Local SME continues steadfast growth with Sands China

After seeing an opportunity to kick off a business when Sands China Ltd. invested in its first integrated resort in the city – Sands Macao – in 2004, NCPK Company Ltd, owned by Nelson Chan was then established as a micro and young entrepreneur enterprise in the city in 2009.

Considered a modern retail store by the entrepreneur, the firm sells a series of hardware products to the construction industry.

The local firm kicked off its partnership with Sands China Ltd back in 2010, leading the company to provide a growing number of products to the gaming operator and local residents.

According to Chan, the investment by Sands China provided the city with a wake-
up call to develop a higher standard of offerings and services.

“The dream to open a store actually started when Sands Macao opened in the region,” Nelson shared.

“I just started to think that Macau is not a small city anymore. More investors from all over the world came to invest here so we have the opportunity to think about new ways to operate a hardware business,” the entrepreneur added.

Nelson grew up in a family business that retails similar hardware products, yet decided to start his own with new brands, new products and innovative services.

“These are the new requirements in Macau because the casinos are here. It has changed the way people do business,” said Nelson.

“The standards have improved, whether in the protection of workers in the construction industry or standards of hygiene,” he added.

However, as working capital remains a challenge for local entrepreneurs who aim to start a business in Macau, Nelson has appreciated the series of SME programs provided by Sands China.

The ongoing efforts of the gaming operator have assisted hundreds of local SMEs, including Nelson’s company, as the programs have continued to drive procurement between Sands China and local SME suppliers.

Nelson recalled how Sands China offered substantial assistance to local suppliers following losses caused by Typhoon Hato back in August last year, noting that his store is located along Rua Ribeira do Patane, one of the areas most badly hit by the typhoon.

“Typhoon Hato brought with it serious damage to our business. In the last half year, we have been trying our best to recover. We still need three to four years to recover the losses,” Nelson lamented.

He noted that they had to acquire new stock as the typhoon took up 30 to 40 percent of their products. He thanked Sands China for implementing swift payment procedures.

“Sands China had set up procedures to help us. One of the ways are through financial assistance, they set up a faster payment process,” shared Nelson.

“Since Macau lacked manpower and trucks to deliver goods during that time, Sands’ procurement team assisted in the swift collection and transportation of goods,” he recalled.

NCPK Company Ltd supplies goods and services to Sands China almost every day, earning about 30 percent of their total income from the gaming operator.

Nelson is confident that local entrepreneurs will continue to grow with the assistance of the various SME programs that gaming operators provide, citing Sands China’s first-of-its-kind invitational matching sessions.

These invitational matching sessions provide a platform for local SMEs to present and demonstrate their products and services to potential users and buyers at Sands China’s properties.

The goal is to facilitate communication between vendors and users, and to improve procurement success rates.

“The SME programs for SME companies are good because young entrepreneurs can access more opportunities to start their business. The barrier is no longer that high to start a business compared to years ago,” said Nelson.

“I can see that Macau keeps changing. If entrepreneurs want to improve their businesses, they have to look for more people, solutions or equipment to avail themselves of these opportunities to grow,” the entrepreneur shared.

These SME programs look for ways to reach out to local SMEs, providing them with a platform to offer their products and services across different sectors.

Just last year, Sands China launched its new F.I.T. program for local SME suppliers, which included the first in a series of unique invitational matching sessions for SME suppliers to demonstrate their goods and services to user departments inside Sands China.

This latest initiative is the first of its kind: the F.I.T. program aims to continue driving procurement between Sands China and local SMEs, targeted at both existing and new local suppliers to Sands China, thus increasing its spend with these SMEs.

In their on-going commitment to Macau’s local SMEs, Sands China continues to develop initiatives to provide different ways for SMEs to showcase their products, helping them gain experience and increase their capacity to work with large-scale international customers like Sands China.

This article was sponsored by Sands China Ltd.