Stakeholder engagement is the cornerstone of our communication policy. We advocate constructive and transparent communication with our stakeholders. Stakeholder interests were met through solid corporate governance policies with timely dissemination of accurate information and with accountability.

We play a prominent role in shaping industry opinion and action, and spare no effort in cultivating goodwill among forest communities, not only for business sustainability but also to assist them to break free from the cycle of poverty and in the interest of sustainable development.

Investor Relations

We engage our investors through regular two-way discussions with analysts and institutional investors, annual general meetings and investor conferences. We host site visits for institutional investors and analysts to learn more about the company and industry. The Group’s website allows users to access the latest announcements, corporate news and in-depth information about the company and industry.

Community

In addition to the formal framework of community assistance and community development, we invest considerable time and resources on building open, honest and mutually beneficial relationships with the indigenous communities living within our concession areas. We have in place a formal and systematic process of continuous engagement to achieve community consensus and acceptance.  We have always engaged the communities prior to commencing operations, so as to understand their concerns, needs and better cope with inevitable issues that may arise from time to time.

Customers

Our customers rely on us for quality and the assurance that the timber we supply is responsibly managed and harvested. In addition to day-to-day contact through our sales and marketing personnel, we regularly host customer field visits to our operations and conduct annual customer surveys.

The Group also undertakes regular and ongoing stakeholder engagement with the Government, regulatory bodies, industry peak bodies, non-governmental organizations, suppliers and the media through regular site visits, dialogues, forums and correspondence.

Samling has proven itself as a long-term player, having been in the business for almost 50 years. We have also evolved from a logging operator to a public-listed entity delivering healthy performances year after year.

We acknowledge that long-term success depends on our capacity to generate returns while nurturing our forests, supporting our communities, delivering shareholder value and empowering our employees to bring useful, innovative wood products to market.

Therefore, above all, we aim to adapt quickly to changes in markets and the operating environment and take proactive initiatives in our quest for significant growth and delivering value beyond financials or material to our stakeholders.

25 February 2014

Hosting Guyana delegation to foster closer collaboration on value added timber production

Together with Malaysia and Sarawak forest authorities, Samling hosted a delegation from Guyana for a bilateral meeting led by Robert M. Persaud, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Gavin Agard, Forestry Specialist from the Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment and Tasreef Khan, Deputy Commissioner of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC).

Bilateral discussions were centered on cooperation between the Governments of Malaysia and Guyana on several broad thematic areas related to Sustainable Forest Management, and avenues for collaboration and capacity building such as monitoring deforestation particularly, within the mining sector. 

Extensive discussions with the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) and the Malaysian Timber Council (MTC) related to the implementation of the European Union Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (EUFLEGT) have proven fruitful since Malaysian counterparts have gained extensive experience over the past decade since commencing formal negotiation.

The Guyana delegation also witnessed several commercial forest activities such as a large scale oil palm plantation and a state-of-the-art plywood factory, which will be further examined for technology and knowledge transfer for improved value added processing within Guyana’s forestry sector.

Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud inspecting forest products being manufactured in Malaysia

Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Persaud  in discussion with officials of the  Government of Malaysia and Samling’s Senior Executives

Source: Guyana Government Information Agency http://gina.gov.gy/wp/?p=19666

19 September 2014

Barama Company Limited celebrates Malaysia Day

Barama Company Limited (BCL) hosted a reception in Georgetown, Guyana in conjunction with the 51st Malaysia Day celebration which saw guests treated to sumptuous Malaysian delicacies and cultural performances, giving them a glimpse of the country's heritage.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Barama Company Limited Thomas Apun said Guyana and Malaysia, though thousands of miles apart, both gained independence from Britain, adding that the two countries also share diversity in its people, religions and languages.

Apun pointed out that BCL has always supported the development of local skills and contributed to economic development of Guyana as a whole. "This is why we thought it necessary, as with any family, to share in our celebrations and merriment. To share our culture, our cuisine, our arts, our heritage, our similarities, our differences, our diversity and our desire to grow," he said.

He also noted that BCL as one of the Malaysian companies that have made a positive impact on the development of the country and the lives of the people in Guyana.

VIP guests and BCL senior management in Malaysian traditional batik shirts together with the performers of the Iban warrior dance

"To date we are the largest contributor to FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) in the forestry sector, with an investment of approximately US$160 million in fully integrated forest and manufacturing operations," Apun said. He noted that some 85 per cent of the company's 1,000 plus workers are Guyanese, who also hold senior positions in the company.

Additionally, the Apun said BCL has installed more than 3,800 kilometres of roads in various interior regions, which are being used by persons in the mining, forestry and other sectors.

Song and dance performances by Barama staff and National School of Dance Performance.

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds in addressing the audience said Malaysia and Guyana have shared interests in economic trade and cultural cooperation. He said while the country encourages investments in certain key sectors in the economy, Government has acknowledged the contributions made by BCL in the sustainable development in the forestry sector, along with the creation of job opportunities for Guyanese.

Guests were treated to popular Malaysian cuisine such as nasi lemak, satay, curry puffs and coconut milk desserts.

Adapted from Guyana Times
Photos: Barama Company Limited