Go Regional – We’ll Give You a Lift!
Many Singapore SMEs have ventured beyond local shores in search of lower costs, higher profits and enhanced efficiencies in the name of longer-term sustainability. In fact, 27% of SMEs now generate more than half their turnover from overseas markets, up from 14% in 2011 and 22% in 2010, according to a 2012 SME Development Survey. The same survey revealed that a growing number of SMEs prefer to look for growth overseas instead of locally in the next few years.
Much as they wish to, not all SMEs have the necessary resources to research new markets. Their most common challenges centre on manpower constraints, lack of knowhow or budgetary restrictions which prevent the hiring of consultants to conduct feasibility studies.
The SME Consulting Programme , the flagship programme of the UOB-SMU Asian Enterprise Institute (UOB-SMU AEI), can bridge the chasm between wishful thinking (of missed opportunities in new markets) and taking that important first step to stride forward. We certainly have the track record and expertise – our project advisers are industry veterans, and we have a mix of international students to whom we can assign different projects to optimise their talents and interests. For example, where familiarity with “local” customs or practices is required, we have student-consultants from the respective countries with the requisite knowhow.
The following case study demonstrates how the SME Consulting Programme can value-add to your business in an efficient and cost-effective way. The company had commissioned two feasibility studies, in Myanmar and Vietnam, for a shipping business and a factory respectively. What it got in return were two comprehensive reports packed with useful insights, detailed analyses and sound recommendations on the viability of these potential businesses.
Why stay stuck in a delimiting “hamster wheel” of insufficient resources and unexplored opportunities that goes round and round ad infinitum – and getting nowhere in the end? Let us give you a lift off the “hamster wheel”. Talk to us, and we’ll explore how the SME Consulting Programme can be an important first step to your company’s next phase of growth.
The Learning and Discovery starts here!
Going Beyond Singapore’s Shores: BD CraneTech Pte Ltd
BD CraneTech was established in Singapore in 1991, commencing operations with the fabrication of overhead cranes and assembly of French-made hoist with capacity ranging from 125 kilogrammes to 50 tonnes. Even then, the group had proven its foresight and mettle through active action. In anticipation of its clients and the industry’s changing needs, it had invested heavily in research and development (R&D) from the very start, while a strong commitment to innovation and quality has seen it achieving the ISO 9001 certification and the Enterprise 50 Award. It was also named an SME 500 company ... read on