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| Global Spotlight focuses on employees
from the Mitsubishi Group, who are excelling in their respective fields around
the world. In each issue we will get to know different employees, who will tell
us about their hometowns, businesses, culture, and past-times. |
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| Toronto, located on the north shore
of Lake Ontario, is the largest city in Canada and home to a diverse population
of more than 2.6 million people. It is the economic engine of Canada and one
of the greenest and most creative cities in North America. It is the capital
of the Province of Ontario and home to the world's tallest structure at one time
(CN Tower at 553.33 m) and the world's longest street (Yonge Street at 1,896
km). People have lived here since shortly after the last ice age, although the
urban community only dates to 1793 when British colonial officials founded the
'Town of York'. That village grew to become the 'City of Toronto' in 1834, and
has emerged as one of the most livable and multicultural urban places in the
world today. Toronto celebrated its 175th anniversary on March 6, 2009. |
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| There are a number of attractions
in and around Toronto. Toronto's Waterfront, one of North America's largest recreational
waterfronts, provides a scenic backdrop for many popular and entertaining attractions
such as Rogers Centre famous for its retractable roof and venue for sports and
entertainment events. CN Tower recently nominated one of the Seven Wonders of
the Modern World promises to be a fascinating experience. |
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| Eaton Centre is the
number one tourist attraction in Toronto. Modelled after the Galleria in Milan,
Italy, the Eaton Centre was among the first major downtown shopping centres constructed
in North America. PATH, downtown Toronto’s underground walkway, is the
largest shopping complex with 27 km of shopping arcades and provides pedestrians
with a safe haven from the winter cold and snow and summer heat. The world famous
Niagara Falls is only a short drive from Toronto and is a must for every visitor
to Toronto. |
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| Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ (Canada)
(hereafter BTMUC) is the oldest Japanese bank in Canada and traces its roots
back to 1954 when the Bank of Tokyo opened a representative office. Since then
the present bank has evolved as a significant presence in the Canadian banking
industry. With offices in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, BTMUC offers a broad
range of commercial banking services to major corporations in Canada. BTMUC has
been quite active in the Canadian syndication market and bilateral relationship
providing financing to the Canadian and Japanese customers. I have been with
BTMUC for two decades and 2009 has been a milestone for me as I will be celebrating
20 years with the bank. In my role as a Corporate Secretary and supporting the
Senior Management on operation and administrative matters, I am involved in a
number of areas which makes my job challenging and interesting. BTMUC has multicultural
staff from various cultures working together as a family. |
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Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd.( hereafter “MRC”)
completed the acquisition of Lucite International Group Limited (hereafter “Lucite”)
in May this year. One of the assets that it acquired was Lucite’s first
Alpha plant, located on Jurong Island in Singapore. Alpha is the first completely
new route to methyl methacrylate (MMA), the building block of the acrylic industry,
since MRC developed the C4 technology over 30 years ago. The new process has
the potential to realise cost savings of more than 40% compared to traditional
processes, and is set to revolutionise the acrylic sector.
Construction began in 2006 (although the technology has been in development
since the 1990s) and the 120,000 tonnes/year plant was successfully commissioned
on schedule in November 2008. I have been the General Manager of Lucite’s
operation in Singapore since 2005 and have worked for Lucite for more than 20 |
| years, having joined them from university where I studied electronic engineering.
I have held a number of different commercial and manufacturing roles for Lucite
in the UK and Holland, but working with a multi-functional, culturally diverse
team from Lucite and Foster Wheeler* on the construction of Alpha in Singapore
has definitely been the highlight so far. (*Foster Wheeler was the engineering
contractor on the project) |
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| The cluster of small islands at
the Southern tip of the Malay Peninsular has been known as Singapore since the
end of the fourteenth century. The name is derived from Singapura which means “lion
city” in Malay. Legend has it that the ruler of a neighbouring city, while
sheltering from a storm, saw an animal that appeared to be a lion and declared
that the island’s new name should be Singapura. Singapore has taken full
advantage of its location on key trading routes to establish itself as one of
the world’s busiest ports and attract a high level of foreign investment
to develop world-scale industry clusters in electronics, pharmaceuticals, and
petrochemicals. |
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| Despite its small size, there are
many things to see, do and experience in Singapore. Even Singaporeans who have
lived most of their lives in their home country constantly discover new activities
and places to visit. The islands have also become a major tourist destination,
attracting many visitors who come to enjoy shopping in Orchard Road, eating out
in an ever-increasing number of fine restaurants, enjoying the beach hotels and
attractions at Sentosa Island, visiting the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari or
playing golf on |
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one of the many excellent courses. The Formula 1 Grand Prix circus
will be back again in September for the only night race on the F1 calendar, held
under floodlights around the city centre.
However if you are looking for something a little quieter, then you may want
to visit the Singapore River Festival which takes place for 10 days each June
as it comes alive with its exciting line-up of performances that include a dazzling
bumboat parade, a romantic dance musical and magnificent aerial performances.
It is an extravagant celebration of water, heritage and entertainment. |
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