We started in a small way

Tan Boon Ming started a business in 1945, before he got married and just after World War II. It was a small shop dealing in bicycles. He registered Syarikat Tan Boon Ming only in 1953 because then very few people registered their
businesses.

The company also ventured into sewing machines, furnitures radios. Later, it switched to electrical items to follow lifestyle changes. Business began to grow from the support of loyal customers. By the mid 1970s it moved into the present premises. Trading under the new name of Tan Boon Ming Sdn. Bhd. began on January 1, 2000.

Our business strategy

Our strategy then was simple - work very hard, smile often and give something extra if we can. Today our strategy remains the same except that we are now trying to be more colourful, by using a logo, to make us even easier to remember.

How to choose our logo concept

Should we be identified with our industry? Should we portray our global potential? It was very difficult. What was important to us was how to provide reliable service to our customers. How to price the products affordably and yet remain profitable enough to pay staffs contractors fairly, so that they too could have a decent living whilst we could still grow bigger. We wanted a logo that was able to capture these sentiments.

How the final design was selected

We were given designs that carried "industry" themes depicted class. We toyed with bright colours like yellow. We tried the bluish greenish millennium colours. In the end we picked the simple red blue.

They happened to be the company's existing colours - retaining it meant continuity. They were common, everyday colours - it signified acceptability. They have survived decades in time - it represents longevity. And of course the richness of blue and the warmness of red also spelt hope prosperity.

We told the Artist to get out of the industry - to capture courtesy service in the logo. The final product was the accidental result of creative design - TBM in a graphic smile, complete with a dimple... the dot to also signify our world up there - happy, dancing and smiling.

Responses to the logo

It was strongly rejected for being too abstract - but in it the group's Advisor saw the smile of Tan Long Kee, the group's Managing Director - the quiet smile of a gentleman. She could also see the smile developing into the full hearted laughter of Tan Long Han, the Managing Director of the Service Centre - the laugh of a sincere man.

It was also the smile of our satisfied customers. The smile of our happy staffs. And the smile of our faithful contractors. It was the smile of our friends, our family and all the people around us.

We asked the Artist to improve on the TBM smile. Then we presented it at the general assembly. From Chinese to Malay to English speaking, from the Store department to the Outdoor to the Sales, the MIS and the Service departments - the TBM smile was well received.

Staffs said it was "a happy smile", "it showed no rank in the company", "it showed maju meningkat". It was simple nice.., from small to big.., the list went on. It was the people's smile! They could recognise it!

The entire assembly voted for the TBM smile. After the assembly, we selected four more staffs for another special session. From MIS, one very young staff commented "globalisation is very distant, a smile brings us closer together".

So that Friday April 28, 2000, we found our logo!

We thank God for the many good years past present and for the many more good years to come.