No to durians, but 'yes' to high-tech farming

THE durian question had to be popped right at the beginning of the interview. Given declining margins in its electronics components distribution business, is Excelpoint Technology about to tread the path of Singapore-listed counterpart Serial Systems, which invested into durian purée manufacturing among other random businesses? After all, with net profit margins of 0.5 per cent, surely Excelpoint has better things to do with its capital.

Excelpoint founder and chief executive officer Albert Phuay has other ideas. The firm is not making durian puree anytime soon, he said. However, agriculture is a sector the firm might venture into.

It sounds outlandish, until one realises that in the IoT (Internet of Things) world of wirelessly connected components, the firm might distribute sensors with applications in vertical farming.