People: TruTag expands into China with new hire

Hawaii's TruTag Technologies has appointed Saih Bang Wong as managing director of Asia sales, with the task of overseeing the firm's expansion into greater China and overseeing the formation of business partnerships across the region.

Wong joins the company from semiconductor manufacturer STATS ChipPAC Ltd, where he was vice president, corporate sales for the Asia-Pacific region. He has more than two decades of experience in multinational companies, including AT&T Consumer Electronics, Hewlett-Packard and Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing.

TruTag has been trying to expand its operations into Asia, recently established partnerships with Carsurin in Indonesia, as well as IRIS in Malaysia, and is in the process of developing relationships in China.

The company specialises in edible, covert silicon tags that can be incorporated into products or packaging and – while they are invisible to the naked eye – can be detected using a proprietary optical detection device. The tags can be used to detect and prevent counterfeiting and diversion.

"It's of utmost importance that we have the right expertise and skills in place as we continue to expand our operations across Asia Pacific," said Michael Bartholomeusz, chief executive of TruTag.

"Saih Bang brings a wealth of experience and local knowledge and will be a valuable addition to our team as we expand our franchise to enhance the safety of food, medicine and other products in the region with our partners."