All businesses come with risks. But as one young entrepreneur observes, the trading business seems to have more risks than others.
For one, in a trading business, you as the business owner have no goods of your own. You are not the manufacturer, and, therefore, can only depend on your source for what products to offer your market.

For another, creativity and resourcefulness are required to have better control over the quality, availability and pricing of your products and goods because unlike being manufacturers of your own product, you are dependent on the manufacturer for which products to launch, which products to market and which products to manufacture at certain volumes.

Founded by veteran businessman Mr David Tan in the 1980s, TYH Marketing began as a hardware trading company, a simple start-up of only two employees, then known as ?Global Hardware? which was situated in small shop house in Bukit Merah.

Being new to the trading industry, David was quick to recognise the various risks.

For one, in a trading business, you as the business owner have no goods of your own. You are not the manufacturer, and, therefore, can only depend on your source for what products to offer your market.

For another, creativity and resourcefulness are required to have better control over the quality, availability and pricing of your products and goods because unlike being manufacturers of your own product, you are dependent on the manufacturer for which products to launch, which products to market and which products to manufacture at certain volumes.

As Singapore began to establish itself to be a strategic port of call in the late 80s, Mr David realized that this opened up numerous business opportunities and hence, made the decision to focus more on the emerging marine market, specifically marine hardware and sanitary wares. Since majority of the ships were constructed in Japan back then, they were fitted with high quality sanitary wares from the likes of ?Toto and ?Inax while ?Ohshima provided the cabin hardware and furniture fittings.

Mr David thus took a calculated gamble, embarking on a personal trip to Japan to introduce his Singapore-based company to Inax in a bold attempt to win the trust of the Japanese company for him to represent and distribute their brand in the overseas market. Initially rejected for not being ?big enough in Singapore, Mr David persevered on despite the setback. Attending meetings after meetings, it was a long, arduous process which eventually yielded dividends as Davids persistence and tenacity paid off. Admired by Davids honesty and shrewdness, Inax ultimately appointed Global Hardware to be their sole distributor in Singapore.

Things soon began to take off from there. Through Mr Davids vast network of Japanese contacts, Global Hardware was also awarded sole distributorship for the ?Ohshima brand.

Global Hardware was converted to ?TYH Marketing Pte Ltd in 1992.

The company has since flourished and grown into a full-fledged supplier of sanitary wares and cabin furniture fittings with an impressive suite of brands under its portfolio. Today, TYH Marketing owns a 5-storey factory, showroom and warehouse, and holds the distributorship for a multitude of premium brands from Japan, US and Europe. It also markets its own home-grown brand ? Global. Global is currently one of the leading brands in the market for flushing systems and sensor faucets that can be seen in the restrooms of numerous factories and shopping centres in both Singapore and Malaysia. Its clientele is reflective of the quality of work as it continues to attract and retain major players in the commercial, building and marine industries.