A pioneer in sustainability

FROM a small Sungei Road shophouse, family-run Lam Hong Group now has its own site in Pioneer and a global presence ranging from South-east Asia to the United States, while diversifying from metal recycling into a wide range of trades.

The journey began in 1946, when founder See Cheow Song spotted an opportunity as Singapore emerged from the Second World War. As the global economy recovered, many ships called at the port with old cargo that had to be disposed of. See collected discarded items such as chains, anchors and other ship supplies, and sold them to local merchants, sowing the first seeds of Lam Hong’s future involvement in sustainability.

As its business grew, Lam Hong moved to bigger premises. In 1960, it relocated to nearby Beach Road between the Kallang Basin and the Singapore River, where it developed a reputation as a premier vendor of shipping supplies. Business prospered and Lam Hong broadened its scope to include marine and offshore equipment. To cope with rapid expansion, the company moved twice more in those early years: to Jalan Benaan Kapal in 1969, then to Jurong Industrial Estate in 1984.