Businesses learn productivity best practices during SCCCI-led trips

SINGAPORE — Mr Daniel Ang, CEO of Continental Delight Catering Services, was looking to boost the productivity of his food & catering business and found inspiration during a learning trip to the Chinese city of Guangzhou in March — an equipment that can produce up to 100,000 guni sacks of cooked rice within five to eight hours.

Soon after his return from the trip led by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCCI), he set out to install the equipment in his company and said he was confident of clinching more business due to the expected improvement in efficiency when it becomes operational.

He acknowledged, however, that the food and beverage industry is lagging behind in the nationwide productivity drive.

“Food and beverage (F&B) industry players have a phobia to pursue innovation and productivity. If you want to stay competitive, you have to have a change in mindset,” Mr Ang said.

Besides the Guangzhou trip, the SCCCI led nine other trips to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Germany between July 2012 and last month to help Singapore businesses from various industries learn and adopt from the best productivity practices in these markets.

Mr Mun Kok Who, Managing Director of automation system provider ASTech, said he gained useful insight from the various trips that he had attended.

“I learnt technical skills from German companies to help my company produce more efficiently and cost-pricing strategies from companies in Taiwan and Korea.”

Mr Joshua Yim, CEO of Achieve Group, a human resource outsourcing firm, said his trip to Germany has helped him realise the importance of getting the productivity message across all staff levels.

President of SCCCI Thomas Chua Kee Seng said the chamber is planning more of such trips next year.