Built Strong

Armstrong industrial corporation addresses innovation through two special divisions, Axcel and Atomic, as group deputy CEO Phyllis Ong explains.
 

- Sharon Masige

Growing up, Armstrong Industrial Corporation Group Deputy CEO Phyllis Ong, always knew she would end up working in business. “I was interested in the dynamics of business,” she says, “and how people interact and make decisions.” However, she didn’t immediately gravitate toward her family’s business. Phyllis began her professional career as a consultant before working in brand management for personal care brand NIVEA and later, Johnson & Johnson. Afterwards, Phyllis decided to set up her own restaurant in Singapore, Whole Earth. “I ran it for three years,” she says. “I was lucky to find a good business partner.”

With a partner onboard, Phyllis had some extra time on her hands. “I was a bit curious about what my parents did for a living for the first 35 years of my life,” she continues. “Since I had the spare capacity, and my business partner was doing quite well with the restaurant, I thought I might take time to learn and experience a very different industry.”

That business was Armstrong Industrial Corporation, which Phyllis’ parents, Gilbert and Patricia Ong, founded in Singapore in the mid-1970s. The company provides technical solutions in noise, vibration and heat management for several industries, including automotive, industrial, consumer electronics and healthcare. The company was named after the first man to land on the moon, Neil Armstrong, because of Gilbert’s belief that like Neil, the company could achieve massive success and that anything is possible.

When Phyllis joined, she intended to stay only for two years. But 2018 marks eight years since she’s been with the company. “It’s getting more and more exciting,” she says. “Together with my brother Eugene, we are very keen to contribute more to our family business in the future.”