LIFTING BUSINESS TO NEW HEIGHTS

Scania trucks were valuable assets for Pollisum Engineering to expand into becoming a leading turnkey lifting, transport and engineering solutions provider in Singapore.

From a humble crane mechanical repair business, Pollisum Engineering has evolved into a one-stop integrated service provider for the construction, logistics and marine sectors and a top local enterprise in Singapore.

Back in 1984, when Mr Ang Ka San founded the business, he was also the sole employee performing simple repairs and servicing on cranes. As he deepened his relationships with his customers from the construction and marine sectors, he saw the opportunity to grow his own business.

Now as its Managing Director, Mr Ang helms a completely different business with his wife Ms Julia Tai, with almost 200 staff and a fleet of about 100 vehicles. As a one-stop integrated service provider, the company focuses on the leasing and sale of heavy lift and haulage equipment; the fabrication of construction buckets, steel structures and engineering works; the repair and maintenance of cranes and crane booms; logistics and freight forwarding; and the provision of waterfront services.

Staged Expansion

The growth happened in stages and was focused at first on the company’s strong expertise in cranes. It started with the acquisition and leasing out of mobile and rough-terrain crawler cranes in 1986 to support customers in the field.

“Our focus was on serving and supporting our customers in the construction, logistics and marine sectors well,” explains Mr Ang in Mandarin. “We understood what they needed and expanded according to their demands.”

By 2008, Pollisum diversified into leasing lorry cranes and prime movers, a move that involved an investment in Scania trucks. While the initial truck fleet comprised a mix of brands, Mr Ang realised over the next few years that customers preferred vehicles that could handle heavier tonnage.

“Lorry cranes proved to be a lucrative business line for us, but customers were telling us they wanted to be able to handle heavier loads,” said Mr Ang. “So as we strengthened our capabilities in lorry cranes, we were more keen on Scania trucks, which can load a higher tonnage of up to 70 tonnes, compared to Japanese brands. It was more efficient for us to use Scania.”

New Business Lines

Just as the lorry crane business was picking up, Pollisum put its Scania trucks into further use when it launched its marine arm to make profitable use of its waterfront premises at Senoko Way. The trucks can now carry heavy materials to be offloaded onto barges to be transported to Indonesia, Malaysia and offshore islands in Singapore.

In 2014, the company was ready to start its logistics and freight-forwarding business, with a further investment in 10 Scania prime movers. It also expanded into Malaysia to provide transportation of pre-cast materials to Singapore.

Trusted Brand in Scania

Scania has proven to be a trusted brand to work alongside Pollisum as it expanded into new business lines. As the company evolved, it also looked into more sophisticated trucks, including three G-series cabs for its lorry cranes.

Today, about 80% of the company’s 50 lorry cranes and 40 prime movers are Scania trucks. All its trucks acquired since 2014 featured the two-pedal fully automatic transmission, while nine trucks acquired from 2019 were from the New Truck Generation.

“Scania gives us the operating economy and reliability to run our business efficiently with less risk of disappointing our customers with breakdowns,” Mr Ang says. “And with the New Truck Generation, we see further improvements in reliability, performance and fuel efficiency.”

Service with Confidence

Stressing the importance of after-sales service, Mr Ang adds: “Scania is committed to maximising our vehicle uptime, giving us less worries and headaches. When a brand is the strongest in the market, we are assured that the after-sales would be good.”

With that confidence, Pollisum signed up for repair and maintenance packages and is considering the Scania Fleet Care solution, to keep its fleet in prime condition and to manage operating costs.

Scania’s repair and maintenance package is designed to maximise uptime, productivity and operating economy. It provides Pollisum with a competitive fixed-price service plan for each vehicle, with scheduled maintenance visits to the workshop at regular mileage or time intervals. Only original parts are used if any repairs are needed.

“As a leasing business, we want our vehicles to have the best uptime so there are fewer disruptions to our customers,” says Mr Ang. “With Scania’s repair and maintenance, our operations run more smoothly, and our operating costs are predictable. We are better able to forecast our profits and plan for a replacement vehicle when one vehicle has to go in to the workshop.

Turnkey Solution

While Pollisum aims to be the leading player in the leasing of lorry cranes, it approaches its business as a comprehensive and innovative “blueprint-to-delivery” service provider now.

Mr Ang explains: “We consider ourselves a turnkey provider, capable of consultancy and support services for onshore and offshore heavy lift engineering. We focus on service and deliver a whole customised project solution including surveying, lifting, transporting, escorting and safety support.”

Pollisum also made its mark as an enterprising privately owned company in Singapore when it clinched the Enterprise 50 award for four consecutive years starting from 2013. For the future, growth and innovation will continue as the company works on building its Malaysian business and developing a mobile platform for its leasing business in Singapore.