The event featured a cocktail reception and networking session, providing an opportunity for local suppliers to connect with representatives from various Sands China departments, including the procurement and supply chain team.
Sands Supplier Excellence Awards
Winners of the 2024 Sands Supplier Excellence Awards, Sands Procurement Academy graduates, and guests of honour gather at The Parisian Macao Tuesday.
An annual initiative of Las Vegas Sands Corp., the Sands Supplier Excellence Awards acknowledges the cooperation and services of some of Sands’ most noteworthy suppliers worldwide. A judging committee composed of Sands China executive management selects Macao’s award winners each year.
At Tuesday’s ceremony at The Parisian Theatre, Sands China awarded seven winners:
- Corporate Culture & Sustainability: Linyi Standard Textile Trading Co. Ltd.
- Innovation & Creativity: Filament Limited
- Cost Management: Kei Chong Construction and Engineering Company Limited
- Quality Management: Bright Elite Gourmet Company Limited
- Project Management: Pat Davie (Macau) Limited
- Service Excellence: TCC Carpets
- Small/Medium Enterprise (SME): CMC Trading Engineeering (International) Limited
Sands Procurement Academy Graduation
Graduates of the 15th and 16th intake of the Sands Procurement Academy attend their graduation ceremony Tuesday at The Parisian Macao.
Sands China recognised 73 local SMEs for completing the Sands Procurement Academy training programme. Since the academy was founded in 2017, a total of 602 suppliers have enrolled and 559 have graduated, including Tuesday’s group.
The Sands Procurement Academy is a component of Sands China’s Local Small, Medium and Micro Suppliers Support Programme – part of the company’s longstanding support of Macao’s SMEs.
With Sands China holding the academy’s graduation ceremony together at one event with the Sands Supplier Excellence Awards, the graduating SMEs are able to gain encouragement and inspiration by seeing local SMEs among those getting awarded by Sands China as outstanding suppliers.
Co-organised with the Macao Chamber of Commerce and the Macau Productivity and Technology Centre (CPTTM), the Sands Procurement Academy helps local SME suppliers gain experience and capacity for working with large-scale international corporations by sharing practical business knowledge and skills to promote the development of their businesses.
The academy has been open to all local SMEs in Macao since 2019, after initially targeting a few key categories of local suppliers. This has allowed a broader range of SMEs to benefit from the skills and knowledge offered by the academy’s professionals.
Graduates of the Sands Procurement Academy attend a cocktail and business networking session Tuesday, where they met representatives from various Sands China departments, including procurement and supply chain.
Local SME Success Stories
Sands China also used the opportunity presented by Tuesday’s event to highlight the success stories of some of its local SME suppliers. Since 2016, Sands China has collaborated with local newspapers to publish a series of inspiring stories about SMEs who have forged partnerships and grown together with Sands China.
The 138 stories that have been published reveal how, in the quest for success and self-improvement, local SMEs have elevated their capabilities by working with a large international corporation like Sands China. Dr. Wilfred Wong, Executive Vice Chairman of Sands China Ltd. and Wong Cho Wai, Assistant Chief Editor of Macao Daily News, presented framed copies of the stories that were published in 2024 to the SMEs as souvenirs, congratulating them on their successes.
Dr. Wong said: “On behalf of Sands China, we would like to congratulate all award winners and graduates of the Sands Procurement Academy. For more than two decades, Sands China, as a pillar of Macao’s economy, has been growing together with the community. The Sands Supplier Excellence Awards is not only a recognition of Macao’s suppliers, but also a testimony of our joint efforts and growth. SMEs account for more than 90 percent of Macao’s registered enterprises and occupy a pivotal position in Macao’s economy. Therefore, our company has always remained unwavering in our commitment to support the growth of SMEs, and adhered to purchasing products and services from them. In addition, through the Sands Procurement Academy training programme, we comprehensively assist SMEs to continuously equip themselves and enhance their competitiveness in the ever-changing business environment. We are pleased to see the enthusiastic response to the programme over the past eight years. Many graduates have expressed how they have benefited a lot and the results are encouraging.”
As part of its corporate social responsibility efforts, Sands China has remained committed to procuring locally and helping Macao’s SMEs grow. Sands China has had a total procurement spend of MOP 10.3 billion in 2024 to date, with 29 percent going to local SMEs.
