For This Chemical Trader, Profit Growth Comes from Protecting Margins, Going Overseas

Samchem Holdings Bhd Chairman & CEO Ng Thin Poh discusses:
- Being listed and whether it has met his expectations as regards adding distribution rights, raising money and company profile;
- Positioning Samchem for volatile times ahead;
- The distribution rights it has added since listing;
- The peculiar structure of formal distribution agreements;
- The effect of rising oil and coal prices on margins;
- Insight on its markets - products - typical buyers - industries;
- Insight on good growth in its new markets of Indonesia and Vietnam;
- Of the USD, depreciating rapidly vs the ringgit and impact on profits;
- Expectations for more startup costs this year;
- Impact on profits from startup costs of expanding to region;
- Potential upside from regional expansion;
- Ballooning trade receivables;
- Dividends and dividend policy;
- Ng as both Chairman and CEO - governance concerns;
- Thin trading volume - strategies to spur interest;
- Market cap at 97-odd million ringgit - whether plans to boost weightage;
- No institutional investors on its list of top 30 shareholders - plans to attract them;