By Chuang Peck Ming

ADVANCED Network Technology Laboratories (ANTlabs) builds end-to-end secured network access products for hotels, service firms and telecommunications companies in Asia and Europe.

Health Management International (HMI) owns hospitals in Malaysia and has representatives elsewhere in South-east Asia.

The first sees itself as a tech company and the second as a service provider. Their businesses differ but they have one thing in common - they are Singapore companies hungry for new markets.

In other words, they are the type of companies International Enterprise (IE) Singapore is interested in. And the government's trade promotion arm - which pushes Singapore businesses to venture abroad - is especially keen to woo such companies because they make its job much easier.

ANTlabs and HMI are serious about building up their intellectual property (IP) management and design capabilities - great assets when breaking into foreign markets.

'When companies venture overseas, they need to realise the crucial importance of IP management,' says Khoo Wee Lin, director of IE Singapore's capability development group.

Good IP management protects products and services in foreign markets and makes it easier to find partners there, she says.

Design is also a key element that makes a business stand out in the overcrowded global marketplace, says Ms Khoo. It helps win - and keep - customers.

'Thinking like an engineer and leveraging on key design methods can help companies develop innovative solutions that create customer value and market opportunities,' she says.

HMI group general manager Chin Wei Jia agrees: 'For service companies, IP and design are critical intangibles. They are a source of competitive advantage, just as lean production systems are for manufacturers.'

IP and design affect key areas such as process design, best practices and service standards, she says.

According to ANTlabs co- founder Ang Kwang-Tat: 'IP is vital, especially for tech companies venturing out of Singapore.'

It's little wonder then that IE Singapore - which has several IP and design help programmes (see box) - has gone the extra mile to lend a hand to both companies.

'IE has been very supportive of our efforts,' says Ms Chin. 'As well as funding support, it has rendered tremendous assistance in other areas.' It has been 'responsive and encouraging and has maintained constant dialogue with us on our progress'.

It has even helped HMI resolve working issues and connect it with potential consultants.

ANTlabs' Mr Ang concurs: 'We have been fortunate to work with IE Singapore to map out which strategic areas our company needed to improve to expand overseas.' While ANTlabs has carried out extensive research and development and filed patents and trademarks over the decade of its existence, it did not invest much in an IP strategy to position itself in the market, says Mr Ang.

But last year, IE gave the company a 'sizable' grant to help it map out an IP strategy and a technology roadmap.

'The cost of protecting IP alone, like patent and trademark filing in many foreign markets, is huge,' says Mr Ang. 'Without help from IE, we would not have had the resources to go to the next level of strategic planning.'

ANTlabs, which now derives over a third of its revenues from overseas, has spent more than $1 million on IP protection.

'We already have the key reference customers and the track record in Singapore and elsewhere in Asia - and even in Western markets - but IP is what sets us apart from other Asian companies,' says Mr Ang.

Design is also vital - and it's not just about the look and the image. It's also about the user- friendliness, security and functionality of a company's products or services.

'There's the tangibles as well as the intangibles and the aesthetic aspects of appearance, internal robustness, usability, extendability and reliability,' according to Mr Ang.

'Very often, design decisions made early on have great or unintended impact down the road once a product is finalised and out in the marketplace.'

It's not enough for a company to dream about what cool features to add to its products or services; it needs to go out and get feedback from customers and learn what its competitors are doing. Such surveys can be expensive - but IE Singapore is ready to help.

HMI got a 'substantial' grant from IE Singapore under its Design Engage scheme, which picks up 70 per cent of consultancy fees.

'We started discussions with IE a few years back, but it was only recently that we decided to embark on building up our internal design capabilities in view of our expansion plans,' Ms Chin says.

The bill for engaging consultants to review a company's needs, implement internal processes and design training is estimated to be $500,000 - a 'daunting' sum for a small company with a small turnover, she says.

But HMI needs design to engage its customers, she adds. 'As such, the key focus of our design engage initiative is to build a distinctive and consistent HMI personality that reflects our vision of 'improving lives through healthcare and education'.'

The company has finished the first phase - the discovery stage - of the Design Engage programme and is now finalising the selection of consultants to take it through the next phase of the programme.

Once it is done with phase two, it will be able 'to design and implement a unique HMI experience for internal and external customers through enhancing communications design and customer experience processes as well as touch points'.

It is too early for HMI to tell whether its efforts have borne fruit. But Ms Chin insists that building up design capabilities will help differentiate the company from its competitors, offer customers a 'distinctive experience' and raise its profile.

'Ultimately, we see this as an opportunity to transform HMI from a local SME into a well-recognised Singapore company that can compete on the regional and international stage,' she says.

ANTlabs, named the most innovative product and service firm in 2008 in the National Infocomm Awards, has captured market share and key customers 'by launching a better product' and 'impressing upon customers and partners that we seriously invest resources in R&D and IP protection'.

'It helps give them the confidence that their investments in time and resources are secure with us and that they can enjoy a long-term relationship with ANTlabs,' says Mr Ang.

Singapore International - a fornightly series brought to you by IE Singapore and The Business Times

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