德华工业控股有限公司——家族企业国际化之路

In 2018, Teckwah Industrial Corporation Ltd. was about to celebreate its 50th anniversary. The cuurent chairman and managing director, Thomas Chua first joined in the company in 1979 as the 2nd generation custodian, and had been leading the company to transform ever since. Started as humble producer of plan packaging boxes in Singapore, the company had evolved to become a multinational company providing full suite of supply chain management solutions for international customers. By the end of 2017, Teckwah achieved revenue of S$182.8 million, with 102 operating sites across Asia Pacific region. Moving to the next phase of growth, Teckwah still faced the challenges of seeking growth point. Meanwhile, Thomas was considering his retirement and the possibility of taking a backseat in the daily operations. With Teckwah’s 50th anniversary near at hand, he was pondering over these critical issues. This case describes the major challenges and key success factors of the family business going international. In particular, the company’s experience of business turnaround in China illustrates the risks and opportunities faced by family business when expanding into emerging markets. It also lets students explore how to how to plan for effective leadership succession in family firm while managing business transformation.