Lim Chin Ming takes business problems and delays in his stride. He continues steadily with determination to see the fruits of his labour.

Lim Chin Ming, 65 , looks ten years younger in person. Besides a charming disposition, he displays great perseverance in all he does. Despite being Chinese educated, he joined a group of English-speaking CEOs in Vistage Penang. After 10 years, he is still with Vistage as he continues to reap benefits. With the help of his Vistage Chair, he is able t o advance several slow-moving business in Malaysia and Vietnam.

Trained as a chemist, Chin Ming started Dyechem Alliance with a Singapore partner in 1979. The company trades in a wide range of dyes and chemicals for the textile industry. Today, the Dyechem Group has affiliated companies in Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. Despite relatively small markets in Malaysia, Dyechem Malaysia is making a turnover of close to RM12m. The latest addition in Vietnam has just opened its doors in June 2009.

Chin Ming reveals that his venture into Vietnam in 1994 was too early. Conditions in that country at that time were not conducive to foreign investment. Dyechem had to persevere before it could build its own factory just two years ago. Chin Ming is grateful that his Vistage Chair has given valuable advice and guidance to ensure a smooth start. Dyechem Vietnam produces chemicals for the textiles and leather industry. When fully operational, products will be exported to Asean countries and sales are expected to contribute significantly to the group turnover.

Chin Ming joined TEC (now Vistage) in 1999 as he wanted to know ‘how to manage a company in a proper way.’ He remembers earlier faux pas like keeping to high stocks of chemicals so that he could deliver promptly to clients. The profits from business became the bricks to build up the stocks and was incurring the company extra costs financially. He intends to bring stocks down to a manageable level to generate better income for the shareholders.

After more than 10 years, Chin Ming’s investment in another company called VI Biotech Sdn Bhd is seeing brighter prospects. Unlike conventional chemical-based fertilizers, the company produces environment-friendly fertilizers from microbes. VI Biotech’s production volume was low and the company had problems securing orders from large farmers. However, this is expected to be solved with an upcoming collaboration with an Australian company to increase production. Customer support is anticipated to pick up too as a large plantation group in Malaysia has started trials of the bio-fertilizers on their crops.

With an optimistic attitude, Chin Ming continues to involve himself in new businesses. His latest venture is helping his daughter to market a health gadget developed in China that uses nanowave technology for healing. The inventor of the gadget discovered that the essential portion of radiation energy from sunlight can be generated through special electrodes fitted into a gadget. This energy can be directed to different parts of the body using the health gadget to remedy various health problems.