Sands China Ltd recognized the second group of local SME suppliers to graduate from the Sands Procurement Academy Tuesday, with a ceremony at The Venetian Macao’s Adelson Advanced Education Centre. The event was co-organised with the Macao Chamber of Commerce and the Macau Productivity and Technology Centre (CPTTM).
The Sands Procurement Academy is part of Sands China’s F.I.T. programme for local Macau SME suppliers, which launched in April. F.I.T. is comprised of three pillars – Financial Support, Invitational Matching, and Training and Development – and is part of Sands China’s Local Small, Medium and Micro Suppliers Support Programme. These initiatives have the goal of further driving procurement between Sands China and local SME suppliers, and are targeted at both existing and new local Sands China suppliers.
Sands China inaugurated its Sands Procurement Academy in June as an ongoing commitment to Macau’s local SME suppliers. The academy is an initiative to develop suppliers by sharing business knowledge and skills, helping them gain experience and capacity for working with large-scale international customers like Sands China. It provides tailor-made practical training modules to local SMEs, with the first round of participants having graduated in October after completing the weekly schedule of training courses. The second round of training attracted over 20 local SME suppliers; 19 of them have completed the six modules and have graduated. The academy’s graduating suppliers are given preferential procurement under otherwise equal circumstances.
The academy’s coursework this round included taking participants to the receiving area, warehouse, and procurement office of The Parisian Macao. It was a well-liked feature of the course, as it gave participants an inside look at how the procurement process at Sands China works.
“The company is very pleased that our second group of SME suppliers have completed their training in the Sands Procurement Academy,” said Dr Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China Ltd. “It’s a programme that benefits both sides, as our suppliers are able to gain unique industrial knowledge and useful skills to increase their capacity for working with large-scale companies, and it helps Sands China connect with more local suppliers who are ready to do business with us.”
Tuesday’s event was attended by Chui Yuk Lam, vice president of the board of directors of the Macau Chamber of Commerce; Choi Tat Meng, chief of liaison department of the Macau Chamber of Commerce; Victoria Kuan, deputy director-general of the Macau Productivity and Technology Transfer Centre (CPTTM); Joe Tai, manager of standards, management, training & assessment department of the Macau Productivity and Technology Transfer Centre (CPTTM); Antonio Ramirez, senior vice president of human resources of Sands China Ltd.; and Jaehong Choi, vice president of procurement and supply chain for Venetian Macau Ltd.
