Home-grown company Corlison has come a long way, with current Managing Director Andy Ong the third generation in his family to run the business. The story of Pearlie White dates back to over a century ago. Pearlie White is a household name produced by Corlison, and it includes an extensive line of oral care products.
Mr Ong’s mother, Mrs Helen Cheong, is the great-granddaughter of Dr Cheong Chun Tin, the first dentist in Malaya back in 1869. Dr Cheong’s sons, dentists Cheong Chin Nam and Cheong Chin Heng, started Corlison in 1964. You may find Chun Tin Road and Chin Nam Road familiar, thanks to them.
Despite having all the business experience, Corlison has had to reinvent itself in a marketplace now driven by technology.
Venturing Online, Overseas
Prior, Corlison’s main business model is to get as much physical retail space in supermarkets as possible, hoping that shoppers would take them off the shelves.
But being a small- and medium-sized enterprise in Singapore, Mr Ong said there was a lot of competition for physical retail space against established global brands that offer the same kind type of products.
The company has had to reconfigure its business model to meet the changing economy.
With the rise in technology and e-commerce Mr Ong said that manufacturers like Corlison can bypass retailers and sell their products straight to consumers online.
Corlison currently has its own e-store on its Pearlie White website. Its range of oral care products are also sold on online marketplaces such as Amazon and Taobao. It even has a flagship store on Tmall.
With these online marketplaces, Mr Ong said: “We have leveraged on them to enable us to sell overseas – direct to the consumers.”
From a sales- and marketing-driven company to going online-driven, Corlison’s workforce has also changed. The company used to have a sales and marketing team of eight to 12 workers. Now, this number has dropped to two to three workers. The digital team meantime has grown to eight employees.
Social Cause
Besides producing Pearlie White, Corlison also manufactures 60 other products and distributes 600 other products such as cleaning brand Method and feminine care brand Vagisil, which are both produced in the United States.
And in an age of technology and automation, Mr Ong also has a social responsibility of employing the aged.
He capitalises on automation for the production of oral care products at the company’s manufacturing plant in Ang Mo Kio.
He said: “Everything in that plant is exactly the same as any multinational company’s production process.
“The only time we stop automation is when we have tubes of toothpaste to be packed into boxes.”
Although the packing can also be automated, Mr Ong said keeping it manual provides jobs for mature workers, who are often less-educated.
The company employs 60 workers at its plant, and a third of them are mature workers.
Mr Ong said: “A lot of them are retrenched workers who used to work in manufacturing plants that have gone overseas.”
The mature workers’ ages range from the 50s to late-60s, and some of them cannot even speak English.
In response to when Corlison can fully automate all its processes, Mr Ong said: “Maybe in 20 years’ time, when the mature generation is gone, but not now.”
NTUC Partner
Corlison also tapped on the Work-Life Grant under WorkPro through NTUC. The grant is given out to companies to implement and sustain work-life strategies, particularly flexible work arrangements.
The company now offers flexible- and part-time work options. Mr Ong is also looking to tap on more grants from NTUC to benefit its workers.
Since Corlison became a U SME partner last year, it has been paying the NTUC membership fees for all its employees.
The company is also big on upskilling. All its employees have to go through five days of mandatory training every year while still being paid a salary. The company bears all course-related fees and costs.
Mr Ong said: “It affects their overall assessment if the workers do not go for the mandatory training. These courses improve their employability. We are even okay if our employees decide to take up a diploma.”
Insider’s Guide
Established: 1964
Became an NTUC U SME partner in: March 2016
Did You Know: Have you been to Chun Tin Road and Chin Nam Road? Mr Ong is the great-great-grandson of Cheong Chun Tin, the first dentist in Malay back in 1869. Chun Tin’s sons Cheong Chin Name and Cheong Chin Heng, also dentists, started Corlison in 1964.
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Source: NTUC This Week
