Mechanical Engineer Kai Chua did not like being disturbed during the night to resolve breakdowns when the robots under-performed so he found a way to anticipate breakdowns. He then turned this into a satisfying business.
What’s your story?
I graduated as a Mechanical Engineer. After graduation, I worked for a manufacturing company as an automation engineer. The factory was mostly automated and most of the processes were handled by robots. Any breakdown of machines would cause a bottleneck to the whole process, thus the automation team was always on-call for troubleshooting when there was a breakdown of machines. I was frequently called back to recover the machines in the middle of the night. I devised a way to predict the breakdown of machines so I would stop being called out at night. It worked rather well so I’ve made a business out of it.
What excites you most about your industry?
As a technology solution provider, my work involves a lot of creative thinking and innovation using the latest technology available. Being able to optimise my clients’ operations makes me and my team feel great every single time.
What is your connection to Asia?
Having been involved in Junior Chamber International (JCI) for many years, and being elected as a President for JCI Marina for the year of 2021, I’ve connections in the majority of countries in Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan , Hong Kong, Philippines).
Favourite city in Asia for business and why?
For my industry, Singapore and Taiwan. These cities rely mostly on robotics and technology rather than a labour force. The governments are very supportive of the adoption of new technology.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
You dictate how you feel about the outcome of every event.
Let’s say you had a serious car accident, instead of focusing on the damage and the financial losses, you could choose to feel that it might have been a divine intervention and you are meant for something big
This made me reframe all the negative events into positive ones.
Who inspires you?
Elon Musk. He would move heaven and earth to make his dream come true.
What have you learnt recently that blew you away?
The outbreak of COVID has made me learn to appreciate and be grateful for the little things in life. We took a lot of things for granted like the freedom to travel to any country without restrictions.
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
I would explore the world at a younger age, there is so much to learn.
I would also start my entrepreneurship journey earlier and engage a business mentor. Business mentors cut short your learning curve and prevent potential mistakes as they have been there and done that.
How do you unwind?
A cold beer with a great movie.
Favourite Asian destination for relaxation? Why?
Japan – the food and scenery are awesome!
Everyone in business should read this book:
“The Way of the Wolf“ by Jordan Belfort
and “The Hard Things About Hard Things” by Ben Horowitz
Shameless plug for your business:
Linkstuffs is known best for its machine failure prediction solution. Predicting the failure of machines and preventing it from affecting the production output of a factory.
How can people connect with you?
Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kai-chua/
Social Media Links?
Instagram – @im_kaii
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To hear how entrepreneurs around the world overcome their challenges, search your favourite podcast platform for ‘CallumConnects‘ to hear a 5-minute daily breakdown.
Callum Laing is an entrepreneur and investor based in Singapore. He has previously started, built, and sold half a dozen businesses and is now a Partner at Unity-Group Private Equity and Co-Founder and CEO of MBH Corporation PLC. He is the author of three best-selling books ‘Progressive Partnerships’, ‘Agglomerate’, and ‘Entrepreneurial Investing’.
Connect with Callum on Twitter and LinkedIn
Download free copies of his books at www.callumlaing.com
