Mr. Karan says SCGP’s businesses run from upstream to downstream, with eucalyptus plantation to provide raw materials for the production of pulp, paper and also packaging. Today, the company’s products include both paper and polymer packaging. Mr. Karan, on his part, oversees downstream businesses.
Our operations extend to downstream sectors encompassing both paper-based and non-paper packaging. My responsibilities primarily involve overseeing consumer packaging and performance packaging, the latter of which utilizes materials like plastic or specialty paper to deliver superior functionality compared to traditional paper packaging. Presently, I provide supervision to six subsidiaries and manage 15 factories situated across Thailand, Vietnam, and Spain. I am excited to share our recent expansion into the field of medical supplies, as it represents a novel venture for our entire team
Through Merger & Partnership (M&P), SCGP has gained ownership of several fresh enterprises across the globe. Consequently, we find ourselves in relatively unfamiliar territory regarding their operational intricacies. Specifically, I am referring to the healthcare and medical supplies sectors, which present us with prospects to acquaint ourselves with new production processes, operational methodologies, and business channels. These businesses are also related to our conventional packaging in some ways, therefore, we can take this opportunity to enhance and advance our core competencies.
GRASP OPPORTUNITIES FROM NEW DEMAND
In contrast to the food and beverage packaging sector, the healthcare products and medical supplies market is smaller in size but boasts a significantly rapid expansion rate. Various nations are currently experiencing an upturn in their economies, resulting in improved accessibility to medical facilities for their populations. Furthermore, health-conscious trends have gained continuous growth, particularly in Southeast Asia, which stands as the swiftest growing market for healthcare products and medical supplies originating from our production lines. Additional developed markets are located in different regions and represent what we consider the emerging demand
These new businesses work with pre-molded plastics, though they differ somewhat from SCGP’s main plastic-packaging products. As we run these new ventures, we also apply our expertise. To meet the growing demand, we ensure our production facilities are clean and precise, as we’ve done with our core operations. Operating these new businesses involves more aspects as we’re now engaged in designing products and shaping molds ourselves. With our experience, we can create new products alongside customers and provide better service. For instance, if a customer wants a circle on an ATK strip to be larger and oval-shaped, we can now do it promptly. In the past, we couldn’t react right away because we only focused on plastic molding. But today, we can make molds and manage details ourselves, enabling faster and improved responses to customer needs.
BUSINESS EXPANSION TO EUROPE, STEPPING STONE FOR BRIGHT FUTURE
In Europe, SCGP’s business presence has expanded to encompass Britain, Spain, and the Netherlands. There is potential for our business footprint to grow even more in this region. From my experience, subsidiaries of European companies often function somewhat independently, focusing primarily on their individual job roles, which limits collaborative efforts. To address this, we are instilling a sense of teamwork to establish connections and align everyone toward a common goal.
Our operations aren’t confined to Europe alone; we’ve successfully marketed our products to numerous countries globally, including significant markets like the United States. This favorable trend underscores the strength of our businesses. Operating from Europe also offers strategic advantages: our international divisions can easily communicate with Asia during mornings and with the US during afternoons. As a result, Europe holds a pivotal role as a cornerstone for our business activities.
THERE ARE MORE THAN ONE WAYS TO ACHIEVE GOALS
I have offered my team members opportunities to express their opinions, which can be diverse and different. They don’t have to just listen. Even if I may not fully agree with my team’s proposed approach, I will approve it if it seems practical enough. I let the team go ahead with their ideas because I know that there’re a lot of ways to achieve the same goal. I do so to engage my team and participation is very important.
Also, I have accorded importance to constant learning. As SCGP steps into new businesses, there is a lot to learn. It is normal that during learning process, mistakes may happen. But it is important that we have to review what had happened, learned along the way, and applied the lesson well in the future. Senior staff must set examples for junior staff to follow. No matter how busy you are, you have to keep learning. I enjoy observing what others especially market leaders are doing or paying attention to. I have done research based on articles, research summaries and principles to see how far each idea can progress. Learning is necessary. Sometimes, we think we have already done well but perhaps, there are better ways to implement it.
I think SCGP has ample opportunities to grow. So, my advice to the younger staffs is that they should not think only inside the box. We can branch out to new fields. It’s just that we must integrate what we know to strengthen our network. SCGP has already operated businesses in several ASEAN nations but has established strong presence in just a few. Therefore, we need to step up our efforts to boost SCGP’s recognition in overseas markets. SCGP should be as profoundly established there as it is in Thailand. We need to do lot of homework because our company’s future is in our hands.