Pacific International Lines By Wee Beng Geok, Yang Lishan & Ivy Buche

Abstract

Pacific International Lines (Private) Limited (PIL) was ranked the 20th leading container shipping company in the world in 2005. The growth of this privately-held, family-owned shipping firm was achieved against several odds in the political and economic environment faced by many Singapore-based shipping firms that emerged in the 1960s. Chang Yun Chung (YC Chang) had started PIL as a small regional shipping company based in Singapore in 1967 which had since grown into an international shipping company, operating over 90 vessels with an annual turnover of US$1.7 billion in 2004.

In March 2005, at 86 years of age, YC Chang could look back at his company's nearly four decades of history with some satisfaction. The first generation entrepreneur had been able to carve out niche strategies by identifying market segments where competition was unlikely to be very strong. In the 21st century, the baton had been passed on to the second generation and the key challenge was to achieve sustainable growth so as to maintain the company's position among the top twenty container shipping lines in the world.

This case was commissioned by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
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Issues: The growth and management of a family-owned business, and nature of ship ownership in Singapore from the 1970s to present.

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