Quotes from The Straits Times

The Economic Strategies Committee (ESC) hopes to see 1,000 enterprises with revenues of over $100 million by 2020. Singapore enterprises are spurred to consider M&A to grow faster and bigger. However, there are problems of compatibility that must be considered before undertaking the M&A.

Mr Tay Woon Teck, director of Stone Forest Corporate Advisory, notes "We need to look at where the synergies can be created- either in terms of productivity and operational efficiencies, or customer mix and market strategy. Key to this is how to bring two groups of people together to move in tandem, to do more, grow stronger and minimize the post-merger clashes and differences. There is no equal merger, one party has to dominate. The other party needs to overcome the ego and emotion of losing control".

This article was published in The Straits Times on the 6th February 2010, titled "Merging SMEs".