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SCMP Reporter

AT THE age of 35 Siegfried Lee Siu-fung is probably Hong Kong's youngest self-made billionaire.

  Yet Mr Lee, who has accumulated a $2 billion fortune, believes he is a late-starter.

  He refuses to accept the description ''young'' and said: ''I think I have been late [in starting] compared with other successful entrepreneurs.''   At the end of this month Mr Lee is to list his company, Siu Fung Ceramics, on the Hong Kong stock exchange.

  Born in Thailand Mr Lee and his family moved to China when he was four.

  With a masters degree in ceramics engineering, Mr Lee established Siu Fung Ceramics in 1983. He is the company's chairman.

  Mr Lee's talent has enabled him to mould his fortune out of a traditional Chinese art form.

  Siu Fung Ceramics has its production and business base on the mainland.

  With 10 years' specialisation in the ceramics industry, including the design and setting up of ceramic product lines and the development of ceramics machinery and equipment, Mr Lee has honed his specialist skills into a fine art.

  The company sells production lines for the manufacture of ceramics on a turnkey basis in China.

  Siu Fung's listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange is seen as a further way of expanding the company.

  After the flotation, Mr Lee will own 57.6 per cent of the company.

  Mr Lee described himself as a ceramics factory ''doctor''. His job is to cure the production problems of ceramics factories and turn them into profitable concerns.

  With a history in China dating back more than 4,000 years, ceramics was part of Chinese culture and this was recognised throughout the world, Mr Lee said.

  Because of its rich traditions, sourcing raw materials for manufacture was not a problem, according to Mr Lee.

  However, he said mainland ceramics manufacturers lag behind their Western counterparts in efficiency, manufacturing facilities, technical know-how, and quality.

  Mr Lee said that providing technical support services to clients was crucial to his company's success and this was what set it apart from competitors.

  ''We will provide our customers with the know-how, rather than just selling them machinery,'' said Mr Lee.

  Siu Fung recorded $134 million profit in fiscal year 1992-93, a huge increase from the $6.79 million the previous year. Siu Fung has completed 16 turnkey projects in China.

  Despite being so profitable, Mr Lee believes the listing of Siu Fung is the right move.

   ''Our share of profit will grow as the company expands,'' he said.

  The company recently acquired the handling equipment section of Dubois of Germany for about eight million deutschemarks (about HK$38 million) and formed a joint-venture company, Dubois (HK), to trade in ceramic and related products.

  Dubois was formerly one of Siu Fung's suppliers and it said it would enlarge its sales network through the acquisition.

  Sales of Dubois (HK) ceramic products lines accounted for about 50 per cent of the company's turnover.

  There is a wide range of uses for ceramic products, including household goods, and in construction and industry.

     Mr Lee said that the present demand for ceramics was still big in China, but the company would consider exporting its expertise in the future.

  He said that with the flotation, he hoped that Siu Fung would become one of the most prominent companies in the international ceramics industry.



HK's youngest billionaire