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Challenges
Total Facility Engineering (TFE) is an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractor delivering integrated end-to-end engineering solutions spanning design, procurement, construction to commissioning. Founded in 2013 by a team with strong expertise in constructing high-specification and mission-critical environments, TFE specialises in providing cleanroom & facility solutions for the semiconductor, electronic and bio-pharmaceuticals industries.
After years of successful expansion into Malaysia, TFE’s leadership began tracking a new and compelling opportunity: India’s emerging semiconductor and advanced manufacturing boom.
“We started to notice the potential of the Indian market a few years ago. We wanted TFE to be there in the early stages of India’s semiconductor boom.”
– Chiang Siang Yong, Co-founder and Managing Director, TFE
However, TFE faced two significant challenges as it prepared for this leap:
- A regulatory and compliance challenge: India’s taxation system, GST framework, company incorporation procedures, and labour laws were entirely unfamiliar territory for TFE’s Singapore-based management team.
- A banking and financial operations challenge: Operating across borders required the ability to manage multicurrency accounts, maintain cash flow visibility from Singapore, and quickly establish local banking infrastructure in India – all within a tight market-entry timeline.
As Chiang Siang Yong explains: “We needed to understand its taxation system, incorporation procedures and how to hire people with the right expertise and skill sets.”
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Solutions
ALTIOS supported TFE:
Building a Three-Way Partnership for India Entry
To navigate these hurdles, a strategic three-way partnership was formed between TFE, ALTIOS, and Standard Chartered Bank. ALTIOS brought its global advisory expertise – encompassing market entry strategy, company incorporation, regulatory navigation, operational support, and on-the-ground execution – while Standard Chartered provided its deep international banking network and financial infrastructure.
Fast-Track Incorporation and Legal Entity Setup
With ALTIOS managing the India market-entry strategy and regulatory navigation, TFE was able to incorporate as a legal entity in India within just two months. This rapid incorporation was made possible through ALTIOS’ comprehensive understanding of Indian business laws, the Registrar of Companies process, and local compliance requirements.
In India, ALTIOS operates through its subsidiary Maier+Vidorno (M+V Altios) – recognised as India’s largest foreign business incubator – which provides specialised operational support in accounting, HR, factory setup, and regulatory compliance for international companies entering the Indian market.
Seamless Banking Infrastructure
Leveraging TFE’s existing relationship with Standard Chartered in Singapore, the Indian branch’s bank accounts were activated in just one month – an exceptionally fast turnaround that is critical for a company looking to begin operations immediately.
Operational Support and Ongoing Advisory
Beyond the initial setup, ALTIOS continued to provide TFE with hands-on operational guidance – to ongoing regulatory compliance – ensuring TFE could focus on delivering its core engineering expertise rather than getting bogged down in administrative and bureaucratic complexity.
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Results
A Confident Market Presence Established in Three Months
TFE went from market exploration to a fully operational local presence in India within just three months – an achievement that would have taken far longer without the combined expertise of ALTIOS and Standard Chartered.
Chiang says TFE is now exploring ways to enhance its partnership with ALTIOS and Standard Chartered, including in areas such as project financing – signalling a long-term, deepening relationship rather than a one-time engagement.
“In TFE’s case, Altios provided the strategy, operational support and regulatory navigation while Standard Chartered brought its extensive international network and deep financial expertise. Being able to support TFE in establishing a local presence and becoming operational in India within just three months was a real success.”
– Roxie Wang, International Business Advisor – Altios Southeast
Looking ahead, TFE’s leadership sees the India partnership model as one that can be replicated in future international expansions:
TFE’s India expansion is a compelling example of how Singapore-based SMEs can confidently enter one of the world’s most complex – yet most rewarding – markets, by combining the right advisory expertise, local regulatory knowledge, and international banking infrastructure.n saves enormous time, particularly by providing contacts and an external perspective that helps avoid costly mistakes,” notes Nicolas Jolivel.
