80th Anniversary Commemorative Book - Singapore Manufacturing ...

Being part of the communityMaking connectionsThe venue: The residence of the HighCommissioner to Pakistan.In attendance: The High Commissionerhimself, leading Pakistani industrialistsand about 40 SMF members.Over fine Pakistani fare of naan, kebabsand Pakistani dates, name cards areexchanged and business opportunitiesexplored.It is a scene which has played out manytimes over in the SMF’s 80-year history,where connections are made andrelationships established.Vice President of Strategic Marketingand Market Access for Johnson &Johnson Pte Ltd, Mr Alok Mishra whoalso chairs the SMF India BusinessGroup, which organised the event, said:“Establishing connections is a veryvaluable role which the SMF plays,particularly for SMEs which might nothave the capability of doing business inunfamiliar parts of the world.”Part of being a responsible corporate citizen entails giving back to thecommunity. In this regard, the SMF has been very zealous. Some of itsinitiatives include:• Providing about $350,000 in university scholarships to nine needystudents over three years. A tie-up with the Tampines Central Citizens’Consultative Committee and the Northeast Community DevelopmentCouncil will give these students the chance to study at the SMF Instituteof Higher Learning.• Offering job training to ex-offenders even while they are in prison so that theycan rejoin the workforce when released. In August 2012, the SMF Centrefor Corporate Learning was awarded a project tender to work with theSingapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE) – which trainsand carries out job placement for ex-offenders – to conduct job training for200 inmates. In collaboration with SCORE, the SMF also encourages itsmember companies to offer job opportunities to ex-offenders.• Running generic training programmes for security officers on theverge of retirement, to prepare them for post-retirement careers in themanufacturing or manufacturing-related industries. It also provideslogistics and warehouse training programmes for security officers,giving them the opportunity to obtain the Global Logistics Associate andProfessional Designation in Logistics and Supply Chain Management(PLS) Certifications offered by the American Society of Transportation andLogistics (ASTL).• Using proceeds from the 80 th Anniversary Fundraising Golf tournament tofund bursaries for SMF members or their offspring. “We want our membersto know that because their company is a member of the SMF, they or theirchildren can apply for bursaries to study for degrees at the SMF Instituteof Higher Learning,” said SMF President George Huang.Mr Huang views all these engagements as broadening the SMF’s touchpointsin the community. “This is important as we need the community. We are partof the community.”“We are taking the lead as an organisation to have many more touchpoints,to provide exposure and opportunities for our members. In this way, aswe become more relevant, others will come to us, and our networks andconnections will become wider.”Initiating Change 1997 – 2012 87