Second, is the culture of accountability. And at Panduit,
there has been extra care taken in fostering a healthy one.
This focus on accountability has been driven through not
only the Asia–Pacific branch but the whole company as well.
“Employees are equipped with management tools to
inculcate a workplace culture where every employee takes
accountability to think and act in a manner necessary to
achieve beneficial outcomes,” Harry says. “This campaign
has been running for a few years now and that, along with
the way that we do our planning and execution, has really
encouraged and motivated our employees. The more
motivated our employees are, the faster we grow as people
and as a company.”
China and Japan are driving the majority of Panduit
Asia–Pacific’s growth, accounting for most of the company’s
profits. Harry says the company has been experiencing
double-digit growth in China for many years, thanks
to more data centres and industrial construction, such as
power plants, power grids, rail networks and subways.
To Harry, China’s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) policy
is set to deliver further benefits for Panduit Asia–Pacific. The
policy was initially designed to increase China’s economic
ties with Europe, Africa and Oceania. It refers to one trade
route from land and one by sea to these respective regions
and will involve more investment and trade relations,
additional infrastructure facilities and networks, as well as
enhanced social and cultural exchanges.
Harry believes several countries in the region will most
likely benefit from the scheme, which in turn will strengthen
the company’s growth.
A BRIGHT FUTURE
The next challenge for Panduit is to sustain the business in
the future, ensuring continued results. “To continue to repeat
our success, we can no longer rely on doing better and
doing things right,” Harry says. “We now need a better
strategy. This is where it’ll be a challenge for our team.”
To do so, Harry plans to use the ‘blue ocean strategy’;
a concept coined by W Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne
that is particularly useful when supply exceeds demand in a
market. The idea is for a company to create its own market
space, which is a ‘blue ocean’, rather than
getting into competition with similar
businesses, a ‘red ocean’.
Today, Panduit no longer designs a
product based on how it looks or functions.
With the technology convergence between
hardware and software, cloud and web –
and maybe later with AI – it’s no longer
just about the functionality of a product.
It’s about how it interacts with and provides
the right experience for the customer.
“The closer we are to the customer, the
more we need to identify and provide viable
solutions,” Harry continues. “We need to
create value for them and it’s where we need
to think differently about our strategy. We
don’t desire to stay the same. For us to
achieve more, we have no choice but to
think differently.”
Harry knows that the future is bright and
full of technological possibilities. But he has
no cause to worry because with his clear
foresight, keen sense and brilliant problem
solving, growing will never be just a phase
and he won’t ever be left behind. In fact, you
can be quite certain that Harry will always
be at the forefront of Panduit and reaching
into the future.“ Collectively, the whole
team learns together,
works together, and
becomes more successful.”
Interview | INSPIRE