STEEL INDUSTRIES – a name that speaks of RELIABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

STEEL Industries headquarters in Singapore

Company directors Mr David Cheong and Mr Henri Ong

Before the boom of the food and hospitality industry, people keen to showcase their special cuisine to the masses and make a living out of it had to contend with using simple and traditional equipments which hampered their ability to expand the business. This situation got one man thinking; Mr David Ong, a gourmet enthusiast himself, he saw that these aspiring restaurateurs needed the right tools to perfect their masterpieces. And thus, Steel Industries came in to being in 1971 with the simple thought of providing “quality commercial equipment and furniture”.

Heavy Duty Chinese Cooking range

At that period, fancy kitchen equipments weren’t exactly hot off the shelves, perhaps due to lack of awareness and its price tag but it was something worth thinking about. And so, Mr David Ong brought in major brands of commercial kitchen equipment that were already adopted by Western counterparts such as dishwashers, range of cooking equipment and refrigerators into the Singapore market. Knowing that localisation is crucial for its brand identity, the founder recruited steel craftsmen and started their own modest fabrication facility where Chinese styled woks (kwali) were made to cater to the local food community. They also provided fabrication services of worktable, sinks and benches and other items required in commercial kitchens.

Custom made cookers at a show kitchen

Attention to details

Singapore’s tourism sector experienced tremendous growth in the 80’s and 90’s thanks to international hotel chains seeing opportunity in the little island. The company maximised its potential by stepping into project management on top of its core service of supplying equipment and furniture. When interviewed, Operations Director Mr David Cheong stressed on the importance of putting documentations in order, especially in big projects where more than 1 restaurant might be set up. Changes happen on site and it is vital that the project team is on top of it and documentation helps a lot during the installation period to ensure delays are avoided. While taking on project is rewarding, much wisdom has to be exercised, continues Mr David Cheong as the company has to be sure that project partners they choose to work with have the resources to complete the task. He said, “Handling a project is tricky. Things can get held up unexpectedly or moved forward to rush a new deadline or run into complications that doesn’t come up on paper”. Steel Industries’ wide range of resources enables them to work around unexpected hiccups such as stocking up on raw materials for huge projects in a short timeframe compared to many other companies.

Bank of kettles in a central kitchen

Sturdy, Trusted, Efficient, Effective, Long Lasting are the five positive values that the company has built itself upon over the years and 42 years into the work, it is an ISO 9001-2008 certified company with its feet firm on the ISO Quality Principles that translates into customer focus, healthy relationships with staff, suppliers, customers together with competent work system. With these business principles driving the company, it is now present in 3 countries (Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka) backed by about 50 personnel who contribute extensively to its reputation as a project management company with involvement in mega projects around the region. That translates to crucial need of maintenance for equipment. The company puts in place comprehensive maintenance program for clients depending on needs, operations and budgets with a service team on standby 24/7 and a well-stocked inventor y on spare parts.

STEEL Industries Pte. Ltd.

Project Management Team at RWS