taking the plunge into the unknown

MARCH 8 – MARCH 21, 2014
TM
FASHION FANTASY
Fetishes realised footwear
TRANSCENDING TIME
A work of art on the wrist
IN THE ROUNGE
Red - The colour of success
TAKING THE PLUNGE INTO THE UNKNOWN
Dato’ Jimmy Lim Lai Ho
8
P
COVER STORY
Plunge
Taking the
Winning all these
awards, they are the result
of all the hard work and
commitment by everyone
in this company.
C
ontrary to what people may think the first time
they hear the name Tokai, founder and CEO Dato’
Jimmy Lim Lai Ho illuminates on the humble origins of his company. “Tokai is actually the name
of a town in Alor Setar, Kedah. That’s where I was
born, way back in 1957. If you look at a map of
Kedah, there’s a town called Simpang Empat about 15 or 20
kilometres south of Alor Setar. Branching off from there is
another town called Tokai.”
The self-confessed kampung boy overcame the impossible to
become the premier provider of lightning and surge protection
solutions, protecting many of Malaysia’s high-profile buildings
and government departments. “It’s been a long road,” he says.
Dato’ Jimmy remembers the uncertain days of long ago. “In the
early days, surge protection was such a foreign concept that
we just got funny looks from people when we talked about it!
“I studied electrical engineering in the UK,” explains Dato’
Jimmy. “My first job after graduating was with ASEA (now
called ABB) for about two years. I realised that I needed to
diversify and expand my knowledge to other fields, so I didn’t
stay there long. My subsequent jobs got me more involved
with the field of lightning protection, rather than just being
in the general industry.”
This was also the time when Dato’ Jimmy saw first-hand
the immense potential of this unexplored niche in electrical engineering. “Malaysia is a country with heavy lightning
intensity. I think there was one time when we were the third
highest in the world. We have an average of about 190 to 200
days per year of lightning strikes,” he says. Despite this, many
qualified electrical engineers (even those with decades of work
experience) had little knowledge about lightning protection. It
needed a very specialised company to close this gap. “That’s
why I felt the need to make my mark here.”
IN THE BEGINNING
Tokai Engineering was founded in 1993, from a rented office lot in Bandar Sunway. At that time it was just a twoperson operation, consisting of Dato’ Jimmy and his wife,
Datin Vynette Lim, who handled the company’s finances. “Our
first major contract came from Petronas a year later. This was
around the time when the government implemented payment
via credit card at the petrol pumps themselves. Because the
pumps started having networked computer systems in them,
they would end up being shorted out by lightning strikes.”
“Our project involved setting up a complete protection
solution for 300 of their petrol stations nationwide,” explains
Dato’ Jimmy. “That was the challenge that we needed to solve.
But we managed to get it done. And it built up from there.
Other stations started approaching us like Shell and Caltex.”
That was the watershed moment for Tokai Engineering.
“Around that time, KL Tower was also being planned. We had
the good fortune to be involved in the design of the tower’s
entire lightning protection solution from the very beginning!
That was very challenging because the base of the tower was
built on a rock foundation instead of earth,” says Dato’ Jimmy.
It was the beginning of good things to come for Dato’
Jimmy. “The risks I took were starting to pay off,” he says. Not
everyone would have had the guts to leave behind a secure
9
P
COVER STORY
into the Unknown
This kampung boy took a leap of faith and ventured beyond the borders of his peaceful
town in Kedah to become a pioneer in the field of lightning protection. Dato’ Jimmy
Lim Lai Ho, the man behind Tokai Engineering, speaks with Ganaesh Devaraj about the
importance of passion, and the quiet power of a loving family.
career with a multinational company and take the plunge
into the unknown, but this determination has been ingrained
in Dato’ Jimmy from a young age. “As a kampung boy, I’ve
always had this vision that I wanted to achieve something
on my own. A kampung boy from the small village of Tokai
in Kedah, heading off to the UK to study; it’s just about
impossible. But it wouldn’t have happened if not for my
clear. From the time I was born, she had a goal. Whatever
she did was to give me a future. My mother wanted me to be
somebody, and I wanted to show her that even if we started
from humble beginnings, with courage and determination
we can become somebody, and that’s my hope for our future
generation of young people as well,” he says.
MAKING IT
HAPPEN
mother. My mother came here from China at a very young
age, looking for a better future for herself. When I was six,
my mother decided to go to Singapore to work. I was left
with my father. It wasn’t even half a year later that my father
decided to look for greener pastures on his own. So I started
my primary school being cared for by my grandparents. That’s
where I was throughout my primary school years.
“My mother came back for me after primary school. She
negotiated with my grandparents to take me along with her
to Kuala Lumpur, even though she was working very hard to
make ends meet, barely earning enough for herself. That’s
how I moved from a sleepy village to the middle of the city.”
Dato’ Jimmy is forever thankful to his mother for not
giving up on him. “My mother took a great risk to come back
to Tokai and negotiate for her son’s future. I still remember
my mother’s selfless dedication. Her conscience was very
The determination inherited from his mother
got him through some
very tough spots in the
early days of the company. “One of the big
challenges we faced in
the beginning involved
a resort project in Pulau
Tioman – chalets that
needed to be interlinked
with telephone systems
that connected to the
main office. The main office was quite far away,
about 200 metres from
the chalets. We were so
new at the time, and yet
they wanted us to give
them a guarantee that
our surge protection system will work as promised, especially during the monsoon season. If it doesn’t
work, we won’t get paid. But we were hungry for orders, you
My mother wanted me
to be somebody, and I wanted
to show her that even if we
started from humble beginnings,
with courage and determination
we can become somebody, and
that’s my hope for our future
generation of young people.
see. I decided to go all out, and gave them a three-month
guarantee that it would work as promised. We got paid after
only one-and-a-half months!” reminisces Dato’ Jimmy.
Another aspect of Tokai Engineering’s services includes
security systems, but this happened almost by accident.
“Back in 2004, we were called in to survey one of the Prime
Minister’s Departments. Their systems were very badly hit
by lightning. We presented our findings a week later. One of
the questions we got was, ‘Can you give us a guarantee that
your system will survive?’ We could guarantee the quality of
our system, of course, but we reminded them that their systems were already seven years old. It was a disaster waiting
to happen. So I told them, ‘If you really insist on a guarantee,
let us completely refurbish your entire security system, and
we’ll give you a guarantee of total protection for two years.’
It drove the cost of our offer up 70-fold! But they agreed, and
that was the moment we expanded our services.”
Thanks to the good word-of-mouth, Tokai continued
to obtain high-profile projects and grew from strength to
strength. Their current project is also their biggest: Securing
all of the underground stations and several elevated stations
for the Kuala Lumpur Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Project. “It
is a project I’m very passionate about. We just completed
the Cochrane station, and we hope the first MRT line can
be completed by 2017,” says Dato’ Jimmy.
GIVING BACK
The passion and desire to help people and give back to the
community have been part of Dato’ Jimmy for most of his
life. “I want to give back to the community. That’s why I
have been a Rotarian since 2004. The money that we make,
we make sure that a fair bit goes back to the community.”
Dato’ Jimmy also created a scholarship fund in the name
of his grandfather at his old primary school in Tokai. He
explains, “He placed a very high importance on education.
This is my way of paying tribute to everything that he has
done for me.”
These values have guided Dato’ Jimmy and Tokai to win
the Enterprise 50 Award a total of three times, in addition
to a long list of other accolades. “At the end of the day, I
strongly believe in teamwork. Winning all these awards,
they are the result of all the hard work and commitment
by everyone in this company.” That is the legacy that Dato’
Jimmy wants to leave behind: A legacy of hard work, dedication, and passion that becomes a guiding force in one’s life.
“You need to deliver results, no matter how long it takes.
Failure is not an option.”
10
P
HALF TIME
with
Dato’ Jimmy Lim Lai Ho
TOKAI ENGINEERING M SDN BHD
GROUP CEO & FOUNDER
Always the high achiever
What’s your favourite travel destination?
I really love my hometown, Tokai. It’s a very peaceful and
relaxing town. So I try to go back there as often as I can.
Other than that, I love to head back to the UK. I spent
my last holiday there because my children are there. I
managed to spend some time with them and my wife in
London and Paris.
What’s your favourite pastime?
I’m a social golfer. I enjoy golfing with my friends and
associates. But I can’t find enough time to golf as much
as I want nowadays, and I really miss that.
What cars do you own, and what do you dream of
owning in the future?
My favourite brand is Mercedes. I bought my first Mercedes
in 1997; it was an E230 I think it’s considered an antique
now, right? My dream car would be the new S-Class. The
Mercedes is a wonderful car to be chauffeur-driven. A
while back, I bought a BMW for my wife . Now, a BMW
is a car you need to experience for yourself. A chauffeur
wouldn’t do it justice.
Do you have any favourite authors or books?
Nowadays, I find myself reading books on feng shui. So, of
course, my favourite author is Lilian Too. I find her books
a pleasure to read; feng shui is so complex but she’s able
to take all these complex concepts and make them easy
to understand for just about anyone.
Who is your favourite Malaysian personality?
Being a Kedahan, I would definitely say Tun Dr. Mahathir
Mohamad. He had a very clear
vision to bring Malaysia
to the next level. I
still remember the
controversy that
came up when
he announced
Enjoying the
city of Love
P
11
HALF TIME
CSR project
“Gift of
Sight” in
Cambodia
Dato Jimmy
Lim, Datin
Vynette Lim,
Madam Heng
(Dato’s mum)
and children,
Melvin, Marcus
and Melissa Lim
Security surveillance upgrade:
handings over the reins
the PLUS Highway project, but he stuck to his guns. I think no one can imagine
Malaysia without those highways and the critical infrastructure we have now.
What kind of music do you enjoy?
I like the classics. I’m not good at singing but I like karaoke. My favourite song
would be Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.”
What is your favourite fine-dining restaurant?
My wife and I love Japanese food; we love Niji at the Kuala
Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC), which I’m a member
of. We also go to the Diamond Club at Hilton. If we’re talking
about Western food, then Jake’s Charbroil Steaks at Medan
Damansara is the place to be. My must-eat is always the
spare ribs.
Do you have a preferred fashion label?
I don’t have a preferred brand, but I have a friend who’s a
tailor. He comes to my house at times to take my measurements, so I get custom-tailored suits. For my footwear, I
focus on quality and comfort first, brand second.
Do you have a preferred airline when you travel abroad? Do
you travel business or first class?
Malaysia Airlines would be my first choice, but I seem to prefer Emirates of late.
As to the class, it depends on the destination. If it’s a longer distance, I would
choose business class. If it’s not that far, I would go with economy class.
Do you carry a pen? What brand is it?
Mont Blanc has been a good brand for me, so that seems to do it for me.
How and where do you usually entertain your business clients or associates?
When it comes to clubs and fine dining, then we would head to KLGCC because
the variety of restaurants and clubs there serves my need.
On holiday with friends and family