HEW YIT FUN AND ALISON CHEN The other chief concern was finance. There are no payment terms extended by the quarries. The quarries expect to be paid in full before the materials are loaded on board the ship and shipping can take up to a month. Additionally, a job can typically take between six months to a year to complete. This can create cash flow problems. Nevermind accidental breakage or cracking that Stone De Art would have to cover. Of course, the pair could have taken the easy way out by opting to supply lower grade materials or under delivering on their client’s expectation. But they had seen this before and overcoming this was the very raison d’etre for Stone De Art. They were determined to do it differently, so they stuck it out. Within five years, things had begun to turn around. Initial teething issues were soon fixed, problems that arose were gradually solved, and important learnings were gained. Stone De Art began sourcing different types of marble instead of focusing on just one type, and although 90 percent of their materials still come from Italy, Alison also began sourcing stone from many other countries, such as China, Portugal and Turkey. The pair even picked up some Italian. Their numerous inspection trips, which were a necessity rather than a luxury, also allowed the couple to travel the length and breadth of the beautiful European nation. “ We like the culture and feel lucky that the first place we chose to do business was in Italy. It’s beautiful and the people there are very nice. From the north to the south, Milan, Verona, Rome, we enjoy the scenery the most,” travel enthusiast Alison trilled as we sat nursing a small cup of espresso freshly brewed by Yit Fun himself. PERSPECTIVES AND EXPECTATIONS Such fragile and incredibly heavy items are difficult to work with, which is why Stone De Art places a lot of emphasis on workmanship, both in the factory setting and during installation. Yit Fun who is Stone De Art Managing Director, helps his staff to understand the gravitas of what it is they do and puts their role into perspective for them. “ Training is very important,” he said of his work force, “ but the right person is more important than any training because it’s difficult to change someone’s attitude. Factory workers may understand their job but they may not comprehend that the marble that they are cutting is for a bungalow, and that this bungalow is the lifelong effort of the bungalow owner. As business owners we feel that pressure.” As the client-facing partner of Stone De Art, Yit Fun also deals with Stone De Art’s clientele, and views managing customer expectation as the most important part of his job and one of the “For Alison, whose background is sales, and managing accounts and purchasing, the most satisfying aspect of her job is finding a beautiful slab of marble.” most important aspects of the business, particularly because natural stone is by nature imperfect. “ Even high-end marble will have some imperfections,” he stressed. “As professionals it’s our duty to educate the client, who is essentially a lay man, on what is best suited for their needs.” Yit Fun imparts as much knowledge as is necessary to help the customer come to the best possible decision. “ By understanding how to select the right material for the right location and its eventual use, we can minimise maintenance issues for the customer.” Showing and sharing with the customer other completed projects also helps the customer to visualise the end result. “ By setting realistic expectations Stone De Art is able to supply peace of mind to the customer,” he smiled. FRIEND AND TRENDS Today the business is 15 years old and flourishing, and is a prime example of how to turn a disadvantage into an advantage. Their clientele often come to know of Stone De Art through word of mouth. “ We don’t advertise, we don’t take part in exhibitions, we don’t even have a signboard at the factory,” Yit Fun admitted. Instead Stone De Art’s point of difference is paying off. “ Now the customer introduces their friends to us,” Alison responded. “ When we complete a bungalow and our client throws a house warming party, their friends are impressed by what they see,” Yit Fun chimed in. Alison and Yit Fun’s own home is testament to the hard work and tenacity that they have put into their business. Its simple minimalist elegance is the collective blood, sweat and tears of 15 years of Stone De Art. Alison indulged us in a quick tour. There is grey marble on the floor. The kitchen is sandy blue marble from Italy, its veins perfectly connecting at the seam of each slab in a display of excellent workmanship. In the laundry room they use white marble in much smaller sized slabs. “At first we TM | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER <strong>2018</strong> 28
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