Ansiderac Issue Q2 2021 Inside this issue: Rebels With A Cause MJD-PRO Group Finding New Life For FinTech Financial services is an area of the business world that requires lightning-fast communication. Currencies and exchange rates can change incredibly rapidly, and the necessity for technology that can keep up is becoming ever more present. So, we spoke with Stefan Ott at Confinity Solutions to find out more about how his firm is tackling this need. In doing so, it has been crowned 2021’s Most Innovative Global FinTech Startup. Discover more as part of our interview with Stefan about the work and success of Confinity Solutions.
2 APAC / Issue Q2 2021 Welcome to the Q2 edition of APAC Insider Magazine, your quarterly source for all of the latest news and updates from across the Asia Pacific region. We started the year with our Q1 edition saying that we wanted 2021 to be the year of change and innovation following 2020 acting very much as the catalyst for that change. Three months on, and we are certainly seeing the benefits of change and innovation across the Asia Pacific region. One of the biggest pieces of technological innovation has actually been growing over the last five years since a firm called Confinity Solutions was established back in 2016. Featured both here and in our sister publication, Corporate Vision Magazine, Confinity Solutions is changing the game for financial technology, particularly regarding the everevolving world of low-latency messaging. Financial services require lightning fast technology to keep up with the splitsecond decisions being made every day. Confinity Solutions offers this, and so much more, and these pages hold the story behind the firm’s success from the CEO’s own mouth. It is hard to believe that we are a third of the way through 2021 already, and so much success has been achieved. As we look forward to another two quarterly publications that will surely feature bigger and better things than ever before, we are more excited than ever to showcase the brilliant business taking place across the Asia Pacific region. Until next time, stay safe and well, and we look forward to welcoming you back for our Q3 edition. Michael Pusey, Editor Website: www.apac-insider.com AI Global Media, Ltd. (AI) takes reasonable measures to ensure the quality of the information on this web site. However, AI will not assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, correctness or completeness of any information that is available through this web site. If errors are brought to our attention, we will try to correct them. The information available through the website and our partner publications is for your general information and use and is not intended to address any particular finance or investment requirements. In particular, the information does not constitute any form of advice or recommendation by us or any of our partner publications and is not intended to be relied upon by users in making or refraining from making any investment or financial decisions. Appropriate independent advice should be obtained before making any such decision. Any arrangement made between you and any third party named in the site is at your sole risk and responsibility. Editorial Team Laura Brookes, Senior Editor | Jess Daykin, Editor Michael Pusey, Writer | Daniel Long, Writer Alexandra Abraham, Writer Design Team Emma Hunt, Senior Designer | Daniela Levinte, Graphic Designer
APAC / Issue Q2 2021 3 , 4. News 6. Finding New Life For FinTech 10. Rebels With A Cause 12. Small Business Solutions Secure Success 13. Where Eco Meets Ergonomics 14. Business West welcomes the end of uncertainty for the future of the Honda site and the hundreds of new jobs it will secure 15. Albumedix announces recombinant human albumin supply partnership with FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation for the Japanese, Chinese and Hong Kong markets Contents
4 APAC / Issue Q2 2021 NEWS , By Hallie Gu and Shivani Singh, Reuters News China’s Q1 soybean, grains imports surge on strong demand
APAC / Issue Q2 2021 5 NEWS , China’s imports of soybeans, as well as grains like corn and wheat, soared in the first quarter, boosted by strong demand from the livestock sector, data from customs showed on Tuesday. Soybean imports almost doubled in March alone year-onyear, according to customs data, as cargoes of beans from top exporter Brazil cleared customs after delays. Meanwhile first-quarter corn and wheat shipments jumped on elevated domestic corn prices amid a supply shortage, the data showed. China, the world’s top soybean buyer, brought in 7.77 million tonnes of the oilseed in March, up 82% from a year ago, according to data from the General Administration of Customs. “Soybean arrivals in Jan-Feb were lower than market expectation due to cargo delay. Some shipments delayed earlier later cleared customs,” said Xie Huilan, analyst with agriculture consultancy Cofeed, speaking after the data release. “More than 5 million tonnes of U.S. soybeans were loaded in January for shipment to China, some of which arrived in March,” Xie said. The customs bureau did not break out monthly figures for corn and wheat for March, usually published in the latter half of each month. But it said China brought in 6.727 million tonnes of corn in the quarter, rocketing more than fivefold from the previous year, while quarterly wheat imports more than doubled from a year ago to 2.925 million tonnes. Rains in top exporter Brazil have delayed harvest and shipments of soybeans this year, but cargoes delayed earlier have slowly started to arrive. China’s soybean imports in the first three months of the year came in at 21.18 million tonnes, up 19% from 17.79 million tonnes in the previous year, according to customs data. Chinese crushers previously stepped up purchases of soybeans on good crushing margins as the market had anticipated healthy demand from the country’s fast-recovering pig farming sector. A recent round of African swine fever outbreaks, however, has wiped out at least 20% of the breeding herd in northern China, according to some estimates, curbing demand for soymeal, a major feed ingredient. Soymeal futures traded on the Dalian Commodity Exchange have fallen 10% since they hit record highs in January on worries over demand due to the outbreaks. Soybean arrivals in the coming months were expected to be even higher, industry sources and analysts said. Large arrivals of beans and weaker demand from the pig sector would further pressure crush margins. China’s national weekly soybean meal inventories as of April 13, were at 797,900 tonnes, up from 477,000 tonnes end of January. Meanwhile, soybean stocks fell slightly to 4.4 million tonnes from levels at the beginning of the year. Australia’s Qantas Airways Ltd has seen domestic leisure travel rebound to pre-pandemic levels, but demand in the corporate travel market is lagging about three months behind, its chief executive said. The airline plans to fly 80% of its pre-pandemic domestic capacity in the quarter ending June 30, allowing it to generate cash for the first time in several quarters, Alan Joyce told a CAPA Centre for Aviation event on Wednesday. His comments were made in an interview recorded the previous day. Much of the Australian domestic business travel market is linked to areas such as transporting mining workers, government travel and essential construction and manufacturing travel that are proving resilient, Joyce said. “The market that could be subject to being replaced by video conferencing, like professional services and people having internal meetings, we think the net result is something like a 13-15% drop in the corporate market,” he said. “But with the potential for us making up that in market share.” Qantas sees domestic business travel recovery 3 months behind leisure market By Jamie Freed, Reuters News Rival Air New Zealand Ltd last month said domestic business travel was back to 90% of normal levels, though fares were more heavily discounted than before the pandemic. Domestic business travel demand in Australia and New Zealand, which have nearly eliminated COVID-19 transmission, is far better than in many other markets where infection levels are not as controlled. The Global Business Travel Association last month released a poll of companies from the United States, Europe and Latin America that 69% had suspended most or all domestic business travel, up 5 percentage points from February. In contrast to the brighter domestic outlook, Qantas has grounded its international fleet until at least Oct. 31, with the exception of travel to New Zealand as part of a two-way bubble starting on April 19. The Australian government on Sunday abandoned its target of vaccinating the population by the end of October. Joyce said that Qantas was still planning for international travel to resume then, but that it would be flexible.
6 APAC / Issue Q2 2021 , Finding New Life For FinTech Financial services is an area of the business world that requires lightning-fast communication. Currencies and exchange rates can change incredibly rapidly, and the necessity for technology that can keep up is becoming ever more present. So, we spoke with Stefan Ott at Confinity Solutions to find out more about how his firm is tackling this need. In doing so, it has been crowned 2021’s Most Innovative Global FinTech Startup. Discover more as part of our interview with Stefan about the work and success of Confinity Solutions. For five years now, Confinity Solutions has been changing the game and upping the level of excellence delivered in the financial technology and financial services sector. As has already been mentioned, the work of the financial industry moves at a pace that is significantly more rapid than many others, with split-second decisions being the difference between money gained and money lost. People’s very livelihoods hinge upon decisions that are made in very high-intense pressure environments. In these scenarios, it is imperative that those people making these crucial decisions have access to the fastest possible technology that allows them to keep up with what is happening out in the world of financial transactions. This is exactly where Confinity Solutions comes into the picture. Founded by Stefan following his decision to buy out software from IBM in 2016, the work of Confinity Solutions is focused around developing high-volume and low-latency messaging solutions. Perhaps the greatest example of this, and the firm’s key success to date, is Confinity Low Latency Messaging (CLLM), which is the successor product of IBM’s WebSphere MQ LLM. Having moved on from working at IBM to then founding his own business with a clear vision of what the future of financial technology should be, Stefan is a rare example of someone being correctly described as a visionary. His understanding of the industry and his desire to make the world of financial technology better has pushed Stefan to achieve bigger and better things with the software that he acquired from IBM. We at Corporate Vision had the privilege of being able to speak with Stefan about his role in starting the business, and how his involvement with the technology goes back many years beyond the foundation of Confinity Solutions. Upon beginning the interview with Stefan, it soon became abundantly clear that his passion for the technology and work of Confinity Solutions was seemingly limitless. “Confinity Solutions was established in 2016 to acquire the source code of two products from IBM, namely WebSphere Front Office (WFO), a market data distribution infrastructure, and WebSphere MQ LLM, a low-latency messaging software. Together with the products, Confinity Solutions also took over responsibility for the service and support of IBM’s customers using one of these products. Confinity Solutions was considered a FinTech startup, but with two mature software products and an established customer base. I was working at IBM before, and was familiar with both pieces of software.” Unfortunately for those working with the IBM software, various decisions were made that meant the software fell into a sort of obscurity. Product strategies were bandied around, and new product names were created, but they were not names that Financial Markets’ clients and customers were familiar with. Not content to leave the software in the lurch, Stefan took it upon himself to found Confinity Solutions and created a brighter future for the two products and the Fintech industry. Now, almost five years on from the company’s inception, Stefan has engineered Confinity Solutions into a place where it is fully deserving of the title of 2021’s Most Innovative Global FinTech Startup from Corporate Vision Magazine. Jan21004 Stefan kindly elaborated further on the beginnings of the firm. “Initially, I wanted to call it Confinity as an amalgamation of consulting, financial, and IT. However, the founder of Paypal actually wanted to call his product Confinity, and still had the domain. Instead, the Solutions was added and Confinity Solutions was born. Since 2016, I’ve also worked with IBM in a partnership to ensure that they can actually still market and resell our two products, Confinity LLM, or CLLM, and Confinity Market Data System, or CMDS. This is all we do, and around these two products, there is also consultancy and other various forms of excellence. When I founded the firm, we were focused on owning the IP and utilising the knowhow to establish partnerships with a number of worldwide companies that could serve customers on a global basis.” Perhaps the greater of the two products that Confinity Solutions now offers is its lowlatency messaging service, or the Confinity Low Latency Messaging (CLLM), which is the successor product of IBM’s WebSphere MQ LLM. Having
APAC / Issue Q2 2021 7 Finding New Life For FinTech
8 APAC / Issue Q2 2021 successfully agreed upon a deal, Confinity Solutions took control of the software that IBM had allowed to fall into obscurity and die a slow death. Determined to bring it back to life and put it in the hands of those who would need and use it on a daily basis, Stefan built his firm from the ground up to be an outstanding advocate for the good that financial technology can do. Upon speaking with Stefan, it quickly becomes a great deal more clear on exactly how much the importance of financial technology has grown in an era of lightning-quick decision making and financial transacting. “We have given these products a future, and started a major product renewal and overhaul. In November 2020, we launched our first FPGA-based successor product for Confinity LLM. Having worked in global organisations on a worldwide level myself, including with roles for Dt. Boerse, Reuters, and IBM, my focus has always been to be local to our customers. We listen to our users, having established a CLLM user group back in 2017, and always ask them to play an active part in the future development of CLLM. Together with our product strategy to keep CLLM as a top ‘state-of-the-art’ leading edge software product, and the latest CLLM 4.0 nicely underpins this.” Technology and financial technology services is one thing, but Confinity Solutions has had to work hard to ensure that the technology serves the client in the best way possible. Whilst they were still owned by those at IBM, both the products offered were traditionally targeted towards clients in Financial Markets, including those working in exchanges, as well as brokerages and other financial entities that work in the global market. CLLM in particular has proven to be a massive hit with clients all over the world as a messaging infrastructure that they can rely on. Due to its features and capabilities, the software allows customers to create a fair marketplace or stock exchange market by enabling low-latency messaging across the board. CLLM is undoubtedly best in class when it comes to reliable multicast messaging, and it actually boasts more than nineteen patents to ensure that it remains the king of this proverbial hill. The “predictability” of low latency messaging such as CLLM also makes it a prime candidate for use in cases outside of the Financial Markets. For instance, the work of the Automotive and Telecommunications industries can also benefit massively from what the Confinity Solutions has to offer in terms of messaging. That instantaneous and reliable delivery and reception of a message that is of the utmost importance can be the difference between success and failure, and that is why the success of Mar20345 Confinity Solutions in bringing this technology back to life is so deserving of recognition. Of course, after speaking with Stefan further, it became clear to see that he recognises too that the success of the firm would not be nearly as outstanding without the people that have made it happen. Stefan kindly explained more about his decision to bring in specialists and experts whose knowledge of software and Financial Markets rivals only that of his own. “Our staff plays a very important role in the success of Confinity Solutions. Other than subject matter expertise in software development, I recruited my team with a focus on different cultures and diverse language skills. This allows us to serve our worldwide customer base in the best possible manner, such as conversing with them in their native language. We may work with clients all over the world, but we have staff who have Chinese language skills, whilst there are those who hail from Venezuela and India. Understanding our client’s global cultures is imperative to providing them with the right software and services within their field of interest.” Despite all the success that Confinity Solutions has achieved in the last five years since its inception, there have not been times without challenge and opposition. As many business were affected by the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19, so too was Confinity Solutions. However, true to his nature as a visionary and someone who
APAC / Issue Q2 2021 9 Finding New Life For FinTech “Initially, we have focused on reviving the products and stabilizing them. Since 2019, we have been working on a new next-generation CLLM product which is utilizing leading edge FPGA technology. CLLM 4.0 (FPGA version) was launched in December 2020, and we are working with a few EAP customers in the first quarter to try and stabilize it. Q2 of 2021 and beyond is our target for rollout in established customer bases and new customer bases alike in the Financial Markets industry. At the same time, we are targeting the Automotive industry as a potential area of great success and growth.” Ultimately, the work of Stefan and Confinity Solutions is nothing short of exceptional within the financial technology space. Markets are ever-changing and the world is changing more than ever at this moment in time, following the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stefan’s work has seen Confinity Solutions become a key partner for so many financial institutions, and it has seen the revival and reinstatement of some key technologies and software products. In essence, the brilliance of Confinity Solutions and Stefan is certainly something worthy of recognition across the world, and we at Corporate Vision cannot wait to see what the future holds for this outstandingly innovative business. Company: Confinity Solutions GmbH Contact: Stefan Ott Website: https://confinity-solutions.com/ can see a way out when all else seems hopeless, Stefan knuckled down and found a way to ensure that the firm could still deliver for its clients. Most of its customers and exchanges that is serves needed software that could cope with the changes to society that were coming. Remote transactions and more mean that software and particularly that of low latency and reliable messaging had to be up to scratch. Fortunately, Stefan and the team at Confinity Solutions made sure theirs was. “As a result of the pandemic, we had to establish processes and measures to guarantee a continued 24/7 support for our customers. Since some of our staff is based in India, Germany, Hong Kong, and New York, we have introduced strict rules so that two staff with the same skill set and profile do not work in the same office room and on the same shift. Spreading out the talent all over the world has proven to be fruitful for us. We can also already state that we are fully digitalized, and only a few critical resources required to be onsite.” Looking ahead to the future, there is much to be excited for from a financial technology standpoint. There is always new technology being innovated and brought to market, but the focus from Confinity Solutions and Stefan stretches beyond that into more specific and specialized areas. As we begin to close out our time together in this interview, Stefan reveals to us some of the plans that the firm has for the remainder of 2021, and what lies beyond.
10 APAC / Issue Q2 2021 , Rebels With A Cause Best Events Management Company 2021 MJD-PRO is a full-service events management agency committed to going above and beyond to create spectacles that amaze and inspire. Managing Director / Chief Creative, Ching Eng Han, tells us more about the company as it celebrates success at the Singapore Business Awards 2021. Labelled as ‘rebels’ and ‘outstanding for the wrong reasons’ by some, for others, MJD-PRO Group is the leader in forward-thinking, creative and passionate event management. The Singaporebased agency is equipped with vast in-house capabilities, enabling its team to deliver full services, from conceptualisation to the production of events which are outstanding for all the right reasons. Marrying the unique flavour of MJD-PRO creativity with its skills in ‘technical marketing’, the agency, led by Chief Creative, Ching Eng Han, is dedicated to giving 500% in every project, driven by its core values of Design, Amaze, and Inspire. Eng Han explains, “We make sure we design the event from the ground up, designing the concept, flow and look of it. We make sure that the event will be breathtaking and amaze everyone who went to it, making sure that the experience is etched into the back of their mind. Last but not least, we inspire those who went to our projects and events to be more inspired in life by the experiences they have enjoyed, while also inspiring our competitors to do better to keep up with us.” While these values and the customer-based mentality have remained consistent at the core of MJD-PRO’s ethos since day one, its methods and capabilities have expanded in order to deliver results that leave their clients in awe. A one-stop solution that covers all their needs in Events Management, Conceptualisation, Audio Visual Production, Production Work, and Logistical Operations, MJD-PRO boasts the flexibility and unique freedom that could only be achieved by having all its services in-house. The result is a service that exceeds expectations every time. “We differentiate ourselves from potential competitors by being more than willing to go the extra mile,” says Eng Han. “There is a Chinese phrase which translates into ‘spare a thought for others’. We proudly do this from the bottom of our hearts. Even as the boss, I have to get my hands dirty to make sure the client is happy with the end results.” However hands-on Eng Han may be, he relies heavily on his team to carry out his visions for excellence: “We believe in a team-based mentality. We always compare ourselves to a soccer team, where each person has a different role to play and we always set our targets on Oct20525 the end season goal. Take me, for example: on field, I am the captain of the team and the Centre Back, making sure I am the last man to make the hard tackle and putting my life on the line to defend the goal from every threat. As for my project manager, I see her as my striker, taking those chances to score goals with her wit and creative ideas.” Serving a broad spectrum of clients that spans from government agencies to luxury brands to other event agencies and production companies, MJDPRO works alongside companies of all shapes and sizes, and is especially grateful to them for their continued support, even in the challenging period of the last year. The entirety of the Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing and Exhibitions (MICE) sector has been hit hard, with MJD-PRO seeing its activities reduced by 90% to livestream and broadcast events only. However, unfailingly positive even in the face of adversity, MJD-PRO has seen this as an exciting opportunity to expand its capabilities. “One of the main benefits that have arisen is that since some of the team have experience in photography or filming, they are now able to put their hidden talents to use,” says Eng Han. “We decided to take this time to help certain groups who have difficulty in filming or livestreaming as a passion project. For example, we will be helping some students with their concert broadcast.” This marks the beginning of MJD-PRO’s next stage of growth, as it develops its livestreaming and filming capabilities through training courses in order to build the potential for a new dedicated department. The firm is also in the process of developing its own 3D animation studio with extended reality capabilities, the launch of which will be another exciting step forward for MJD-PRO. “One thing that won’t change is that we will still want to pursue our passion, which is to produce events,” says Eng Han of his plans for the future for MJDPRO. “We are looking into more ways to create interactive events where we can engage audiences from other parts of the world.” With ambitions set high for global expansion and technical development, MJD-PRO is undoubtedly proving that it will be one to watch in 2021 and beyond. Contact: Ching Eng Han Company: MJD-PRO Group Web Address: mjd-pro.com
APAC / Issue Q2 2021 11 Rebels With A Cause
12 APAC / Issue Q2 2021 , Small Business Solutions Secure Success Digital solutions are essential to a modern business, but often small enterprises struggle to access the latest way of working. Runaway Digital Solutions opens the door to a whole new world of commerce. We take a closer look at this incredible firm to see just what a difference it has made to the way in which industry operates across the APAC region. In 2010, the world was starting to change. The internet had established itself, but many enterprises had yet to establish themselves within this new commercial opportunity. For small business owners, the challenge was to create a proper eCommerce website on which they could operate easily and effectively. It was a niche which the team at Runaway Digital Solutions would fill with flying colours. For the last decade, the team have been able to provide affordable digital solutions for SMEs and business owners in the eCommerce industry. With a lean structure and zero rental cost, they have found a way of working which can be afforded by even the smallest of operators. At the beginning, the team were only able to offer web development service, but over the years this has expanded to include digital marketing, social media management and marketing, website maintenance service and marketplace related services. The most recent addition is localisation services for Southeast Asia markets as well as data analytics solutions. In short, turning to Runaway Digital Solutions ensures a comprehensive approach to a business’s presence online. This approach, which has expanded as the eCommerce industry has matured and developed, has empowered many to make important steps forward with their companies. It’s impossible to underestimate the importance that a digital marketing strategy has today, let alone the value it will hold in the future. The techniques used by Runaway Digital Solutions are designed specifically to allow businesses to try out eCommerce while not burning their life savings. These companies will often use products such as Canva for design, Zapier for some automation work and Wordpress with WooCommerce for website development. To ensure that clients get the best results possible, the team are constantly researching new ways of working that makes digital endeavours accessible to small businesses. To create the capacity for this rapid response, the only staff in the company is its founder. When Runaway Digital Solutions takes on a project, it partners with appropriate talent from a range of different talented companies. This allows them to meet the needs of the moment, providing a speedy response that is tailormade to the business. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this has proven particularly important, with higher online traffic and a change in the way that people operate that seems set to stay the same for the foreseeable future. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the future seems bright for this agile firm. The need to open up the world of data to small businesses is the next big step for the organisation, and Runaway Digital Solutions has already begun to explore affordable data analytics solutions that help brands make better decisions and stay competitive in an increasingly turbulent environment. This sort of decision is not one that businesses come to naturally, and 2020 saw Runaway Digital Solutions offer zoom learning as an effective way forward for clients. Instead of waiting for clients to come to them for services, Runaway Digital Solutions has developed courses that will empower small business owners to not only build but also manage their own eCommerce websites, manage their marketplaces well, and also design their own promotional material. It’s a decision that will allow the team to focus their services on higher level needs moving forward. By taking such a proactive step, it’s clear that the firm is of great value to many. The philosophy of Runaway Digital Solutions is one that is always looking forward to the next endeavour, and finding ways to ensure that no business is left behind. It’s an approach that has kept the firm constantly relevant, and also ensures that no matter how the world of digital marketing changes, they will always be at the frontline on behalf of their customers. Company: Runaway Digital Solutions Contact: Ada Leow Web Address: https://runaway.com.sg/ Email: [email protected] Feb21468
APAC / Issue Q2 2021 13 , Feb21356 Healthy Sustainable Workplaces Best Sustainable Workplace Furniture Brand - Southeast Asia On a mission to join the fight against the climate crisis, Ecopex Furniture has enjoyed a phenomenal start to its journey. Built on a circular economy, Ecopex produces ‘zero-waste’ and recycled office furniture for workplace solutions that are sustainable and productive. We spoke to Founder Henrik Meltesen, who shared an insight into the journey so far and his hopes for the future of Ecopex Group. As the first Circular Economy proptech business in Asia, Ecopex Furniture has successfully disrupted the corporate interior fit-out sector of the continent, taking a holistic approach to furnishing that pays respect to design, community, profitability, and the planet. As a for-profit social enterprise under RaiSE Singapore, Ecopex is playing a vital role in reducing waste, creating jobs, and supporting the local community, all while maintaining profitability. Founded by Henrik Meltesen, Ecopex is a SaaS for flexible office furniture and workplace solutions for businesses of all shapes and sizes, that was created in response to the growing problem of waste and ‘fast fashion’ in the interiors sector. Henrik’s goal is to reverse this trend, embracing instead the suppliers and products that align with the philosophy of a circular economy. Their closed-loop circular economy model brings commercial and sustainable objectives together by utilising a resource to its fullest extent, giving new life to products once they have fulfilled their purpose, and consequently reducing waste, CO2 emissions, and demand for virgin resources, while simultaneously maximising profitability. Ecopex therefore takes excess furniture from its corporate real estate clients that it can refurbish and upcycle into fashionable, ergonomically designed furniture pieces to be distributed to clients. Pieces that aren’t fit for commercial use are donated to a vast network of charities within Ecopex’s local community as part of the firm’s commitment to being a ‘zero-waste’ social enterprise that supports the community of Singapore. Driven by Idealistic, Creative, Innovative and Collaborative values, and its triple bottom line centred on the environment, social responsibility, and profitability, Ecopex sets itself apart from those brands that are guilty of greenwashing to sell their products and services. Ecopex is a purpose-built organisation that is using ‘zerowaste’ furniture to meet emerging corporate real estate trends and solve an urgent industry issue. Serving a diverse clientele of employers and employees, Ecopex offers its products either for rent or for sale. The firm’s unique FAAS & WAAS (Furniture- and Workplace-as-aService) model places Ecopex as a partner to its clients, rather than just a supplier, working alongside them to establish and find the best, flexible furniture solutions for their clients and their workspaces. Clients are able to rely on Ecopex to deliver high-quality furniture that is not only stylish and functional, but sustainable and ergonomic too, with lifespans that make Ecopex the more cost-efficient choice compared to the low-quality rental options that are also available on the market. Initially, Henrik built his brand by spreading the word through his industry network, attracting businesses from SMEs to giant MNCS and generating strong partnerships that have facilitated the ongoing growth of Ecopex since its inception. Although still a one-man team, Henrik is looking to expand his business, recruiting dynamic individuals with key qualities such as problem-solving skills, accountability and a passion for sustainable business to join him on his mission. With their support, Henrik will begin to focus on a more proactive B2B sales approach while maintaining Ecopex’s existing partnerships. Like many who started a new business in the midst of the pandemic and resulting lockdowns, Henrik faced a challenging debut into a market that was particularly demanding of extensive product testing and market education. However, the downsides of COVID were balanced by corporate real estate demands for more flexible workplace solutions, such as WFH and flexible workplace solutions, which in return gave him more time to refine and develop the blueprint for regional exspansion. However, by focusing its efforts on its establishment as the circular industry partner of choice in Singapore, Ecopex has been able to see successful growth closer to home, strengthening its partnerships within its local community and collaborating with industry partners to move towards its sustainability and profitability goals. Henrik would like to thank Ola Sjödin and Tor Sjödin of Soeco.se; Steffen Max Hoeg and Jacob Hansen of HolmrisB8.com; Sandy Swee Heng of Continentz.com; and Sann Carriére of SoNow.asia for their willingness to share best practise and for the continued collaborations. To that end, Henrik has entered 2021 with plans for continued refinement and improvement of Ecopex’s services, tools and infrastructure that will accommodate some exciting projects contributing to the enhancement of the workplace optimization and circular economy of Singapore’s corporate real estate sector. With sights also set on global expansion in the months and years ahead, we can undoubtedly expect to see Ecopex making significant contributions to a brighter and greener future for us all. Contact: Henrik Meltesen Company: Ecopex Furniture Web Address: www.ecopexgroup.com
14 APAC / Issue Q2 2021 , Business West welcomes the end of uncertainty for the future of the Honda site and the hundreds of new jobs it will secure Feb21468 On the 26th of March, Business West welcomed the announcement from Honda of the UK Manufacturing Ltd that a buyer had been found for the Honda Swindon site. The purchase from the Panattoni Group and the use of the site for a large-scale logistics operation will be welcome news for the town at a time of significant economic uncertainty and create new jobs for the town and region. Business West understands that the buyers intend to bring the site into operational use on a fast timescale, with jobs created during a repurposing period and then when the site becomes operational during 2022. Commenting on the announcement, Phil Smith, Managing Director of Business West, said: “This brings us to the next stage in the formal end of an era for Honda’s involvement in Swindon but opens up a new chapter for the town. The past two years since the first announcement of closure in February 2019 have been a period of considerable uncertainty for both workers and Swindon itself, so this is good news and puts an end to much speculation and concern that the site would lie empty. “We are very glad that the site will be retained for employment use and it appears that the number of jobs created will be equal or greater than currently employed by Honda. It is also encouraging that the turnaround into its new use will be quick. It will be a boost for economic recovery in the region over the next two years. “There will be some disappointment in the region that an advanced manufacturer was not secured to take over the site, but the market for logistics is extremely buoyant and wider uncertainty in many global manufacturing sectors may have tempered wider interest. Ultimately, a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush. “This announcement clearly reflects a broader need for larger strategic employment sites to provide a range of investment opportunities beyond the logistics sector. Our region currently has a dearth of these available and needs to do more in ensuring sites are available within our local planning system to cope with both strong demands for logistics operators alongside more traditional manufacturing employers if we are to fully capitalise on global investment interest. “Despite this good news, focus needs to remain to ensure new job opportunities are available for Honda associates and the impacted parts of Honda’s supply chain. This announcement means this objective will become much easier. Business West will continue to work to ensure employment remains high in Swindon and surrounding areas.” Boggy - stock.adobe.com
APAC / Issue Q2 2021 15 , Feb21356 Albumedix announces recombinant human albumin supply partnership with FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation for the Japanese, Chinese and Hong Kong markets Albumedix Ltd. (‘Albumedix’), an enabler of advanced therapies and world leader in recombinant human albumin (rHA), announced today that they have entered into a distribution agreement with established and wel recognized reagent supplier FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation (FUJIFILM Wako) in Japan and China including Hong Kong. The partnership further strengthens Albumedix’ commitment to advanced therapy and biopharmaceutical developers in the region. Under the terms and conditions of the agreement, FUJIFILM Wako will act as a commercialization partner and distributor of Albumedix´ recombinant human albumin products (Recombumin®), including joint marketing efforts in Japan, China and Hong Kong. Albumedix already has a longstanding history of servicing biopharmaceutical developers in Japan and China and have been investing in this region for a while, recently exemplified with the announcement of Drug Master File (DMF) submissions to the Japanese Pharmaceuticals and Medical Device Agency (PMDA) and DMF lodged with the Chinese National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). FUJIFILM Wako is well established within these markets, developing and producing high quality reagents to address the needs of life science innovators. The partnership further demonstrates Albumedix’ commitment to expand and accelerate its activities in these regions. Together FUJIFILM Wako and Albumedix will work to address the availability shortage of high quality and consistent human albumin in the region. Albumedix will continue to support its existing client base and invest in its commercial presence in the region. “With this partnership Albumedix gains a valued and experienced partner with an established presence in Japan, China and Hong Kong. FUJIFILM Wako is highly experienced in the advanced therapy and biopharmaceutical space, where Albumedix products have proven to be vital enablers. We look forward to a strong collaboration with FUJIFILM Wako in order to enable the continued development of transformative therapies in the region.” Says Gregor Kawaletz, Chief Commercial Officer at Albumedix. The now established partnership between Albumedix and FUJIFILM Wako builds on highly synergistic capabilities and focus with Albumedix´ Recombumin® products supporting FUJIFILM Wako´s product portfolio and client base. “Albumedix´ products are an integral part of the processing and formulation of advanced therapies and biopharmaceuticals such as vaccines, cell and gene therapies. The high quality and purity along with extensive regulatory documentation and expert support will offer a versatile tool for the customers of FUJIFILM Wako. FUJIFILM Wako will be working through well-established sales channels and mature network of dealers and local representatives, relying on local language and dedicated specialists to broaden the use of Albumedix products and enable the development of therapies and biopharmaceuticals in the respective territories.” Says Mr. Kuniaki Okamoto, General Manager, Life Science Development Operations.
apacinsider.digitalRkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTY1MjI4