The Mackerel - Jul 2000 Download PDF - Jebsen & Jessen (SEA)

Newsletter of Jebsen & Jessen Group of Companies, South East Asia
July 2000 I Volume 11 No. 2/2000 I Mita (P) No. 675/01/97
1
THE MACKEREL
Group Management Conference 2000
Succeeding in a
Changing Environment
The senior management of Jebsen & Jessen
Group convened for three days in January 2000
at the Sofitel Resort in Johor to discuss the Group’s
direction for the next five years. Having weathered
the economic crisis, the focus was on how the
Group can succeed in a rapidly changing business
environment.
Following Mr. Frank Schulz-Utermoehl’s welcoming address,
Mr. A.P. Jessen, Chairman of the Group commented
in his opening remarks on the economic meltdown and
subsequent political and social instability characterising the
period since the last management conference. He
complimented the managers on having successfully
steered the group through this volatile period, before highlighting
the challenges that lie ahead: the Group’s ability to
maintain its position as a leading regional provider of goods
and services in the face of changing customer expectation,
competition and technology.
Group Managing Director, Mr. Manoj Beri then
reviewed the Group’s performance during the past
few years, highlighting the significant impact of the regional
crisis on the Group’s turnover and income.
Only through a disciplined austerity drive was the
Group able to avoid a loss-making situation. He
stressed the need to now shift our mode from an internal
and defensive focus towards becoming
market-driven and customer-oriented. In particular,
formative activities needed to be transformed into
core activities.
He added that one of the Group’s priorities was to
ensure that the activity platform was in tune with the
market, and that it would need to be customer-driven
with emphasis on value, depth and focus. Exploiting
economies of scale and seeking cost effectiveness and
productivity would be the key to the Group’s success.
The focus would need to change from cost-consciousness
into cost-effectiveness, from sales
orientation into customer satisfaction, and from price
into value addition. Mr. Beri also introduced the
Group’s growth targets for the next five years — 15%
REGIONAL NEWS
2 Corporate News
3 Chemicals
4 Communications
5 Industrial Products
6 Marketing
7 Material Handling
8 Packaging
9 Process Technology
10 EHS Page
The participants lined up for a group shot.
continued on page 2
11 Human Resources
12 Profile
About the Masthead
The Mackerel masthead combines
graphic images of the compass, sky,
clouds and vast ocean to symbolise
J&J’s sea-faring tradition and its growth to
become an important link between East
and West. The ripples reflect the
expanding and international character
of J&J and the communication function of
this newsletter.

CORPORATE NEWS
2
A Celebration: Our Chairman Turns 75
In connection with the
Group’s management
conference, a special (albeit
slightly delayed)
birthday evening was arranged
for our
Chairman, Mr. A.P.
Jessen, who turned 75 in
October last year.
The Group’s senior
managers, as well as VIP’s
and friends, came
together at Singapore’s
Tanglin Club to celebrate
the occasion. Cocktails
and a sumptuous dinner
were followed by a
unique entertainment
programme featuring an
electronic slide show of
Mr. Jessen, captured at
various points during
his life, and highlighting
his many talents and
hobbies. Mr. Jessen is the
youngest son of Jebsen
& Co’s co-founder
Heinrich Jessen.
Mr. Jessen takes a bow.
The
Akatones
entertain.
After World War II, at
the age of 22, he
ventured to Shanghai to
join the family business,
and then spent the next
50 years in Asia, shifting
his domicile to Singapore
in 1978, where he has led
the South East Asia group
as Chairman until today.
The evening ended with
an outstanding recital by
Singapore’s leading acapella
group, The Akatones.
continued from page 1
Succeeding in a
Changing Environment
per year in total income and 25% per annum in return
on capital. The income growth would come from increased
market share, higher local addition, geographic
expansion and new products and markets.
Mr. Heine Askaer-Jensen, Group Managing Director,
introduced the need for entrepreneurial leadership, reemphasising
the need for customer orientation and the
need to focus on value growth rather than volume
growth. He challenged company managers to spend 50%
of their time with the customer, and 25% of time on issues
directly involving the customer. He said that the key strategic
question was how had the customer changed and
how could we unlock his enthusiasm, budget and loyalty?
Mr. Askaer-Jensen then introduced a plan to give the
Group’s central services a more executive role so as to
allow Company Managers to outsource administrative
tasks and save time needed to focus on the customer.
At the first evening’s dinner, an inspiring key note address
was delivered by Mr. Dilip Kehsu, President for Asia
Pacific of DA Consulting Group on the Internet revolution
and its impact on business. The second day saw managers
putting their heads together in teams to tackle several
critical subjects — Marketing as a Tool for Higher Sales;
Customer Service Quality as a Competitive Edge,
continued on page 4
In Memorium
Michael Jebsen, the former chairman of Jebsen &
Co Ltd, died on May 1, 2000 at his birthplace
Aabenraa, in Denmark. He was 88. Michael Jebsen
left Hong Kong and returned to his native Denmark
upon his retirement in 1996 after a long and distinguished
career with Jebsen & Co, the partnership
founded in Hong Kong in 1895 by his father Jacob
Jebsen and his uncle Heinrich Jessen.
Born in 1911 and having grown up in Denmark and Germany, Mr. Jebsen
travelled to China in 1933, settling first in Hong Kong where he worked in
the company for four years. In 1938 he took over the management of the
Canton office and moved to Shanghai in 1939. He was made a partner of
Jebsen & Co in 1944, and, following the death of his cousin Heinz Jessen, became
the company’s sole partner shortly after. Known for his unwavering
faith in Hong Kong and China, as well as his profound interest in the people,
the culture and the art of his chosen second home, he was instrumental in
making Jebsen & Co what it is today, steering the company safely through
the perils of World War II, the Japanese Occupation and the Civil War. In
1949 Michael Jebsen made Hong Kong his home where he remained until
his retirement at the age of 84. Together with his brother Hans Jacob Jebsen
and his cousin A.P. Jessen, he expanded Jebsen & Co laying the foundations
for the successful marketing, trading and distribution company that today
remains committed to China and Hong Kong and from which our South
East Asia group was later to emerge.

CHEMICALS
Environmentally Friendly
Cleaning Machines
In keeping with the J&J
policy of working
towards a cleaner, safer
environment, JJ Degussa-
Huls (S) Pte Ltd (JJDHS),
who have been active in
supplying cleaning
chemicals for the
electronics and
A Day at the Beach
Aspecial day’s outing
for the staff and families
of JJ-Degussa-Vietnam
(JJDHV) was enjoyed on
17 March. Fifty people
piled on a bus for a two
hour drive to Phan Thiet, a
beautiful beach resort,
where a beauty contest
and tug-of-war game were
just two of the many pastimes
enjoyed. Not
everyone went home with
a prize, but everyone went
home happy.
Mr. Pasi of Finnsonic and Mr. Roy Teo of JJDHS pose before recently installed cleaning machine.
Group snap of the happy trippers.
aerospace industries, are
installing cleaner and
safer equipment.
Along with the phaseout
of CFC chemicals in
electronic cleaning six
years ago, JJDHS contacted
M/s Finnsonic
from Finland who specialise
in fabricating environmentally
friendly
cleaning machines for
the chemical industry.
Today JJDHS has supplied
more than ten
custom-made machines
to the electronic and
aerospace industries.
A Farewell and
a Welcome
The Heng family (left) and the Hopkins family (right)
meet before parting.
After ten years in Vietnam, Mr. Ben Hopkins, Resident
Representative of JJ-Degussa-Huls-Vietnam
(JJDHV) has left for Hong Kong. On 25 February he
joined our sister company Jebsen & Co Ltd to assume a
managerial position in their Chemicals activities.
A founding member of the Vietnam Representative office
in 1994, managing the chemicals, IPD and marketing
activities, Mr Hopkins has enlarged the Vietnam office and
developed the chemicals business significantly.
Mr. Hopkins’ place has been taken over by Mr. Heng
Wei Chaur, a 36 year old B.Sc. graduate in chemistry, who
assumed his new post on 14 February. Mr. Heng joined
Jebsen & Jessen Industrial Services Malaysia in November
1991 as a Chemical Sales Executive, progressing into middle
management with responsibility for the Coating &
Resins, and Plastics & Rubber Department.
A farewell and welcoming party was held on 18 February
at the Majestic Hotel with more 100 people from
JJDHV, Jebsen & Jessen Engineering Vietnam (JJEV) and
MHE-Dematic Vietnam (MDV) and many of our customers
attending to wish Mr. Hopkins Bon Voyage, and Mr.
Heng welcome.
Two opposing
teams shake
hands.
3

COMMUNICATIONS
4
Boosting Internet Protocol
The Communications
Division of
Jebsen & Jessen Engineering
(T) Ltd (JJET)
was invited by ACA
Pacific Technology to
participate in Net-Protex
2000, which was held at
the Central Grand Plaza
Hotel, Bangkok on
29 March.
The seminar and
exhibition provided JJET
with an opportunity to
present themselves in the
network security
business. ACA Pacific
Technology — a regional
The seminar created a great deal of interest and lively debate.
distributor for Check
Point Software Solutions
and an Internet security
software specialist —
recently appointed JJET
as their value-added reseller
for Check Point
Software Solutions.
At the venue, JJET
displayed Lucent
Technologies Networking
solutions, together with
VTEL video conferencing
integration. The exhibition
and seminar generated a
great deal of interest in
network multimedia and
network security, an ongoing
technology trend
boosted largely by the
global interest in Internet
Protocol (IP) as the future
mode of communication.
JJET aims to be a leading
company in Thailand in
providing these solutions.
Dealing With
the Treasury
APhp15 million contract has been
awarded to Jebsen & Jessen Philippines
Inc. (JJP) to supply a digital dealing
system to the treasury department of
the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). This
is only the beginning. More will follow!
The acceptance by BSP of the JJP Digital
Alliance MX Dealerphone and
Dictaphone recording system will act as
a showcase for other commercial banks
interested in following suit. It was the Alliance
MX’s unique features —
distributed architecture, programme
flexibility and ease of use, design reliability
and future software upgrade — that
clinched the deal.
The importance of the system to BSP
is paramount, for the bank performs several
functions, all of which relate to the
Republic’s central monetary authority.
continued from page 2
Succeeding in a
Changing Environment
Opportunities and Challenges of the Internet Revolution,
and Accomplishing Success Through People, Processes
and New Tools. The findings were presented on the
final day.
MHE-Dematic has already launched a Customer Care
Programme, and Mr. Ruangroj Supanpong, Regional
Director, presented the programme he is currently
spearheading. Mr. Vijay Kumar, General Manager at Jebsen &
Jessen Marketing (S) Pte Ltd then revealed how customer
focus, intelligent design of product portfolio and the
establishment of core competencies had helped bring
about a dramatic turnaround of the Medical Group in
J&J Marketing.
Regional Managing Director, J&J Communications, Mr.
Harold Thng then presented his RBU’s success in revitalising
the business platform and profitability by shifting
attention from product orientation to providing customer
solutions. This was followed by Mr. Wong Kwai Wah, Director,
Human Resources, talking about the Group’s latest HR
projects and performances, and highlighting the need for
managers to deepen their HR awareness.
Mr. Mike Toffel, Director, EHS, gave a unique presentation
on ‘sustainability’ as defined under The Natural Step
programme. The group’s Executive Board is currently
evaluating the form in which The Natural Step may be embraced
as a strategic tool for the group.
Executive Vice Chairman Mr. J. Heinrich Jessen, presented
the conclusion for the conference. He
continued on page 12

INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS
5
IPD Regional Meeting
The biannual meeting
of the Industrial
Products Group was
held on 21-22 March in
Jakarta. It was attended
by the six General Managers
and the Regional
Business Managers, and
is the first Group meeting
in which JJP, JJET and
JJEV participated.
Taking its cue from directions
set at the J & J
Group’s recent management
conference,
weaknesses in market
approach, particularly
the sales focus, were discussed
and future directions
agreed upon. The
product portfolio and
our medium-term plans
were also discussed.
The IPD Group now
boast representation in
the Philippines and
Vietnam — with
experienced company
management firmly in
place. Current
businesses managed on
a regional basis are
Pumps, Cables and
Electrical tools. The
challenge for IPD is to
become a truly regional
group with the focus on
at least four key regional
activities. A number of
initiatives have been
taken to achieve that
goal and it is expected
that the IPD Group’s
portfolio will be
increased by the third
quarter of this year.
The delegates for the IPD meeting in Jakarta (from left): C.M. Lee, John Stephenson,
Gorm Skjaerlund, B. Santoso, Vu Nguyen, Charoensak T., S.L. Wuu, and Enrico Villongco.
New Markets: Oil & Gas
Although we are determined to continue our
strong presence in industrial pump products,
the recent crisis provided us with the impetus to
accelerate serious efforts to steer part of the IPD
activities in P.T. Tiga Ikan Engineering (TIEI) into
market areas that are ‘recession proof’. In Indonesia,
Oil & Gas is one such area.
The entry barriers to the Oil & Gas market are
high though and previous attempts to enter the
market met with little success. Now we are able to
exhibit a wide range of products and services with
local value added to them.
Currently TIEI represents several well-known
instrumentation and pump manufacturers. In order
to be able to meet the requirements of the Oil &
Gas industry in terms of supply and support, TIEI
has strengthened the organisation in terms of
geographical representation and personnel training.
A senior consultant has been appointed to
undertake further analysis of the instrumentation
sector.
TIEI expects to be firmly established as a service
provider to the Oil & Gas industry by the third quarter
of this year.
The TIEI stand at
the recent Oil &
Gas exhibition in
Jakarta.

MARKETING
6
New Medical Agency
Comes to Thailand
The Hanulife Powervac
Aspirator.
As of 1 March 2000 Jebsen & Jessen Marketing (Thailand) Ltd (JJMT) was appointed
as Heraeus agent to conduct sales, marketing and after sales service for the Thailand
market for a list of Heraeus medical products. These include surgical aspirators, rail
systems and accessories, and transport incubators.
All these products are made by Heraeus Medap, which produces high performance
surgical suction equipment, ranging from vacuum extraction to small portable suction
equipment. In addition JJMT will market the following emergency-care products for
Hanulife: resuscitation, pulse oximetry, emergency cases and larygoscopes. Hanulife has attained
a name for swift, safe patient care products that perform under the most
demanding conditions such as helicopter rescue missions.
You’re
supposed to
smile for the
camera, not
behind it!
The Best in
Cameras: Leica
The Jebsen & Jessen
Marketing RBU has
signed an agency
agreement with Leica,
the internationally
renowned camera
company, for the
territories of Singapore,
Malaysia and Thailand.
To get into gear, a kickoff
meeting was held in
Singapore from 23-25
February of all the Photo
Division Managers for
Malaysia, Singapore and
Thailand. Product training
was conducted by
Mr. Kuehne — Area Sales
Manager from Leica —
who put the participants
through a theoretical
as well as practical training
on the full Leica
product range.
Re-Energising a
Department
Jebsen & Jessen
Marketing (M) Sdn Bhd
(JJMM) has been
appointed sole distributor
for the General Electric
(GE) brand of Major Home
Appliances in Malaysia as of
20 January 2000. This paves
the way for JJMM’s
comeback to the major
appliance industry.
Founded way back in
the 19th century,
following his invention of
the light bulb, Thomas
Edison created GE based
on the principles of
innovation, quality and
products that set new
standards. For over 100
years, GE has been a
source of premier
products, many of them
‘firsts’ in the industry, and
today is involved in 12
diversified businesses that
range from appliances to
aircraft engines, motors
and medical equipment,
many of which are market
leaders.
JJMM is proud and
delighted to be the
Top of the range refrigerators
are among the new
products being supplied by
JJMM.
distributor for GE brand
appliances in Malaysia. The
initial product line up
includes Top Mount
Refrigerators, Side-by-Side
Refrigerators, US Top Load
Washers, US Top Load
Dryers, and Front Load
Washers.
The product basket
will increase to include
other lines such as
freezers, hobs, hoods,
built-in-ovens, microwave
ovens and dishwashers.
At JJMM we intend to
provide consumers with
quality products and a
range of choice that will
satisfy every need.

MATERIAL HANDLING
Environmentally Friendly and
State-of-the-Art Production
7
The raw material arriving at the plant. Things begin to take shape. Everything in place to begin.
Alicensed manufacturing
agreement The new multi-million Regional Director, J. recycles water used in finished packaging
in the first quarter of 2000. dedicated work of friendly system, which raw materials to fully
was signed between
MHE-Dematic and
Mannesmann Dematic
Colby Pty Ltd to manufacture
racking.
Initial operations began
dollar state-of-the-art
plant, located in Shah
Alam in Malaysia, is the
pride of MHE-Dematic,
and represents the culmination
of the hard and
Moeller and J. Schmidt,
Plant Manager for Racks,
MHE-Dematic
Industries (M) Sdn Bhd.
The plant incorporates
an environmentally
the spray painting process,
probably the only
rack manufacturer to do
so in South East Asia. The
entire manufacturing
process, beginning with
systems, is housed in
one convenient location
to ensure that each
component is manufactured
in compliance with
international standards.
Gondolas at Glorietta Mall
MDT Factory Ceremony
A great view, a practical function.
The gondolas for the mixed-use type development,
rise above the mall,
new Oakwood building
owned by Ayala Hotel and each tower will have
Incorporated have been two gondolas installed; one
supplied and installed by on the upper roof deck
MHE-Dematic Philippines and the other on the lower
(MDP). Two towers of the roof deck.
Glorietta complex, a
The gondola on the
lower deck is specially
designed so that it can be
parked in a ‘garage’ when
not in use. On the upper
roof deck, another gondola
will be installed to
clean the building’s architectural
lantern.
Every new year a ceremony is held at
MHE-Dematic (T) Ltd (MDT)’s factory,
whereby monks are invited to bless the
premises in order to ensure good fortune and
harmony for all employees. Here, Mr. Somporn,
Mr. Somsak and his team begin the new millennium
with the commitment: “We’re here to
satisfy customers.”
The installation of the
gondolas, which started
in mid 1999, was completed
earlier this year,
will make it both safer
and easier to clean and
maintain the exterior
glass walls of the towers.
Their prominent position
will also provide a showcase
for MHE-Dematic’s
capability and expertise.

PACKAGING
8
JJPS Receives ISO 14001
Certification
Jebsen & Jessen Packaging
(S) Pte Ltd (JJPS) recently
completed the implementation
of an Environment,
Health and Safety Management
System (EHSMS) that
meets the industry’s highest
benchmark: ISO 14001
Environmental Management
System Standard.
Quality Manager and EHS
Committee Chair Mr. Loo
Tiong Kok led the company’s
ISO 14001 initiative.
Many benefits were
realised through
implementing an ISO
14001-certified EHSMS.
For example, every
manager and supervisor
has gained a thorough
understanding of EHS laws
and regulations, enabling
Coilcraft Malaysia, a US
electronics company,
has become the first customer
to place an order
for Flupis, Jebsen & Jessen
Packaging’s new loose-fill
material made of starch
and paper pulp. Flupis,
which was developed by
German-based PSP
Papierschaum AG, brings
to the market a solution
that is low cost as well as
100% biodegradable.
Dedicated sales staff
have been hired by
Jebsen & Jessen Packaging
the company to strengthen
its regulatory compliance at
the same time that
Singapore’s Ministry of
Manpower is increasing
their enforcement
stringency. In addition,
comprehensive staff
training has increased
participation in the
company’s ongoing
recycling and energy
conservation initiatives, and
has focused attention on
preventative actions to
reduce risks. Across all
departments, EHS
procedures and work
instructions were
documented and clarified,
and the company’s healthmonitoring
programme
was improved.
Flupis: The Most Cost-
Effective Biodegradable
Loose-Fill on the Market
to begin marketing Flupis
in the Singapore and
Malaysian markets. Within
weeks, the first P/Os
were being received from
enthusiastic customers,
eager to benefit from
Flupis’ price-performanceenvironment
triple
advantage.
Our first customer: Coilcraft, Malaysia, a US electronics company
with production plants in Singapore and Johor, placed the
first order for Flupis. Seen here with J. Heinrich Jessen
(left), C.J. Loh and Andrew Ng (right) are Coilcraft’s Mr.
Moey Shen Yu and Ms. Jeannie Goh.
lished and reviewed periodically
to ensure
continuous improvement.
JJPS is currently planning
to promote its ISO 14001
experience to its customers
and suppliers
to encourage their participation
to improve their
EHS performance.
One major benefit in im-
Safe and Secure for
a New Customer
At least that’s what we’re guaranteeing when Jebsen &
Jessen Packaging (S) Pte Ltd (JJPS) supplies EPS Bulk
Packaging Trays to Asahi Techno Vision, the world’s largest
producer of TV glass panels, for their 29-inch model.
The raw material used is of a special grade, imported
from Japan. Not only does the quality of the foam have
to be exceptionally good in order to protect the
delicate glass panels, it
also has to withstand
the handling of ‘multitrips’
or re-use.
After stringent quality
checks and tests, our
foams were approved
and the first batch was
delivered in March.
Another satisfied
customer.
Implementing ISO
14001 has also ensured
that tasks are assigned and
accomplished in a much
more systematic manner.
In particular, tasks that have
impact on EHS objectives
and targets can be estabplementing
ISO 14001 is
JJPS’ acquiring a third party
‘seal of approval’ that will be
used in future marketing
efforts to meet the growing
environmental concerns of
its customers. General
Manager Mr. Han Hong
Juan believes that achieving
ISO 14001 certification is a
strategic move toward customer
expectations and
stated, “Like the ISO 9002
quality standard, ISO
14001 will become the
norm instead of the exception.”
Jebsen & Jessen
Packaging’s Regional Managing
Director Mr. Chui Tau
Siong believes that certification
to the ISO 14001
standard will bring value to
other business relationships.
“I see value-adding when we
are trying to obtain a new
agency or partner. When
we say we are ISO 14001
certified, it will certainly enhance
our image and
demonstrate our care for
the environment,” Mr. Chui
commented.
Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s
the toughest of them all?

PROCESS TECHNOLOGY
9
Focus on Service
Process Technology
(PRT) has been successful
in the steam turbine
business for many years.
Several hundred units have
been sold throughout the
region to date, most notably
to the palm oil industry.
Today Jebsen & Jessen
is the authorised
manufacturer
representative for
Kuhnle, Kopp & Kausch
(KKK), a highly reputable
German steam turbine
manufacturer. Turbine
applications ranging from
500Kw to 2000Kw are
typically required in
palm oil mills, where
biomass waste is used
as boiler fuel. The steam
produced is used to
drive the turbines,
which are coupled to
alternators producing
electricity for the entire
mill operations.
In line with our
Group’s commitment to
total customer service
and local value addition,
great efforts are
currently being made to
improve and streamline
PRT’s Service & Spare
Part business. This
activity is regionally
managed by Mr. J. Peter
Jessen, and along with
organisational
expansion and staff
training, considerable
investments in new tools,
spare part stocks and
workshop facilities are
currently being made in
Malaysia and Indonesia.
All these initiatives
are aimed at enhancing
the overall level of
professionalism and
competitiveness of
our service teams in
order to provide fast
and reliable service
throughout the region.
Know-how
and precision
are a must.
Keeping
turbines in
perfect
condition.
Our Malaysian service
team at JJEM — always
ready to meet the
customers’ needs (from
left): Stanley, Mansor,
Chew, Sylvia, JP Jessen,
Yoke Chin, Ralf, Halim,
Anthony and Malid.

EHS PAGE
10
Introducing John Brian:
A Personal Letter from
Mike Toffel
As you know, I will be returning to
the USA in June to continue my
studies. After conducting a search for a
new head of CSU EHS, we were delighted
to receive over 90 resumes. I am pleased
to announce that Mr. John Brian Anthony
will be taking my place as Assistant
Director of EHS.
John’s qualifications and experience
are impressive. He was formerly EHS
Manager for Colgate-Palmolive Malaysia
and the Safety Co-ordinator for their
Asia Pacific operations, which include
Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam.
He has experience setting safety standards,
developing training materials, organising annual re-
gional safety meetings, and monitoring
EHS performance. Prior to that he
worked as Safety Co-ordinator for
M.W. Kellog. He also has sales and marketing
experience, a background in
Microbiology and Marketing, and an
MBA.
From 3 April to 9 June, John and I
worked together to ensure a smooth
transition, and we visited every
company, factory and ware-house in
Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia
and the Philippines during this period.
Because John is based in Kuala Lumpur, it has been
agreed that CSU EHS will be re-located to Malaysia to
the J & J offices at Petaling Jaya.
EHS information
is now available
on-line with the
implementation of
the Lotus Notes
messaging system.
Improving EHS
Productivity
Following the recent
Group-wide
implementation of the
Lotus Notes messaging
system, the Executive
Board asked the Central
Services Unit (CSU) to
serve as a demonstration
site to illustrate the ability
of Lotus Notes databases
to improve productivity.
CSU EHS responded by
creating several applications
designed to improve the
efficiency and quality of
EHS management across
the Group. The CSU ‘EHS
Materials’, ‘EHS Laws &
Regulations’ and ‘EHS
Accidents’ are all currently
on line. ‘EHS Committee
Teamroom’, currently in
development, will leverage
Lotus Notes’ ability to
combine document
management with e-mail
communication and will
enhance the accountability
of CSU EHS and our EHS
commitment, and will
greatly improve EHS
knowledge management
within the Group.
Increasing
Safety Training
Based on the enthusiastic feedback
received on the training material prepared
in 1999, additional Safety Training Briefs are
being prepared for our member companies.
Using layman’s language, full text teaching
notes and videos, these training programmes
are designed by CSU EHS to enable our EHS
Committee Chairs and trainers to master the
basics of safety management issues via selfstudy,
and then to convey the information to
the relevant employees.
Topics are geared towards areas where
better training can significantly improve safety.
They include: sling management, welding safety,
safety in confined spaces, head protection,
supervising safety, safe electrical work, 5S &
housekeeping. Each of these topics will be
prepared in English, Malaysian and Thai,
and will be distributed to our member
companies in June.

HUMAN RESOURCES
Experiences of a
Management Trainee
In order to succeed in
today’s global environment,
it is no longer
sufficient to be able to analyse
and understand your
surroundings — you also
have to be able to adapt to
them. In recognition of
these increased demands I
decided to seek international
exposure by working
in a foreign country upon
completion of my Bachelor’s
degree.
In the last five months
as a management trainee
with Jebsen & Jessen
(SEA) Pte Ltd (JJSEA), my
expectations about working
internationally have
Management trainee Martin
Knudsen.
been exceeded. Beginning
in the Central Services
Unit (CSU) has been
very interesting, not only
because it is from where
all Group-wide decisions
stem, but also because it
has given me a feeling of
what is going on in each
of our seven Regional
Business Units. Instead of
gaining business-specific
knowledge I have acquired
a broader understanding of
all the highly diversified
business areas.
I spent four months on
the Lotus Notes team,
helping identify and design
the various applications
based on the Group’s
needs. As a Notes trainer I
had the opportunity to
both meet many of our
colleagues and visit some of
their sites across ASEAN.
This provided me with a
broad cross-cultural exposure
and gave me a clearer
understanding of what
JJSEA is, including a feeling
of its size.
My traineeship is structured
in such a way that I
will be attached to individual
projects instead of
serving a specific job function.
This provides the
perfect opportunity to be
involved not only in different
departments but also in
different companies. It further
gives me a fantastic
variety of job tasks and creates
many exciting new
challenges every day.
Let’s see what the next
year and half will bring.
— By Martin Knudsen
A New
Face
to Say
Hello to
We are delighted to
announce the appointment
of Ms. Aileena
Wong Ai Lin as the
HR Manager for MHE-
Dematic (S) Pte Ltd.
Aileena has over ten years’
experience in HRM.
11
25-Year Awards:
Singapore
The following staff of MHE-Dematic were
awarded their 25-year service awards.
Holding their Silver Plaques, they are (from
left): Ng Kwok San, Li Chee Nam, Seit Kai Fook,
Wang Ah Huat and Phooi Soong Hoong.
25-Year Awards: Malaysia
The following members of our Malaysian team were awarded 25-year service awards
recently. Seen here with management staff are (from left, holding their Silver Plaques):
Lim Boon Sang, Zainal Abidin Shafie, Cheng Ah Pun and Khamis Mohd. Yatim.
Four more recipients of the 25-year service awards for
MHE-Dematic Malaysia (from left): Richard Chan, Loo
Yeow Kong, Connie Tan and G.H. Pedason.

PROFILE
12
Profile: Chui Tau Siong
In this issue it’s the turn of
Chui Tau Siong, Regional
Managing Director of Packaging,
to be profiled in The
Mackerel.
Those who know him
describe him as a man with
a friendly smile, who never
raises his voice or shows
his anger. One of his colleagues,
who has known
him for over 20 years, describes
him as “a diligent,
dedicated and understanding
manager.” Praise indeed!
Mr. Chui rose from the
ranks. He began his career
with what was then known
as Insulpack Industries in
June 1973, in the production
department. Within a
couple of years he was
promoted to sales executive
where he excelled.
When the position of a factory
manager became
vacant, Mr. Chui was the
natural choice.
ted — working initially under
the leadership of Mr.
Yong Fook Onn. Today, Mr.
Chui is Regional Managing
Director of the whole
Packaging RBU, a group
with factories in Singapore,
Johor and Nilai.
Since the early days of
Insulpack, the business environment
has changed
dramatically, with competition
having become
significantly greater and
quality and price expectations
of the customers
continued from page 4
Succeeding in a Changing Environment
summarised the critical strategies set forth by the Executive
Board and the presentations made during the
conference, reiterating the importance of marketing, customer
service excellence and the internet as key
components of the group’s medium-term strategy. He
challenged participants to consider what compromises we
are currently forcing our customers to accept in order to
do business with us and what it takes to remove them. He
also underlined the growing importance of core competence,
service, solutions-focus and value addition in the
evolution of our various businesses, and he emphasised
the need for us to operate confidently in an increasingly
internet-based economy. He further underlined the importance
of marketing ourselves better in the competitive
job market, and paying much closer attention to the needs
Mr. Chui Tau Siong hosting Princess Benedikte of Denmark at JJPS in 1990.
Known today as Jebsen
& Jessen Packaging (S) Pte
Ltd, Insulpack Industries
was acquired by the J & J
Group in 1976, and Mr.
Chui chose to remain with
J & J after the acquisition —
a decision he never regret-
of key staff during recruitment and retention. He pointed
out the opportunity to leverage out the Group’s size and
geographical coverage in offering competent and professional
people diverse career paths.
Energised by golf, tennis and bowling, the participants
returned home with a long list of inspiring new ideas.
Delegates listen attentively to the speaker.
having developed substantially.
Said Mr. Chui, “I am
very confident that we will
be able to succeed and to
maintain the leading position
that we have in the
packaging industry. I am extremely
proud of our
workforce, they are very
dedicated and customer
oriented. Without them we
would not be where we
are today.” Indeed, the
Packaging RBU boasts a
large list of long service employees,
many with more
than 15 years of service,
and several with over 25
years service.
In 1981 Mr. Chui and his
colleague Mr. Thomas Yew
became the first members
of staff to be sent to Germany
for training. The
expectation was that on
their return they would be
able to give the company a
‘face lift’, and add knowhow
in the overall
operations of the factory.
And indeed Mr. Chui led
his team to be the first
company of its kind in Singapore
to receive the ISO
9002 certification and,
more recently, the ISO
14001 certification, in addition
to many awards and
commendations received
from customers.
When his busy schedule
is not tying him to the
office, Mr. Chui exhibits
his talents on the tennis
court and on the golf
course. He is married to
Siew Fong and has three
lovely daughters.
Printed on recycled paper • Designed by Pagesetters Services
Jebsen & Jessen (SEA) Group of Companies is part of a business enterprise that dates its origins to a trading partnership formed in Hong Kong in 1895.
The Group, incorporated in the early 1960s in South East Asia, is today a highly-diversified entity engaged in seven core businesses: Chemicals, Communications, Industrial Products,
Marketing, Material Handling, Packaging and Process Technology. With a focus on South East Asia, the Group has established a firm foothold in the region through more than 40
subsidiaries and associate companies in Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, employing approximately 3,000 people. Since its incorporation, the
Group has grown dramatically in tandem with the region’s dynamic economic growth, strengthening its reputation as a leading provider of state-of-the-art technology and products
— committed to fulfilling customer needs with professionalism and integrity. Outside the region, the Group enjoys close ties with sister companies in Hong Kong, China, Denmark,
Germany and the USA.