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By Ahmad Osman
TRU-MARINE did not retrench any of its employees during the recession in Singapore.
Their jobs are safe after the company, which services and repairs turbochargers in marine diesel engines, strengthened its financial position last year before the economic downturn.
It controlled costs tightly, secured better customers and removed wastages in business processes.
It also invested in new technologies and training to upgrade the skills of its staff.
These measures cushioned the impact of the recession, says Tru- Marine's group managing director, Mr David Loke.
'We are stronger and more resilient after the measures we put in place last year,' he adds.
'We are not strapped for cash. We plan to expand into the United States.
'I assured all the employees in January this year that there will be no retrenchment.
'They feel more secure after the announcement. This is vital for us to move ahead.
'The effects of the recession have stabilised. We welcome Singapore's recovery from the recession.'
Tru-Marine is in the annual Enterprise 50 list for the fifth time this year.
The list recognises 50 of the most enterprising privately held local companies here. Mr Loke, 60, is a marine engineer who set up Tru-Marine in 1977 with two partners.
He was a winner of two 2008 awards for top entrepreneurs organised by the Association of Small & Medium Enterprises and the Rotary Club of Singapore.
In 2007, he won the Ernst & Young Marine Engineering Entrepreneur award.
Tru-Marine is a reliable, efficient and trustworthy global brand that services and repairs turbochargers, which boost the power of diesel engines in ships.
It has eight subsidiaries in Singapore, China, the Middle East, India, Vietnam and the Netherlands. Its team of more than 200 trained engineers and technicians provide 24-hour services around the world.
They have the equipment and skills to overhaul, service and repair every type and model of turbochargers.
Their customers are ship owners, shipping and ship management companies and shipyards.
The Tru-Marine team comprises fast workers who provide high quality work to meet the tight deadlines of its customers.
Getting it right the first time is their motto, says Mr Loke.
Long-term relationships with customers, innovations and operational excellence are key factors for Tru-Marine's double-digit growth in annual revenue in the last five years.
Mr Loke says: 'We make customers feel good whenever they deal with us.
'We know them much better than our competitors and we deliver what our customers want.
'We continue to come up with innovative new products and improvements for our processes.
'We want customers who look at what we do to say 'this is fantastic service delivery'.'
This article was first published in The Straits Times.
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