Tropicana Magazine May-June 2015

AN INTERVIEW WITH MR. CHARLES LIM
Beauty in
BUSINESS
A BUSINESSMAN WITH A PASSION FOR PERFECTION, DISCOVER HOW PURSUING
VALUES IN THE WORKPLACE CAN LEAD TO BEAUTIFUL RESULTS.
AN INTERVIEW BY JUSTIN HEYES PHOTOGRAPHS KAH MUN/MYTH STUDIO
ART DIRECTION NOR HAMIMAH ABDULLAH HAIR CODY CHUA MAKE-UP ANNIE GHO
STYLING BY GEORGINA ANG
I had the good fortune of arriving early to my interview
this time, allowing me to get settled before Charles Lim
arrived, precisely on time, to begin our discussion. Striding
confidently across the room, I was able to observe his
acknowledgement of everyone else in the room, before
he greeted me with all the manners of a professional
businessman, but with a sincerity that is rarely seen
nowadays. Unlike other businessmen that I have met before,
the formalities that Charles showed me appeared to be born
out of a genuine respect for all around him, and not out of
the manual of what is ‘acceptable business practice’, making
it very difficult not to immediately like him.
So… to start off - you’re a managing director at United
Technologies – Building & Industrial Systems, what
exactly does that entail? More over what does it mean
to you?
We’re in the business of developing technologies. More
specifically, the technologies that make high-rise buildings
possible. With the continuing urbanization in Malaysia
and the growing middle class, the demand for highrise
properties, retail establishments and educational
institutions are on the increase. This in turn increases
the demand for elevators, air-conditioning and fire and
security solutions. At UTC, we design, manufacture,
install, maintain and modernize the elevators, escalators,
air-conditioning systems as well as fire and security
systems. In a nutshell, all of the things that you would
take for granted, that serve to make life safer and more
comfortable, are what we specialise in.
I never thought of it like that… I live on the 12th floor
so the lift is really important to me! Have there been
many advances in those technologies then?
Oh the industry is constantly growing, we don’t wait for
a need to arise for us to respond – so UTC is constantly
looking to improve on the existing models and make them
more efficient and more sustainable. We focus on the
values that are important, and will make a real difference to
people’s lives – now and in the future. It’s really important
especially if we are going to keep looking to high rise
properties as a solution to an increasing population and
demand for accommodation.
Can you give me any examples that you think have
made a difference to the construction processes today?
Well a big advancement recently is our OTIS Gen2
elevator. It uses a reinforced belt instead of ropes. This
makes the lifts safer, and requires smaller machines to
drive the system - therefore greatly reducing energy
consumption. Our carrier business also has the world’s
most energy efficient chillers. Building technologies to
be more sustainable is a big focus in our industry at the
moment. With a growing population, countries have
to start looking at reducing their energy consumption
drastically. A lot of people think that energy saving bulbs
will make a difference, but the reality is that in a high rise
development, only about 10% of the energy is consumed
by lighting, whereas the air conditioning and elevators
which are used communally are actually consuming about
60% of the overall energy used within the property.
70 TM | MAY/JUNE 2015