French loudspeaker manufacturer APG has signed a Joint Venture agreement with renowned Singaporean entrepreneur, Sebastian Song, to create APG South East Asia Pte Ltd. Based in Singapore, the new company is headed up by Sebastian Song with Imran Hariht and Kenny Chng occupying the roles of sales director and technical director respectively. The company’s remit extends across Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Myanmar, and highlights the importance of the Asian market in APG’s ongoing international development strategy.
Already operational with offices, warehousing, stock and a fully-equipped demo and training room plus technical and sales teams in place and active, APG S.E. Asia has hit the ground running. The new company has already signed orders for two significant installations and has a number of other projects in the pipeline. The official company launch with is to take place in early November.
According to Sebastian Song, the timing was perfect for both parties and the profile of APG corresponded with his own requirements. “I was looking for a reliable and trustworthy partner with whom to build a successful long-term business,” he said. “I was already aware of APG via a mutual contact who introduced me to Bruno Garros. From our first communication, I realized that we shared the same strategies and ideas which would enable us to create a long-term business opportunity together. Whilst product quality is important (and APG has excellent products), the most important element for me is the integrity of the people in the company and their transparency with their partners. This is why I chose to create APG S.E.Asia with APG.”
Imran Hariht who is responsible for sales throughout the region is also confident of their success and very clear about their aims. “Our goal is to be amongst the top three leading brands in Asia” he stated. “Currently, the entertainment industry here is quite saturated and customers are always looking at the same brands. Being ‘the new kid on the block’, APG is able to inject a certain vitality and freshness to the market that some feel is lacking. Furthermore, in product terms, APG has an extremely well-rounded range and certain unique products that make them very well placed to have a positive impact.”
Technical director, Kenny Chng agrees. “Having already been impressed by the products, I was delighted to meet the team behind the products and was struck by their shared passion for quality audio. With the right tools and support, I’m confident that we’ll be able to make a significant impact with APG.”
According to APG’s EVP of global sales & business development, Bruno Garros, the move heralds the future for APG’s continued international development. “I am convinced that this business model is the way forward for APG,” he said. “I am particularly pleased that we have been able to put our first JV in place in South East Asia, which is a hugely dynamic and vibrant market, with such an experienced and reliable partner as Sebastian. Working with him has been a pleasure from the start. We realized very quickly that we had an enormous amount in common in terms of shared values and the way we like to do business. The fact that we were able to mobilise so many financial and human resources as quickly as we did in such a strategic geographic area, is clear recognition that APG is now a force to be reckoned with at an international level.”
“The skill and organization of the APG S.E. Asia team enables us to ensure from the outset the same levels of excellence in terms of customer service and technical support that we provide in France,” added Gregory Dapsanse, EVP of marketing. “Sebastian and his team know their market and their customers inside out, and their levels of technical proficiency match our own. He is quite simply the ideal partner with whom to mount our first Joint Venture.”