Sands China Holds Food Safety and Hygiene Awareness Training for Local SME Suppliers and Introduces M-Mark Collaboration Programme

(Macao, Oct. 29, 2020) – Sands China Ltd. held a food safety and hygiene awareness training session Wednesday for local SME suppliers at The Venetian^® Macao’s Adelson Advanced Education Centre, along with a workshop to introduce M-Mark certification and kick-off the Sands China and M-Mark Collaboration Programme.

To further promote the development of Macao’s manufacturing industry, Sands China is launching a new collaboration program with M-Mark, featuring a series of activities including Wednesday’s M-Mark introduction session and upcoming M-Mark product roadshows at the back-of-house team member areas at Sands China properties.

Through the programme, Sands China is proactively inviting suppliers with M-Mark certification to get on Sands China’s supplier list, giving priority to procurement of M-Mark products and offering favourable payment terms to suppliers with M-Mark. In addition, the programme encourages local suppliers to obtain M-Mark certification to support the sustainable development of the local manufacturing industry.

The M-Mark certification programme was jointly introduced by the Macau Productivity and Technology Transfer Center (CPTTM) and the Industrial Association of Macau in 2018, aiming at enhancing the quality of local products and the competitiveness of local manufacturers. M-Mark seeks to encourage local companies to produce high-quality products, helping them enhance consumer confidence and expand the products to overseas markets.

Helena Lei, senior manager of the Standards, Management, Training and Assessment Department at CPTTM, led a workshop at Wednesday’s event, where she introduced Macao’s M-Mark product quality certification programme and went over the application process and benefits.

Wednesday’s food safety and hygiene awareness training and M-Mark workshop is the first activity of Sands China’s M-Mark collaboration series, which helps elevate the awareness of Sands China’s food and beverage suppliers to better understand the requirements of large enterprises like Sands China. It aims to strengthen their competitiveness and move them toward international standards.

Guests attending the training session included Fong Son Kin, chairman of the Macau Product Quality Certification Committee and chairman of the Board of Directors of the Industrial Association of Macau; Lei Si Tai, Wong Tim Fok, and Leong Im Wa, vice-chairmen of the Board of Directors of the Industrial Association of Macau; Rosita Chiang, secretary of the Industrial Association of Macau; Shuen Ka Hung, director-general of CPTTM; Helena Lei, senior manager of the Standards, Management, Training and Assessment department at CPTTM; Dave Sun, senior vice president and chief financial officer of Sands China Ltd.; and Charlie Cai, vice president of procurement and supply chain for Venetian Macau Limited. Sands China also invited nearly 40 “Made-in-Macao” food and beverage suppliers to attend, encouraging them to apply for M-Mark for the benefit of their enterprises.

“Sands China is pleased to launch the M-Mark collaboration series to provide an opportunity for local SMEs to understand more about the M-Mark programme, so as to enhance their awareness of certification standards, their product quality, and company competitiveness,” said Charlie Cai, vice president of procurement and supply chain for Venetian Macau Limited. “We were also very pleased to a host food safety and hygiene awareness training for our local food and beverage suppliers, with an aim to uplift the food safety and hygiene standard together.”

The training is part of Sands China’s F.I.T. initiative, which was launched in April 2017 and offers Financial Support, Invitational Matching, and Training and Development to local SME suppliers, targeted at three types of local businesses: local small, medium and micro suppliers; “Made in Macao” companies and Macao young entrepreneurs.

F.I.T. is a component of Sands China’s Local Small, Medium and Micro Suppliers Support Programme. The programme is in line with the Macao government’s push to “buy local,” and demonstrates Sands China’s commitment to supporting local enterprises as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility efforts. It is an element of Sands China’s supplier relationship management strategy, which guides the company’s long-standing effort to support local suppliers, whom it views as its strategic partners.

Photo caption: Attendees participate in Sands China’s food safety and hygiene awareness training session for local SME suppliers Wednesday at The Venetian Macao’s Adelson Advanced Education Centre. The training was presented along with a workshop to introduce M-Mark certification and kick-off the Sands China and M-Mark Collaboration Programme.

Photo caption: Charlie Cai (left), vice president of procurement and supply chain for Venetian Macau Limited, and Fong Son Kin (right), chairman of the Macau Product Quality Certification Committee and chairman of the Board of Directors of the Industrial Association of Macau, speak to attendees at Sands China’s food safety and hygiene awareness training session for local SME suppliers Wednesday at The Venetian Macao’s Adelson Advanced Education Centre. The training was presented along with a workshop to introduce M-Mark certification and kick-off the Sands China and M-Mark Collaboration Programme.

Photo caption: Helena Lei, senior manager of the Standards, Management, Training and Assessment department at CPTTM, speaks to attendees at Sands China’s food safety and hygiene awareness training session for local SME suppliers Wednesday at The Venetian Macao’s Adelson Advanced Education Centre. The training was presented along with a workshop to introduce M-Mark certification and kick-off the Sands China and M-Mark Collaboration Programme.