Five Lim brothers at the helm of company
The Star, 19 July 2004
BLOOD is thicker than water.
LIMAHSOON Bhd has since its inception been efficiently managed
by five brothers: Lim Chong Leng who is executive chairman,
managing director Lim Chong Khim, and executive directors
Lim Teong Kwee, Lim Tiong Chuan and Lim Cheong Ngee.
Chong Khim told StarBiz that the five brothers had been
brought up in the timber related business environment where
"I believe we were trained since birth to eat and sleep
with wood!"
The group, which started out in the tropical wood business
in 1987, fully converted into rubber wood operations in
1995.
Although business was affected by the Asian financial crisis
in mid-1997, the company managed to persevere and make a
swift turnaround in 1999, thanks to the longterm vision
to emphasise on the usage of modern technology to ensure
high quality products. Now the group is reaping the fruits
of its hard labour as its niche and high quality laminated
boards are attracting strong demand from the local furniture
exporters.
Independent
researcher Vital Factor Consulting Sdn Bhd managing director
Wooi Tan pointed out that there was still low awareness
in terms of the prospects in the laminated solid wood industry.
"Part of the misperception about laminated boards is
that they fall within similar categories as MDF or particle
boards although laminated boards are actually solid wood
and almost equivalent to sawn timber, which enjoys strong
demand from furniture makers both locally and abroad."
Tan said the laminated solid wood retained the natural beauty
of wood grain, the warmth of natural wood and the strength
of solid timber.
According to the Statistics Department, in the first four
months of this year, production of laminated solid wood
grew by 48.6% compared with the same period last year. Today
there are about 90 laminated board plants in Malaysia. "Our
research shows that with the industry size valued at RM525mil,
if one were to add the proportion of furniture makers undertaking
their own manufacture of laminated solid wood, the total
market size could easily be three to four times larger,"
added Tan.
Forest Research Institute Malaysia senior research officer
Dr Tan Yu Eng said the advantages of lamination process
technology to end users included the continued supply of
high quality products from the lower quality and younger
stock available nowadays (via removal of defective portion
and reconstituting the remaining good pieces by adhesive).
Other advantages include better stability against warping
or distortion of wood, flexibility and creativity because
timber members can be fabricated in any shape or size, and
high quality control as products are fabricated in a factory
environment with high degree of mechanisation and dedicated
workers.
Link captured from: www.thestar.com.my
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