INTER-ROLLER Engineering was an early bird in China, having arrived more than a decade ago. But it was only this year that the company set up a fully-owned subsidiary in Beijing.

'Having a physical presence in China is an assurance to our Chinese clients that we are in China for the long run,' says Lim Yee Min, chief executive officer of Inter-Roller. 'Our subsidiary in China helps us to better serve our clients in terms of after-sales support and maintenance services.'

Inter-Roller, which designs and builds airport logistics systems, has no shortage of clients and jobs, according to him. 'We have been active in the Chinese market for over 10 years and to date, have completed over 20 projects in 12 airports,' he says.

The company's first job in China was with the Fuzhou Airport in 1994, working with another Singapore-based company, RSP Architect Planners and Engineers. But according to Mr Lim, it only got its first contract in China the following year, when it was paid $5 million to help upgrade the Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport.

Key player

The company has so far chalked up more than $100 million in sales. 'Our largest airport contract in China this year is $76 million,' Mr Lim says.

'We see ourselves as a key market player in the Chinese airport industry,' he says. 'Our efforts in China have reaped us great rewards and we will continue our ongoing efforts to maximise all possible opportunities in China. We plan to establish engineering and manufacturing facilities in China.'

Mr Lim sees immense potential in China. 'Airport development and infrastructure still lags behind aviation industry demand,' he says. 'It has been forecasted that by 2007, China will replace the US as the largest originator of tourists.'

To tap the opportunities that lie ahead, Mr Lim says Inter-Roller has invested considerably in terms of time and resources over the years, especially with the setting up of the Beijing subsidiary this year.

'We have different project teams managing our various projects in China,' he says. 'Each team consists of both Singaporeans and Chinese nationals. We need our Singapore engineers there because they have relatively longer experience and the required technical expertise of managing international airport projects compared with their peers in China.'

Mr Lim says Singapore companies serious about doing business in China should be prepared to communicate with the Chinese in their own language. They must also 'be persistent in their efforts but flexible in their strategies to take advantage of the changing landscape in China'.

《The Business Times》