TOMEI TO SPREAD WINGS OVERSEAS By Umi Hani Sharani

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 (Bernama) -- Tomei, which means 'very beautiful' in
Mandarin, may be just another Malaysian homegrown jewellery brand, but it is
slowly laying the foundations to spread its wings overseas.

Tomei Consolidated Bhd executive chairman, Ng Teck Fong, said the region,
especially Vietnam, China and Indonesia, offered so much potential and the
company could not miss out on the opportunities.

In an interview with Bernama, he said the group was now laying the
foundations for expansion overseas and was studying the differences in terms of
culture, law and management.

"You have to lay the foundations first, just like what you would do with a
building. Only then can you start the business. You have to spend the first few
years to build up a good management team as well," he said.

Ng said the overseas ventures were part of the group's long-term expansion
as Malaysia, a small market, was getting saturated.

He said the group's business in Vietnam was wholly-owned and in China it
was
on a joint-venture basis.

"We had formed a joint-venture with a Hong Kong-based firm to invest in
China to take advantage of the special incentives," he said, adding that
the company also had a management team from the former British colony to run
the show.

Tomei has a 51 percent stake in the China business.

"They (management team) understand the market better. If we don't make
profit from the business, it would be useless to even own it 100 percent," said
Ng.

He said China's economy was stronger now and so was the Chinese buying
power.

Ng said the company, with 58 stores nationwide, has grouped its offerings
into three brands, namely, My Diamond, T.H. Jewellery and Le Lumiere, or loosely
translated into as Diamonds of Light.

He said although Tomei still contributed about 60 percent of the group's
earnings, the company was also promoting the other brands.

"My Diamond is more for the younger market with preference for white gold
and diamonds. They are also relatively cheap.

"Meanwhile, T.H. Jewellery is for the high-end market with special designs
and more use of gems like jade.

"However, Le Lumiere is more for the diamond fans who appreciate the
stone's
beauty and clarity," he said.

Ng said despite the global financial crisis which has, to some extent
impacted the Asian market, he was confident of expanding his business
abroad.

However, he said, it would take a while before the company could see
returns
from the foreign investments.

For the current financial year, Ng said, the group expected to post better
earnings than the RM15 million the previous year.

He said Tomei had the necessary production chain to ensure its
success.

"We have a factory, a gold refinery, we manufacture, we do wholesale, and
we
export and import. We do the whole line," he said.

Ng said gold was also useful during a war or financial meltdown.

"Gold is money. Even Bank Negara Malaysia (Malaysian Central Bank) keeps
gold. Former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed has also propagated its use," he
said.

He said gold was used in the semiconductor industry and to make
satellites.

"Gold is worth more than its current value as its worth lies in the beauty
of the jewellery itself.

"That's the reason people buy jewellery where design is more important or
else they might as well buy gold bars," he said.

Looking back, Ng said, he was proud to have designed gold pendants with the
picture of Parliament and kampung houses, which were especially favoured by the
Malay women then.

Ng, a chemist by training, started to dabble in the goldsmith business when
his elder brother sought his help to run the business.

"I couldn't say No. Then we turned to wholesale. After a while, we went
separate ways," he said.

He said most of his clients were Malays and Indians and he focused on
smaller towns so as not to clash with his brother's mostly urban Chinese
customers.

"I avoid the places he go. So I went to the kampungs where the demand for
designs was also different from my brother's. That's how Tomei was born," he
said.

The Melaka-born lad said he established his first shop in Petaling Jaya Old
Town before setting up another at Campbell's, the city's first shopping complex.

He said the industry was thriving as more people appreciated
jewellery.

"The market keeps evolving and you can actually change your old pieces into
new designs. The key here is the service that you give to your customers," he
said.
-- BERNAMA