Singapore firms catch on to beat of Latin America
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Keppel Fels construction manager Jansen Chua, 28, was sent to Brazil for two years to lead a team of 10 Brazilian supervisors at a shipyard in Angra Dos Reis, in Rio de Janeiro state. He says learning to speak Portugese was invaluable in gaining his colleagues' trust and acceptance. -- PHOTO: COURTESY OF JANSEN CHUA
LAST year, Singaporean firm Marshall Cavendish helped the Chilean government launch a pilot scheme to teach Singapore-style maths to schoolchildren.
After the company sent staff to train the local education authorities, more than 60,000 primary schoolchildren in 300 schools in Chile are now learning mathematics the Singapore way.
Marshall Cavendish is just one of at least 100 Singapore firms with a presence in the home of samba and sombreros. From teaching maths to selling drilling rigs, branching into Latin America is adding up to good business for many Singaporean firms.
Bilateral trade between Singapore and Latin America topped S$37 billion last year.
