It is past midnight in Pasir Ris. With sections of the road closed to traffic, massive precast girders are lifted, manoeuvred into position and lowered onto their supports for a new flyover.
Beam-launching work like this is usually done overnight, when there is enough space to move heavy equipment safely with minimal disruption to other road users.
Behind the operation is Tiong Woon Corporation, whose role in projects like this reflects how far the business has moved beyond its beginnings in crane rental and transport.
In recent years, the 48-year-old family business has expanded into engineering and marine services, allowing it to take on bigger and more complex projects. Its fleet has grown with that ambition: The company now operates several hundred cranes, with the single largest rated at 2,200 tonnes.
“A lot of people still perceive Tiong Woon as purely a crane rental company,” says chief executive officer Michael Ang. “Crane rental is still our core business, but we also offer marine, transport and engineering services. We want to show our clients and stakeholders that we can provide a more integrated solution.”
For Ang, who joined the company 23 years ago, the transformation is also part of his role as the third-generation leader of his family business.
Tiong Woon’s first 300-tonne crane, acquired from Soon Douglas in 1987.
PHOTO: TIONG WOON CORPORATION
His grandfather, the late Ang Choo Kim, founded Tiong Woon in 1978 with a single 20-tonne crane. Two years later, the business was incorporated as Tiong Woon Crane & Transport by the next generation of the family. Today, Ang represents the third generation of leadership, while his father, Ang Kah Hong, serves as executive chairman and his uncle, Ang Kha King, remains on the board as an executive director.
His family’s involvement across several generations has deepened his understanding of how far the company has evolved from its beginnings as a crane and transport operator.
Taking on more of the job
Over the past five years, Tiong Woon has worked towards an integrated model that combines its heavy lift equipment with its haulage and marine fleet and engineering expertise. Instead of supplying a crane or vehicle, it aims to take on more parts of a project and provide customers with a more complete heavy lift solution. For contractors and project owners, that can mean dealing with one company rather than coordinating several across different stages of a job.
The Tiong Woon team dismantling a 200-tonne gantry crane at PSA Singapore, an example of the more integrated heavy-lift work the company now undertakes.
PHOTO: TIONG WOON CORPORATION
The company is also expanding into new sectors. Oil and gas, petrochemical and construction firms have traditionally made up the bulk of its customer base. Data centres, semiconductors and biopharmaceuticals are newer targets.
In February 2026, the company announced more than $40 million worth of projects across the semiconductor, public infrastructure and biopharmaceutical sectors, ranging from crane deployment to lifting engineering and project support.
But taking on more complex work requires more than a larger fleet and workforce.
More cranes than operators
Today, the company has about 1,300 employees across Singapore and markets including Malaysia, Thailand, India and Saudi Arabia, and is looking to hire more crane operators, engineers and technicians as the business expands.
As the company tries to move up the value chain, its next stage of growth will depend not only on adding physical assets, but on building the human expertise needed to take on bigger projects and new revenue streams.
A 4,500-tonne module being loaded out at Laem Chabang, Thailand, where Tiong Woon is expanding its heavy-lift capabilities.
PHOTO: TIONG WOON CORPORATION
In the last financial year ended June 2026 (FY2026), the wage bill reached $65 million, about a third of revenue.
“Our single largest investment is actually our human capital,” says group chief financial officer William Tan.
The challenge is particularly apparent in Singapore, where Tiong Woon has more cranes than operators, Tan says, reflecting the shortage of skilled trades workers in the built environment sector.
Knowing when to move, and when to wait
In December 2023, Tiong Woon formed a strategic alliance in Thailand with Netherlands-headquartered heavy lift specialist Mammoet and acquired heavy lift, haulage and transportation equipment to strengthen its capabilities and position in the market.
The move reflects the broader direction of the business: using the heavy lift expertise it has built in Singapore over decades as a base to take on a larger and more complex role in overseas projects.
As the company considers new investments and acquisitions, disciplined decision-making will become even more important in guiding where it grows – and when it holds back. “It is not just about having policies. It is about applying sound judgement, proper oversight and clear accountability when we make decisions,” says Ang.
The Tiong Woon team at the Singapore Corporate Awards 2026, where the company was recognised for its corporate governance and leadership.
PHOTO: TIONG WOON CORPORATION
The company was recognised at this year’s Singapore Corporate Awards. Organised by the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants, the Singapore Institute of Directors and The Business Times, and supported by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority and Singapore Exchange, the awards recognise excellence in corporate governance, leadership and transparency among companies listed in Singapore.
In its second year participating in the awards, Tiong Woon won Gold for Best Managed Board and Tan was named Best CFO, while the group received Bronze for Best Annual Report, all in the category for companies with a market capitalisation below $300 million. At its debut in 2025, the company won Silver awards for Best Managed Board and Best Risk Management.
Over the past three years, the company has increased its public engagement through analyst briefings, media meetings and roadshows, where management provides updates on its performance and regional expansion. Feedback from these engagements is brought back for consideration at board level.
“Reporting the numbers is only the start. We need to understand the story behind them, and tell it clearly,” says Tan.
Those efforts come as Tiong Woon prepares for its next stage of expansion. Revenue rose 15 per cent to $187.7 million in FY2026, while net profit attributable to equity holders was $23.9 million. Tiong Woon is also considering mergers and acquisitions as it looks to expand beyond Singapore.
To support that push, Tiong Woon was selected for Run 11 of Enterprise Singapore’s Scale-Up programme, the agency’s flagship initiative for high-growth local companies. The programme is helping the company sharpen its growth plans and strengthen its leadership team as it expands overseas.
Ang says the next phase is about building on the foundation laid over the past few decades while preparing the company to take on a bigger role.
“We are heading in the right direction, but we still want to challenge ourselves to do better,” he says.
