Case studies

In December 2007, with the merger with Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC), the MTR Corporation (MTR) acquired more than 40% market share of the local transport market and became the No. 1 public transport operator in Hong Kong. More than 3.4 million passengers, or half of the city’s population, are enjoying benefits brought by this successful merger integration every workday.

Pacific Textiles Ltd is unlike any other textile manufacturer in the region. The leading manufacturer of customised knitted fabric in textile industry uses information technology (IT) to outperform its competitors. And the investment has worked, growing a base of high-profile customers to be the market leader.

Kerry Logistics is a story of successful transformation from a warehouse management company to a total logistics solutions provider. Before 2000, Kerry Logistics was mainly concerned about the finding storage space for its customers’ goods—and was successful at it. However, after the turn of the century, the Hong Kong-headquartered company expanded its operations to offer different pieces of the logistics puzzle to all its customers, using information technology (IT) as the key platform to deliver them.

By providing us with a one-stop financing solution that helped us to improve our cash management and stretch our budget, IBM Global Financing allowed us to decide immediately on purchasing the right IT solution to grow our business.

Bauhaus did not want to sacrifice store space for function. Adoption of an open systems architecture allowed easy migration of its mission-critical retail solution. It is of no coincidence that Bauhaus, Hong Kong's leading fashion retailer and creator, has the same name as the famous art and design school in Germany. The company focus on fashion embodies the same avant-garde ideas and "function over form" philosophy that the German school espouses.

Crown knows that to hone its competitive edge, it needs to keep its 103 offices located in over 40 countries on the same page. That means building an enterprise-wide and disparate collaboration platform that keeps worldwide employees in touch with one another. So in the mid-90s Crown looked to IT to provide such a communications platform for its worldwide team. The company also wanted the enterprise-class collaboration solution to be both robust and scalable to meet the company's growing need for expansion. Crown had two choices: Lotus Domino and Microsoft Exchange. After evaluating each product, Crown decided to build its future on Lotus Domino and has never looked back.

To be ahead of the curve, you need to become proactive and meet future demands today. That was what ASM Assembly Automation Ltd (ASM) exactly did.The world's largest assembly and packaging equipment supplier for the semiconductor industry had relied on two guiding pillars of strength: innovation and reliability. And in the fast-moving semiconductor industry, these provided the company the keys to success.Innovation has allowed ASM to fashion and furnish semiconductor assembly equipment and materials to the world's top chip manufacturers, independent IC assembly houses and consumer electronic manufacturers. Reliability made sure the company kept these customers. And it is the reason why the company grabbed the number one spot in the semiconductor industry in 2002.

Toppan Forms (HK) Ltd inked its success in print. Since its founding in 1972, the pioneer in business form manufacturing has laid down the standard in business printing and mailing solutions in the region. Backed by a 118, 790 sq. ft. state-of-the-art plant in Hong Kong and manned by over 200 employees, the flagship company of Toppan Forms (HK) Group had successful built a business model that offered Data Management Services (DMS) and a full range of Office Automation Machinery Sales, tailored to specific needs of customers of all sizes.

Dedication to high-quality service has elevated Cathay Pacific Airways to new heights of success in the highly-competitive airline industry. Cathay Pacific has always relied on Information Technology (IT) to meet their infrastructure demands while gearing up its internal operations for efficiency. IT provides the airlines with two distinct advantages an efficient reservation system and an engineering system that keep the airlines' planes constantly fit for air travel.

Entering a newly deregulated market to compete against a monopoly service provider is a significant undertaking and in many industries it takes years for the new players to assert themselves. In the space of 18 months, however, Global e-Business Services Ltd ('GO-Business') has been able to win significant market share with the help of service innovations powered IBM's Linux-optimised OpenPower server and DB2 Universal Database for Linux.

In a market where real estate and the economy rules people's thoughts, CB Richard Ellis Hong Kong is in a class of its own. Since setting up its foundations in 1978 in Hong Kong, the leading real estate advisor successfully built a portfolio of services to governments, multi-national companies, financial institutions, developers and investors.

Since its establishment in 1956, the Group has grown to become the largest caterer in Hong Kong, served by a dedicated team of up to 12,000 professionals, operating over 350 restaurants with 60 brands in Hong Kong, attending the palates of more than 430,000 people a day. Hong Kong Maxim's Group today owns a string of restaurants, serving regional and local cuisines, and provides professional catering services to business-to-business sectors.

Founded in 1956, the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) is today an autonomous and publicly-funded university that enrolls more than 8,000 students. Committed to the provision of 'whole person' education, the University offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in arts, business, science and social sciences, and professional courses in Chinese medicine, business, communication and education. The University looks to train each student for the rigours and demands of the world.

Situated in the idyllic outskirts of Tuen Mun, Hong Kong , Lingnan University is renowned for its unique "whole-person" approach to education. Best known for its liberal arts program that blends East and West, the University enables its students to think independently and responsibly by combining professional knowledge and liberal arts education with Hong Kong characteristics.

Since its foundation in 1989, OUHK has been dedicated to providing sub-degree, degree and postgraduate courses leading to awards and qualifications, principally through a system of open access and distance education. This makes higher education available to all those who aspire to it, regardless of previous qualification, gender, or race. The University has more than 20,000 students in Hong Kong and another 3,000 in enrolled in China through partnerships with mainland institutions.

Founded in 1982, Shun Lee Catholic Secondary School currently has more than 1100 teachers and students. The school was nominated by the Education and Manpower Bureau as one of the fifteen schools to participate in "Regional Support Scheme". Under the scheme, schools with solid experience of information technology implementation are selected to be "Centres of Excellence" to share and disseminate their knowledge in innovative learning and teaching to regional primary and secondary schools.

Meeting the ever-changing pressures of the electronics industry is not new for Conrad Electronic International HK Ltd (CEI HK). Since its conception in 1988 as a buying and sourcing arm of its German-based Conrad Electronic, IT has played a central role in CEI HK to provide the scalability and competitive edge it required to maintain its helm.Ever-increasing customer demands and shifting business environments in Asia has made the company rethink its IT strategy and environment. In 1997, the company decided meet their challenges head on with a new strategy and a new environment starring IBMs Lotus Domino and Linux. It has never looked back since.