Competitive Strengths

Our Directors believe that our competitive strengths include the following:-

We have an established track record

We believe we are one of the major integrated manufacturers of its own brand of cleanroom gloves in Asia. We have established a credible track record in the manufacturing of cleanroom gloves which we believe will improve our corporate growth and development. We believe that over the years, customers have come to associate our "RS Riverstone Resources" brand with reliable products which are of a consistently high quality, and also good customer service and after-sales support.

We have direct interface with the end-users of our products

We mainly deal directly with the end-users of our products. We believe that this gives us an edge over many of our competitors as direct interface with our customers enables us to have a better first-hand understanding of their requirements and to respond more quickly to their needs. We only engage the services of a distributor to manage the logistics involved in delivery of the products if requested by these customers. By eliminating the need to deal with intermediaries in the supply chain, we are also able to have more effective control over our pricing strategies.

We have strong research and development capabilities and technical expertise

We place a strong emphasis on having in-house research and development capabilities in order to provide our customers with a broad range of products and value-added services such as product customisation and enhancement and glove reconditioning.

Our in-house research and development and technical capabilities enable us to maintain a close collaboration with our customers in manufacturing cleanroom products that meet their unique and evolving requirements and help us keep abreast of industry trends and meet the changing needs of our customers.

We are able to meet the unique and evolving requirements of our customers

We believe that one of the distinguishing features of our business is that we seek to understand our customers' requirements before undertaking production of our cleanroom products and consumables. We leverage on this close customer interface, our research and development capability and our experience in the conceptualisation and development of cleanroom products to manufacture products that meet the unique and evolving requirements of our customers cost-effectively.

We focus on high quality control and production standards

We believe that our emphasis on high quality control and production standards distinguish us from our competitors.

Product standards

Our dedication to quality is evident from the certifications and awards from recognised international organisations and from several of our customers. For example, our subsidiaries, Riverstone Resources Malaysia, Riverstone Thailand and Riverstone China have been awarded ISO 9001:2000 certification in relation to our quality management system for the manufacture of cleanroom nitrile and natural rubber gloves. Our Class 10 and Class 100 cleanrooms certifications have been awarded by NEBB. Our ability to comply with stringent international standards in the highly demanding cleanroom industry allows us to market and export our cleanroom products to multinational companies worldwide.

Quality control

We are able to carry out the entire glove manufacturing process including the 3 main stages of dipping, chlorination and cleanroom laundry and packing seamlessly. We have full control over the entire production process. Stringent quality control checks are carried out at all stages of the manufacturing process to ensure strict adherence to internal operational procedures and international cleanroom standards.

We have a cost efficient operating structure

With our integrated manufacturing facilities, in-house research and development and laboratory testing facilities, we are able to manage the entire value chain from the sourcing of raw materials to the packing and delivery of the finished products to our customers. In addition, we have the necessary scale to centralise the purchase of raw materials and components for our facilities in Malaysia, Thailand and the PRC. This enables us to operate effectively and manage our costs more efficiently which we believe gives us an edge over our competitors.

There are wide applications for our products

Our existing customers operate in a diverse number of market sectors, in particular the HDD and semiconductor sectors within the electronics industry. Our certifications and awards from recognised international organisations in respect of our processes/quality systems attest to our technical capabilities in pursuing new business opportunities in the flat panel display, medical device technology, biotechnology, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors.

We believe that the diversity of market segments in which our products may be applied would reduce our dependence on any particular market segment in the event of a downturn.

We have established strong relationships with our customers

We place a strong emphasis on establishing close and direct interface with our customers who are end-users of our products to better understand their product requirements. We believe that we have been able to earn and sustain the trust and confidence of our customers mainly due to our reliability in providing quality products and services at competitive prices and on a timely basis. As a testament to our close working relationships with our customers, several of these customers provide training to our engineers from time to time. Our strong customer relationships with leading HDD manufacturers have resulted in new businesses from sub-contractors and component makers of HDDs.

We have established strong relationships with our major suppliers

We have established strong relationships with our major suppliers, several of whom have been providing us with the raw materials required for the manufacture of our products for over 10 years. The continuity of reliable supply provides us with a competitive edge over our competitors.

We have an experienced management team

Our management team has been instrumental in spearheading our growth. Mr Wong Teek Son, our Chief Executive Officer, and Mr Lee Wai Keong and Mr Wong Teck Choon, our Executive Directors, have a combined 46 years' experience in the manufacture of cleanroom gloves and consumable products. Our management team has in-depth knowledge of industry trends and is familiar with the requirements and practices in the international markets. Our management team is supported by a group of experienced and trained employees who are able to provide reliable after-sales support to our customers.