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Dextrans Worldwide Group featured in Spring Singapore’s newsletter
Creating Value That Matters:
Dextrans Worldwide Group Private Limited
Dextrans Worldwide Group was founded by Mr Jeffrey Heng 6 years ago. After 16 years of working for MNCs in the freight forwarding business, he saw that there was a market for logistical support to tackle operational challenges in new geographical and culturally diverse locations in Asia by small and medium-sized foreign companies (especially American and European manufacturers).
Dextrans offers these companies an Asian company capable of providing the full suite of services required. Over the years, three more partners joined him and together they have built up a staff strength of 180 staff in 16 offices and warehouse hubs in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Hong Kong and China.
The driving philosophy of the company comes from its name Dextrans which is derived from "dexterity and transboundary". In the beginning, Mr Heng and his small team of experts tapped on their personal knowledge and network to provide efficient borderless integrated logistics solutions through a global network of agencies and partnerships.
As they grow, the strength and dexterity is further enhanced with a dynamic proven team of senior management consisting of different nationalities and differing yet relevant background.
Today, more and more customers tap on this united team's ability to handle challenging ‘on the ground' issues through Dextrans' own transboundary network of joint ventures and offices.
Mr Albert Chan, Director (Corporate Development) of Dextrans Worldwide Group explains the reason behind their growth: "Initially we were just a normal freighting company like everyone else, but we decided to take it one step further and move up the value chain. As our clients increasingly review ways to reduce inventory and lower operating or carrying costs, this trend of optimising the supply chain will be an effective help during these trying times."
Cementing their good relationships with customers or partners with manufacturing and hub capabilities, Dextrans can now offer more redundant manufacturing capability located across Asia and China. This effectively allows them to realize better time-to-market distribution to end customers and to be able to balance and buffer demand globally.
Their emphasis on providing quality and whole solutions to their clients made it easier for them to move up the value chain. "We don't have muscles like the big boys, so we use people power and come up with innovative solutions to become the Asian arm of the big boys", says Mr Chan.
Today, Dextrans has evolved into a value-added partner; from providing multi-source procurement of raw materials to counter supplier risk, hedging currency swings in different regions, providing vendor-managed inventory services and conducting quality checks for their clients. Their aim is to provide "trouble free logistics" domestically and regionally. This means finding and developing good domestic partners and reliable and trustworthy regional agents and offices.
Mr Chan says, "We are in the information business - what, what time, who, when, where, how. We need efficient and resourceful people and partners in the different locales to facilitate the answers that we can use to provide logistics service to our clients."
On the future of Dextrans, Mr Heng says: "Dextrans is a vision driven organisation. We strongly believe that any SME that seeks high growth must have a vision or dream of what it wants to become. With a vision it allows alignment and direction in what you seek to do."
"As the company progresses there will be major distractions, disappointments, challenges etc. But it calls for resolute focus and resilience on what you want to achieve and not be side tracked. There may be a need to tweak the plans slightly maybe due to the current economic crisis, but again unless there is a decision to make major changes, it is advisable to stay on track. Drum up your Adversity Quotient (AQ) to face the storms!"
