When in September 2008 the Singapore Grand Prix just ended, he event was just one of many to come for Kingsmen Creatives Ltd, leading communications design and production group, which bagged the contract to set up the hospitality suites and fabricate seatings for the Formula One night race.

The contract consisted of 60 plus hospitality suites and over 20,000 tiered seatings for the Singapore GP. Despite being one of the a few companies with track record in catering such big project, the short time frame to fi nish the project also proved daunting for the company.

“The challenge was how to build those hospitality suites that will be aesthetically appealing, structurally sound, that will be re-usable and that also can be assembled and dismantled in the shortest possible time,” says Mr Benedict Soh, executive chairman of Kingsmen.

An Australian counterpart with experience in the Melbourne Grand Prix worked as partner with Kingsmen for the Formula One project. “They gave us technical expertise and they sent in their work crew to help. It was a happy collaboration for us,” Mr Soh says.

Kingsmen has 16 offices and full-service facilities in Asia Pacific and the Middle East. Its roster of clients include big names like BMW, Burberry, DBS Bank, Esprit, FJ Benjamin, Gucci, Nokia, the Robinsons Group, Tiff any and Wing Tai. It offers integrated solutions for clients in four business segments: Exhibitions and Museums, Retail and Office Interiors, Research and Design and Integrated Marketing Communications. It also does special mega projects like the F1 and Universal Studios Singapore.

“We are not just a design house. So the client finds it convenient to use us. We say it’s a one-stop shop,” says Mr Soh. “We have good people who are still with us. People in marketing who are able to sell their ideas and design to clients and we have people who can interpret it and put it to reality,” he adds.

In July 2008, the company received the in-principle approval to upgrade its listing from the Catalist to the Singapore Exchange Mainboard. The company was founded in 1976 and was listed on the SGX in 2003.

“To me, it’s a natural progression. It’s a good thing. We are happy about it. But I don’t think it makes a difference,” he says.

STELLAR GROWTH FOR 2008

The first half of financial year 2008 (FY08) saw Kingsmen’s interim net profit increase to 91 per cent, as it recorded $5.4 million revenue for the first six months ending June 30, 2008. The strong financial performance is attributed to Kingsmen’s subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Taiwan and China, which contributed $16.3 million in revenue.

Major exhibitions for BMW, the Singapore Airshow and projects relating to the 2008 Beijing Olympics have also helped double the company’s revenue in its Exhibitions and Museums division with $38.4 million.

While Kingsmen’s Research and Design segment grew 53 per cent with $2.3 million revenue, its Interiors department registered contributed $35.7 million and increase by 31 per cent.

“Making good profit is all about our continuing search for better processes, better purchasing, working more efficiently with our supply chain and internally, our designers must be able to design things which are not too expensive to produce and up to date,” Mr Soh says. “These intrinsic values are the one that will translate into better bottom line.”

He says the company has also benefited from the continuous growth in the retail and exhibition sectors. While the sub-prime crisis has affected mainly the low income group, the affluent have continued to go to high-end stores, good restaurants and shops for designer clothes, he observes.

Tourism projects have been one of the more visible for Kingsmen. But “It doesn’t mean that the retail side has slowed down. It continues to power ahead. We not only rely on local business, but we are also doing a lot of international business for Tag Heuer, Omega, Apple, Samsung and Tiffany,” Mr Soh says. The retail segment consists about 50 per cent of the business.

With 70 per cent consisting of repeat clients, Mr Soh underlines the importance of good customer relations. “After sales, that is the fundamental of things. Contractors typically have the reputation of not providing it. We deliberately set out to give quality in design, in production and after sales,” he says.

Clients do compare prices, Mr Soh says. The only way to keep them loyal is by continuing to improve their processes.

“Kingsmen Designers & Producers was our initial name. So it was strategically thought out and we have carried out this strategic intent and we continued to improve over the years. That is why we are able to have sustainable growth and we have never lost money in a single year,” Mr Soh says.

BIG THINGS ON THE HORIZON

The group bagged $14.5 million worth of contracts for Universal Studios Singapore – its first with Resorts World at Sentosa. The project involved the fabrication and construction of new sets and props for the Waterworld Attraction, which is expected to be completed in September 2009. Mr Soh says, “This will spawn a whole new industry for Singapore and since we are there from the beginning, we are excited about it.”

“We have been growing exponentially by 31 per cent top line in the last three to four years. Bottom line, we have grown 100 per cent in the last two years. We hope to continue having good compounded growth in the next two years,” Mr Soh says.

For the second year running, Kingsmen was given the Service Partner Excellence award at the Singapore Business Event Award 2008 organised by the Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau of the Singapore Tourism Board. The recognition has further underlined Kingsmen’s stronghold in the MICE industry.

“We are a little bit idealistic in what we do. When we started, we did not talk about making millions. We never looked at things like that. Doing a good job is first. So we concentrated on the fundamentals of good design, good production and people. So the fundamental is there,” Mr Soh says.