SINGAPORE \u2013 What time is it?<\/p>\n
For generations of Singaporeans, the answer is almost instinctive: It\u2019s Tiger time.<\/p>\n
For Thomas Heng, however, the answer is more personal. The 64-year-old senior technical officer from Johor Bahru has spent over four decades inside the brewery that turned those three words into one of Singapore\u2019s most enduring marketing catchphrases.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By the time he retires in 2027, he would have spent 42 years making Tiger Beer, longer than many in the country have been old enough to drink it.<\/p>\n
The Malaysian also happens to be one of 130 production workers whose jobs will progressively disappear as Tiger Beer prepares to cease brewing operations in Singapore by end-2027<\/u><\/span><\/a>, relocating production to Malaysia and Vietnam.\u00a0About 50 of the affected workers are, like him, foreigners too.<\/p>\n Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore (APBS) \u2013 which also brews Heineken beer for Singapore consumption \u2013 employs a total of 530 workers before the restructuring, with some remaining staff expected to take on redesigned roles.<\/p>\n The decision was driven by ageing brewing and packaging equipment at the Tuas facility, where replacing the machinery would cost about as much as building a new brewery\u00a0in Singapore.<\/p>\n The move, announced in March, sparked expected debate over whether Singapore\u2019s most famous beer would lose its identity if it is no longer brewed here. After all, the brand has, since its debut in 1932, grown alongside the nation to become one of its most recognisable exports.<\/p>\n Yet, both industry experts and employees believe that its essence remains secure.\u00a0<\/p>\n On its own, the news might have been a blip amid increasingly common layoffs across various sectors. Yet, at an establishment like Tiger Beer where professional identity seems inextricably linked to national pride, the implications run deeper.\u00a0<\/p>\n And as Singapore\u2019s birthday approaches, workers such as Heng are reflecting not just on the end of their careers, but also what it means to leave behind a brand that has shaped both their working lives and sense of identity.<\/p>\n Heng\u2019s journey began on a Friday in 1984, when a listing in his brother-in-law\u2019s copy of The Straits Times caught his eye: Tank cleaner.\u00a0<\/p>\n The full-time role at Malayan Breweries Limited, home to Tiger Beer since 1932, involved scaling the massive brewery tanks to clean them.<\/p>\n Then a 22-year-old bachelor, he felt he had nothing to lose. With just a primary school certificate, he had spent years hopping from one contract job to the next. So he applied, unaware it would become a 42-year career, and a second home.<\/p>\n As the company was renamed APBS in 1990, and then acquired from Fraser & Neave by Heineken in 2012, he progressed alongside it, moving from the brewhouse and filtration units to operator and technical roles.<\/p>\n In 1993, he joined a small crew in Ho Chi Minh City to launch Tiger Beer\u2019s first Vietnam brew. Then in 2016, he was entrusted with propagating yeast for the brand\u2019s expansion into Taiwan, opportunities that he says he still cannot believe he was given \u201cbecause of my lack of education\u201d.<\/p>\n As the years passed, his knowledge of beers grew. Some involve longer brewing and more complex processes than others.\u00a0\u201cIt is both a science and an art,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Thomas Heng, a 64-year-old senior technical officer in the brewery, has spent 42 years with APBS. He began as a tank cleaner.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n When ST meets the long-term brewery employee after the announcement, Heng is stoic and soft-spoken. He breaks into a wistful smile when he realises he is speaking with the publication whose classifieds gave him a life-changing career and enabled him to raise a family.<\/p>\n \u201cTo me, it\u2019s fine,\u201d he says of his impending departure. \u201cI\u2019m already 64 years old and I was going to retire. I feel thankful to APBS for giving me so many chances to have this life.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, it is bittersweet. Leaving with him is packaging efficiency specialist Sathiswaran Kumarasamy, who is not only\u00a0his colleague but also the son of his best friend from Johor Bahru.<\/p>\n Now 34, Sathiswaran says: \u201cMy father\u2019s best friend is Mr Thomas (Heng). I met him when I was a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n He started working for Tiger Beer a decade ago. \u201cBecause some of my colleagues were my father\u2019s friends, I addressed them as \u2018uncle\u2019 when I joined the company. It was awkward for others.\u201d<\/p>\n Packaging efficiency specialist Sathiswaran Kumarasamy, 34, joined APBS a decade ago, following in his father\u2019s and elder brother\u2019s footsteps.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The brewery runs deep in his family. His father, a senior utilities technician, had spent over two decades tending to the brewery\u2019s boilers until his retirement in 2015. Listening to his father\u2019s daily anecdotes on the rhythmic huffs and \u201cpoof\u201d of escaping steam steered Sathiswaran towards a degree in engineering.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, his elder brother spent 13 years in the packaging department too, serving as both his colleague and mentor before moving on.<\/p>\n Though they have left the company, Sathiswaran says the trio continue to bond over talking about the work and their colleagues-turned-friends. He hopes to recreate the same workplace culture wherever he is headed, as \u201cthis is what I will miss most\u201d.<\/p>\n Even employees whose roles are unaffected say the upcoming shift will mean more than operational change. It marks the loss of a workplace community and a culture of looking out for one another.<\/p>\n Yu Seow Chui\u2019s voice quavers as she ponders the end of an era with her teammates. The 46-year-old supply planner has spent 21 years at the brewery, having started in customer service for Tiger Beer\u2019s export markets, and says it has long become more than just a workplace.\u00a0<\/p>\n Supply planner Yu Seow Chui, 46, who takes care of exports now, will move to being an import planner as APBS transforms its operating model.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n At the Tiger Tavern, the brewery\u2019s own retro-style pub, she describes how colleagues bonded over cold pints after work, settling disagreements and leaving the day\u2019s stresses behind.\u00a0<\/p>\n Like any workplace, there were conflicts. But she says they were outweighed by a shared sense of pride in the brand and responsibility for one another.<\/p>\n It is the same pride she still feels whenever she sees someone ordering a Tiger Beer, and one which she believes will help her team through the transition.\u00a0<\/p>\n Her team is now working out which products will stop being brewed here, when production will shift overseas and which beers they will start importing instead. But she is confident that the taste of Tiger Beer will be the same, regardless of where it is brewed.<\/p>\n Few are better placed to make that assurance than customer service manager Lim Yee Fong. The 43-year-old joined the company as a brewing technologist in 2011.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I first saw the position advertised, it felt challenging,\u201d recalls the\u00a0food science and nutrition graduate.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYeast is a living entity. Whenever the result deviates, you need to inspect and adjust. There is a very high sense of satisfaction when we launch a new beer,\u201d says Lim, who worked on the launch of brands such as Strongbow cider, Heineken 0.0, Heineken Silver, Tiger Radler and Tiger Crystal.<\/p>\n Lim Yee Fong, a customer service manager who joined APBS as a brewing technologist, says she was able to try various supply chain roles thanks to a culture that encourages career discovery.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n To maintain consistent quality, prospective sensory panellists undergo a six- to nine-month rigorous global assessment.<\/p>\n The process begins by identifying a beer\u2019s presence in water samples. Those unable to detect subtle flavours and notes are eliminated, says Lim.<\/p>\n Naturally, working closely with colleagues who take pride in delivering high-quality products has shaped her idea of work. Her team will shift from local supply chain support to become the central command point for Asia-Pacific exports.<\/p>\n \u201cThis wasn\u2019t just a workplace to me,\u201d she says. \u201cI could bring my parents to visit, and in recent years, my son too.\u201d<\/p>\n Beyond just a beverage, Tiger Beer has spent decades positioning itself as a \u201csymbol of origin and identity\u201d, says Samer Elhajjar, a senior marketing lecturer at the National University of Singapore.\u00a0<\/p>\n By consistently emphasising heritage, authenticity and regional pride, it\u00a0has \u2013 unlike many global beer brands that rely on\u00a0lifestyle branding or taste to distinguish themselves \u2013\u00a0achieved a distinctive \u201cemotional resonance\u201d, particularly in Singapore and South-east Asia.<\/p>\n He adds that when a brand commands such loyalty and meaning,\u00a0restructuring can force employees to confront the loss not just of a job, but also of identity, belonging and purpose.\u00a0<\/p>\n For many employees,\u00a0Tiger Beer is intertwined with the story of a home-grown brand that became internationally famous,\u00a0says Nina Sirola, an assistant professor of organisational behaviour and human resources at Singapore Management University. They may see themselves\u00a0as\u00a0\u201ccustodians of a Singaporean institution\u201d.<\/p>\n As a result, those affected may feel three losses at once: a job, a close-knit workplace community and connection to a brand woven into the Singapore story.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cGood culture sometimes deepens (the grief) because there is more to miss. But it can reduce bitterness, preserve dignity and help people leave with a more coherent and positive account of their years there,\u201d Sirola says.<\/p>\n It probably explains why employees say the news had been met with quiet resignation rather than anger. While sad, they say the two-year notice period gives them time to process their loss. They add that APBS\u2019 history of innovation also makes the news easier to understand.<\/p>\n In the meantime, the company has introduced dedicated communication channels,\u00a0mental health support, skills training, and regular dialogues and manager check-ins to help employees through the transition.<\/p>\n Those leaving say they will do their best to help their colleagues with a smooth handover. This is what family does, they say matter-of-factly: They have one another\u2019s backs.\u00a0<\/p>\n For Sathiswaran, the brewery\u2019s closure will mean saying goodbye to more than a workplace.<\/p>\n When he was stuck in Singapore during the Covid-19 pandemic, for example, his friends asked how he was coping. \u201cI told them I wasn\u2019t sad. I was with my family here too,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n By the end of 2027, the brewery will fall silent. But for those who spent decades inside it, that sense of family is what they will remember long after the last batch of Tiger Beer leaves Singapore.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n SINGAPORE \u2013 What time is it? For generations of Singaporeans, the answer is almost instinctive: It\u2019s Tiger time. For Thomas Heng, however, the answer is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":75127,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=75126"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75126\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/75127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=75126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=75126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=75126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}One last brew<\/h2>\n
<\/picture><\/div>
<\/picture><\/div>
Carrying on<\/h2>\n
<\/picture><\/div>
<\/picture><\/div>
Grief and gratitude<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
Read Full Article At Source <\/a>
\n