Succession planning has certainly become a hot topic these past few years. In just about every field, from banking to business and even politics, a cohort of veterans is eagerly seeking fresh talent to carry on their legacies. For family businesses, however, succession planning is less a question of “who” and more an issue of “how”; specifically, how does one equip the next generation with the necessary skills to continue growing the business?

Richard Lim, founder and group CEO of EDL, believes preparing for tomorrow’s leaders to take over is all about starting early and with intentionality. He named his company after the initials of his daughters — Daphne, Eleanor and Desiree — with the idea of passing it on to them when the time is right. “I hoped they would … join me in the business, and I’m blessed that they did,” he tells Options.

Richard’s eldest daughter, Daphne, was the first to take on a role at EDL. She had originally planned on pursuing further studies after completing her diploma, but instead opted to join Richard upon his request; this came just a few years after the company had been established. “At that point in time, it was a very small team, and they really needed help,” she says. “It was either I go to university or help my dad out.”

In those first few years, EDL dealt mainly with high-pressure laminates (HPLs). Richard had decided to venture out on his own after 18 years in a family-run business, founding EDL in 2002 to cater to a growing market for high-quality HPLs from regions such as Europe, Japan and South Korea. “There were superior products from these places … and I felt it would have been a waste if I didn’t bring them in,” he says. 

Having learnt the ropes from Richard and his fledgling team, Daphne, now 37, is a director at EDL. In the 16 years she has been with the company, its offerings have grown to also include wall claddings, countertop materials and even accessories. She has also helped to bring the EDL brand across the region; it now has a presence in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

A new home

Also among the projects Daphne has taken on is the conceptualisation of a new regional headquarters, which the company launched this year. 

Located along Woodlands Terrace, the building stands apart from the surrounding industrial estate for its sleek, modern facade. Moving here from their previous office and showroom in Sungei Kadut was a natural progression, says Richard, explaining that there was a need to include EDL’s other offerings, house EDL’s growing team of 90 in Singapore, and have a “more inspirational” space for clients to look at everything in.

On the third level of the 60,000 sq ft building — which Daphne tells us took four years of planning — is a gallery with EDL’s full catalogue on display. Here, full-length displays allow clients to pull out entire sheets of laminate for a clearer view, while swatches can be viewed under different lighting temperatures and intensities. The other end of the level showcases EDL’s wall cladding, countertop and accessory lines.

Speaking on the idea behind the gallery, Richard’s second daughter, Eleanor, explains: “We had people coming into our previous office, asking ‘can I see pieces of laminates’ and ‘can I see samples’ … so we thought of creating a conducive space for them to experience our products.”

Doing so was not simply a matter of slapping swatches and samples together, though. EDL instead chose a more experiential approach; for instance, some of the carpentry near the gallery’s entrance was made with Aptico, a satin-finish, anti-fingerprint material; using it in items throughout the space gives clients a chance to see it in action for themselves. 

In another spot, known as the “treehouses”, some of the company’s best-selling laminates are put on display; these spaces are constantly updated to reflect current trends, so homeowners have quick access to what’s popular at the moment. And to showcase their versatility and range, wall claddings were cut and pieced together in another area, creating a decorative wall display.

Eleanor, who joined EDL in 2013, is now the company’s marketing director. She shares that Richard was happy to go ahead with setting up the gallery, though the idea had not been seen for laminates in Singapore before, and though it also took a substantial investment to do so. “It really speaks a lot about his open-mindedness, which I don’t think is very common in a lot of family businesses,” she adds. “I think we’re lucky.”

The risk sure has paid off, with the gallery proving popular among clients. As we explore the space on a rainy Monday afternoon, we see young couples flipping through swatch books in the “library” area, and big families checking out the “treehouses”.

EDL is now looking to bring the concept overseas. The company has acquired a four-storey building in Thailand, with plans to have a similar gallery within. While things are still in the early stages of planning and design, Daphne estimates that the new space could be launched sometime around the middle of next year.

Trying new things

Desiree, Richard’s youngest daughter, joined the company in 2018 after graduating from the Nanyang Technological University. “Growing up, EDL has always been part of our family life,” says the 30-year-old, adding that she’d started attending trips with her father while still in primary school. “So it felt natural to join.” 

Around that time, she recounts, EDL had just launched its Compact line of worktops. Though Desiree’s background was in marketing, she expanded her scope to also look at Compact’s operations, even attending machining workshops to better understand how worktops are made.

Compact is one of the newer lines that EDL has introduced over the years; others include Aptico and the accessory line, the result of a collaboration with Spanish brand Viefe. Besides expanding its product offerings, though, the company has also looked at growing its client base.

Eleanor notes that, in the early years, EDL operated largely on a business-to-business model. “But we felt that there was this market of homeowners we could tap into,” she says. “Homeowners are becoming more involved in the decision-making process, and rightfully so, because they’re putting a very big investment into their houses.”

Among the efforts to pivot EDL towards a more business-to-consumer approach is the gallery. Richard points out that a majority of visitors are homeowners; Eleanor adds that the space provides for those who may be lost or unsure a place “to get expert opinions”.

Even as EDL explores new opportunities, the company is keeping an eye on how it can include its past in its future. The family’s favourite part of the gallery, for instance, is the range of upcycled features seen throughout the space: laminate offcuts repurposed into ceiling decorations, and even a QR code leading to EDL’s website made of discontinued edge bands. 

“When laminates go out of fashion, they’re left in our warehouse and we can’t use them,” Eleanor explains, noting that consumer preferences tend to vary over time. “We wanted to give new life to these materials, so we asked our architect if they could incorporate them somehow.” The result, she adds, also provides additional inspiration for clients to use in their own homes.

All together

Though he started his entrepreneurial journey relatively late, when he was 53, Richard says he’s “never thought” about his age. Asked about what has kept him going, even as he enters his mid-70s, he says it’s all about keeping one’s body in tip-top condition. “You must have a healthy lifestyle; otherwise, poor health seeps in, and that can disrupt your vision [for the business].”

Now, with his daughters all carving out their niches in EDL, it seems the runway is all clear for the company’s next chapter. Richard isn’t passing the torch just yet, though. For now, he’s exploring other opportunities overseas, seeking out gaps in the regional market where EDL can expand and continue to cement its foothold. Of course, he now has three eager helpers ready to take on the challenge by his side.

Asked if the overlap between home and work has ever placed a strain on their relationships, the sisters unanimously agree it hasn’t. “This is how we’ve grown up,” says Daphne. “These two things are intertwined in our lives.” For the Lims, she adds, being part of a family business gives them a common language, one that has only strengthened their ties.  

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