As an established name in a niche industry, Q’son Kitchen Equipment Pte Ltd sets a high benchmark with great customer service, staff morale and an open attitude to change
Q’son Kitchen Equipment Pte Ltd was founded in 1996 by managing director Sally Chua, who saw a gap in the market for kitchen equipment suppliers who cared for quality, service and after-sales assistance.
She proceeded to set up her own manufacturing base and built a capable in-house technical team who were quick to provide assistance. By 2019, she had managed to capture 32 percent of market share. Today, the company not only caters to the local market but to enterprises located as far as Maldives.
A trait unique to the company’s culture is that it prides itself on being open to change. Remembering their humble beginnings, the corporation understands the importance of equipping all team members with professional training and skills.
It’s a philosophy close to Chua‘s heart, being someone who worked her way up through upskilling and taking opportunities to learn beyond her job scope. Till today, she’s a strong believer of training, re-training and upskilling to stay ahead of the competition.
Even candidates without prior experience in the industry are employed and given chances to learn. “We hire them based on their attitude and their willingness to learn. Then we teach them not only the basics, but train them with additional skills so that they can value-add and multitask in their jobs,” she explains.
Current employees are also given opportunities and incentives to upgrade further. Q’son Kitchen Equipment Pte Ltd holds regular in-house programmes on technical service, product knowledge, enrichment and team-building sessions that are made accessible to all. Those who choose to learn a skill that adds value to their jobs are entitled to additional incentives or increments in salaries, serving as a useful motivator for self-improvement.
This open and hands-on approach is carried forward in communication and employee outreach efforts as well. For example, Chua keeps staff morale up by regularly sending motivational messages to more than 100 team members and remind them they can speak to her directly. Employees are also encouraged to personalise the office environment and make it feel as cosy as they want; some of the office rooms are decorated with motivational motifs.
With a welcoming workplace as such, it is no wonder that the team perform their best at work. “We make our clients sign a no-poaching clause,” laughs Chua, “Because now when they see someone from Q’son, they know the person brings value.” Such support could perhaps explain how Q’son Kitchen Equipment Pte Ltd has managed to build an extensive list of esteemed clientele, including brands such as Amara Singapore, Shell and Crystal Jade.
Their latest project involves F&B brand A-One Group, the company behind the popular A-One Claypot House. Since their first partnership project in 2018, Q’son Kitchen Equipment Pte Ltd has supplied them with automated and software-engineered kitchen equipment that has eased their manpower struggles and increased productivity.
Manpower shortage and continuity solutions are a perennial problem for the F&B and hospitality industries, which is why Q’son Kitchen Equipment Pte Ltd believes that the future of kitchen operations will rely heavily on technology. Permanent and effective solutions either in the form of software or hardware will help eliminate day-to-day pressures.
Their five-year plan includes research and development to realise kitchen technology that can offer even smarter solutions to F&B businesses. This means an inward focus on increasing internal capability for self-manufacturing in order to produce a range of more sophisticated products. All with the eventual hopes that it will allow for the company to not only serve their partners better but to create more opportunities for their employees as well.
