In any construction project, it is always the finishing touches that make a difference to the work, and the most commonly found one would be the epoxy coating done on industrial floors and car parks. One of the leading providers of this finish would be SM Systems Pte Ltd, founded in 1996 by Mr Tiong Nyuk Kong, who is the director of the company.
Mr Tiong was working in a large company that specialised in applying epoxy coatings for industrial flooring solutions as a site supervisor, learning on the job and taking a hand / hands on approach with it. The opportunity for him to have his own business came about when, after a site developer had problems with the contractor he was working under. Seeing his potential and ability in this trade, the person in charge of the project encouraged him to strike it out on his own, and with his savings, the business was born.
While Mr Tiong started out with the backing of his suppliers, working as a sub-contractor providing the required labour for the job, the company expanded out with time by word-of mouth from satisfied clients and project managers. Since by nature their trade was rather specialised, the only way to make their name on it was by doing good work to earn recommendations. Although in recent years, SM Systems have taken to direct tenders for most of their jobs, the referrals in the early days helped them a lot.