Chen Wing Yew  

  

Head of Sales & Marketing, Habasit Far East, Singapore

  

Habasit Far East serves a vast area from Singapore to the Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar.

Based in Singapore, Chen Wing Yewhappily recalls how he began his Habasit career:“Before joining Habasit, I was working as aProduction Technician, and switched to Habasit to do a similarjob, but with more opportunities. I was joining belts and doing site installations in many countries. It was a great experience and after two years in Production I was invited to move into Marketing.”

 

Autonomy and freedom to make decisions

Asked what he likes best about his job, Chen does not hesitate: “Over the years I have been fortunate to work with great superiors who have given me a lot of autonomy and freedom to make important decisions. The most important thing is to have the trust of your bosses. It is critical for me, and very motivating for all line managers. That is why I am enjoying to work for Habasit so much.”

Chen is convinced that the level of trust put into Habasit employees is quite unusual. He still recalls a slide he saw when he started in 1993 that stated: “The most important factor in the Habasit success story is its people.” He also says: “For me it is important to live up to the autonomy entrusted and to assume the responsibilities with our best effort.”

 

The number one in the business

Chen clearly enjoys working in the belting industry. “Habasit has a very high repuation in the minds of customers and competitors. A few years ago I meta competitor, and the first question was: ‘What is the new development from Habasit?’”He grins as he explains how competitors track Habasit’s developments closely, and notes: “They try to follow us – and often fail. We are the number 1 in the business.”

Chen notes that dealing with companies offering cheaper products, has let to a shift towards more technically educated Engineersand Sales Reps. “I am very involved in training our Installation Engineersand Sales colleagues to understand and really know our belts well and think how to best use them.” Chen is convinced that it is essential toexplain the benefits of a high quality belting solution to customers and to share our application knowledge and experience with them. “It is not about price, it is about quality and expertise.”

 

Innovation and continuous improvement are essential for success

According to Chen, innovation is at the core of Habasit’s success. He praises the Researchersand Engineers who constantly develop new belting solutions, always well-tested before they are launched on the market. “Innovation has kept Habasit ahead of the competition.”

 

Collaboration is absolutely critical in my line of work

Thinking about Habasit’s core values, Chen says thatcollaboration is top of the list. “My region is very diverse, so good collaboration with colleagues and customers is critical. In particular, we have to adapt to our markets, as different customers perceive value and solutions differently. And it is important that they knowwe understand them.” Chen expands: “We are not selling a belt, but a service, andconsultancy. I have seen so many factories that I can usually help our customers improve in many different ways.”

Huge growth ahead 

Looking ahead, Chen is clear: “Asia and South EastAsia will be a main focus for Habasit’sgrowth, particularly in countries with big potential like Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia, where Habasit can do well in high-end, mature industries.”And since thinking ahead leads naturally to questions of sustainability, he tells us: “At Habasit Far East we have been working on sustainability at least since 2015 by participating in events that benefit our local communities, including a barefoot walk for charity, picking up litter, etc. And we look forward to contributing to Habasit’s global sustainability initiatives.”