Pacific Plas is one of South East Asia’s largest family-owned groups in the resin distribution and consumer packaging markets, whose future growth is strongly linked to rising middle class consumption and investment by consumer products manufacturers in Indonesia and South East Asia. The Group’s major growth initiatives for the coming years include building upon organic growth in its resin distribution, rigid plastic packaging and ink formulation businesses and consolidating the consumer packaging industry in Southeast Asia. AIF Capital will actively support the Group’s acquisition program, help enhance Group-wide governance and risk management where required, and over the next few years prepare the Group for listing.

“We are very pleased to be partnering with Pacific Plas in its vision to extend its leadership position in the packaging industry in Indonesia and throughout Asia. We look forward to supporting its highly experienced management team as it further develops a profitable, integrated business model that captures value across the plastic packaging supply chain in Asia” said Peter Amour, AIF Capital’s Chief Executive Officer.

“AIF Capital has been investing in Southeast Asia since 1995. This investment marks our seventh in the region and reflects our time-tested strategy of capitalizing on prevailing secular trends in an integrating and high growth emerging Asia, while targeting and working in close partnerships with high caliber family businesses to help grow and extend existing platforms into new geographies.”

“The production expertise, business relationships and geographic reach that the Group has developed over the years establish a solid foundation for our next phase of growth. We are delighted to have AIF Capital’s support at this important stage of the Group’s development,” said Winardi Pranatajaya, Chairman of Pacific Plas.

About AIF Capital

AIF Capital (www.aifcapital.com) is one of Asia’s largest independent private equity firms with an established track record of successfully implementing a pan-Asian, multi-industry strategy for over 17 years. Since its establishment in 1994, AIF Capital has received investor commitments for its funds in excess of US$2.0 billion. The Firm has made 36 investments and 23 realizations in 9 countries across Asia, distributing in excess of US$1.5 billion to its limited partners.

The Firm has a team of 25 investment professionals across its offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, New Delhi and Singapore, which oversees a diversified pan-Asian portfolio of investments, providing capital for expansion, buy-outs and recapitalization. Its portfolio investments are well distributed across sectors ranging from supply chain management, financial services, industrial manufacturing, aquaculture, media, chemicals & pharmaceuticals, specialty steel and engineering services to power generation, telecom and transportation. Investors in AIF Capital managed funds include major corporate and government pension and investment funds, insurance companies and financial institutions from North America, Australia, Asia and the Middle East and Europe, as well as multilateral agencies.

For further questions, please contact Peter Amour or Doris Ng at +852-2912-7888 or email inquiries to info@aifcapital.com

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BEIJING, April 18, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ –BEIJING, April 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/– Charm Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: CHRM) (”Charm” or the “Company”), a leading advertising agency in China, today announced the Company has established a three-year sponsorship and promotional agreement with the following Chinese Winter Olympic sports associations: the Chinese Skating Association (CKA), the Chinese Ski Association (CSA), the Chinese Ice Hockey Association (CIHA) and the Chinese Curling Association (CCA). The cooperation initiatives will be managed by Charm’s newly established sports marketing department, which is led by Mr. Lei Wu, a veteran of the sports marketing business and who joined Charm from the CCTV Sports and Entertainment Group.

Under the terms of the agreement, Charm will work with China’s ice hockey, curling, short-track speed skating, figure skating, and freestyle skiing teams, along with five other Chinese Olympic teams, to promote their respective sports and to develop sponsorship opportunities for the teams, as well as for individual athletes. As such, Charm will represent a number of talented and popular Chinese athletes, including Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao, pair skating gold medalists at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, and Meng Wang, short track speed skating gold medalist at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Key sponsorship opportunities will involve important domestic and international competitions, including the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.

“As the Olympics continue to grow in popularity in China, we are seeing tremendous opportunities in sports marketing and have positioned our sports marketing team to capitalize on this emerging trend,” commented Mr. He Dang, Charm’s founder, chairman and CEO. “The sports marketing team broadens our scope of services and strengthens our integrated advertising capabilities. In particular, our cooperation with China’s Winter Olympic associations integrates well with our CCTV advertising services, as the network remains the undisputed television leader in broadcasting the Olympics in China. As a pioneer in China’s advertising industry, Charm will continue to offer innovative products and solutions to our clients through our integrated advertising platform.”

About Charm

Charm Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: CHRM) is a leading advertising agency group in China that offers integrated advertising services with particular focus on television and the internet. Charm’s integrated advertising services include full media planning and buying, as well as creative and branding services. Charm has built a full service digital advertising platform, which offers digital campaign capabilities across all key digital media, including search engines, display portals, online video sites and social networking services. Charm also secures advertising inventory and other advertising rights, such as sponsorships and branded content, from premium media networks and resells to clients as part of its integrated media offerings. Charm’s clients include China’s top domestic brands, as well as some major international brands, across a wide range of industries. Since 2003 Charm has been the top agency every year for China’s leading television network, China Central Television (”CCTV”). For more information, please go to http://ir.charmgroup.cn.

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London & Delhi,March 28 2012 : The GSMA and Bharti Infratel Limited today announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop and promote green technologies for telecom tower infrastructure in India. The collaboration will entail working together to convert 1,000 Infratel towers into green sites, which will reduce greenhouse gas carbon emissions by almost 11,000 tonnes as a result of the reduced usage of diesel.

Bharti Infratel is one of the world’s leading telecom tower infrastructure providers, owning over 33,000 of India’s estimated 400,000 towers. Having predominantly a rural footprint, they have nearly 9,000 off-grid towers, which accounts for 18 per cent of total off-grid towers in India. Infratel has already converted over 10,500 sites to alternative back-up power, out of which almost 1,350 sites are now on solar hybrid; converting an additional 1,000 is the first step of engagement with the GSMA.

Infratel has been the torchbearer in successfully pioneering green energy initiatives. Its award-winning GreenTowers P7 initiative has been running for almost two years and is a comprehensive, energy efficiency and alternate energy programme, aimed at reducing diesel usage and carbon emissions. The GreenTowers initiative is scoped to cover 70 per cent of Infratel’s tower network. It includes seven high-impact initiatives that are focused on reducing CO2 emission by 154,000 tonnes per year by reducing diesel consumption by 58.17 million litres per year.

“We are delighted to join hands with the GSMA and firmly believe that this partnership will present an exciting expansion to our expertise and leadership in deploying clean energy initiatives across our tower footprint,” said Sairam Prasad, Chief Technical Officer, Bharti Infratel. “This vital partnership is a step further in our endeavour of fore-fronting green within the telecom tower infrastructure industry and will enhance the capacity of Infratel’s GreenTowers P7 initiative.”

“This partnership will have significant impact in reducing operating expenditure by 10-20 per cent at each individual site, as well as a significant reduction in carbon emissions,” said Chris Locke, Managing Director, GSMA Development Fund. “Using the insights gained from our partnership with Bharti Infratel, we will produce a best practice guide and case study which we hope will lead to widespread industry change as the industry follows Bharti Infratel’s lead.”

The GSMA’s Green Power for Mobile programme, supported by the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) works to promote and institutionalise green power in a number of markets including India.

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning more than 220 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as the Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Expo.

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com or Mobile World Live, the online portal for the mobile communications industry, at www.mobileworldlive.com

About Bharti Infratel:

Bharti Infratel Limited is amongst India’s leading telecom passive infrastructure service providers. The company deploys, owns and manages telecom towers and communication structures, for various mobile operators across 18 states of India and has been the industry pioneer in adopting green energy initiatives across its telecom towers. Infratel has a vast footprint of over 33,000+ towers and holds a 42 per cent stake in Indus Towers Limited – a Joint Venture between Bharti Infratel, Vodafone & Idea Cellular. For more information, visit www.bharti-infratel.com

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BEIJING, March 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ — Charm Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: CHRM) (”Charm” or the “Company”), a leading advertising agency in China, today announced that Charm Click, the Company’s performance marketing agency specializing in search engine marketing (”SEM”) services, has received the 2012 Discovery Award from Baidu, Inc. (”Baidu”), the leading Chinese language internet search provider, and the 2011 Outstanding Partner Award from Taobao, China’s largest e-commerce marketplace operator. The awards were based on the number of Charm Click clients, the volume of billings, and the effectiveness of the SEM solutions delivered to both Baidu and Taobao in 2011.

“We delivered highly effective marketing solutions to our clients in 2011,” said Mr. Johnny Zhu, the general manger of Charm Click. “Our efficient technology and rich industry experience allows us to fully understand our clients’ needs and capitalize on growing trends in the SEM sector, and I believe these awards reflect that. Going forward, we will continue to innovate our business and provide outstanding SEM services to our clients.”

Mr. He Dang, Charm’s founder, chairman and chief executive officer, added, “It’s an honor to receive these awards from Baidu and Taobao, two of China’s internet giants. They not only enhance Charm’s brand image among China’s top advertising agencies but also underscore our growing leadership position in the online advertising industry. Leveraging our advantages in television advertising and across our integrated service platform, we will continue to expand our presence in the online advertising market to capture the opportunities generated by the rapid growth in China’s digital advertising industry.”

About Charm

Charm Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: CHRM) is a leading advertising agency group in China that offers integrated advertising services with particular focus on television and the internet. Charm’s integrated advertising services include full media planning and buying, as well as creative and branding services. Charm has built a full service digital advertising platform, which offers digital campaign capabilities across all key digital media, including search engines, display portals, online video sites and social networking services. Charm also secures advertising inventory and other advertising rights, such as sponsorships and branded content, from premium media networks and resells to clients as part of its integrated media offerings. Charm’s clients include China’s top domestic brands, as well as some major international brands, across a wide range of industries. Since 2003 Charm has been the top agency every year for China’s leading television network, China Central Television (”CCTV”). For more information, please go to http://ir.charmgroup.cn.

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BEIJING, March 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ — Charm Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: CHRM) (”Charm” or the “Company”), a leading advertising agency in China, announced today that it will pay a cash dividend of US$0.16 per ordinary share, which is equivalent to US$0.32 per American depositary share (”ADS”). (Each ADS represents two ordinary shares.) The Company will pay the dividend on April 16, 2012 to shareholders of record and ADS holders of record as of the close of business on March 26, 2012.

“As a result of the Company’s strong earnings and cash flow in 2011, our Board of Directors approved a cash dividend to share this success with our shareholders,” said Mr. He Dang, Charm’s founder, chairman and chief executive officer. “Looking ahead, we will uphold our firm commitment to consistently delivering shareholder value, and our Board will evaluate the Company’s dividend policy as appropriate, taking into account the Company’s operating performance, long-term capital requirements relating to investments and acquisitions, as well as potential business risks.”

About Charm

Charm Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: CHRM) is a leading advertising agency group in China that offers integrated advertising services with particular focus on television and the internet. Charm’s integrated advertising services include full media planning and buying, as well as creative and branding services. Charm has built a full service digital advertising platform, which offers digital campaign capabilities across all key digital media, including search engines, display portals, online video sites and social networking services. Charm also secures advertising inventory and other advertising rights, such as sponsorships and branded content, from premium media networks and resells to clients as part of its integrated media offerings. Charm’s clients include China’s top domestic brands, as well as some major international brands, across a wide range of industries. Since 2003 Charm has been the top agency every year for China’s leading television network, China Central Television (”CCTV”). For more information, please go to http://ir.charmgroup.cn.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates” and similar statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact in this press release are forward-looking statements and involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about the Company and the industry in which the Company operates, but involve a number of unknown risks and uncertainties. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Charm’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its registration statement on Form F-1. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results. You are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements contained herein and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements.

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BEIJING, Feb. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ — Charm Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: CHRM), China’s leading domestic advertising agency, has been named China Central Television’s (”CCTV”) “Top Advertising Agency” for the ninth consecutive year and tenth overall, extending its dominant run as the go-to agency for advertisers on China’s largest television network.

At CCTV’s 2011 Top Ten Advertising Agencies Award ceremony, which was held in Beijing on February 23rd, Charm was named “Top Advertising Agency” based on the total amount of advertising spending placed on behalf of its clients on CCTV. In addition to the Company’s nine consecutive top-place rankings, Charm has been among the top ten in each of the past 15 years.

The CCTV Top Ten Advertising Agencies Award honors advertising agencies for outstanding contributions and strong support for the network, and is presented by leaders of China’s State Administration for Industry and Commerce (”SAIC”), the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) and CCTV.

“CCTV continues to be the clear leader in television advertising and is the platform leading brands trust when looking to reach a national audience. Our CCTV expertise will remain our core competitive strength, as no other agency understands or leverages CCTV media for clients better than we do,” said Mr. He Dang, founder, chairman and CEO of Charm, upon acceptance of the award. “Over the past two years, we have been linking the brand-building value of CCTV with the targeted and return-driven nature of the internet, which has helped to spur the growth of our digital business and the development of our integrated advertising platform.”

About Charm Communications Inc.

Charm Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: CHRM) is a leading advertising agency in China. Charm operates its business under four brands: Charm Advertising, Charm Interactive, Charm Click and Shangxing Media. Under the Charm Advertising and Charm Interactive brands, Charm offers integrated advertising agency services from planning and managing advertising campaigns to creating and placing advertisements, and under Charm Click, Charm offers specialized search engine marketing services. Under the Shangxing Media brand, Charm has established a portfolio of television advertising media resources through its exclusive arrangements with premium national television channels, which include not only advertising time but also opportunities for placing branded content. Charm’s clients include well-recognized brand names in China across many industries, as well as emerging domestic leading brands. In January 2010, Charm formed a consolidated joint venture with international 4A advertising group Aegis Media, its strategic investor, to operate its brand “Vizeum” in China. In October 2010, Charm also entered into agreement to establish a joint venture with Wasu Digital Group to operate all advertising-related businesses across Wasu’s IPTV, 3G mobile TV and broadband TV network platforms. For more information please go to http://ir.charmgroup.cn

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BEIJING, November 8, 2011 — Charm Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: CHRM) (”Charm” or the “Company”), a leading advertising agency in China, today announced that for the ninth consecutive year and the tenth time in eleven years, the Company secured the number one position in successful bidding volume at the annual CCTV Prime-time Auction, which was held November 8, 2011.

The CCTV Prime-time Auction is the most important event in China’s advertising industry. The results are considered a barometer for growth prospects in China’s advertising industry and a key indicator of business confidence across the whole economy. This year the total value of auctioned and pre-sold advertising resources for CCTV hit a record high of RMB14.26 billion, an increase of 12.54% compared to last year.

“The result demonstrates the strong confidence Chinese companies have in the domestic economy as well as their continued recognition of CCTV’s value in building brands targeting China’s fast growing consumer market,” commented He Dang, founder, chairman and CEO of Charm. “Our success further solidifies Charm’s leading position in the Chinese advertising market, where we are leveraging our expertise in television to expand our integrated advertising capabilities into digital offerings such as search and online video. We are confident that more and more companies will appreciate our full-service integrated capabilities to both build strong brands and provide more targeted marketing services, thereby offering the best return on their investment.”

About Charm
Charm Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: CHRM) is a leading advertising agency in China. Charm operates its business under four brands: Charm Advertising, Charm Interactive, Charm Click and Shangxing Media. Under the Charm Advertising and Charm Interactive brands, Charm offers integrated advertising agency services from planning and managing advertising campaigns to creating and placing advertisements, and under Charm Click, Charm offers specialized search engine marketing services. Under the Shangxing Media brand, Charm has established a portfolio of television advertising media resources through its exclusive arrangements with premium national television channels, which include not only advertising time but also opportunities for placing branded content. Charm’s clients include well-recognized brand names in China across many industries, as well as emerging domestic leading brands. In January 2010, Charm formed a consolidated joint venture with international 4A advertising group Aegis Media, its strategic investor, to operate its brand “Vizeum” in China. In October 2010, Charm also entered into agreement to establish a joint venture with Wasu Digital Group to operate all advertising-related businesses across Wasu’s IPTV, 3G mobile TV and broadband TV network platforms. For more information please go to http://ir.charmgroup.cn.

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SINGAPORE – 9 November 2011 – Tat Hong Holdings Ltd (“Tat Hong” or “the Group”), Asia’s largest crane company and the world’s top crane company (in terms of number of crawler cranes)1, today reported a net profit after tax and minority interest of S$12.6 million on the back of revenue totalling S$183.3 million for the second quarter ended 30 September 2011 (“2QFY2012”).

Revenue growth was seen across all business divisions, resulting in an overall increase of 26% in gross profit from S$53.9 million to S$67.9 million in the latest quarter. Gross profit margin remained at a respectable 37.1%.

On a quarter-on-quarter comparison, the Group’s total operating expenses increased by approximately 9% in 2QFY2012 to S$45.3 million. This was mainly due to increased staff costs and costs in the upkeep of machinery as a result of a higher level of rental activities. The quarter under review also saw a lower write-back of doubtful debt allowance compared to the previous corresponding quarter. Net foreign exchange loss in 2QFY2012 was significantly lower at S$0.3 million as compared with S$1.7 million in the previous corresponding quarter.

The Group’s earnings per share on a fully diluted basis was 2.22 cents for 2QFY2012 against 1.24 cents for the previous corresponding quarter. Net asset value per ordinary share as at 30 September 2011 was S$0.94.

Tat Hong has proposed an interim dividend of one Singapore cent per ordinary and convertible redeemable preference share, to be payable on 2 December 2011.

Link to the press release

Link to financial statement

Link to presentation

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Telecom passive infrastructure provider Bharti Infratel has won Green Mobile Award for its P7 GreenTowers project. The initiative is energy management programme and is a combination of seven energy efficiency sub-projects.

It aims at reducing dependence on conventional sources of energy by adopting cleaner technologies for power generation and energy efficiency to mitigate green house gas emissions, while providing connectivity uptime service to telecom operators’ tower sites.

“It is a matter of great pride for us to be recognised for our efforts in adopting cleaner technologies and increasing efficiency for our tower operations. This award is testimony to our focus on innovation, uncompromising standards and business excellence,” said Devender Singh Rawat, chief executive officer, Bharti Infratel.

Another award that came in to Bharti’s account was for Airtel card. This virtual card was launched by the company for Airtel Africa subscribers in association with Standard Chartered and MasterCard. The card allows Airtel Africa customers to make online purchases from MasterCard merchants. Airtel card won GSMA award for Best Mobile Money Product or Solution in Best Mobile Business and Enterprise category of the award.

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Charm Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: CHRM) (”Charm” or the “Company”), a leading advertising agency in China, today announced that for the 9th time in ten years the Company’s advertising business unit, Charm Advertising, contracted more sales than any other agency at the annual CCTV 2011 Prime-time Auction, which was closed on November 8, 2010.

The CCTV Prime-time Auction is the most important event in China’s advertising industry. The auction’s result is viewed as a leading indicator of growth prospects in China’s advertising industry over the next year and an important measure of business confidence across the whole economy. This year the value of total auctioned resources exceed RMB12.7 billion, an increase of 15.52% over the previous year.

“This year’s record CCTV auction demonstrates the strong confidence Chinese companies have in the domestic economy as well as the increasing understanding of the value of communications and branding,” commented He Dang, founder, chairman and CEO of Charm.

“Today’s success further solidifies Charm’s leadership in China’s advertising industry. We are confident that more Chinese and international companies will leverage our full offering platform covering satellite TV, Internet and new media to build leading brands targeting China’s fast growing consumer market.”

Separately, Vizeum China, Charm’s 60% owned joint venture with Aegis Media, also represented its clients, participating in the auction for the first time.

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Indus Towers, an affiliate company of Bharti Infratel, bagged the prestigious ‘Telecom Infrastructure Company of the Year’ award for rolling out 24,000 tower sites over a period of 18 months.

The Essar Steel Infrastructure Excellence Awards in association with CNBC TV 18, are one of the biggest Infrastructure Awards in the country. The felicitation of the award was done on March 19, 2010, by the Honourable Union Cabinet Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shri Kamal Nath, at a ceremony in New Delhi. The high profile awards panel comprised of distinguished names from the world of Infrastructure Finance and Planning – Mr. Deepak Parekh, Non-executive Chairman – HDFC ltd & IDFC ltd, Mr. SS Kohli, CMD – IIFCL, Dr. Kirit Parekh, Chairman – IRAD, Mr. Rajeeva Ratna Shah, Former Member Secretary – Planning Commission, Govt of India

In 2009, Infratel had bagged the ‘Telecom Infrastructure Company of the Year’ award. This year, it got shortlisted in 2 award categories and for the ‘Innovative Infrastructure Company of the Year’ category, it competed with some of the biggest infrastructure players having presence across sectors like Power, Roads & Highways, and Water.

Awards Website: http://infrastructureexcellenceawards.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=110:winners-list-2010&catid=36

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6th July 2010 – VerticalNews.com - Charm Communications Inc. (”Charm” or “the Company”) (NASDAQ:CHRM), a leading domestic advertising agency in China, announced that several of its marketing campaigns have been honored at the Chinese Classics Communication Awards.

The Chinese Classics Communication Awards are one of China’s leading creative advertising awards with participants including both domestic and international 4A advertising agencies. Charm was one of the top performing domestic advertising agencies at the awards, which took into account targeted marketing strategies, execution and the effectiveness of the ads in improving brand awareness and sales for the advertiser.

The awards were hosted by Advertising Panorama Magazine, a top advertising trade periodical in China, and sponsored by the Chinese Advertising Association and the School of Journalism and Communications of Peking University. They are given to selected companies chosen from among both domestic and international 4A advertisers. Charm won a silver award for an advertising campaign for Yunnan Baiyao (pharmaceutical) and two bronze awards for campaigns for Huaxia Bank (financial) and Midea’s soy milk maker (home appliance). Yunnan Baiyao’s ad for its herbal cream links the advertiser’s 100 year history with the importance of friends and family in present day society, bringing traditional Chinese medicine into modernity. The “Dragon Boat” campaign for Huaxia Bank’s business solution for small-medium enterprises (”SMEs”) featured Liu Guoliang, the coach of the Chinese national ping-pong team. The advertisements effectively linked the “smooth, small and fast” nature of ping-pong with the same characteristics of Huaxia Bank’s SME solutions: fast, convenient and reliable. The “New Generation” campaign for Midea’s soy milk maker, which came out after in depth industry and consumer studies, was able to ingrain “change to a new generation of soy milk makers” into the consumer, thus effectively promoting its soy milk maker’s secondary brand status ahead of the industry leader in the minds of the consumer and changing the dynamic of the industry. Charm’s vice president Xiao Kun, who is also part of the creative team for Yunnan Baiyao and Huaxia Bank, will be present to receive the award at the ceremony on June 22, 2010 at Peking University. The award winning TV commercials can be found on Charm’s website at http://ir.charmgroup.cn

“We are very pleased to hear that marketing campaigns we developed for three of our largest advertisers, which have successfully built brands and driven product sales, have been chosen for these leading industry awards,” commented He Dang, Charm’s founder, chairman and CEO. “Our ability to combine established in-house creative talent with strategic advice, planning and media purchasing to create winning marketing campaigns provides our customers with a one-stop solution and gives us a strong competitive advantage in China’s advertising market.

This article was prepared by China Weekly News editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2010, China Weekly News via VerticalNews.com.

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11th May 2010 – Singapore Business Times - TAT Hong took a long time to get where it is today. But now, it looks set to conquer the world. It is Asia’s third biggest crane owner – and one of the world’s largest crawler crane lessors.

Mainboard-listed Tat Hong started as an earth-moving equipment trading company back in the early 70s. On the way, it identified lucrative opportunities for crane and equipment rental, especially during downturns, when companies preferred to rent rather than buy equipment.

With the acquisition of Tutt Bryant Group in 1996, Tat Hong became a multi-brand distributor. The acquisition also helped the crane lessor grow its general equipment rental division.

In 1997, during the Asian financial crisis, Tat Hong aggressively expanded its rental fleet by buying fire-sale cranes and equipment. By not trimming costs and capitalising on expanding its assets at low prices, the company was primed to capture growth opportunities when the market eventually recovered.

Tat Hong’s president and chief executive officer Roland Ng says: ‘We also took the opportunity during such crises to streamline our operations and fine-tune our business model.’

A crisis is the best opportunity to grow a company’s talent pool, he reckons. In addition, Tat Hong stayed focused on its core business, keeping a close watch on cashflow and strengthening its balance sheet.

The crane giant gradually shifted its focus to crane rental while at the same time maintaining its equipment sales operations. And when sales and crane and equipment rentals stabilised, the company set its sights on a new market – renting tower cranes in China. Tat Hong established a beachhead in this market in 2005 – and since then has grown its tower crane rental fleet from an initial 50 to 400 today.

Mr Ng is also being recognised for his efforts at the Singapore Corporate Awards this year, clinching the Gold award for Best CEO under the mid-cap category.

Now, the company is a one-stop shop for crane and equipment requirements. It also provides maintenance, spare parts and training facilities and courses.

Tat Hong’s management now includes plenty of professionals, unlike in the past where half of its employees were family members. Mr Ng says recruitment and career advancement are based on merit, and advocates equal opportunities across the board.

He feels that for a workforce to be successful, good leaders must motivate their staff to work hand-in-hand with them, aligning their mindset with the company’s goal.

‘Every employee contributes to a company’s success and a good leader must be able to let employees know their worth,’ says Mr Ng. ‘Only through this can a good leader motivate his team to work together for the company’s future.’

Foresight, coupled with savvy cash management, helped Tat Hong weather the recent recession. With the market showing subtle signs of recovery, the company is starting to receive more enquiries for cranes and equipment. ‘We are confident of positive prospects,’ says Mr Ng. ‘It’s still early days in terms of recovery and we need a few more months to obtain a clearer outlook.’

In the meantime, Tat Hong will remain focused as a rental company, while maintaining equipment sales. It plans to remain prudent with capital and risk undertakings and manage inventory effectively.

As for overseas expansion plans, Tat Hong is on the lookout for merger and acquisition opportunities in China. It also wants to focus on organic growth to support such M&As. Also in the pipeline are plans to explore new markets with strong potential, such as India, Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam.

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Famy Care is a family owned, pharmaceutical manufacturer based in Mumbai, India. The company specializes in the women’s healthcare market, specifically contraceptive formulations and devices. Famy Care is reportedly the largest generic manufacturer of oral contraceptives globally. It sells in emerging markets through both its own distribution channel and institutional contracts with leading global family care / population management organizations.

As part of its plan to launch its products into the lucrative US oral contraceptives market, Famy has entered into a strategic alliance with Mylan Inc., the 3rd largest generics company globally. Famy is also pursuing expansion plans in Europe. Famy Care has its headquarters and R&D facility in Mumbai, two manufacturing facilities in Gujarat and one each in Daman and Maharashtra.

“We are pleased to become a partner with Famy Care and its highly experienced management team. We look forward to supporting this well-established business in its expansion into developed markets” said Peter Amour, AIF Capital’s Chief Executive Officer. “This investment reflects our belief in the Indian pharmaceutical industry which has a proven track record of producing high quality drugs through low cost business models enabling it to capture larger market shares globally.”

“Having served the unregulated markets for the last twenty years, we are now at an inflexion point as we have built the necessary technical and manufacturing capabilities along with strong marketing relationships required to make a successful entry into developed markets. We are delighted to have AIF Capital on board with us at such a critical stage of our growth plans and look forward to their guidance in realizing the same.” said J P Taparia, Founder Chairman, Famy Care.

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About AIF Capital
AIF Capital (www.aifcapital.com) is one of the largest Asia-based independent private equity firms. Since its establishment in 1994, AIF Capital has received investor commitments for its funds in excess of US$1.7 billion and invested in 33 companies in nine countries across Asia.

The firm, with 23 investment professionals across Hong Kong, China and India, oversees a diversified, pan-Asian portfolio of investments, providing capital for expansion, buy-outs and recapitalization. Its portfolio includes investments in sectors ranging from supply chain management, financial services, manufacturing, specialty steels and engineering services, to power generation, telecom and transportation. AIF Capital’s investors in its funds include major corporate and government pension and investment funds, insurance companies and financial institutions from North America, Australia, Asia and the Middle East and Europe, as well as multilateral agencies.

For further questions, please contact Peter Amour at +852-2912-7888 or email inquiries to info@aifcapital.com

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Most Transparent Company Award
Securities Investors Association (Singapore) launched the ‘Most Transparent Company Award’ in 2000 to encourage public listed companies to be more transparent so as to help investors make informed decisions on their investments.

Corporate transparency in turn helps companies to attract investors. This annual Award, which is one in a series of SIAS Investors’ Choice Awards, have various industry categories and an open category award, the Golden Circle Award.

The Award is based on key criteria such as timeliness of news release, substantiality of news release, clarity of news release, degree of media access, frequency of corporate results, availability of segmental information and communication channels (e.g. company website, webcasting).

The Management Committee of SIAS appointed a Selection Committee comprising members from the mass media, investors, investment analysts, equity sales and asset management firm. The Selection Committee selected the winners from nominations received from investment analysts, heads of research, fund managers and members of the mass media.

Site to SIAS – http://www.sias.org.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=83&Itemid=45

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At the same time, Oceanus was informed that it will be a new constituent of MSCI Singapore Small Cap Index. This new addition will take place as of the close of May 29, 2009.

About Oceanus Group
Oceanus Group is the largest land-based abalone producer in the world. Its principal activities are the research and development, breeding, production and sale of premium quality Japanese breed abalones.

Oceanus’ abalone is farmed inland in tanks ideally located along the coastal lines of Fujian and Guangdong provinces in the People’s Republic of China. Using well-devised production system and processes, Oceanus’ premium abalones are bred under carefully controlled environment to encourage their growth, survival and propagation. Through large-scale production and stringent quality control measures, Oceanus delivers a consistent supply of high quality Japanese breed abalones throughout the year.

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Charm is a leading integrated television advertising services provider and a pioneer in the securing of media resources on nationwide television stations and multiple regional/satellite channels in China. The company provides one-stop advertising solutions, which include market research, branding strategies and creative design, and acts as a media consultant to its exclusive television channels.

Charm, whose long-term and successful relationship with China’s single largest national television network China Central Television (CCTV) makes it the advertising service provider of choice, also stands to benefit from the nation’s enormous and fast-growing advertising industry.

Besides CCTV, Charm also has exclusive agreements for the securing of all advertising slots on Shanghai Dragon Television, which is poised to emerge as an influential satellite television channel in China, and Hubei Satellite Television.

“Our investment in Charm reflects AIF Capital’s confidence in China’s economy and advertising industry,” said Peter Amour, “AIF Capital’s Chief Executive Officer. reputation and market position is expected to propel the company to greater heights and we are excited to be working closely with the company to achieve greater success.”

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