Founded 1998 Industry Import/ export Executive chairman and managing director Kenny Yap Deserves a special mention because... It had the foresight to exploit a global mandate and use technology to streamline its supply chain operations, and improve customer service.

Founded in 1998, Qian Hu has grown from its SMB status to become a reputable, public-listed company that exports to more than 60 countries worldwide, supplying over 5 percent of the world's aquarium fish market.

It ships over 500,000 fish each month from a variety of more than 500 species of ornamental fish--amongst which is one called scleropages formosus, more commonly known as the Asian Arowana or dragon fish.

Classified globally as an endangered species, the Arowana is still banned in countries such as the United States. In Singapore, each Arowana fish must be properly identified with a microtag or an RFID (radio frequency identification) chip, before it can be legally imported or exported. Each RFID tag contains detailed records about the fish including customer information and product description.

Qian Hu was not only one of the first fish farms to adopt the technology--and comply with the global mandate--it went a step further, and exploited the use of RFID to simplify its own supply chain operations and improve customer service.

The company initiated an IT project it dubbed, FISH (Fast, Innovation, Strong, Harmony), with an aim to:

• complete each work process in the quickest time possible,
• be innovative in whatever it does,
• foster a strong relationship between the company, stakeholders, business partners and customers, and
• have its technology and business objectives work in harmony with the company's IT systems.

With the help of its IT service providers, In-One Technology and DP Technology, Qian Hu built a Web-based system and database that enabled the company to streamline its supply chain processes and inventories, and allowed its wholesale and retail customers to track their orders online.

Yap said: "Compared to other suppliers in the same industry, we are currently the only one able to streamline [various components ranging] from the supply chain process, to the tracking of information by our customers.

He added that these added features helped the company achieve "high operational efficiency and [a strong] company image".

For example, it used to take hours for Qian Hu's employees to manually assign each arowana a product code, input its details and create proper inventory documentation. It would hours again for several staff members to search and pack hundreds of arowana fish, and have then ready for shipment. With the RFID-enabled system it currently takes just one employee minutes to perform the same tasks, and because the process requires less human intervention, the potential for errors is reduced.

The FISH initiative helped cut processing time by up to 60 percent, produce less human-induced errors and provide more detailed information about each arowana fish that has been traded. Because it can better track and monitor the condition of each arowana, the company is able to identify superior species to be used for breeding and provide high-quality products for its customers.

Not one to shy away from deploying somewhat more complex technology, such as voice XML and speech recognition, Qian Hu is truly an industry player that is in a class of its own.