SME Booklet 2018

mon

22.05.2017

MACAU

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macau

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thAnniversary

UCCESSFUL

contracts

withSandsChinahavepaved

theway foramicro company to

access larger amounts of credit

from local banks, allowing the

firm to accept more projects

from local clients.

VastCom Technology is an IT

solutions company that ope-

ned in 2010 aiming to provide

IT products, services and solu-

tions to localbusinesses.

The company also outsources

their employees to clients such

as integrated resorts for up to

twomonths.

Seeing potential for these

kinds of IT services in Macau,

Crystal Ieong,generalmanager

of VastCom Technology foun-

ded the business togetherwith

apartner.

Although thereweresome lar-

ge IT companies in the region

back then, Ieong recalled that

therewere several competitors

in themicroandSmallandMe-

diumEnterprises (SMEs) cate-

gory.

Yet due to the lack of human

resources,particularly in the IT

industry, Ieong admitted that

acquiring high-tech engineers

was problematic, adding that

cash flow was also a major is-

sue.

“So when getting large deals

from those casinos and inter-

national corporations,we need

to have some support from

banks andotherfinancial insti-

tutions [and] that is one of the

difficulties forus,” Ieongnoted.

Accessing credit from local

banks remains a challenge for

micro companies, particularly

if thefirm fails to ensure its re-

turnon investment.

Thegeneralmanageradmitted

that banks have refused their

application for loans, yet their

collaboration with Sands China

has turned thingsaround.

“So afterwe dealtwith Sands

China, we had those projects

and contracts in hand and we

used them to show to the bank

we had on-going projects. So

they approved [the loan appli-

cation],” said Ieong.

Ieong revealed that she cur-

rently has one labor import

quota available, which would

allow her to employ a foreign

worker.Yet she refused to take

oneonboard as shementioned

that the employment of local

workers remains a priority for

the firm – just as Sands China

supports local young entrepre-

neursandmade-in-Macaupro-

ducts.

VastComstarted itscollabora-

tion with the gaming operator

in 2014 and is providing after-

sales support to its clients.

From minor transactions to

extensive ones, the firm has

kept its relationshipwithSands

China growing, noting that its

sales volume to them has tri-

pled.

In 2014, the micro company

provided hardware to Sands

Chinaona competitivebasis.

VastComwasalsoencouraged

to participate in the SME pro-

gram initiated by Sands China

Contracts with Sands China

benefit micro-firms

which gave the firm access to

further cooperate with the lar-

ge company.

After a year of collabora-

tion with the gaming opera-

tor, Ieong affirmed, “they [the

bank] have approved more

credit amount for us [as our]

contract with Sands [showed

we] have higher credibility,”

she said.

Although the 10-employee

firm is facing a human resour-

ce setback, Sands China has

also offered support in terms

of assisting them in its service

provision.

Supporting thegrowthof local

enterpriseshas remained a key

focus forSandsChina.

With the gaming operator’s

support for the local govern-

ment’s initiative to “buy local,”

SandsChinahasdemonstrated

its commitment to supporting

enterprises in the region as

part of its corporate social res-

ponsibilityprogram.

Sands China views local en-

terprises as its strategic part-

ners, and Ieong is confident in

its continuous support of her

smallfirm.

“In the past three years, our

businesswithSandsChinahad

tripled [and] we’d like to keep

on doing business with them,”

Ieong reiterated.

The general manager also

mentioned thatSandsSupplier

Excellence Awards, held an-

nually, inspires micro-firms

and its fellow SMEs, and has

been encouragingfirms to pro-

vide outstanding services and

cooperation with the gaming

operator.

As the awards are a global

initiative of Sands China’s pa-

rentcompany,LasVegasSands

Corp, Ieong implied that such

awards would be beneficial to

the company’s ongoing growth

and success.

Ieong agreed that Sands Chi-

na’s procurement from not

only large companies but of

SMEs and micro-firms have

boosted creative partnership

opportunities and growth of

Macau companies.

Justrecently,SandsChinahas

again launchedanotherscheme

to support local SME suppliers

called the “F.I.T.”program.

The program aims to conti-

nually drive business between

the gaming operator and its

suppliers, targeting both new

and existing relationshipswith

SandsChina.

F.I.T. iscomprisedof threepi-

llars:FinancialSupport, Invita-

tional Matching, and Training

andDevelopment.

The Sands China Young En-

trepreneur Advance Payment

Program is being created to

help local young entrepreneurs

with limited financial capacity

run their businesses. Its target

is local young entrepreneurs

with a staff of 15 or less, pre-

paying them30percentofcon-

tractedpurchaseorders.

In a bid to broaden local

SMEs contacts beyond poten-

tial Sands China buyers, the

gamingoperator ishosting tar-

geted trade shows.

These invitational matching

sessions, starting last month,

provide a platform for local

SMEs to present and demons-

trate their products and ser-

vices to potential users and

buyers at Sands China proper-

ties with the company’s com-

plete support.

Through this platform, not

only would communication

between vendors and users be

enhanced but the procurement

success rate would improve –

allowing local SMEs to further

expand theirproductandservi-

ceofferings.

Meanwhile the new Sands

China Procurement Academy

aims to develop local SME su-

ppliers by sharing business

knowledge and skills, helping

them gain experience and ca-

pacity for working with large

international customers like

Sands China. It will provide

tailor-made practical training

modules to local SMEs, pre-

senting them with a certificate

upon graduating from the aca-

demy.

Thisarticle is sponsoredby

SandsChina Limited

2016SandsSupplierExcellenceAwardsceremony

ElectronicpanelsuppliedbyVastCom

The bank have approved more

credit amount for us [as our]

contract with Sands [showed we]

have higher credibility.

CRYSTAL IEONG

mon

10.07.2017

MACAU

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thAnniversary

Kitchenware supplier forecasts 100 pct

sales growth with Sands China

ALES

turnover of a few

thousandpatacas to some

MOP2.5million is a stag-

gering revenue shift for a

local enterprise in just two years

with its partnership with Sands

China.

In just two years’ time, Chon

Wa Catering Equipment Supply

Co. Ltd has seen a boost in its

sales revenue with Sands China,

as the gaming operatorhas been

keenonpurchasingfrom localsu-

ppliers.

Established in Macau several

years ago toprovide engineering

and design for kitchen equip-

ment, the local enterprise only

began to supply heavy-duty kit-

chenware, catering utensils and

equipment to local clients in

2015.

With the support of SandsChi-

na,thisSmallandMediumEnter-

prise (SME) has successfully en-

teredthemarket,withthegaming

operator contributing to nearly

30percentof itsoverallrevenue.

Anthony Yip, director of Busi-

nessofChonWaCateringEquip-

ment Supply noted that the firm

only startedwith three staff and

has increasedto itscurrent12due

to this sudden boost to its busi-

ness.

“Iwould like to sendmy thank

you toSandsChinabecause they

gave us very good support since

starting our business, [giving] us

a chance tomake offers and or-

ders,”Yipremarked.

According to him, the first deal

with the gaming operator was

only a few thousand patacas, yet

thishasgrownmassivelywith the

supportofSandsChina.

“The first dealwas a few thou-

sand. There are many brands

thatwedidnot know but [based

on Sands China’s] inquiries, the

brands we wholesale now have

increased,”Yipadded.

The local SME is currently the

sole agent inMacau ofmany ki-

tchenware brands and a distri-

butor of some 100 well-known

brands.

Theentrepreneursees thisasan

advantage as the enterprise can

presentawiderrangeofproducts

andbrands toothergamingope-

rators.

The entrepreneur mentioned

that at the beginning of the bu-

siness, they did not have many

brandstooffertoclients.

“In the beginning, I would say

that there were zero brands we

wereofferingbutaftertwoyearsof

effortandgood relationshipswith

suppliers,somebrandsgrantedus

alicensetobeasoleagentordistri-

butor,”henoted.

Given theaimof thebusiness to

offer high quality products to the

localmarket, the company intro-

duced itsbusiness to theprocure-

ment teamofSandsChinahoping

to establish good relationships

withthegamingoperator.

Yipmentioned that thebusiness

with SandsChina has “has conti-

nuously grown from moment to

moment.”

Currently, the local enterprise is

expecting to see its revenue with

thegamingoperatordoublebythe

end of the year as it continues to

expand itsproductrange.

With the opening of The Pari-

sian Macao in September 2016,

thedirectoracknowledged that its

contracts with Sands China have

contributed to significant growth

in itssalesvolume in2016.

“We did a lot of business with

TheParisianMacao.Wesolda lot

of products,” the director confir-

med.

With thecontinuouspartnership

with Sands China, Chon Wa has

strengthened its credibility with

local restaurants, hotels and ga-

mingoperators,pavingthewayfor

furtherbusinessprospects.

The enterprise is also benefiting

from Sands China’s commitment

topurchase goods and commodi-

ties from localsuppliers to further

support itsprocurementbaseand

SMEgrowth.

Thus with this commitment,

Sands China offers more busi-

ness opportunities to local SMEs,

micro-enterprises, young entre-

preneurs, and “Made-in-Macao”

enterprises.

SandsChina’s Local Small,Me-

dium and Micro Suppliers Su-

pportProgram–a scheme in line

with theMSAR’s initiative to “buy

local” - has been providing local

enterpriseswithgreaterprospects

toremainsuccessfulinthemarket.

As Sands China views its su-

ppliers as its strategicpartners,

theentrepreneurnoted that the

gamingoperator’sprocurement

team have also been assisting

them in sourcing quality pro-

ducts toadd to itswide rangeof

productandbrand selections.

“The procurement team [has

assisted] in [rejuvenating our

range of] quality products and

[the] content of [our] produc-

ts. That’s why we are going to

set up our new show room and

demokitchen,”heexplained.

“In this way, we have more

chance to introduce our new

products, including to Sands

China’s procurement depart-

ment,” thedirectoradded.

Chon Wa provides before-

and after-sales service to aid

its clients in choosing the right

machinewith advice for equip-

ment customization.

The supplier also values after-

sales maintenance services to

reach high standards in quality

heavy-dutykitchenware.

Yip noted that the company

is still developing its business

and looking for ways to grow.

Adding that Sands China has

contributed to nearly 30 per-

cent of the supplier’s overall

revenue receipts,Yip remarked

that the firm will further de-

pend on the continued support

of Sands China and its local

customers.

“Idon’t think there isproblem

for us in [terms of] financing

[thegrowth]but themain thing

left to us to do is to [further]

developourbusiness andmake

it grow, but of course this de-

pends on the support [of our

customers],” said thedirector.

“Wewill continue toworkwith

consistency and integrity to win

their trust,” thedirectorpledged.

Currently the company is

seeking reliable new foreign

brands tofit theMacaumarket.

According to Yip, the group

will also focus on acquiring

cleaning equipment to supply

to its local clients to improve

their food hygiene standards.

“I think it’s a trend and maybe

there’sapotentialmarketoppor-

tunity.Thatiswhywearegoingto

dealwith a cleaningmachine su-

pplierwhose factory issituated in

Europe,” theentrepreneurnoted.

Yip also shared that there are

some plans to participate in the

Macao International trade and

Investment Fair (MIF) held an-

nually atTheVenetianMacao in

October, to showcase thegroup’s

newproducts.

The entrepreneur stressed that

projectssuchasacquiringandsu-

pplyinghigh-end catering equip-

ment andheavy-duty equipment

were alldue to the support of its

local clients, particularly Sands

China.

“They [SandsChina]havegiven

usa lotoftime…andmadeoffers

to us, and in this period of time,

we learned and gained much.

That is why we want to express

our gratitude to them for giving

usa lotofsupport,”Yipvoiced.

“If, at themoment,we are suc-

cessful, this is coming from the

supportofSandsChina,” the en-

trepreneuracknowledged.

Thisarticle issponsoredby

SandsChinaLtd.

“If, at the

moment, we

are successful,

this is coming

from the

support of

Sands China.”

ANTHONYYIP

DIRECTOR,CHONWA

AnthonyYip

Heavydutyequipment

UtensilsandequipmentsuppliedbyChonWa

mon

12.06.2017

MACAU

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thAnniversary

Sands China’s Local Supplier

Support Program a noteworthy

move for Macau SMEs

RAINING

anddevelo-

ping localmicro, small

and medium enterpri-

seshas always been an

initiativeofSandsChina,aiming

to assist such enterprises in

growing their sales and expan-

ding their scope of contribution

to thecasinooperator.

Toprovide aplatform for local

SMEs to showcase theirproduc-

tsandservices topotentialusers

andbuyers, thegamingoperator

has gone the extra mile to su-

pport localenterprises.

A localconstructionanddesign

company, Masterpieces Design,

isoneof themany localandMa-

de-in-Macau companies the ga-

ming operator has assisted and

educated inmattersofbusiness.

Jess Ieng, executive director

of Masterpieces Design, esta-

blished the company with a

business partner in 2012. The

enterprisehas threemajorbusi-

nesses, namely interior design,

constructiondesign,and the su-

pplyofconstructionmaterials.

Currently, the firm provides

interior design services to ho-

tels and apartments,with some

of itsdesignersbased inMacau,

while others reside inmainland

ChinaandMalaysia.

Ieng seized the opportunity to

establish the firm as there was

a demand back then for inte-

rior designers and construction

supplies, as several residential

houseswerebeingbuilt.

Upon entering themarket, the

company faced several challen-

ges such as a lack of human re-

sources, as according to Ieng,

there are few professional de-

signers in Macau. To meet the

company’s needs, Ieng was re-

quired to import labor.

One of Masterpieces Design’s

goals is to continually import

more materials and expand its

construction services offering.

As the constructionprojects are

labor-intensive, the entrepre-

neur hinted that they mainly

focus on construction, interior,

andarchitecturaldesign.

However, managing the firm

was not as easy as it seemed,

as therewere challenges in cost

control,he said.

The executive director shared

how thefirm’s partnershipwith

Sands China began and how it

has impacted the company in

acquiring needed knowledge

and support.

Masterpieces Design has been

supplyingmarble toSandsCotai

Central for nearly a year, with

assistance from thegamingope-

ratoralongeverystepof thepro-

curementprocess.

“I would like to thank Sands

China because not only have

I had the opportunity to work

with Sands China but the pro-

curement team explained to the

firm how to do each procedure

and each step,” said the execu-

tivedirector.

With the supportive feedback

and assistance from the gaming

operator, the entrepreneur fir-

mlyholds that SandsChinahas

contributed to the overall grow-

thofhiscompany.

According to Ieng, as Sands

China mandates particular re-

quirements and standards in

their procurement process,

MasterpiecesDesignhas sought

to learn someof theseoperating

procedures from themore esta-

blishedenterprise.

“We can learn from each

opportunity because our com-

pany is too young for each [pro-

curement] step,” the entrepre-

neuradded.

The construction and design

company is still facing challen-

ges with the lack of human re-

sources in itsconstruction team.

“Professional

construction

labor in Macau is lacking and

ageing; not many young guys

would like todo this job.So, the

only way is to import some la-

bor from overseas or in China;

so the costwill go down for the

clients as well,” the entrepre-

neurexplained.

Yet the executive director ad-

ded that the government has

always been supportive of local

enterprises by easing and facili-

tating the termsof loans to such

firms.Thismight includeprovi-

ding themaccess to interest-free

loans ofMOP600,000 forup to

eightyears.

With the continuous support

of Sands China to local SMEs,

MasterpiecesDesign is only one

of the many companies who

have benefited from the gaming

operators’ programs for young

entrepreneurs and micro-enter-

prises.

The gaming operator is offe-

ring more business opportuni-

ties to SMEs, micro-enterpri-

ses, young entrepreneurs, and

“Made-in-Macao” enterprises,

through its preferential treat-

mentof localfirms.

One of Masterpieces Design’s

goal is to continually import

more materials and to expand

its construction services offe-

ring.As theconstructionprojec-

tsare labor intensive, the entre-

preneurhinted that theymainly

focus on construction, interior,

andarchitecturaldesign.

Further, Ieng added that the

Sands China Supplier Awards

is inspiring local enterprises to

pursueexcellence in theservices

they provide, which enhances

thecompany’scredibility.

“That’s a very good initiative

and it’s a good encouragement

for the suppliers,” she said.

“It shows the significance of

Sands China on how theywork

with the suppliers, and also

during the dinner or the event,

anyproblemsorany issues they

can raise and also exchange

thoughts,”hecontinued.

Just last month, the gaming

operator conducted back-of-

house roadshows for local SME

suppliers.

Held atSandsMacao,TheVe-

netianMacao,SandsCotaiCen-

tral and The Parisian Macao,

the roadshows, organized by

two local enterprises, sold over

MOP1.1 million in products to

SandsChina teammembers.

Since 2011, roadshows like

these have been held regularly

for Sands China team mem-

bers, averaging one roadshow

every threemonths.Theybene-

fit SMEs by giving them access

todirect business opportunities

with customers while giving

Sands China’s nearly 30,000

team members a chance to en-

joydiscountedoffers.

According to SandsChina, the

scheme demonstrates its com-

mitment to supporting local

enterprises as part of the com-

pany’s corporate social respon-

sibilityefforts.

It is part of Sands China’s su-

pplier relationship manage-

ment strategy, underwhich the

gaming operator views its su-

ppliersas its strategicpartners.

This article is sponsored by Sands

ChinaLtd.

I would like to

thank Sands

China because

I had the

opportunity

to work with

them [and] the

procurement

team explained

to the firm how

to do each

procedure and

each step.

JESS IENG

EXECUTIVEDIRECTOR

Jess Ieng (right)

mon

14.08.2017

MACAU

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thAnniversary

Company sees upsurge in sales

following partnership with Sands China

Our sales

volume

[with Sands

China] grew

from below

MOP10,000 to

MOP800,000 in

less than a year.

ANTHEAWAI

GENERALMANAGER

LynzyValles

local enterprise has

madeitswaytogenera-

tethemostsoughtafter

contracts forSmalland

MediumEnterprises(SMEs)-su-

pplying a variety of products to

hotels including Sands China’s

properties.

From items such as hotel sli-

ppers and umbrellas to leather

products and customized paper

bags, Cheers Hotel Supply Tra-

dingcurrentlyhas60hotelson its

client list.

Although founded in 2011, an

upsurgeinthecompany’srevenue

only occurred in 2015 following

the Sands China Local Supplier

OpenDay inAugustof thatyear.

The Open Day was held in a

bid to strengthen Sands China’s

commitment to local procure-

ment.Partneringwith theMacao

Chamber ofCommerce to create

the first program of its kind in

Macau,SandsChina struck seve-

ralagreementswithCheersHotel

SupplyTrading.

AntheaWai,generalmanagerof

the local firm, recalled that they

weregivenanoverviewof the lar-

ger company’s procurement sys-

temswith itsemployeescoaching

them in processes such as pur-

chasingandsupplier registration.

Currently, theSMEenterpriseof-

fers a number of products inclu-

dingslippers,hangers,andstatio-

nery sets to several properties in

SandsChina’sportfolio.

Thefirm also suppliesproducts

toLasVegas’MarinaBaySands.

The local enterprise currently

has amanufacturingfirm,which

adds to its strengthas it cannow

produce products in batches to

accommodate small order quan-

tities.

Recalling that the companyhas

been inbusinessexpansionmode

since 2015,Wai shared that sta-

ff numbers have nearly doubled

and the companyhasmoved toa

largeroffice.

“The business has now been in

themarket for six years.There is

growth in thebusinesssalesvolu-

me.We’veseenalotofprogressin

thesepast fewyears.”

Although Wai faced difficulties

in common with other SMEs in

this region’s competitive market

such as staff salaries, human re-

sourcesandcashflow,thegeneral

manager isgrateful for theSands

China’s SME program, and rela-

tedprojects.

The gaming operator is conti-

nually expanding its support of

localenterprises inMacau throu-

gh itsLocalSupplierSupportPro-

gram, and the local entrepreneur

noted that such programs allow

an ease in thefirm’s cashflow as

a deposit is paid even before the

itemsareproduced.

“Cashflow isnotaverybigpro-

blem because the SME program

is inplace.Companiesarewilling

topayadepositsocashflow isbe-

tter thanbefore,”shesaid.

With such assistance easing

suchcommongrowingpains,Wai

hasmaintained competitive sala-

ries to her nine local employees

whilst she maintains a “family-

friendlyspirit” inherfirm.

Meanwhile, as a result Sands

China’s F.I.T. program, which is

comprisedof threepillars:Finan-

cial Support, Invitational Mat-

ching, and Training andDevelo-

pment,CheersHotelSupplyTra-

ding is now providing their bags

toSandsChinaLtd. inMacau, to

Marina Bay Sands in Singapore,

and toLasVegas SandsCorp. in

theUnitedStates.

The local supplier’s merchan-

dise is tobeused forLVS’ global

charity project, the Clean the

WorldHygieneKitBuild, inAu-

gustandSeptemberof thisyear.

TheF.I.T.programhas success-

fullyassisted the local supplier to

branchout toanoverseasmarket

– and with the three buyers ha-

ving the same standards, the en-

terprise is able to take advantage

of their global synergy to be the

singlesupplier for the threediffe-

rentmarkets.

Wai noted that her company is

developing into a reliable local

company, as most of its trade is

withMacauandSouth-eastAsia.

“I am particularly grateful to

SandsChina for its timelyhelp to

providea rareopportunity tocol-

laborate with Marina Bay Sands

and Las Vegas Sands Corp,” the

entrepreneurexpressed.

“With this collaboration, my

companynotonly gets the credi-

bility in the localmarket,butalso

getsmore andmore experiences

inexporttrading,”Waicontinued.

Participating in the F.I.T. Pro-

gram became an opportunity for

Cheers’ development. As a local

company, the program provided

practical plans and timely su-

pport to increase the enterprise’s

competivenesson localmarket.

“With the help of SandsChina,

Cheershadachance tocooperate

with theother twogamingopera-

tors and got the first order from

USA and Singapore,” Wai reite-

rated.

The local supplier is included in

Sands China’s pioneering long-

term initiative that focuses on

local businesses including small

and micro companies, “Made in

Macao” companies and Macau

youngentrepreneurs.

It aims to develop these local

companies to grow along with

them,andalsoaims to transform

micro suppliers in the territory

into localSMEs.

Cheers Hotel Supply Trading’s

significant partnership with the

gaming operator has led to de-

veloping new clients as the rela-

tionship has laid a strong foun-

dation for its reputation and cre-

dibility,hence contributing to its

overallrevenuegrowth.

“Sands China contributed to

the company’s growth, especially

market share. It has enhanced

ourreputationandcredibilityand

the products can then serve as a

future reference [to] other clien-

ts,”said theentrepreneur.

Theclientcategorieshavevaried

fromhotels tooutletsandrestau-

rants.

With Sands China’s ongoing

procurement relationship effor-

ts,Wainoted that they, inreturn,

have paid attention to the follow

up and have communicated clo-

sely on the smalldetails, sparing

littleeffortoneachquotation.

WiththeLocalSupplierSupport

Program, Wai revealed that the

enterprise has received a signifi-

cantnumberofproduct requests

leading to staggering growth in

salesvolume–all inunderayear.

“Our sales volume [with

Sands China] grew from below

MOP10,000 toMOP800,000 in

less thanayear,”Waiaffirmed.

Sharing tales of the enterpri-

se’s setbacks when it started in

2011, the generalmanager star-

ted as a “one-man-band” as the

planwas only to retail cleaning

products.

Yet through the process and

seeing the opportunities in the

market,Waibegan tohirepeople

despite setbacks in both quality

andcostcontrol.

“Especially [with] manufactu-

rers in China, there are cultural

and quality differences. Some-

times when there are damaged

products, we have to produce it

again and supplement [with] a

newonenomatter thecost,”said

theentrepreneur.

Currently, the enterprise is also

focused on designing new pro-

ducts toputpresent to itsclients.

In accordance with Sands Chi-

na’seco-friendlyschemessuchas

Sands ECO360, which is desig-

ned toutilizemeasures including

resource recycling, conservation

and community engagement,

Wainoted thathercompanyalso

hasplans toproduceeco-friendly

materials.

Wai said that they will be ne-

gotiating with manufacturers in

China in order tobe readywhen

her clients request eco-friendly

products.

Moreover, theentrepreneurho-

ped that the enterprise will also

receive recognition at the Sands

SupplierExcellenceAwards.

Held annually,SandsChina re-

cognizes outstanding suppliers

who played a vital role in assis-

ting thegamingoperatorexecute

itsstrategy.

Thisarticlewassponsoredby

SandsChinaLtd.

Leatherproducts thecompanysupplies

AntheaWai,generalmanager

Products thecompanysupplies

thu

14.09.2017

MACAU

澳聞

macau

’

leading

newspaper

thAnniversary

further support local

procurement and Small

and Medium Enterpri-

se (SME) growth, Sands

Chinahas chosen toacquirepro-

duct from a ‘Made-in-Macao’

enterprise to supply a variety of

gourmet products to its five pro-

perties.

CityGourmetCompanyLimited,

a local company established in

2007,hasbeensupplyinggourmet

products from smoked meats to

cold-cutssince2016.

Due to the ready availability of

products through the company in

Macau, food and beverage com-

paniessuppliedby themare likely

toobtain fresherproductscompa-

red to accessing product supply

fromneighboringregions.

CityGourmetcurrentlyproduces

cooked and fine gourmet foods,

and tailor-made products for its

clients.

The localfirmbecameoneof the

suppliers to the gaming operator

after a successful introduction its

products and services to Sands

China.

MotivatedbySandsChina’s lau-

nching of theSMEprogram,City

Gourmetinitiatedthepartnership,

whichSandsChinawelcomed.

SandsChina’sprocurementteam

was thensent toconductaquality

assurance inspection and took a

lookat thefirm’sstandardof food

hygieneat their facilities toensure

thequalityofthefoodbeingserved

toguests.

As an example ofSandsChina’s

aim of assisting local enterprises

to grow alongwith the integrated

resorts, Sands China quickly pla-

cedanorderofnearlythreetonsof

gourmet foods in itsfirst transac-

tionwiththefirm.

CityGourmet currently supplies

22 ofSandsChina’s food andbe-

verageoutlets.

“Thefirstorderwasveryquick.In

two-weekstheystartedtoplaceor-

dersand thevolumewasbetween

two and three tons of products,”

saidSimonTam,generalmanager

ofCityGourmet.

AccordingtoTam,SandsChina’s

Local Small, Medium and Micro

SuppliersSupportProgramserves

as an advantage tohis enterprise,

noting that the gamingoperator’s

purchasing team showed support

evenbeforetheformalpartnership

commenced.

“Whenwestarted tocontactThe

Venetian, the purchasing team

was very supportive to us,” Tam

noted.

“When theyknew thatweprovi-

deMade inMacaoproducts, they

wereverykeenandhappy tovisit

us and seewhatwe could supply

to them,” the entrepreneur conti-

nued.

Tam also remarked that Sands

Chinachampions thegovernment

policy on prioritizing purchases

fromSMEsestablished in the ter-

ritory.

“SandsChinaisalsoverysuppor-

tiveoftheMacaugovernmentpoli-

cy.Just [as]during their invitatio-

nalmatchingsession,theyallowed

us to showcaseourproducts, and

theprocurement team responded

fast,”recalledtheentrepreneur.

Meanwhile, thegeneralmanager

highlighted that the human re-

sourcessituationisstillachallenge

being facedby localSMEs,noting

that the bottleneck could hinder

thegrowthof itsbusinesses.

Duetothestrictpoliciesover im-

portedlabor,thelackofmanpower

remains a challenge to the com-

panywhich resulted in having to

refusealocalhotels’requestforthe

supplyofgourmetproducts.

“Macau lacks this kind of

manpower.Whatmostcompanies

are facing is this problem: they

can’tget therightpeople todo the

workforthem,”Tam lamented.

Tamalsohoped that thegovern-

mentwould resource local enter-

prisesby employingnon-residen-

ts.

“Ihopethegovernmentcanallow

us to a have bigger [non-resident

to resident] workers’ proportion

to make our factory production

powerbiggerand[to]supplymore

quality products,” expressed the

entrepreneur.

Yetdespite thesehurdles,Tam is

grateful that Sands China’s SME

programs, alongwith itsprocure-

ment team have significantly as-

sisted them in enhancing service

qualityand rangeofproducts that

theyoffertothegamingoperator’s

enterprises.

Even considering the scale of

Sands China’s operation, the en-

trepreneurnotedthatheneverfelt

intimidatedby thesizeof itsclient

due to its continuous support for

their business; treating the enter-

priseasvaluedpartners.

Although there are plans to ex-

pand thebusiness inabid tocater

to thedemandsof local integrated

resorts and to promote local pro-

ducts, City Gourmet is currently

focusing on supplying top quality

productsto itsclients.

Havingbeena supplierofSands

China for over a year, Tam em-

phasized that he sees a potential

opportunity for significant turno-

vervolume.

CityGourmetacknowledgedthat

theswiftandaccommodating res-

ponsefromtheprocurementteam

ofSandsChinahas assisted them

toplanforproductionandon-time

deliverytotheproperties.

Sands China has been closely

involved in activities that benefit

SMEs such as giving them access

todirectbusinessopportunities.

To continually demonstrate the

company’s commitment to su-

pporting local enterprises as part

of the operator’s corporate social

responsibility, Sands China has

continuouslybeeninvolvedinpur-

chasing localproducts.

To further support these lo-

cal entrepreneurs, Sands China

conducts a ‘Sands China Pro-

curement Academy,’ aiming to

develop local SME suppliers by

sharing business knowledge and

skills, helping them gain expe-

rience and capacity toworkwith

large-scale international custo-

mers likeSandsChina.

Inlinewiththegovernment’spo-

licyof“buy local,”thegamingope-

ratorhascontinuallyexpressed its

aimof seeing localSMEsbecome

a significantpartof thegrowthof

theregion’seconomy.

Thus, its academy program

provides tailor-made practical

training modules to local SMEs,

presenting themwitha certificate

upon graduating from the aca-

demy.

Graduating suppliers will beco-

me preferential suppliers under

otherwise equal circumstances.

The academy is targeted toward

local small- and medium-sized

enterprises (SMEs), micro-enter-

prises, young entrepreneurs, and

“Made-in-Macao”enterprises.

Thisarticlewassponsoredby

SandsChinaLtd.

Gourmet enterprise sees Sands

China’s commitment to local SMEs

“When they knew that we

provide Made in Macao

products, they were very keen

and happy to visit us and see

what we could supply to them.”

SIMONTAM

GENERALMANAGER

mon

16.10.2017

MACAU

澳聞

macau

’

leading

newspaper

thAnniversary

Micro-enterprise sees stable

business growthwith Sands China

Since Sands

China

prioritizes

SMEs, it has

also helped us

to cooperate

with other

hotels and

gaming

operators, and

gave us higher

credibility.

STANLEYLO

DIRECTOR

local micro-enterpri-

se has seen a nearly

20 percent increase

in its annual sales

turnover following its contrac-

tswithSandsChina.

Ocean Pride Food Company

is one of the many micro-en-

terprises that participated in

Sands China’s Local Supplier

Support Program in 2015 – a

program in line with the go-

vernment’s initiative to “buy

local.”

As theprogramdemonstrates

Sands China’s commitment to

supporting local enterprisesas

partof the company’s corpora-

te social responsibility efforts,

Ocean Pride Food has seen a

steady growth in its sales af-

ter its continuous partnership

withSandsChina.

The localenterprisecurrently

supplies frozen commodities

to the integrated resort inclu-

ding meat and seafood, along

withdairyproducts.

StanleyLo, director ofOcean

Pride Food remarked that

Sands China quickly pla-

ced an order totaling some

MOP600,000 after learning

about the enterprise and its

foodhygieneprocesses.

Stanley initially planned to

supply local restaurants yet

bravely targeted gaming ope-

rators when Sands China lau-

nched itsSMEprogram.

“Our target was to supply

some restaurants. Luckily I

saw Sands China’s SME pro-

grams on the website so I joi-

ned,”Lo recalled.

The director is also grateful

to the local government for

helping SMEs launch busines-

ses.

“When we started the com-

pany, we depended on local

restaurants and supermarkets

to stabilize our daily opera-

tions. Luckily, Sands China’s

SME program helps us build

up the business more easily.”

he added.

Along with government po-

licy, the Sands China’s SME

program has contributed to

thedevelopmentof localSMEs

including ‘Made in Macao’

products and young entrepre-

neurs.These elementsarepart

of SCL’s supplier relationship

management strategy.

Ocean Pride Food started its

partnership with Sands China

after it submitted competitive

product pricing to the gaming

operator.

Thus, according to Lo, the

company saw stable growth

in the firm’s annual sales once

thepartnership commenced.

Lo also noted that each con-

tract is valid for some 6 to 12

months, which has resulted

in being able to present much

more competitive pricing to

the gaming operator as it ena-

bled the firm to gain longer

term volume discounts from

its own suppliers.

“Luckily the contractsarenot

only for one month so I will

have this [client] to provide

to for a period of time,” Lo re-

marked.

“Due to these contracts, we

alsoget thebestprice fromour

suppliers which also adds to

our profitability,” the director

continued.

Meanwhile, the micro com-

pany - currently employing

six staff -notedhow beneficial

the SME program is for Sands

China as it contributed to the

growth of its stakeholders.

According to Lo, as Sands

China prioritizes local SMEs,

it assists them in becoming

more competitive in the local

market.

“With theSMEprogram, the-

re is ahigher chanceof staying

in business for a longer time

because theprocurement team

[ofSandsChina]prioritizes lo-

calSMEs,”Lo shared.

“Since Sands China prioriti-

ze the SMEs, it also helped us

to cooperate with other hotels

and gaming operators, and

gave us a higher credibility,”

he added.

Meanwhile the entrepreneur

shared that he has participa-

ted in the new Sands China

ProcurementAcademy inabid

to develop his business know-

ledgeand skills toassisthim in

gaining experience.

Joining the program, local

entrepreneurs would increase

their capacity forworkingwith

large-scale international clien-

ts such as Sands China, as it

provides tailor-made practical

trainingmodules to localSMEs

including micro-enterprises,

young entrepreneurs, and

“Made-in-Macao” enterprises.

“Sands China’s F.I.T. pro-

gram helps me improve my

knowledge on purchasing and

how to communicate with

SandsChinaandotherhotels,”

said the entrepreneur, noting

that it will be both beneficial

for him and his company’s

overall growth.

The director acknowledged

thatSandsChinahas givenhis

company the credibilitywhich

has opened up opportunities

to supply other gaming ope-

rators. Lo remarked that he is

keen to join other programs

that Sands China may initiate

with local suppliers.

With theexpansionof thebu-

siness, Ocean Pride Food has

recently acquired a larger offi-

ceandwillmove to itsnew site

soon, recognizingSandsChina

for its continuous support of

local SMEs and young entre-

preneurs includingLo.

“Iwill join a food safety pro-

gram or other programs for

the company [SandsChina] to

learn about how our company

is doing and [set] safety mea-

sures for our food business,”

said the entrepreneur.

Lo cited his belief that the

knowledge and other skills he

is learning through the SME

program canbeusedasabase-

point to supply other gaming

operators and hotels, allowing

the company to further boost

its local sales.

Further, thedirectoralsosaid

that he is interested in joining

Sands China Young Entrepre-

neur Advance Payment Pro-

gram.

The program is being crea-

ted to help local young entre-

preneurs who have limited

financial capacity to run their

business.

It targets young Macau en-

trepreneurs with a staff of 15

or less, providing themwith a

30 percent advance payment

onpurchase orders.

As a young entrepreneur, Lo

acknowledged that working

capital has always been an

issue, particularly when its

clientsplace orders inbulk.

Thus the financial support of

Sands China would assist the

micro-enterprise in easing its

cash flow, allowingOceanPri-

deFood to continually acquire

clientswithout being troubled

by its capital situation.

With themove to a larger of-

fice, Lo is optimistic that they

will be able to expand their

product range and would also

beable tosellprocessedgoods.

Despite the competitors in

the market, the entrepreneur

is quietly confident that its

partnership with Sands China

willcontribute to itscontinued

expansion.

This articlewas sponsored by

Sands China Ltd.

DrWilfredWong,PresidentofSCL,poseswithStanleyLo,directorofOceanPride

Food,who ispictured (above, right)atwork

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