News & Trends

Employee Development is the Key to Success in Singapore’s AV Industry

Ronald Goh — Managing Director of Singaporean system integration firm Electronics & Engineering Pte Ltd (E&E) — was presented with the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Award 2017 (APEA) by Enterprise Asia this past summer. 

Mr. Goh was previously named by Singapore’s Business Times as “one of 50 CEOs that contributed to the Singapore economic miracle” when Singapore celebrated its 50th anniversary. 

Under Mr. Goh’s leadership, E&E has expanded to more than 100 employees and is a leading voice in the country’s audiovisual industry. Its project portfolio includes Terminal 4 of the Singapore Changi Airport, Explanade — Theatres on the Bay, and more. He highlights the company’s focus on employee development as one of the key reasons for its sustained growth. E&E is a long-time member and supporter of AVIXA. 

Q: E&E was founded 66 years ago and has been your life-long career. Can you talk about the evolution of the audiovisual business over the years? 

Mr. Goh: Technology has seen phenomenal changes over the last 66 years, from the radio sets in the 50s and single speaker cinema sound in the 60s to today’s state-of- the-art Dolby Atmos multi-channel cinema sound systems. 

Just take Singapore’s former National Stadium as an example, 45 years ago the most powerful amplifier we installed was only 200W. The high frequency unit was a 50W driver mounted onto a six-foot horn. Today, at the same site now called the Sports Hub, we have installed much more powerful speakers that measure no more than a meter cube and deliver more than 10 times the power rating. Gone are the days of six-foot horns or eight-foot-high bass speakers. 

The next challenge is to keep abreast of the digital technology and IT software that runs and configures all these AV devices.

Q: How does staff training and professional development fit into the priorities of E&E? 

Mr. Goh: This is indeed a key focus and priority for E&E. 

A few years ago, we engaged a professional leadership management company to develop and train our managers and leaders throughout the organisation and to put in place a succession plan for the company.  We have expertise and experiences after all these years and now need the quality of leadership to stay ahead of the competition and stay relevant to the industry. We have also partnered with AVIXA to organize CTS training sessions for our staff and partners over the years.

Efforts like this ensure our internal competencies meet or surpass our customers’ expectations. These programmes also help employees meet their career goals and feel fulfilled.  

Q: E&E is an active contributor to AVIXA. Can you talk about why this collaboration is important? 

Mr. Goh: E&E has been a member and supporter of AVIXA for more than 10 years. AVIXA is a hub for professional collaboration, information and the leading resource for AV standards, training, and certification. 
To succeed in the AV industry, one must have the foresight to see what’s coming and be prepared to adapt to change. Knowledge development and validation are critical for the industry to grow. We share many of the same values as AVIXA and continue to look forward to many more years of collaboration in the near future.