SINGAPOREAN firm Titan Pest Management foresees a bright business outlook for its pest control services, ready to first serve restaurants and hotels and help the public sector raise awareness for better hygiene.
“People [in Myanmar] do not really know much about it [pest control],” Nicole Zycinski-Singh, co-founder and director of Titan Pest, said at a press conference recently.
“However, we know the government is definitely moving in the right direction. US engineering codes are being implemented and building know-how has been brought in from Singapore. So we believe demand for pest control in engineering and construction sectors will rise in the near future.
“Equally in sanitation, health and safety is currently a very big issue in Myanmar. The government may also regulate F&B [food and beverage] outlets on pest control in the future,” she added.
Nicole and her sibling Krystian founded the new company. Both are from the family that owns Killem Pest, which offers a range of pest management solutions in Singapore. Starting off with six staff, Titan Pest has witnessed low competition in the Yangon market, which is dominated by fewer than 10 service providers.
Nicole said the number of staff would be doubled over the next three to four months. She expects huge demand as a result of rapid urbanisation, while the number of restaurants and hotels is also rising.
“Safe and effective pest management is vital to make this city truly liveable for the long term,” she said. “Pests are not just a nuisance. They carry diseases and they are economically destructive. Our solutions create preventative barriers so that pests do not multiply to a point where buildings are crumbling because of termite infestation or there is an outbreak of dengue.”
Managing director Krystian said the firm had focused on raising awareness about the different services and solutions that are available in the market, speaking to potential customers and conducting many surveys at different sites over the past three months.
To date, the firm has drawn interest from restaurants, hotels, residential and commercial buildings, construction sites, schools, factories, industrial warehouses, and parks.
Safe and eco-friendly solutions are on offer, to control pests in general, including mosquitos and termites. Nicole said that F&B outlets in Myanmar, a main customer target aside from office buildings and shopping centres, are not required to have regular pest controls, but the company plans to seek discussions with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation and the Yangon City Development Committee soon.
Aside from restaurant hygiene, she expects the discussions to lead to solutions for schools and government buildings.
“We will partner with government and other institutions to help raise public understanding of the importance of proper pest management. Prevention is as important as the cure,” Krystian said.
Source: Eleven Myanmar
