Breaking the Arctic ice - Keppel Corporation

28 Business
Partners through time and tide
Meaningful dialogue between Keppel FELS management and its subcontractors help improve productivity
Held annually, Keppel FELS’
‘Subcontractors’ Night’
serves as a dialogue session
for management and
all subcontractors to share
ideas and feedback for
improvement of working
processes and relationships.
At this year’s event, on
30 October 2008, one
question seemed to
preoccupy everyone’s minds.
With the current economic
downturn and tightening of
finances within companies,
will the subcontracting
workforce in Keppel FELS be
direly affected?
Addressing everyone’s
concerns, Mr Tong Chong
Heong, MD of Keppel FELS
assured, “Keppel FELS has
taken 40 years to be where
we are today. We have
Keppelite I November 2008
experienced the up and
down cycles of the industry
and went through difficult
times to emerge stronger.”
Yet, while work is assured,
Mr Tong warned that the
going will get tougher,
adding, “While we continue
to seek out new business
opportunities, we also ask
that our subcontractors
focus on executing well the
projects at hand, by working
more efficiently and
minimising resource
wastage.”
In addition to the safety and
long-term partnership
awards given out, this event
also saw formalisation of the
Subcontractors Executive
Committee. Comprising 20
members from different
companies, the Committee
serves as a formal channel of
Our subcontractors are an extension
of our workforce. We have
partnered you in almost every aspect
of our business, from safety to the
expansion of our facilities. Let us
continue this partnership to tide
through this storm.
Mr Tong Chong Heong
MD, Keppel FELS
communication between
Keppel FELS management
and the hundreds of
subcontracting companies.
Chairman of the Committee,
Mr Low Eng Cheong of
Crest, also shared that the
setup aimed to foster and
enhance both parties’
working relationship as
well as to champion and
implement new initiatives
for the subcontractor
community.
An initiative which the
Committee had come up
with is the development of a
subcontractor personnel
handbook which consolidates
Keppel FELS’ rules and
regulations, safety, important
help lines and other relevant
information. keppelite