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Mrs Catherine Lam understands the importance of developing her staff. "Today's global economy is very competitive," said the Managing Director of commercial kitchen equipment specialist, Fabristeel Private Limited. "Businesses that operate in countries that have lower paid workers have emerged as competitors as their products are cheaper. To distinguish ourselves, workers in Singapore have to have an added edge. This can only be achieved through training and development. Only then can local workers remain employable and competitive."
Mrs Lam should know. Fabristeel's subsidiaries in China manufactures the same products as its Singapore plant. They are of the same quality but at a substantially lower cost.
Training ensures staff remain relevant and employable |
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| Mrs Lam believes that the retention of staff is critical to Fabristeel’s business growth. "Small and medium-sized enterprises do not usually have the benefit of having a staff backup plan in place," she said. "The cost of training new or replacement staff can bear heavily on operations. It is critical to have in place good human resource practices for developing and training staff and ensuring that all staff equip themselves with the necessary knowledge and skills to remain relevant and employable." | |
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Mrs Lam believes that the retention of staff is critical to Fabristeel's business growth. "Small and medium-sized enterprises do not usually have the benefit of having a staff back-up plan in place," she said. "The cost of training new or replacement staff can bear heavily on operations. It is critical to have in place good human resource practices for developing and training staff and ensuring that all staff equip themselves with the necessary knowledge and skills to remain relevant and employable."
In fact, the importance the company places on people development prompted the company to apply for People Developer certification in September last year. It as certified to the the People Developer Standard by SPRING Singapore in December 2004. Fabristeel has since adopted the People Developer Standard framework for its subsidiaries in China.
Established in 1979, Fabristeel is a total solutions provider for commercial kitchens. It undertakes the design of commercial kitchens and the fabrication, installation, testing and servicing of commercial kitchen equipment. Fabristeel also retrofits emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire engines.
With its headquarters in Singapore, Fabristeel has offices in Malaysia and China. It has handled projects in 15 Asian countries including China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. In Singapore, Fabristeel has designed and equipped the kitchens of Kentucky Fried Chicken, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Delifrance, The Shangri-La Hotel, The Tanglin Club and Raffles Town Club.
People development for better customer satisfaction
People is one of the core values of Fabristeel. It is one of the key drivers of the quality culture that Fabristeel promotes to ensure that staff provide excellent service and create added value for clients.
Managers and senior managers are personally involved in people development activities. New staff undergo an intensive induction programme. Besides an annual learning needs analysis, managers and supervisors consistently assess the performance of their staff. Gaps in knowledge and skills are identified for training. Staff are also encouraged to take ownership for their personal development by suggesting how they want to upgrade their skills. Fabristeel’s training budget is equivalent to the national average of 5% of employee payroll. Pre- and post-course reviews are conducted for staff to assess the relevance and benefits of training.
On the benefits of its people development efforts, Mrs Lam said the quality of work and attitude of staff have improved. Fabristeel is now looking into a 'Career Deal' for staff. "The 'Career Deal' for each staff will state the unique 'deal' that the company has with him or her with respect to his or her career and personal development, besides pay and benefits," explained Mrs Lam. "We believe that this will demonstrate that the company is committed to staff development and will result in staff commitment to the company, staff retention and ultimately, better customer satisfaction." |
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