Fifth Cohort of Local SME Suppliers Graduates from Sands Procurement Academy
Nearly 150 local SME suppliers have completed the programme to date
(Macao,
July
9, 2019) –
A group of local SME
suppliers graduated from Sands China’s Sands
Procurement Academy June 24 with a ceremony
at The Venetian® Macao’s Adelson
Advanced Education Centre. It is the fifth
group of local SMEs to graduate from the
training initiative.
The Sands Procurement Academy is
co-organised with the Macao Chamber of
Commerce and the Macau Productivity and
Technology Centre (CPTTM), and shares
business knowledge and skills to further the
development of local SME suppliers. The aim
of the programme is to help them gain
experience and capacity for working with
large-scale international corporations like
Sands China. The academy specifically
targets four categories of local SME
suppliers: small- and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs), micro-enterprises, Macao
young entrepreneurs, and “Made-in-Macao”
enterprises.
The training programme is the first of its
kind in the industry. Focused on practical
knowledge for participating SMEs, the
programme has received much positive
feedback from its graduates.
This latest group of 28 graduating
suppliers had enrolled in the academy at
Sands China’s SME Open Day in April.
Participating companies can send up to
two representatives each to enrol in the
academy.
Including the latest group of graduates,
nearly 150 local SME suppliers have now
graduated from the academy. Graduating
suppliers receive a certificate and are
given preferential procurement
opportunities under otherwise equal
circumstances.
“Investing in Macao’s local SME
suppliers is a beneficial endeavour, as
it supports the growth of local
enterprises, the success of Sands China,
and the development of Macao,” said
Charlie Cai, vice president of
procurement and supply chain for
Venetian Macau Limited. “The Sands
Procurement Academy is an important way
for the company to take advantage of its
resources for the benefit of the wider
community, in its efforts to contribute
to Macao’s continued development as a
world centre of tourism and leisure.”
The June 24 graduation ceremony was
attended by Shuen Ka Hung,
director-general of CPTTM; Choi Tat
Meng, vice president of the board of
directors of the Macao Chamber of
Commerce; Sam Chongnin, vice president
of corporate communications and
community affairs for Venetian Macau
Limited; Mimi Ooi, executive director of
procurement and supply chain for
Venetian Macau Limited; and Lourence Ho,
director of training and development for
Venetian Macau Limited.
The Sands Procurement Academy supports
the third pillar of the company’s
F.I.T. programme, which
offers Financial Support, Invitational
Matching, and Training and Development.
Aimed at both existing and new local
Sands China suppliers, F.I.T. is part of
Sands China’s Local Small,
Medium and Micro Suppliers Support
Programme, and seeks to
continually increase and strengthen
procurement between Sands China and
local SME suppliers by enhancing their
capabilities.
Local SME suppliers in the academy learn
through tailor-made practical training
modules, which are delivered by
lecturers with various areas of
expertise. Modules cover seven topics:
effective warehouse operations, quality
assurance, logistics management,
procurement process and system overview,
procurement contracts, supplier code of
conduct, and the eight disciplines (8D)
model of problem solving. The latter is
led by a CPTTM lecturer.
Sands China’s Local Small, Medium and
Micro Suppliers Support Programme is in
line with the Macao government’s
initiative to “buy local” and
demonstrates Sands China’s commitment to
supporting local enterprises as part of
the company’s corporate social
responsibility efforts. It is part of
Sands China’s supplier relationship
management strategy, which guides the
company’s long-standing effort to
support local suppliers, whom it views
as its strategic partners.
Photo caption:
A group of
28 local SME suppliers graduates from the Sands Procurement
Academy June 24 at The Venetian Macao’s Adelson Advanced
Education Centre. The initiative helps local suppliers gain
experience and capacity for working with large-scale
enterprises like Sands China Ltd.