| James Kon |
IN THE pursuit of economic gain, companies must keep their fellow Bruneians and the future of truly Bruneian companies at the forefront of their minds.
This was stated by Minister of Energy, Manpower and Industry Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mat Suny bin Haji Mohd Hussein in his keynote speech as the guest of honour at the launching ceremony of the Brunei Oxygen Sdn Bhd’s (Brunox) Air Separation Unit Plant located in Kuala Belait Industrial Complex yesterday.
Brunox’s multi-million-dollar, first-of-its-kind Air Separation Unit Plant in Brunei produces liquid nitrogen, liquid oxygen and liquid argon. Brunox is a partnership between Air Liquide and QAF Brunei.
“Companies must strive to not only recruit local talent, but also to equip them with the skillsets, coaching and exposure to the experience that would be necessary to grow the firm and add economic value by contributing to the development of a competent Bruneian workforce and future Bruneian leaders of industry,” he said.
“This development of capable and experienced industry leaders is a priority for Brunei Darussalam and has been emphasised many times by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, most recently in the monarch’s titah during the official opening of the first meeting of the 14th session of the Legislative Council in March this year,” the minister said.
“His Majesty has recently consented to the Bruneianisation Directive in the oil and gas sector, which has been recently communicated to the relevant companies.”
“The Directive will require operators in the oil and gas sector to deliver clear actions for at least five to 10 per cent annual improvement with the ultimate goal of achieving 90 per cent Bruneianisation at all levels and disciplines. We urge the relevant operators to own, lead, and drive the implementation of this Directive. Insya Allah, we also look forward to extending this Directive to the rest of industry beyond the oil and gas sector,” he added.
On this note, the minister commended Brunox’s commitment to localisation, which he said “is evident in Brunox’s 30-strong total workforce, where more than 90 per cent are locals”.
Touching on local business development and environment, the minister said, “In addition to job creation for locals, we also hope that private sector developments, like Brunox’s new plant, will create economic spin-offs through their business partners, customers and other players in their value chain. These spin-off effects represent increased opportunities for other surrounding local businesses and workers.
“Industry will be critical in moving the country forward and we urge local businesses to grow the non-oil and gas sector and to also look beyond Brunei into overseas markets. The government and relevant agencies, including DARe (Darussalam Enterprise), remain committed to supporting the growth of local businesses.
As such, we encourage businesses to draw on the resources and support programmes that are available, be it in order to develop human resources capacity, development of standards that are key for penetrating export markets, easing access to credit, and many more,” Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mat Suny noted.
The minister urged the private sector to give feedback on how to further improve business environment and thus ensure that business services and support are rendered as effectively and as efficiently as possible.
“Brunei has improved in the World Bank’s Doing Business ranking, and as reported in yesterday’s news, Brunei Darussalam’s ranking has improved from 55th place in 2017 to second place this year for the Ease of Getting Credit Indices under the 2018 Global Innovation Index. However, this must serve as a motivator for us to push for more real change and progress that will be felt at the grassroot level of businesses operating in Brunei. Ultimately, we would like Brunei to truly be a pro-business destination, whether it is for foreign investors or local entrepreneurs.”
Emphasising on workplace health, the minister urged local companies to keep the safety of all their workers as a top priority. “Ensure that in your business pursuits, you do not lose sight of providing a safe and healthy workplace for your workers.
The government is committed to ensuring that everybody gets to go home safely to their families and would like to urge all stakeholders and industry in Brunei to uphold this commitment. We need to work together to make sure that safety is a priority at the workplace, for safety awareness to be embedded as part of organisational culture, and for this awareness to translate into everyday practices.
The minister congratulated Brunox on the opening of the new Air Separation Unit Plant, saying that “this is a good example of how the local private sector can play a critical role in realising key industrial milestones to bring us closer to Brunei Darussalam’s Vision 2035 goals. We look forward to Brunox’s continued success.”
Earlier in the speech the minister thanked Industrial Merchant Vice-President and Chief Executive Officer for Southeast Asia of Air Liquide Virginie Cavalli for her welcoming remarks and for enlightening attendees on the history of the collaboration between Air Liquide and QAF Brunei.
“Brunox has a long history of operating in Brunei, with almost 60 years of experience in the country as a reliable and leading manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of industrial, medical and special gases. As Cavalli has highlighted, its products are indispensable in a wide range of industries in Brunei, be it in factories, hospitals, airlines, the armed forces, tourism and agricultural sectors, as well as in the oil and gas sector.
“This plant marks an important milestone for Brunox, and is also a step towards improving Brunei Darussalam’s supply chain for industrial gases by now being able to produce liquid nitrogen, oxygen, and argon which have previously been largely imported.
“The Air Separation Unit plant has an anticipated production of 40 tonnes of gas per day, which will be valuable to industrial activities across the country. It is also expected to double Brunox’s current storage capacity. We hope that Brunox leverages on this increased capacity to further explore overseas export opportunities. Seeing a Bruneian brand, like yourselves, succeed in the regional and international stage would be a great achievement and source of pride for the country,” he said.
“In order to achieve Brunei Darussalam’s economic diversification targets, the Ministry of Energy, Manpower and Industry, together with DARe, encourage the private sector to consider how to generate more value-added activities to maximise economic benefit, local value creation and employment opportunities, especially in government-supported industrial sites,” he said.