱的单元等。我们的愿景是希望车主不管到哪家车房修车，看到公会的认证就可以放心去修。

刚刚谈到维修业难吸引年轻人的问题，请问实际上这一行的前景如何？如果是善于沟通、喜欢接触人的，在有了两三年的基本经验后可以晋升为前线的服务咨询员 (service advisor)，起薪都有三千左右；过后可以晋升为服务经理 (service manager) ，薪水四到五千，对ITE学生来说很不错吧？如果是单身，还可以到中国闯，那里的跨国品牌车厂——像马赛地、宝马最喜欢请新马华人，因为可以讲

of the gas tank, leaving him injured. We are also seeing more and more hybrid cars and electronic vehicles nowadays. If workers are not trained, the servicing work will all be guesswork. Wrong use of metal tools will run the risk of electrocution. It is for the good of everyone that the Association brought these cases up and took actions. Under the accreditation scheme newly formulated by the Association, every vehicle mechanic will have to undergo skills assessment tests to obtain a basic certificate issued by the Association. He can go on to obtain certificates for different unit courses, such as units for work on air conditioning, gearbox, or other components. Our wish is that whichever workshop a car owner goes to, he would rest assured that he could leave his car for fixing once he sees the certificates from the Association.

华商焦点

中英双语，很吃香。如果是已婚的，还给你提供住房，让孩子上国际学校。如果是喜欢机械的技术型人才，则可以晋升为管工 (foreman)，薪水也有三千以上，然后升作车房经理 (workshop manager)，薪水一样是四到五千。如果进到知名的代理商车厂，甚至可以到六、七千块。待遇之所以这么好，是因为已经找不到人了，跳来跳去都是同一班人，而优秀的人才更少。因为教育体系不够完善，只有唯一一家学院开课，而且只有基本的课程，年轻人不了解这个专业的好前途。所以公会也从海外带进更多课程，如引进英国汽车工业会的课程，以培育本地技术人才。从公会的角度，我们也为员工想很多，甚至想太多了。比如说一个年轻员工以后要在结婚生子，几岁要赚多少钱？公会都尝试为新一代的员工规划。我们也要革新整个行业形象，把车房弄干净，给员工体面的工作环境。

BCC的员工有多少外籍人士，在管理员工方面有什么方针？我的技术员工70%都是外国人，主要是马来西亚人。我相信终身学习的理念，重视谦虚学习态度和团队精神，不怕人学了跑掉，就怕不肯学，对员工放长远眼光，让每个人充分发展潜能。我一向来都鼓励员工去进修，

IN THE LEAD

像去联络所学好英语，公司可以提供津贴。现在也送三个人去义安理工学院修读自动变速箱的单元课程。有的员工会告诉我要请假去面试工作，我都会开放地鼓励让他们出去认识市场，看自己的价值到哪里，也了解自己公司的待遇怎样。如果他是有潜力的资产，我会出更高价留下，如果没有更好的机会给他，也祝福他另谋高就。有一些员工走了很多年还有联络，路上见面还是朋友。

近几年来汽车维修业的行情怎么样？这一行的固定成本很高，利润不大，而且太多人开车房，把价钱压低了。现在资讯越来越透明，一些有空的顾客会知道去哪里找零件来给我修车。我想告诉他，下次去餐馆吃海鲜也自己买螃蟹去……其实会出现这些情况，反映了很多业者不够吃，与其闲着，不如有生意就做。

“有的员工会告诉我要请假去面试工作，我都会开放地鼓励让他们出去认识市场，看自己的价值到哪里，也了解自己公司的待遇怎样。如果他是有潜力的资产，我会出更高价留下，如果没有更好的机会给他，也祝福他另谋高就。” ——林委德

这一部分是因为之前的生产力及创新优惠计划(PIC)很宽松，设厂不用多少本钱，招牌可以找油公司赞助，开车房几乎是零门槛。当2014年拥车证价格上升，投资者预计很多人会保留旧车，需要维修，就有很多人投资开车房，但现实中没有这么多需求。业者没生意就削价，弄坏行情，还有不良业者以便宜价格吸引顾客，然后附加其他维修费赚回来。行业不

“SOME EMPLOYEES WILL TELL ME THEY ARE TAKING LEAVE TO GO FOR A JOB INTERVIEW. I WILL OPEN-MINDEDLY ENCOURAGE THEM TO GO OUT TO KNOW THE MARKET, SEE HOW MUCH THEY ARE WORTH, AND UNDERSTAND ALSO THE TREATMENT THEY HAVE RECEIVED IN MY COMPANY. IF HE IS A POTENTIAL ASSET, I WILL OFFER A HIGHER PRICE TO RETAIN HIM. IF I HAVE NO BETTER OPPORTUNITY TO OFFER HIM, I WILL WISH HIM ALL THE BEST IN HIS NEXT JOB. “ – Mr Francis Lim

WE HAVE JUST TOUCHED ON THE DIFFICULTIES OF ATTRACTING YOUNG PEOPLE TO THE CAR SERVICING INDUSTRY. HOW ARE THE ACTUAL PROSPECTS OF THIS LINE? Those who are good at comwmunication and like to meet people, after acquiring the basic experience in two or three years, could be promoted to be frontline service adviser, with starting pay at around $3,000; after that, they could rise to service manager with a pay between $4,000 and $5,000. Isn’t this attractive for ITE students? If they are single, they can also venture into China. The car factories of international brands, such as Mercedes and BMW, like to hire Singaporean and Malaysian Chinese, because they can speak English and Mandarin. They are indeed in hot demand. If you are married,

华商焦点

you will be provided with housing and they could send your children to international schools. If the person is the technical type who likes machines, he can be promoted to foreman, with a pay above $3,000. He could be further promoted to workshop manager, with pay around $5,000. If he gets into the workshop of a well-known car dealership, the pay could even reach $6000 or $7,000. The reason for such good remunerations is that there are no others in the market but the same workers that have been hopping around. As for those with talent, they are even fewer in number. Because the education system is not ideal enough, with only one institution offering the course, which teaches only the basic, young people lack an understanding about the good prospects of this profession. That is why

IN THE LEAD

the Association has brought in more courses from overseas, such as importing the curriculum of the UK Automotive Industry Association, to develop local technical talents. The association also thinks a lot for the workers, and perhaps too much. For example, a young employee would later get married and have children, so how much should he make at a certain age? The Association will try to plan for the new generation of employees. Having to revamp the image of the whole industry, we got all the motor workshops cleaned up so that the employees are provided with a decent working environment. HOW MANY AMONG BCC EMPLOYEES ARE FOREIGN WORKERS, AND WHAT ARE YOUR GUIDELINES IN MANAGING YOUR EMPLOYEES?

70 per cent of my technical staff are foreigners, mainly Malaysians. I believe in the idea of lifelong learning and emphasise humble attitude in learning and team spirit. I am not afraid that people would run away once having learnt a skill, but afraid that they would not learn. I take a long-term perspective on my employees and let each and every one develop to his full potential. I have always encouraged my employees to further their education, such as going to classes in community centres to brush up their English. The company can provide subsidies. Currently we have sent three to Ngee Ann Polytechnic to take the unit course on auto gearbox. Some employees will tell me they are taking leave to go for a job interview. I will open-mindedly encourage them to go

华商焦点

IN THE LEAD

透明度、不专业就会出这样的问题，所以要制定认证体系。公会这么做不是要排挤竞争者，而是帮助有需要的业者提升能力。

做维修业的要如何建立顾客信任？员工必须明白工作原则，和顾客沟通清楚，程序越透明越好。比如车进来，我们会做维修检查，跟顾客谈好要修什么、多少钱。如果过后发现其他问题，需要附加维修，会拍照发给顾客并提供报价，先征询同意才做。要车主多还一毛，都要得到他同意，不要有投诉。如果车主要检查换了什么，都有一包包零件给他看，可以解释为什么要换，也当作给车主教育。

今年1月，新加坡标准理事会秘书处召开了汽车维修标准工作小组首次会议。林委德以新加坡汽车维修业公会会长身份，带领工作小组进一步研究并勾勒汽车维修标准的内容及框架。

out to know the market, see how much they are worth, and understand also the treatment they have received in my company. If he is a potential asset, I will offer a higher price to retain him. If I have no better opportunity to offer him, I will wish him all the best in his next job. Some employees have remained in contact with me even after having left for years, and when we meet on the road we are still friends. HOW IS THE MARKET OF CAR SERVICING IN RECENT YEARS? The fixed cost of this line is very high, the profit not big, and, besides, too many people open motor workshops, driving down prices. Now that information is increasingly accessible, some customers who have time will know where to find the parts, which they will bring to me for the repair of their cars. I think of telling them that the next time you go to restaurant to eat seafood, buy crabs to bring along ... The fact that such things do happen shows that many operators are “underfed” with business. Instead of being idle, it is better to do some business. This is partly because the previous Productivity and Innovation Credit

Scheme (PIC) is liberal with its pay-outs. Not much capital is needed to set up a workshop and the sponsorship of oil companies can be sought. Opening a motor workshop faces almost no barrier. When the COE prices rose in 2014, the investors expected many people would retain their old cars, and these require repair. Therefore, many people invested in setting up motor workshops. But in real life there is not so much demand. Faced with no business, operators cut prices and spoil the market. Also, there are bad operators that attract customers with cheap prices, and then add on extra servicing charges to claw back their profits. Such problems will arise in industries that lack transparency and professionalism. Therefore, it is necessary to establish an accreditation system. The Association is not doing this to elbow out competitors but to help those operators in need to upgrade their capabilities. HOW TO BUILD UP CUSTOMERS’ TRUST IN THE CAR SERVICING INDUSTRY? Employees must understand the principles of work and communicate clearly with customers. The more transparent the workflow the better.

For example, when a car comes in, we will do servicing inspections and decide with customers on what to repair and the price. If other problems are found later and additional repairs are required, photographs will be taken to be sent to the customer, with quotes provided. Consent must be sought before any work proceeds. Even getting extra cent from the car owner requires his consent. There should be no complaint. If the car owner wants to check what have been changed, there must be bags of parts for him to see. Could also explain why these had to be changed. It could be taken as a sort of education for the car owner.

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

华商焦点

IN THE LEAD

家族企业走出代工宿命 SUNSEAP集团总裁潘凌峰如何在 “守旧”、 “除旧”和“布新”之间平衡新加坡许多家族企业都在二战后起家，如今到了第二代三代接班的高峰期，新旧两代人如何传承家业，在“守旧”、 “除旧”和“布新”三股力量中取得平衡，是这些企业共同面对的问题。

左起：PwC亚太区企业家客户部主管，本会研究与出版委员会主席吴绍均，瑞银集团董事总经理颜锦堂，Sunseap集团总裁潘凌峰和瑞银集团执行董事林昉芳

“当我回到家族企业，我一直在想，用什么办法说服父亲让我落实企业转型？最后我想到的方法是，与其当他的员工，不如当他的客户。 ——潘凌峰 Sunseap集团总裁

面对新时代新形势新挑战，许多第二代深信要引入新思维，改变传统的经营模式，却往往会碰到来自父辈一代的质疑和阻碍。为求独立，无疑接管家族企业，宁可选择自立门户或为别人打工的情况也不少。新加坡最大的清洁能源解决方案供应商Sunseap集团总裁潘凌峰，就是一位成功转化家族企业的模范。1970 年代，他的父亲潘辅雄瞄准太阳能作为绿色能源的发展潜力，白手起家，与德国合伙人在新加坡创建太阳能代工

厂Compo Enterprises（后改名为Sunseap Enterprises），为新加坡最早的太阳能板制造商之一，产品大部分外销欧美。为了提倡可再生能源，这些国家相继推出能源电价补贴，由政府带头扶持太阳能产业的发展。潘辅雄一直期盼新加坡也会跟进，但政府担心此举会影响市场竞争力，坚持不补贴能源费用的原则，太阳能市场在本地发展缓慢。潘辅雄眼看他的德国合伙人飞黄腾达，从生意伙伴变成他的大客户，自己却只能继续当别人的代工。

华商焦点

IN THE LEAD

电力零售市场开放带来新契机新加坡电力零售市场在今年全面开放，为Sunseap带来新的商机。作为 14家参与首阶段市场开放计划的电力零售商之一，Sunseap与电信公司星和 (Starhub) 合作，进军电力市场。公司将联合推出两个电力配套让消费者选择，其中一个配套的电力将完全使用 Sunseap供应的太阳能发电。

总商会副会长何乃全在致欢迎辞时指出，家族企业是新加坡经济的重要组成部分。

这种“外国企业大口吃肉，本地代工只能喝汤”的情况，潘凌峰全看在眼里。因此当他留学归来，准备接手父亲的生意时，他想尽办法说服父亲让他落实公司转型计划，从太阳能板的生产者变成太阳能源的“包租婆”，即光伏租赁业务。光伏租赁让客户不用一次性购买光伏系统，但公司在前期需要投入大笔资金开发系统，然后通过为客户建设及维护系统并提供发电服务的方式获益。由于风险太大，多年后才有可能回本，对于一贯以‘低买高卖’的方式做生意的父亲来说，无法接受。父子成客户关系开启家族企业转型说服不了父亲的潘凌峰毅然离开家族企业，与朋友合伙做生意，开始涉足餐饮和市场营销等领域。四年的创业经验让他快速成长，也增强了父亲对他的信任。回到家族企业后，他开始着手发展光伏租赁业务，在Sunseap Enterprises制造太阳能板的基础上，开设联营公司Sunseap Leasing。儿子成了父亲的客户，让父亲公司生产的光伏系统所发出的的电能并入本地电力网成为可能。潘凌峰说： “身为客户，我会对我父亲提出各种要求，比如要他按照他要

求的规格改进产品，甚至讨价还价，说中国生产的太阳能系统比他的便宜。而他会反驳说，他能提供更好的售后服务，因为公司在新加坡，如果产品出现问题，可以更快维修或更换。” 他认为，在维护这种特殊客户关系的过程中，推动了家族企业的产品质量、生产力和创新能力提高。有时候他提出的要求太苛刻，父亲甚至会爆一句： “你到底还是不是我的儿子？”但儿子源源不绝的订单，让父亲看到了光伏租赁业务确实可行。后来，公司的生产线已无法应付日增的市场需求，加上竞争力也难以超越外国对手，公司在2012年决定结束生产业务，专注于光伏租赁业务。潘凌峰从小就被父亲灌输要勤奋拼搏，脚踏实地，但他并非从小就认同父亲的说法。他还记得小时候父亲因为工作忙碌经常不在家，他心中颇有怨言，还想“以后长大了不要像父亲那样”。长大后对父亲那种保守的做生意方式也不满，认为他顽固不化。但如今他却认为父亲灌输给他的观念是正确的，不要不切实际地整天幻想着不劳而获，因为任何轻易得来的财富都不会持久，只有勤奋拼搏，脚踏实地才是正道。

潘凌峰说，之所以与星和合作，是因为Sunseap过去一向来专注于 B2B（企业对企业）或B2G（企业对政府）的业务，而星和对B2C（企业对消费者）较强，双方合作将有利于现有和潜在的星和客户转用更环保的太阳能。 “家族企业分享系列：家族企业的传承与规划”4月25日在瑞银集团大礼堂举行，Sunseap集团总裁潘凌峰是主讲嘉宾。另外，瑞银集团董事总经理颜锦堂和PwC亚太区企业家客户部主管总商会研究与出版委员会主席吴绍均也在现场向与会者分享如何做好家族企业新一代接班的规划。总商会副会长何乃全在致欢迎辞时指出，家族企业是新加坡经济的重要组成部分，而寻求转型和寻找适合的接班人，是当前许多本地家族企业共同面对的问题。自2016年起，总商会就与瑞银集团和PwC合作，举办“家族企业分享系列”，邀请各领域的行家，就家业继承、企业转型、规划制定等课题分享见解。何副会长说，根据家族企业联盟 (Family Business Alliance) 所作的一项调查，只有12%的家族企业持续到第三代，可见经营家业不容易。而总商会在2015年所作的调查也显示，每五个家族企业当中，只有一个有较完善的制度，处理家族成员继承家业的问题。他强调，为家族企业的传承作长远规划是很重要的，考验着它们能否解除“富不过三代”的魔咒。

华商焦点

IN THE LEAD

提升企业实力缓和成本压力劳资政虽然观点各异，最终都是为了国家长远利益而着想。大家如果能够互相配合，各献所长，政府不一定得靠调高消费税来维持收支平衡。自从财长在2月19日公布了2018 年的财政预算案后，民间热烈讨论的话题是消费税有没有必要上调？政府是否应该探讨多动用一些国家储备金，才考虑增加税收？这些课题，涉及每个国人的日常开销及生意营运的成本，也影响到国家未来是否有能力应付逐年上升的公共开支。

点；又或者只提高一个百分点就足以应付未来十年的国库开销。

简单来说：消费税不上调，政府有可能动用国家储备金，因此会造成国库吃紧，我国在往后基础建设、保安、医疗和教育方面的投资可能入不敷出。在商会的立场，我当然最关心的是商界的利益。劳资政虽然观点各异，最终都是为了国家长远利益而着想。大家如果能够互相配合，各献所长，政府不一定得靠调高消费税来维持收支平衡。

企业要是能够转向数码化，就可以通过网络平台接触到世界任何角落的潜在客户，增加公司营收及利润。国际化能够开拓国际市场，增加客源及商业机遇。今年政府预计收到的公司税超过150亿元，三五年后，它有可能翻倍带来惊人的国库收益。

商人都是能够适应环境、灵活变通的群体，要是他能够接受时代挑战，积极转型，进行数码创新和国际化，壮大实力后业务取得佳绩，那所缴纳给政府的税收自然会增多。当员工因公司转型而必须学习新的技术及新技能，个人的薪金也会相应提高，所缴纳的税额也跟着提高。

要从政府的许多援助计划中获益，商家本身必须得调整心态，放开心怀，放眼未来。我在论坛上就指出，政府援助措施中最难实行的就是“ 企业合作转型计划”(Partnerships for Capability Transformation)。虽然这项援助计划为合作项目提供高达70％的津贴，但有意愿合作的伙伴首先必须要具备包容心，建立互信心，才能齐心协力，共创未来。否则，尽管有政府津贴，再伟大的雄心也无济于事。

从理论上推算，政府可能没有必要考虑把目前的消费税提高两个百分

在本月初《联合早报》所举办的财政预算案商业论坛上，我曾经指出商界其实可以在这三年多的时间进行自我提升，并且提高商业生产力，这样一来，国库的收入自然会相应增加。

主宾财政部长王瑞杰在论坛上重申政府支持本地企业提升能力及创新，我深感欣慰。

其实，鼓励大企业带小企业，进行创新和国际化，是中华总商会一直努力的目标。聚集行业公会及商团入驻商团中心，就是为了更好地推动这种合作模式。我鼓励企业并肩合作，共创新局面。从舆论看来，国人一般上认为增加消费税会加重消费者的负担，同时又得考虑国家未来的建设及长远发展，感觉上有点矛盾。要是商家能自发转型，积极为国家经济注入新的活力及元素，消费税的增加也许只是“只闻楼梯响，不见人下来”，劳资政三方都成为赢家，而不必为了增加国家税收而影响到民生。

华商焦点

IN THE LEAD

IN CONVERSATION: SHE IS GLOBAL Six career women sharing on career, family and gender equality, in conversations flavoured with interesting global perspectives.

“SCENARIOS-THINKING DIFFERS VERY MUCH FROM TRADITIONAL, MECHANICAL FORECAST WHERE YOU TYPICALLY GET TO ONE OUTCOME – YOU GET TO DIFFERENT OUTCOMES FROM SCENARIOS, AND WE TYPICALLY BOOKEND IT WITH TWO EXTREME OUTCOMES.” Goh Swee Chen Chairperson and Vice-President for Commercial Fuels and Lubricants, Asia Pacific of Shell Singapore

As the Chairperson of Shell Singapore, Swee Chen shared in-depth about “scenarios-thinking”, Shell’s famous practice in the formulation of strategies. It is about thinking how developments in the social, economic and political arenas could shape the world’s future, by using contrasting scenarios to consider the future more extensively and deepen strategic thinking. For more than 40 years this method has helped Shell make major decisions. For instance, seeing the trend of global urbanisation, it started to develop urban solutions. In early 2000s, Shell perceived the growing gap in the supply and demand of energy, and this led to its major decision to invest in exploration. And to be ready for greater demand for clean energy, it adjusted portfolio and became a more “gassy” than “oily” company in 2013. Shell continues to apply this method to project the future, using the “Mountains” and “Oceans” scenarios. “Mountains” scenario offers a view from the top, which assumes that “influence concentrates among the already powerful, as advantage brings more advantage”, and economic development is slowed by rigidities in structures and institutions, resulting in insufficient reforms. “Oceans” scenario offers a view

of the horizon, where the planner can see the consumers acquire more power, with the advent of new technologies and more decisions being made at the community level. Recognising this fosters a more customer-centric decision-making culture in the company. Swee Chen said, as power is shifting to the consumers, companies have to change their strategies. One of Shell’s is to be more customer-centric. And as women form a large portion of Shell’s consumer base, increasing amount of work in Shell must take gender balance into consideration. This year, Shell launched a new initiative to improve gender diversity in Engineering, so that its workforce can better reflect its consumer base. By doing so, Shell also hopes to help more women reach senior roles in engineering and technology. The ratio of females holding senior positions in the company has increased from 16% to 23% over the last 3 years. On a more personal note, Swee Chen shared two traits she said have brought her to where she is today in a male-dominated corporate world. One is that she is not overly conscious about her gender, and she encourages women to be like her. The other is resilience.

华商焦点

“IN INDONESIA, I AM KNOWN AS ‘SHINTA — THE TRIPLE MINORITY’, BECAUSE I AM A WOMAN ENTREPRENEUR, A NON-MUSLIM AND ETHNICALLY CHINESE.” Shinta Widjaja Kamdani Chief Executive Officer, Sintesa Group

IN THE LEAD

Coming from an Indonesian Chinese family business background, Shinta, CEO of Sintesa Group described her success story as a tough journey of persistence and affirming her own identity, as well as walking out of the shadows of her own parents. Since the age of 13, she has been helping in the family business. She surprised her family in 1999 when she told her father that she did not want to be an employee anymore, but to be his partner in business. She started the Sintesa Group which has now become a multi-sector company in Indonesia, with subsidiaries dealing in consumer products, industrial products, property, and energy sector. Shinta said there are actually many women entrepreneurs in Indonesia, but most are not visible as they remain behind their husbands, especially those living in the remote areas. They face three basic challenges: lack of access to the market; lack of access to financing; and lack of opportunity to build their capacities in business skill. Hence, they have not enough skill to run their business well; and if they need financing for their business, banks do not lend them money because all the assets are

held by their husbands. To help women entrepreneurs in Indonesia, Shinta has started the Angel Investment Network Indonesia (ANGIN). She called on successful businesswomen in Indonesia to support this fund, which invests in start-ups founded by women. Her work has benefited near to 1000 start-ups, providing not just funding but also mentorship. “My dream is to connect these women all over Indonesia, where women entrepreneurs in remote areas can link up with those in urban areas. It’s difficult because Indonesia is geographically very vast, but I am starting this online, and I think it’s a good way of connecting women.” Another initiative of Shinta is “Indonesia Business Coalition for Women Empowerment”, which promotes gender equality in workplace. There are many companies in Indonesia claiming that they practise gender equality, but actually do not know how. Therefore, she has recently started a certification programme that offers guidelines on gender equality which companies can follow.

华商焦点

IN THE LEAD

The founding CEO of GovTech Singapore, Jacqueline sets the company’s strategic direction as it implements for Singapore the Smart Nation Strategic National Projects. Over the years, GovTech has made good progress in building key digital infrastructures, such as the National Digital Identity and Smart Nation Sensor Platform.

“HOW YOU GET INTO THE BOARD IS ALSO ABOUT WHO YOU KNOW, WHO YOU HANG OUT, DRINK WHISKY OR PLAY GOLF WITH, AND THIS POINT HAS NOT BEEN SO WELL-ARTICULATED, THAT NETWORKING IS SOMETHING THAT WOMEN NEED TO DO MORE.” Jacqueline Poh Chief Executive Officer, GovTech Singapore

Stalford Education Holdings runs a vastly expanded business that includes more than 30 learning centres and schools in Singapore and Asia, with Stalford Learning Centre, Stalford Academy, Confucius Mandarin, Literacy Alive, Heurika Institute of Maths, ScienceWerks, and Nantong Stalford International School (NTSIS) among them. It was during the expansion, CEO of Stalford Education Holdings, Ruby’s private education business extended its reach to China. She has also branched out into other business areas, co-founding venture incubation and consulting company Ecube Global, as well as Resvenus Laboratories, an NTU spin-off that licenses and commercialises NTU life sciences patents. She saw the opportunity to expand overseas as Singapore education system is so well-known and has attracted many students from all over the world. In

When she was the Managing Director of the Info-Communications Development Authority, Jacqueline played an important role in helping local ICT companies go global. For example, under her leadership, Accreditation@IDA scheme was introduced to provide a green lane to accredited local companies to sell their ICT solutions to government agencies. This helps young innovative Singapore-based tech companies build credentials, and to be better-positioned to secure projects from government agencies and large enterprises.

actually been falling. In 1995, 55% of the computer science graduates were women, but the ratio has dropped to 45% over the decades and probably t to just over 30% now. Jacqueline encouraged more women to explore this industry. Regarding the need to increase women’s representation in corporate boards, Jacqueline disagreed with the argument that most women have chosen family over career, avoiding the so-called “C-Suite” (CEO, CFO, COO, et cetera). Especially in Singapore, where it is easy to get help for domestic work and caregiving, she believes the real issue is that women are not networking enough.

Although computer science and information technology courses seem to be attracting more female students, the percentages of female in these courses and working in the related sectors have

running learning centres in Singapore she knows many foreign students and their parents, some of whom subsequently helped her to start education services overseas, especially in China. She described her business as unique in the sense that there are more women than men in her industry. But ironically, she observed that women are in general less willing to take up management positions because family comes first for them and they prefer to knock off work on time. She also thinks women tend to have unnecessary fears. According to her, fear is an anchor that drives her to what she is today. As education makes great impacts on people’s lives, the fear for failures and disappointments for her students have led her to work very hard to improve their learning experience, and to constantly think what can be done to add value to them.

“IF YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT SOMETHING AND YOU THINK YOU CAN DO IT, WORK REALLY HARD FOR IT. IF YOU GET IT, YOU CELEBRATE; IF YOU DON’T, TAKE IT AS AN EXPERIENCE AND BRING IT ON TO THE NEXT TASK. IF YOU KEEP GOING, HIGHLY LIKELY THAT YOU WILL GET IT SOMEDAY.” Ruby Teo Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Stalford Education Holdings

华商焦点

IN THE LEAD

In 2012, Grab started in Malaysia as a local version of ride-sharing giant Uber. Since then, the company has carved out a market encompassing 162 cities in 8 Southeast Asian countries, and operates software R&D centres in US, China, and India. Today the company provides private car, motorbike, taxi, carpooling, and other ride-hailing services, as well as third-party payment and food delivery business, and is now one of the biggest tech start-ups in the region.

“IT IS BASED ON TRUST AND EFFICIENCY. AND WE ARE TAKING THOSE TWO SAME PRINCIPLES WITH TECHNOLOGY AND EXPAND IT TO THE MOST RELEVANT DAY-TO-DAY SERVICES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA.”

To Hooi Ling, Co-Founder of Grab, a lot of what Grab achieves today owes to extremely good fortune and luck – she had never expected to have co-founded a start-up which would become what Grab is now, and could never imagine working together with its co-founder Anthony Tan. The company now has more than 4000 employees, and more than 40% of them are women. She said that Grab strives to

find the best talent, and talent is measured in terms of what kind of cultural and performance fits a person possesses, not gender, age, county of origin, or race. Diversity across workforce has always been a guiding principle in building Grab as a company. She sums up the kind of talent Grab is looking for with the 4 Hs - Humility, Heart, Honour, and Hunger. Hunger is about knowing “why we are doing what we are doing” – if there is no passion, don’t bother; Honour is an ethical principle that Grab strongly believes in; Heart is about doing things for the right reasons – and she believes that Grab strives to add value to its customers and people around us. As for humility, Ms Tan believes that the only thing that enables us to continuously improve ourselves is to know that we are going to continue making mistakes, and we become better leaders by first being humble enough to say I got it wrong.

Tan Hooi Ling Co-Founder, Grab

Venture Partner of GGV Capital, Denise has 15 years of experience in the online industry, handling product, technology, sales, marketing, and business operations. In 2005, she was a founding member of Qunar, a leading online travel platform in China that went public on NASDAQ in 2013. She then worked successively as the VP of Product, EVP, and COO. She is also one of the founding members of Shawei.com. Committed to finding an industry that can be changed by the Internet, Denise co-founded PINTECH in 2013. PINTECH is a leading intelligent financial services group in China, whose subsidiary brands include Dumiao, Jimubox, Xuanji, etc. She concluded that one can learn most when going through the hardest times. When she returned to China from the United States in 2001, just after the September 11 terrorist attacks and amid

a protracted economic recession, her plan was to start a business in Beijing. Having seen so many business models and advanced innovations in the US, she was confident that opportunities awaited her. However, she soon encountered difficulty in achieving her goal, and came to realise that she was not as competent as she had thought. She found a job as a project manager and worked for 4 years before venturing into business again. Looking back, Denise was glad that the “down period” gave her an opportunity to learn more about herself, especially her shortcomings, which helped her tremendously to avoid pitfalls in her later attempts. She believes that the desire to explore new things and work with people sharing a common goal are what motivate her to work hard, and help her achieve her dreams.

“THERE IS A CHINESE SAYING, WHEN YOU HIT ROCK BOTTOM, YOU ARE MOST HOPEFUL, BECAUSE WHICHEVER DIRECTION YOU CHOOSE TO MOVE ON, YOU WILL BE BETTER OFF.” Denise Peng Serial Entrepreneur, former COO of Qunar.com and Venture Partner of GGV Capital

Tan Sri Datoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Michelle Yeoh sharing the many limits she has overcome to become what she is today â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a famous name in Hollywood, a United Nations ambassador, a lady always in elegance and grace, and a great inspiration to Asian women wanting to shoot for the stars, not just in acting, but in any domain.

A BORDERLESS, OPEN-ENDED

THRIVE

华商焦点

Michelle Yeoh, who starred as action heroines in the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies and the Oscarwinning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, was the special guest at the March 4 International Women Day event organised by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s Career Women’s Group. Her interview by Ms Claire Chiang, co-founder of the Banyan Tree Holdings and SCCCI Honorary Council member, was a highlight of the night. Following are excerpts from the dialogue and her replies to some members in the audience. Michelle, my first question: You’re so elegant, you have a perfect body, so we are all jealous. From what I read in your biography, you really are the rough and tomboy kind. You swim, you play badminton, you climb, you get a scooter down the Great Wall. What drives you to want to have this physical mastery? It’s an entire life of exercising every day: being on diet, being hungry, not getting enough sleep. To be the best at what you want to be takes determination, takes patience, and this is something I have always learnt: if you want to do something, don’t just do it, do the best of it.

IN THE LEAD

What would be the most difficult part to overcome in the selfmastery? I think if you’re passionate, it does not become difficult anymore. It becomes part of your life. I exercise every day, and it is not a chore, it is a pleasure almost. It makes you more vibrant, it gives you more energy, although it does take time away from sleep or other things. She makes it sound so easy. But she didn’t share with us the time she fell and nearly broke her backbone. Tell us a little about that experience. I think because I do a lot of action movies. In the 80s when I started, the safety standards were not what they are today. We did not have that kind of budget. For example, when you saw us flying and running on the rooftops, we were using wires which were as thin as toothpicks. So, any sudden movement would find you flat on the ground. By the time we did ‘Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon 2’, the wires used were like cables and much stronger. I had knee surgery in the middle of filming the first. So, when you saw me walk very slowly, it was not because that was the intention; it was because I had a big brace on my leg and

I couldn’t walk as quickly. But like I said, I chose to work with Ang Lee. I waited for two years after ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ to work for him, and I wanted it to be one of my best movies as well. So even if I had knee surgery, I went back to the film and all of you can enjoy the product of what we did. It was a labour of love. This is a woman with grit and gumption. It’s amazing. You also portrayed as a very strong woman who is very rooted in your Asian heritage. You see yourself first as an Asian, then Malaysian, professional, and an actor. What account for these powerful emotions? Is it living in Malaysia? I think it is living in Malaysia. The heritage is very important because it influences and shapes you. The past is always in your present. I embrace that. I am very proud of who I am, where I came from. I think the most important is your history, which makes you who you are, and I believe that is what taught me what is integrity, what is strength, what is patience, what is having determination to see something through.

How are these seen in the creative industry? Do you see clash of values in the production and working with the Western producers? Share an example. I don’t think there is a clash of work ethics. I think when you get into a movie, it doesn’t matter whether you’re filming in Hollywood or in China. You have just been appointed a UN Ambassador, a very laudable achievement. Of the 17 sustainability development goals, which are your favourites, and why? And what are you going to do about them? I won’t say favourite but there are three that I’m very passionate about since I have to prioritise. No. 5 is the empowerment of gender equality. No. 1 is the eradication of poverty, and these two go hand in hand. If you do not empower your women, there is no way you can eradicate poverty. And that is the bottom line. The other one I work on very passionately is No. 11, which is road safety. This is something that I have been doing for the past 10 years. A lot of people, when I started, asked “why road safety?” Just think that the minute you walk out that door you are a road user, regardless of whether you drive or don’t drive, you’re a cyclist, or a pedestrian. It is your right to demand that road safety measures are there to make sure that you’re safe. We have 1.3 million people dying on the roads

华商焦点

IN THE LEAD

every year. 500 children die every day, simply because they are trying to get to school. So, if you know this kind of statistics and you know that you can do something about it, you cannot be complacent. You must act. So, for the moment I am working on these three goals. So, what are the duties like being that ambassador? How often are you on the road for that? Opportunities like this means being able to speak to people who can make a difference. Our role after all is to raise awareness. The 17 sustainable goals were agreed by leaders of the world, including eradicating poverty by 2030. But how many of you know what the 17 goals are? I will admit I don’t know all of them, but in general they are there to help us make a better world. But we can’t do it on our own. We have to do it together, collectively, because this is our world; and if we don’t do something about it, we can’t blame somebody else for it not getting any better. You have a voice. That is why empowerment of women is important as well. They need a voice to take control of their lives, to have a better future, and we can only do that if we do it collectively. Question from the floor: I’m a big fan of you in Star Trek. My question stems from that because you’re one of the first few Asian artistes who have

broken into Hollywood. Regarding this movement about MeToo and sexual harassment in the industry, have you gotten yourself into similar situations before? Any experience you could share? Anything you can let all of us learn from? MeToo should have happened long ago. It is solidarity for survivors of sexual assault. And it has empowered anyone who has been through that (sort of ) experience to be able to speak out and be heard. And not be afraid that they will be retaliated on. I am a great supporter of this movement. But we also have to be mindful whenever we start something like this. They (the culprits) are predators, so they know and identify their victims. Which part of me looks like a victim? It is just not gonna happen. Are you saying that you have not experienced any kind of psychological bullying, or being slighted and being sort of second-rated in the whole creative industry? Just recently I made a movie called ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ here in Singapore, and hopefully by August it would be out. Jon Chu, the director, had a cast of very “international” Asians. From America, there were stand-up comedians; there were actors from Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia, Costa Rica, and when they

华商焦点

came together, it was interesting to see the interaction. And one thing I noticed was that always the American-Asians/ ABCs would say “oh, we are a minority” and we look at them and go “when did we Asians become a minority?” as that doesn’t jibe (with our sense). They have grown up there and to them they are a minority because they are immigrants. And what we fear is that they will lose their roots and they will forget, or they try to push back, so that they become bananas in our minds. So, I hope when you watch Crazy Rich Asians, you will understand and enjoy the experience. Back to the question – I am very fortunate that I have not experienced that kind of bullying or be second-rated as a minority, simply because I don’t give them a chance to do that. Why? I am very lucky because my job is my passion. I don’t need to work out of desperation. When you are desperate, bad things could happen to you because that is a weakness in a sense. So, when I go over there, I do not endorse stereotypically weak women roles. Like, we are not just from Chinatown, we are smart, sassy women. You certainly exhibit someone who has very strong self-control and that has a lot to do with experiences and commitment to making yourself that way. Perhaps share with us a disappointment, failure or a lesson learnt. I think when you start doing something, you start with failure. I was very fortunate when I started working in Hong Kong. I was given great opportunities. But then I remember when I first went to Hollywood – by then I had already established myself as an actress in South East Asia and Europe at least – the Americans had no idea who I was, and they always said to me “you speak English very well.” And then I thought “oh, the flight coming over here was very long. It was like thirteen hours, so I learnt on the way.” There were movies which you wished had done better or didn’t do as well. But that is not a failure. What is a failure? When you make bad choices? When things don’t work out the way you want them to? It is

IN THE LEAD

all relative at the end of the day. As long as you can take something away from it, and you have learnt a lesson, I don’t consider that a failure. It is a learning curve. And as a person, that is what you do - you learn. Until today, I hope I’m still learning, because if I say “I know everything”, there is only one way – down. (gestures thumbs down) Incredible sense of self-control. If you have a chance to re-live your life, what is that one thing you would do differently? I don’t live with regrets. I don’t indulge in going over and over a mistake. I learn a lesson and I move on. The lessons brought me to where I am today. Without them, maybe I won’t be saying the things I am saying. I would say I won’t make the same mistake twice. We have women in their 70s, 60s, 50s, 40s, 30s today, a great diversity gathering. What will be the three advices you would give to the women today? Dare to dream. Be the best. Go for it. Why not, you know? Michelle is a barrier breaker. She broke so many ceilings. I’m going to read something which really summarises what Michelle is. This is sent to me by someone who is her fan. “The Bond girl played by Michelle Yeoh breaks away from Western stereotype of oriental lady as passive and submissive. You are not just an eye-candy. With Chinese martial arts, you portray new image of Chinese woman as “modern Mulan”, so they call you ‘oriental amazon’(东方女侠).” Do you like that label? I don’t like labels. You know when you label someone something, you have a preconceived idea of what she is. I hope you discover me when you meet me, and we will have conversations not just because you’ve heard “oh, she is the James Bond girl”, “she’s the 东方女侠”. I am Michelle Yeoh and I hope I have the opportunity to talk to you, and you could get to know the real me.

Q & A SESSION What is your definition of success? I don’t think of myself as successful or not. I think of having achieved something, learning something and hopefully moving onto something else. What is your favorite colour? Blue. The food that you want to eat next. Your favourite food. Curry noodle. From Ipoh. Say something that every woman must do. Be happy inside. Don’t wait for someone to make you happy. Can you say a few words about Jean Todt, your life sweetie, partner? I have found someone who respects me for who I am, for what I do. I travel crazy. He never ever would say “why did you go away for so long?”, “why did you do this?” Because sometimes when I work, I am away from home for three and half months or so. He would come and visit. But I think the most important thing is I found someone who loves me for who I am. And has great respect for me and vice versa. Where would you spend your 60th birthday? That is a long time away. I will think about it then.

狮城经贸

ECONOMIC REVIEW

INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY MARKET POISED FOR RECOVERY SIGNS POINTING TOWARDS GRADUAL UPTURN IN INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY MARKET Contributor Nicholas Mak Executive Director, ZACD Group

contributed by the stable vacancy rate of multiple-used factories and single-user factory space. The number of industrial development land parcels suitable for strata developments that were sold by the government has been reduced since 2013. This is evident from the sharp reduction in the number of IGLS sites (that are permitted to be strata subdivided) sold in the past few years. The limited supply of big industrial sites sold in the past 4 years is what led to fewer new strata-titled factories in the pipeline. The past few years have been challenging for the industrial real estate market. Occupancy levels, prices and rents have been facing downside pressures in recent years. However, the recent contraction in industrial property prices and rentals in the last quarter of 2017 is showing signs of moderation, indicating that the industrial property market is finally reaching the bottom of the price and rental cycle.

peaked at 2.3% quarter-on-quarter (qoq) in 1Q 2016, the rate of decline has been slowing down since. In the last quarter of 2017, the price index slipped by a slight 0.6% qoq.

On the other hand, while the future supply of industrial space seems to be on a downward trend, there are reasons to be optimistic for the future demand for industrial space in the next few years.

Although the overall industrial property price index fell further in 4Q 2017, the rate of decline was decelerating. The overall industrial price index fell 1.1% in the latest quarter of 2017 against the third quarter, leading to a 5.7% decline for the full year. This was significantly lower than the fullyear drop of 9.1% in 2016.

Signs are also emerging suggesting that the worst may be behind us in the industrial property leasing market. The overall industrial property rent dipped just 0.1% in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared with a decline of 1.1% in the third quarter. The latest fall in rental index in 4Q 2017 was also an improvement from the 2.7% qoq decline in 1Q 2016, when the rental index fell at the fastest rate in the past 3.5 years. For the full year of 2017, rentals fell 2.8%, compared with a full-year decline of 6.8% in 2016.

The steady improvement in Singapore’s manufacturing scene over the past 2 years has fueled the healthy demand for industrial space. Since 1Q 2016, manufacturing output has been increasing every quarter.

This trend is most evident in the price index of multiple-user factory space, where after the rate of price decline

Furthermore, the overall vacancy rate of factory space has stabilized at 11.1% in the last nine months of 2017. This is mainly

Furthermore, the Singapore Purchasing Manager Index (PMI) has been above 50 points since September 2016 and thus points to a steady growth in industrial activities in the near future. The PMI is a forward indicator of Singapore’s manufacturing activity, which suggests future expansion in the manufacturing sector if its reading is above 50.

狮城经贸

ECONOMIC REVIEW

FIGURE 1: Supply, demand and occupancy rate of multiple-user factories in Singapore

92% 600

500

90%

400

89% 88%

300 87%

Occupany Rate (%)

Floor Space (‘000 sqm)

91%

200 86% 100

85% 84%

0 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2017 2018

New Supply

New Demand

Occupancy Rate Source: URA, JTC, SLP Research

Some firms are also changing their business models to incorporate innovative practices due to the rising emphasis on technology and automation. These changes are contributing to a shift in demand in terms of the types of industrial space. The change in farming techniques is one example that leads to a change in the use of industrial space. Traditionally, farming is a land intensive activity. To enhance productivity, some farmers in Singapore have begun improvising their practices and are shifting towards indoor vertical farming. Integrated fish horticulture, which integrates fish farming with hydroponic vegetable farming, is another example. Such indoor farming is usually situated in industrial premises due to stronger floor loading and lower property costs. Another factor leading to a shift in demand is government policy changes. From 2014, owners of single-user factories

are only allowed to lease out a maximum of 30% of their industrial space to a separate user, down from the previous 50%. One result of this policy shift is that some tenants from such factories would either rent units in a private multiple-user factory or buy their own strata-unit for use. This would lead to higher demand for industrial strata-units. OUTLOOK After a few years of price and rental contraction, the multiple-user factory market is reaching an equilibrium, where it is neither a landlord’s nor tenant’s market. Going forward, the demand for industrial space is expected to increase, due to growing strength in the manufacturing sector, improvement in business sentiments and healthy growth in the local and regional economies. The future supply of industrial space that are expected to be available in 2019 and 2020 may be insufficient to meet the growing demand if the Singapore

economy continues to expand at a healthy rate. Hence, this would lead to a drop in the vacancy rate of industrial space. Typically, when vacancy rate falls below 8%, the industrial market would become a landlord’s market. As demand improves and the supply of new industrial units available for sale diminishes, it would lead to firmer industrial property prices. Hence the industrial property price index could reach the bottom of the price cycle in 2018. The stock of uncompleted strata units available for sale has been dropping steadily in 2017, from 1,967 units in 1Q 2017 to 1,320 units in the last quarter of 2017. This supply would continue to decline as there is likely a lack of major new industrial development launches this year. As a result, the industrial property price index could start to recover as early as in the second half of this year.

商会时讯

CHAMBER COMMUNIT Y

交流联谊 VISITS & DIALOGUES

4月 20日

3月 1日

第11任中国驻新加坡大使洪小勇欢迎晚宴 4月20日，总商会在新加坡摩天观景轮设宴欢迎中国驻新加坡大使洪小勇莅新就任。黄山忠会长祝贺洪大使，并表示希望携手推动两国经贸关系发展，谱写新篇章。洪大使在在致辞中感谢总商会多年来促进中新商界合作、推动两国关系发展的贡献。

与“出入口行业、地方代表商会与中医药业”商团会员午餐交流会 3月1日，总商会与机械及工程与海事及石油化工业的商团会员进行午餐交流会。出席者包括8家商团共14位代表。

3月 15日

参观樟宜监狱 3月15日，总商会受新加坡复员技训企业管理局 (SCORE)邀请前往樟宜监狱参观，了解监狱的运作情况，并探讨各行业商家与监狱的合作机会，以协助囚犯更好地融入社会。共有来自 9家商团的12名商团代表出席活动。

SLP