Latest news with #SME100
The Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Sun Synergy leads Malaysia's flooring safety evolution
LOCAL flooring safety solutions provider Sun Synergy Sdn Bhd, recognised among SME100's most influential companies in Malaysia in 2023, has transformed from a modest supplier into the country's foremost authority on flooring safety systems. Their exclusive partnership with world-renowned Latham Australia and Progress Profiles, Italy, has brought cutting-edge safety solutions to Malaysia's built environment. Sun Synergy's safety systems are now integral to the country's most prominent landmarks, safeguarding millions in the country's most iconic structures – from the skybridge linking the KLCC Twin Towers to transportation hubs like KLIA Terminal 1 and the entire LRT/MRT network. Most recently, the company supplied nearly 50 entrance mats and over 1,000 lineal meters of control joints to the prestigious Pavilion Damansara Heights development, and over 2,000 lineal meters of control joints to The Exchange TRX Mall in Kuala Lumpur, ensuring the landmark meets international safety standards while maintaining its architectural elegance. "Building safety isn't just about preventing catastrophes," explains Sun Synergy business development director Edwin Ng. 'It's about creating spaces where everyone, including the visually impaired and mobility-challenged, can move confidently, independently and safely.' Making Malaysia accessible for all Sun Synergy's stainless steel tactile indicator studs and directional tiles at NU Sentral in Kuala Lumpur have provided essential guidance for visually impaired commuters navigating between the main KL Sentral station hall and the monorail station for years. These seemingly simple additions make public spaces accessible to all Malaysians. Ng says those are not luxury features but essential safety elements that should be standard in every commercial space. 'Yet many developers still treat them as optional, focusing on aesthetics while overlooking this critical accessibility necessity.' Sun Synergy's mission extends beyond supplying products. The company actively collaborates with Malaysia's leading architectural firms, such as GDP, Veritas, SAA, RSP and NRY, to integrate safety considerations into early design phases. Its headquarters in Petaling Jaya serve as a living showcase of safety excellence, featuring P5-rated anti-slip tiles, comprehensive tactile guidance systems, and solar energy solutions that reduce their carbon footprint. Sun Synergy's managing director Michael Ng says: 'Safety and sustainability go hand-in-hand. By investing in proper flooring systems today, we protect people and resources for future generations.' He added that as Sun Synergy prepares to contribute to the landmark Rapid Transit System connecting Johor and Singapore, the company invites building owners, developers and architects to prioritise flooring safety in all future projects. 'Every building deserves the highest safety standard. From expansion joints to tactile indicators, these elements aren't costly luxuries, they are investments that prevent accidents, lawsuits and ultimately, tragedies.'
Business Times
25-05-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Audience Analytics eyes growth in Vietnam, M&A opportunities
[SINGAPORE] Audience Analytics, an organiser of regional business awards and career fairs, is seeking growth in Vietnam with its recent investment in a business partner there, while looking out for merger and acquisition (M&A) opportunities. On May 15, the company inked a deal to acquire 30 per cent of Snowball, a Vietnam-based management consultancy, for 17.5 billion dong (S$870,000). Snowball has partnered Audience Analytics to organise business awards since 2018, said the Catalist-listed company's chairman and managing director William Ng. 'It's a natural progression of what has already been a great partnership… We see a lot of potential to grow further in Vietnam,' he said, adding that he shares knowledge and resources with Snowball, while retaining its 'entrepreneurial spirit'. Snowball is next set to organise a new career fair in June – called the Vietnam Career and Training Fair – as a licensee of Audience Analytics. The event is modelled after Audience Analytics' signature event, the Malaysia Career and Training Fair, which the company has organised since its founding in 2002. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Audience Analytics' expansion in Vietnam is in line with its broader pursuit of growth in what Ng dubs the 'CLMV market', comprising Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. 'These markets are all very young. We see a fast-growing workforce and a lot of opportunities to expand (our) reach there via our existing partnership in Vietnam,' said Ng. Audience Analytics is also on the lookout for M&A opportunities. The company is sitting on S$21.6 million in cash as at Dec 31, 2024, with S$2.8 million in current liabilities. 'It makes a lot of sense for us to convert some of this cash holding into more revenue and more profit via the M&A route. We are currently in active discussion with a number of potential partners,' he said. Proxy to business sentiment Audience Analytics' growth plans come amid challenging economic conditions, with the US' tariff war dampening the growth outlook for South-east Asia. The company's main revenue driver is its business awards segment, through which it earns participation fees. Its key awards include SME100, HR Asia Best Companies to Work for in Asia, CXP Best Customer Experience Awards, and the Golden Bull Award. These awards are held in 15 markets across the region, spanning South-east Asia, India, China and South Korea. Besides exhibitions and awards, Audience Analytics is also a publisher of business-to-business digital and print media. The company is a 'proxy' to overall business sentiment, noted Ng. 'If businesses do well and they're happy about it, the likelihood of them investing in our products – whether it's the exhibitions, media or business analytics – will be higher,' he said. He acknowledged that sentiment has been uncertain this year, but with the recent tariff truce between US and China, Ng is more sanguine about the outlook. 'We no longer see the reciprocal tariffs to be a major impediment to our revenue this year.' He also sees Audience Analytics' geographical breadth as a 'major hedge' against volatility. Ng pointed to how the company fared well in FY2024 despite a 'very difficult' year, thanks to continued growth and cost discipline. Audience Analytics posted a 28.8 per cent rise in net profit to S$6 million for the year ended Dec 31, 2024. This was on the back of a 6.5 per cent rise in revenue to S$15.6 million. The top-line expansion was driven by the awards segment, where revenue rose 7.7 per cent to S$14.5 million. 'What I found was our real achievement in 2024 was that we managed to reign in the incremental cost, and we delivered a very strong bottom line,' said Ng. That said, performance was weaker in other segments. Revenue from the exhibitions business was down 6.6 per cent to S$1 million, due to softer demand. The business media and analytics segment's sales fell even more steeply – by 31 per cent – to S$46,165. Acknowledging that media is a tough business, Ng said that this vertical is 'not just about the money', but also about brand-building. He cited how the 18-year-old SME Magazine in Malaysia 'is almost a household name'. The company's SME-related awards and events gain more recognition when people associate it with the magazine, Ng said. Plenty of runway Despite the market volatility in the past few years, Audience Analytics' share price has risen 31.1 per cent since its 2021 listing. It is also up 10.8 per cent since the start of the year to S$0.295 as at May 23. Ng is not too concerned about the share price, but hopes to attract investors with a long-term view and reward them. One sweetener is the company's new dividend policy – it aims to pay out at least 50 per cent of profits as dividends for FY2025 to FY2027. He is also 'constantly on the lookout for new strategies' to improve liquidity for investors. The company recently issued investors one bonus share for every three ordinary shares, which has made 'the stock a lot more liquid now than a year ago', noted Ng. Asked how investors should view Audience Analytics, he said: 'This is a young company with plenty of runway, and a company that truly values investors.'
