|
By Alex Lim
WHEN accolades are showered on companies, their founders, owners and top managers are often the ones in the limelight.
However, this is not the case for Kenyon. Not only does its managing director Tan Yong Keng declined to be photographed, he preferred to have a group photo of his staff to be shown instead.
For this interview, Mr Tan shared in great details, how dedicated and good some of his staff members are.
'While we are far from successful, the little achievement we have today in no small part belongs to the group,' says Mr Tan, who runs this diversified engineering and manufacturing firm with a presence in Singapore and China.
The attention paid to its 630 employees is not without reason.
'For an engineering company like ours, we need hardworking and dedicated individuals who do not shy from their responsibilities. We are a small company, so we cannot afford to hire non-contributing individuals,' he explains.
To attract and retain good employees, Kenyon rewards them with company shares. There are plans for its employees to collectively own 70 per cent of its shares, says Mr Tan.
He explains: 'Once employees view the company as part of their assets, they will naturally be proud to be a member of the company and will definitely do their utmost to improve the performance of the company.'
He shares a few anecdotes to show how dedicated his employees are. For example, right after the Sichuan earthquake struck last year, Mr Man Jun, one of the company's engineers in Chengdu, received a call from his father. But before they could talk more, connection was cut.
But rather than rushing home to check on his family, Mr Man, who was at a client's plant, chose to stay put and worked through the night.
He only went home after helping to restore the power at the client's plant.
When Mr Man reached home the following morning, he found out that his family house in China was destroyed, both parents badly hurt and an uncle dead.
While Mr Man is an exemplary case, Mr Tan makes no bones about the fact that this is a tough industry that Kenyon is in.
'We like to refer to ourselves as 'hungry contractors'. The engineering industry we are in is a very tough business, much like that of long distance running,' he says.
Kenyon, which started as a design and engineering company for the petrochemical industry, has, over the years, diversified into several other business areas.
For example, it manufactures ETFE-coated ducts used in the semiconductor industry.
It also makes process modular skids for bio-pharmaceutical plants and builds data centres and offices for other companies.
This is the fifth year Kenyon is receiving the Enterprise 50 (E50) award.
'This award provides our staff with motivation and a sense of achievement. Furthermore, we recognise that the E50 award helps brand our company,' says Mr Tan.
'As competition for the E50 award intensifies with each passing year, we can also treat it as a milestone with which to measure our progress.'
Clearly, the company, under Mr Tan, is looking far ahead. He is already identifying and grooming a next- generation management team, where his successor as managing director will come from.
'The position will definitely be filled by a capable person and not necessary passed on to a family member,' he says.
Meanwhile, with the support and dedication of everyone in the company, Kenyon has more businesses to capture, especially those in the bio-pharmaceutical industry and opportunities in China.
'We would also like to continue developing our image as a socially responsible company - one that cares about not just our workers but also our environment. We believe that Kenyon's prospects look promising,' says Mr Tan.
This article was first published in The Straits Times.
| 
