Leeden Grows from Strength to Strength

Transcription

1 May 2010 Issue 6 MICA (P) 015/05/2010 Leeden Grows from Strength to Strength The year 2010 began on an optimistic note for Leeden. With an improved economic outlook in the region, Leeden renewed its emphasis on adding value for its customers with new capabilities and an improved product mix. This strategy has been the differentiating factor for Leeden, ensuring our continued growth. The regional expansion plans received a boost with the opening of an additional Dissolved Acetylene (DA) Plant in Penang, Malaysia under the NIG Group. Besides enhancing DA capacities in Northern Malaysia, the NIG Group has also added high purity DA to its manufacturing capabilities, contributing signifi cantly to the product mix offering to its customers in the region. Our passion for excellence has won us accolades from both customers and partners. However, we are not resting on these laurels and are constantly adding new products and extending our scope of services in the territories we serve. To provide innovative, synergistic solutions across a wide range of industries. As a responsible member of the society, Leeden has also embarked on a Corporate Volunteering Program. Besides giving back to the society in a meaningful way, we hope to boost employee morale and encourage teamwork within the company with such activities in the months to come. Leeden Opens New DA Plant in Penang, Malaysia Leeden has further expanded its gas operations with the opening of new Dissolved Acetylene (DA) Plant by NIG Utara Sdn Bhd (NIU) under the NIG Group on 22 nd January The fully operational plant, spanning across 10,238 sqm, is now the largest DA manufacturing facility in the northern region of Malaysia. Besides manufacturing Industrial Dissolved Acetylene, the plant also has capability to produce High Purity Dissolved Acetylene, adding significantly to the company s efforts to manufacture high value gases and improving the product mix offering for our customers. The new DA Plant has placed NIU at the forefront of the gas supplies industry and is a great leap forward in its mission to support and supply various types of industrial gases in the northern region of Malaysia. From Left: Mr. Cheang, Mr. Kelvin Lee, Mr. Steven Tham and Mr. Kenji Nagata at the Opening Ceremony of NIG Utara Sdn Bhd DA Plant.

2 New Agency Wins for Leeden s Welding Division As a part of our commitment to bring the very latest in Welding Technology to our customers, Leeden s Welding Division has added several top of the line products to its ever expanding range of welding equipment, accessories and consumables. In February 2010, Western Enterprises appointed Leeden as its exclusive distributor for the supply of their gas equipment in the Southeast Asia region. This exclusive agreement reflects Western Enterprises trust in our ability to represent the full range of Western s products across every territory we re in while increasing our product offering to our customers. Western Enterprises is the industry leader for Transmission and Gas Control Hardware to the compressed gas industry, offering a full line of gas control products for welding and other industrial applications such as the Medical, Manifolds and Infl ation industries. Western s products are designed and manufactured to provide unparalleled technical accuracy for the most demanding applications. Leeden was also awarded sole distributorship for UNISCO Welding Consumables in Southeast Asia for territories of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Brunei in January UNISCO, a German company established in 1928, is the export brand for Hermann Fliess & Co, est Fliess manufactures a range of consumables including carbon steel, low alloy, high tensile and Chrome Moly materials for GTAW, SAW, and ESW welding process. UNISCO has more than 70 analyses including P91, P92, T23 and T24. Flux UNISCO 1929 is a highly basic flux for multiple pass welding of low alloy Cr-Mo steels. It is particularly suitable for welding narrow groove heavy section welds. Flux UNISCO 1944 is a high basic agglomerated flux for use with the electroslag strip cladding (ESW) process for the overlay welding of pressure vessel and other steels. UNISCO products are especially applicable for the Oil & Gas, Petrochemical and for Pressure Vessel Fabrication industry. In December last year, Leeden won exclusive rights for distribution of Huntingdon Fusion products in the region including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. Huntingdon Fusion Techniques Limited, a UK based company is a global manufacturer and supplier of specialist welding accessories for over 35 years. Manufacturers of TECHWELD range Tungsten & Grinding equipment and ARGWELD Weld Purging equipment, the company s products include tungsten & grinding equipment and tungsten electrodes along with purge systems, water soluble purge films, backing tape, trailing shields and flexible welding enclosures. We are also proud to announce the addition of EGAMASTER agency rights for Southeast Asia from November EGAMASTER s range of High Quality Tools is manufactured to ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001:2004 standards offering a life-time warranty. The ATEX-certified tools are intrinsically safe/ explosion proof and are highly suitable for dangerous and explosive environments. Suitable for both Professional and Industrial use, applications include Oil & Gas, Mining, Heavy Industry, Automotive, Aviation, Construction, Electrical Sector, Electronics and Woodworking.

3 Leeden Visits SWAMI Home In Singapore, Leeden organized a community service visit to SWAMI (Sunshine Welfare Action Mission) Home on Saturday, 10 th April 2010 as a part of Leeden s initiative to encourage philanthropy and volunteerism through community engagement programmes. Led by our MD/ COO, Mr. Kelvin Lee, 40 employees including their family members participated in this event. SWAMI provides residential nursing care facilities, dementia day care and drop-in/ respite day care for the aged and the aged sick. SWAMI currently houses around 240 residents and also provides day care services for about 100 old folks. The staff and family from Leeden spent a meaningful afternoon with the old folks, entertaining them with games, karaoke and yummy hi-tea snacks. Laughter and cheers could be heard across the hall as games were played. In addition, there was a surprise birthday celebration for Mr. Kelvin Lee along with the April birthday boys and girls from the Home and Leeden. Leeden employees have been most generous, aside to contributing their time over the weekend, they also contributed cash gifts for the purchase of towels for the Home as requested. The Company sponsored a shower trolley, specially indented from Israel for the Home, which will aide the nurses during shower time for bedridden patients. Leeden is glad to have the opportunity to do our part for the elderly at SWAMI Home and with this, marks our steps in being a socially responsible company. We plan to continue supporting causes close to the heart of the company and encourage employees to volunteer their time to support these charities periodically. Training at Nederman Academy, Shanghai Continuing our efforts to improve skills and boost technical competencies, Leeden s Safety Division sent staff for training at the Nederman Academy in Shanghai in October 2009 and January The training on Applications & Solutions for the Welding and Metal Works Industry was attended by Ivan Chong (Asst. Product Manager) and Zander Neoh (Sales Executive). The focus on Nederman solutions in the welding and metal works industry emphasized the relevance and importance of providing customized solutions to the welding industry. It was also a unique opportunity for our staff to network and share experiences with other attendees representing 5 Asian countries. As Nederman product sales is one of the major sales contributor in the last 2 years, we are intentionally focusing on developing new competence and capability to maintain this growth engine. Ivan Chong would be spearheading in the sales development of this area. Philip Chan, Asst. General Manager, Safety Division. The Shanghai Welding Training really opened our eyes to the countless opportunities that we can work on both locally and in the region. I am extremely excited about the growth potential of Nederman solutions in Leeden and am truly proud to be selling Nederman, the most comprehensive solution provider in the clean workspace industry. Ivan Chong, Asst. Product Manager, sharing his experience

4 Safety in Welding Processes & Environments: Nederman Leeden s Safety Division and Singapore Welding Society jointly organized a technical talk on Safety in Welding Processes & Environments on 27 th April 2010, at The Pod, National Library Building. Leeden had specially invited Mr. Magnus Hammarlund, Sales Director Asia from Nederman for this occasion. Mr. Hammarlund, a veteran at Nederman, shared his expertise on fumes and dust extraction systems. The talk was both informative and relevant with Mr. Hammarlund giving his insights on topics such as Hazards in Welding Processes & Environments and Solutions to Welding Hazards. He started off by speaking at length about adverse effects of exposure to welding fumes generating pollutants in the form of gaseous fumes, followed by an introduction to Nederman s diagnostic tool Dustrak to measure dust concentration in work areas and Capture-at-Source solutions including Extraction Arms, On-tool/ On-torch extraction that capture fumes before the fumes reach the breathing zone of workers. Invited speaker Mr. Magnus Hammarlund, talking about Hazards in Welding Processes During the talk, the Local Singapore Regulation on WSH Act (Workplace Safety & Health Act) was presented through a special skit, inspired by the Hollywood comedy - Sister Act, by the Marcoms Team and Mr. Ivan Chong. The team highlighted salient points of the WSH Act including the responsibilities of the stakeholders and the Hierarchy of Risk Control in workplaces. The response to this invitation-only event was overwhelming with many attendees fi nding the talk useful and relevant to their work. It also provided a good networking opportunity and encouraged customer engagement for Leeden s safety team. The talk was useful. I need to go back to the offi ce and ensure that we are compliant with the WSH Act and Regulations Mr. Yeo Poo Peng, Envs Manager, Aeromedical Centre, RSAF Product explanation to Mr. Dave Lim (Senior Service Engineer, EKATO Pte Ltd) by Mr. Magnus and Kenneth Jason from Welding explaining to customer on Welding Protective gears Mr. Kelvin Lee and Mr. Sze Thiam Siong of SETSCO during the networking session On-Torch/On-Tool extraction demo by both our Welding & Safety Product team I have learnt a lot about safety in welding today. I can now advise my welders on the importance of workplace safety and its associated health risks Mr. Sukhbir Kankarwal, Snr Operation Asst., Management & Contract Services Pte Ltd The invited guests spent some time at the Safety products display Ms. Lynndy Lee & Ms. Angela Wu (Marcoms) with Mr. Ivan Chong (Safety Division) Eversafe at Asia Pacific Maritime 2010 Eversafe Extinguisher Sdn Bhd, a Leeden subsidiary participated at the Asia Pacifi c Maritime 2010 (APM) held at the Singapore Expo from 24 th to 26 th March This key biennial event connects both the buyers and suppliers in the international maritime industry. Eversafe used the platform to showcase their range of portable and mobile extinguishers conforming to European Standard BS EN 3: 2007 and BS EN 1866: 2007 respectively. Both portable and mobile extinguishers fulfi ll requirements of the PED (Pressure Equipment Directive) and the MED (Marine Equipment Directive). Based on visitors response the exhibition proved to be effective marketing platform for Eversafe for targeting audience in both the maritime and the oil & gas industries. From Left: Mr. Bryan Lee, Mr. Fakrul Irfan Bin Ariffi n, Mr. Tan Lian Khar (Eversafe Malaysia), Mr. Steven Tham (CEO, Leeden Limited) and Mr. Kelvin Lee (COO, Leeden Limited)

5 Leeden Celebrates Over 30 Years of Successful Partnerships Leeden is honoured to receive commemorative plaques from both Nederman and CRC-EVANS to mark three decades of long and successful partnership with us. We are proud of our long and prestigious association with these companies who are global leaders in their respective fi elds today. From Left: Mr. Ivan Chong, Mr. Philip Chan of Leeden with Mr. P.O. Eriksson and Mr. Magnus Hammarlund of Nederman On 2 nd March 2010, Mr. P.O. Eriksson (Vice President Sales International, Nederman) presented Mr. Philip Chan (Asst. General Manager, Leeden) with a wooden plaque to mark 30 years of partnership. Leeden is the exclusive distributor for Nederman in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Vietnam. With the recently set-up Technical Services Department, we have further proved our competency in the full range of Nederman products and solutions. Our enhanced range of services for Nederman now includes repair & maintenance as well as technical consulting equipped with full range of diagnostic tools. Nederman is a leading global supplier and integrator of systems and services for industrial environmental technology. Having a dedicated technical service department is definitely the right direction going forward and this will strongly differentiate us from our competitors. Mr P.O. Eriksson on the set up of the Technical Services Department From Left: Mr. Anthony Goh, Mr. Fred Lysak, Mr. Steven Tham and Mr. Kelvin Lee On the 11 th March 2010, Mr. Fred Lysak (President, CRC EVANS Pipeline Equipment Division) presented a plaque to Mr. Steven Tham (CEO, Leeden Limited) in recognition of the 32 years of successful partnership between the two companies. This significant milestone was celebrated with Leeden winning additional territories. Besides representing CRC EVANS in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, Leeden will now also represent them exclusively in Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar. It is a vote of confidence by CRC EVANS in the leadership of Leeden Group. CRC EVANS manufactures equipment and supply services to the pipeline industry. Their products and services include pipeline construction equipment, automatic welding systems and provide managed subsea services, joint coating and heat treatment, non-destructive testing, pipe weighting systems, laybarge equipment, conveying systems and concrete weight coating. Widening Our Scope: Developing New Capabilities Leeden s Safety Division has diversifi ed its portfolio by developing project management capability, extending its scope from equipment and accessories distribution to project design, installation, commission and training. In January 2009, we secured the Renewable Energy Corporation (REC) project for the Installation of the House Vacuum Solution in Cell and Module Facility. REC, a pioneer in the solar industry, began construction of the world s largest integrated solar energy production facility based on multicrystalline technology at Tuas, Singapore in Leeden recommended the Nederman Centralized System, a fully automated system that could integrate with the REC Field Monitoring Control System. The Leeden project team comprised of Mr. Philip Chan, Mr. Kenneth Ng and Mr. Joseph Chua with the Nederman technical support from Mr. Jan Svensson, Mr. Torbjorn Larsson and Mr. Borje Wemmert. The project scope included technical consultancy in project design, build, commission and training related to installation of the Vacuum System in the new photovoltaic solar cell factory. The project was completed and handed over to REC at end of REC was very satisfied with Leeden s execution and successful installation of Nederman s solutions allowing REC to improve overall system effi ciency and reduce operational costs. Mr. Torbjorn Larsson and Mr. Kenneth Ng at REC site.

6 NIGPL Awarded for Outstanding Service Fusion Clad Precision Technology, Singapore presented a Certifi cate of Appreciation to National Industrial Gases Pte Ltd, Singapore (NIGPL) on 20 th January The Certifi cate was presented by Ms. Serene Lee, Technical Director of Fusion Clad, Singapore to Mr. Robert Goh, General Manager NIGPL in recognition of the efforts made by NIGPL in meeting and exceeding Fusion Clad s service expectations. NIGPL s dedicated team has been fulfi lling the company s requirements for welding gases for many years and has overcome many challenges to facilitate smooth operations at Fusion Clad. NIGPL s pro-active servicing and efforts at making necessary and timely adjustments won the trust and respect of the Fusion Clad team. Fusion Clad Precision Technology specializes in system refurbishment, component repairs, and hard facing wear protection by welding processes. Ms. Serene Lee, Technical Director - Fusion Clad Precision Technology presenting the Certifi cate of Appreciation to Mr. Robert Goh, NIGPL New Kid on the Block Alan Wallace Thompson joined Leeden Limited on 1 st January 2010 as Service Manager. Alan holds a Diploma in Engineering and brings with him more than 19 years of related experience in technical support and services. He will be working alongside Mr. Ong Beng Tiong, Head of Welding Equipment & Accessories in promoting, developing and driving our pipe cutting and pipeline related equipment business. Prior to joining Leeden, Alan was working with a UK based company providing specialist engineering services as a Technical Support Manager, gaining extensive experience in the United Kingdom, Middle East, Europe as well as other parts of the world. He will also spearhead our expansion plans for on-site equipment rental business focusing on Southeast Asia Region including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Philippines. Alan in his offi ce and on the job with his team members Join us in welcoming him on-board! Appointment of New Chief Financial Officer Leeden is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Yip Sook Fun as Chief Financial Officer of the company with effect from 8 th March, Ms. Yip Sook Fun has served as Senior Manager, Corporate Planning since March Prior to joining Leeden, she has extensive experience of over 17 years in corporate banking, loan syndication and investment banking with various fi nancial institutions. Her thorough understanding of Leeden s fi nancial needs and business goals makes her a valuable member of the Leeden Team. As CFO, she oversees the local and regional fi nance group and is responsible for the full spectrum of fi nancial operations, treasury, budgeting, internal controls, risk management and strategic planning. Ms. Yip holds a Bachelor of Accountancy (Hons.) Degree from the National University of Singapore. Congratulations to Ms. Yip on her promotion!