Global reach, local feel: SATS' new sustainability developments
This is a special feature from PAX International’s June 2023 WTCE issue on page 34.
An emphasis on authentic Asian cuisine and strengthening its network products to create sustainable solutions are at the forefront of SATS’ business model
Looking back on his entry into the inflight services industry, Siang Han Goh believes it was the excitement of the sector and the personal and professional possibilities available that first drew him in. “What attracted me was how dynamic and essential the aviation industry is,” he recalls. “I kickstarted my aviation career journey in the Gateway Services team of SATS. At that time, I thought that I would be in the company for just a few years before moving on to other opportunities. Before I knew it, I was finding deep job fulfilment while moving from one department to the next and building on my experience.”
Siang Han Goh, Chief Operating Officer of
SATS’ Food Solutions division in Singapore
Thirty-two years later, Goh finds himself at the C-level of the company as Chief Operating Officer of SATS’ Food Solutions division in Singapore. During those three decades, the airport services company, which has operated out of Changi Airport since 1981, has changed dramatically. But no matter how the airline industry changes, especially in the wake of COVID-19, SATS has stuck to its roots, ensuring high-quality products and personalized service that meet the needs of its airline customers.
“Operating for over 50 years, SATS has evolved to become an increasingly global company while retaining a local sensibility,” says Goh. “Our network presence, history, leadership and agile workforce have allowed us to stay relevant while remaining true to our heritage by offering authentic cuisines, Asian hospitality and gotong royong — a Malay expression for the spirit of coming together to make things work for our community and stakeholders.”
Leveraging its strong global network, spanning from supply chain logistics supporters to kitchen and production facilities, SATS is able to keep up with demand and deliver food solutions to its clients quickly and safely.
SATS Global Innovation Hub’s headquarters in Singapore
The organization’s Global Innovation Hub (GIH) is another exciting endeavour through which SATS takes a designthinking, insights-driven and sustainability-focused approach to helping its divisions, and by extension its airline customers, deliver innovation and sustainable food and gateway solutions.
At the World Travel Catering and Onboard Services Expo (WTCE) this June, the company is hinting at a big release in the snacking and fast meal categories. “Together with our network partners, we will be showcasing a diverse range of hand-held options and long shelf-life products for airlines to use onboard,” shares Goh.
But that’s not all. Recognizing the focus of its customers on safety and efficiency, SATS has plans underway that will help ensure a safer, healthier food service experience. In turn, these efforts will result in a more sustainable alternative to the food systems that the inflight industry has traditionally relied upon.
“SATS has been investing in technologies to extend the shelf life of inflight meals, while ensuring food safety and maintaining appearance, nutrition and taste, to help the ecosystem better manage food waste,” explains Goh.
“In particular, SATS Food Solutions operates a frozen food production facility in Pathum Thani, Thailand, which allows us to offer an additional product format in our solution suite. We are also actively reviewing our ambient product line-up to allow customers more flexibility and variety in their inflight meal programs.”
Pointing to the protein-processing capabilities of SATS distribution company, Country Foods — Singapore’s biggest meat importer, distributor and processor — Goh says that through this partnership SATS can go above and beyond when it comes to airlines’ meat-based menu needs. Country Foods services more than 1,000 clients and offers 800 white-label and branded products, including recognized brands Farm Pride and Tyson.
But the benefits don’t stop there, as Country Foods’ varied brands speak to a wide scope of nutrition concerns.
“Country Foods not only provides an extensive range of quality meat, including halal-certified frozen poultry, seafood and delicatessen offerings, but also a wide selection of alternative plant-based proteins through brands such as Impossible Foods and Fable,” explains Goh. “Working together with Country Foods, SATS is able to develop new culinary concepts and grow our range of sustainable, premium food products while catering for various consumer groups, as seen with our new brands such as Butcher’s Ridge and Kuro.”
SATS has been listening closely to the rising trends in the food service industry, especially for global travellers who are looking for onboard menus that satisfy their tastes and are designed to improve their wellbeing, and the wellbeing of the planet at large.
“Consumers, for instance, are now more aware and conscious about the impact of their actions on the planet, which in turn motivates them to seek out more sustainable food and packaging options,” says Goh. “For SATS, we are in a unique position because we are able to address sustainability in an integrated manner, from a food and aviation perspective across various geographies. Importantly, as a service provider, our hope is to help our entire value chain, from our suppliers to our customers, achieve their sustainability goals.”
To respond to this demand, SATS has hired Agnes Lim as Head of Sustainable Packaging Transformation to improve its capabilities and operations. The organization has also been conducting internal sessions with its leadership in conjunction with the GIH to further drive sustainable thought leadership amongst its ranks.
To deliver on its sustainability promises, most notably in the areas of packaging and circular waste management, the company has also entered into new agreements with firms that specialize in waste reduction. SATS and Singapore-based TRIA Solutions have plans to pilot a new solution that will enable food and packaging waste to be transformed into other products, such as nutrient-rich compost and farm-ready fertilizer, without the need for waste segregation. And through a partnership with Hilton Foods, SATS will increase operational efficiency and improve its sustainable packaging options.
“Collaborations such as these take SATS closer to its goal of introducing 100-percent sustainable food packaging by 2030,” notes Goh. “This is one of the 2030 goals we are pursuing within our overarching sustainability framework comprising three core themes: develop smart infrastructure; reduce food and packaging waste, and nurture skills for the future.”
Being able to anticipate the needs of its airline customers is clutch for SATS’ future growth plans. It can be a difficult task — the tastes of travellers evolve at a breakneck pace — but Goh says that SATS is well-positioned to meet and surpass the expectations of a fickle global audience.
“One of the key challenges in the airline catering market is the need to constantly come up with new concepts to enhance and elevate the inflight experience for consumers,” says Goh. “It is important for us to leverage trends, insights and data to come up with new innovative solutions to maintain our competitive advantage and constantly provide value to our customers and their customers.”
Many of SATS’ customers are turning their attention to a trend that the company is prepared to deliver on: sustainably sourced ingredients and menu items.
“We also continue to seize growth opportunities overseas and in our network by enhancing our capabilities in key markets such as India and China to better serve their local markets, creating synergies to allow the division to offer stronger, more integrated network solutions,” notes Goh. “Finally, we are staying on top of technological advances and other developments in the food industry to offer solutions to industry concerns with food waste, productivity, efficiency and sustainability.”
With a business model that is leading the way in sustainable inflight menus, Goh says the SATS team will continue to put the environmental concerns of airlines and their passengers at the forefront of its goals — one onboard meal at a time.
