By Lynn Seah

MR LIU Chunlin, the China-born chief executive officer and managing director of K&C Protective Technologies (KCPT), does not consider himself a natural entrepreneur.

A civil engineer by training, he would rather be a researcher developing new technologies than running a business.

The 40-year-old arrived in Singapore in the early 1990s to work in the construction industry.

The turning point came in 1998 when he met Mr John Crawford from American company Karagozian & Case through his Tsinghua University schoolmate, Dr Lan Shengrui.

Mr Liu was fascinated by the company's work in protecting structures from blasts. Shortly after, he became the Asia representative of Karagozian & Case.

In 2001, the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred, and demand for their expertise boomed. That prompted Mr Liu to set up KCPT with Mr Crawford and Dr Lan in 2004.

After its incorporation, they started conducting courses and workshops for the building industry to spread the word about the protective technologies available.

'Singapore is a good place to start a new high-tech company.

'Even though we were new, we were given a chance to prove ourselves. The universities allowed us to conduct short courses; the industry allowed us to tender for jobs,' says Mr Liu, who is a Singapore citizen now.

KCPT has since worked on projects such as airport terminal buildings, government offices, shopping malls and resorts in the United States, Europe, Middle East, Asia and Australia.

Mr Liu attributes the company's edge to its combination of state-ofthe- art technology from the US, management talent from Singapore and China, and competitive manufacturing cost in Asia.

Besides having three locations in Singapore - a management office in Toa Payoh, a research and development and design facility in Bukit Merah and a manufacturing plant in Woodlands - the company also has offices in the US, United Kingdom, Hong Kong and China.

It has major shareholdings in several companies that offer related services. One is London-listed Pentagon Protection PLC, a producer of window films.

In addition to his business, Mr Liu is the president of two organisations that he co-founded - the Tsinghua Alumni Association of Singapore and the International Protective Technology Association.

For a reluctant entrepreneur, Mr Liu has certainly done well.

On being recognised as one of the 17 top entrepreneurs of the Rotary-Asme Entrepreneur of the Year Award, he says modestly: 'The award goes to my whole management.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times on October 22, 2008.