IN 1999, Mr Rajoo Amurdalingam made the biggest gamble of his career.

He quit a well-paying job amid the gloom and doom of the Asian financial crisis, sold his terrace house and luxury car to pay off his debts, and started an air freight forwarding firm.

The gamble paid off.

Eight years down the road, the managing director of The National Forwarder (Singapore) has built a thriving business with an annual revenue set to exceed $15 million this year.

Recalled Mr Rajoo, 46, who has been in the industry since 1983: 'Those were very tough times. I was starting all over again, and had a wife and four young kids to support.

'But the thought of failure never crossed my mind.'

The early days were rough. He did not draw a salary for the first six months, and had to borrow money from close friends and family members to make ends meet.

He also had problems getting bank loans for the capital-intensive business, which required a start-up cost of $100,000.

Said Mr Rajoo, whose father was a labourer: 'Approaching the banks was pretty tough. We couldn't even get a loan for $50,000.

'Now, it's different. Banks are more aggressive in their marketing. Sometimes, they don't even ask for an audited statement.'

The early days meant clocking 12 hours a day, six days a week.

But taking hard knocks and overcoming adversity were situations the former Raffles Institution rugby player was used to.

He said: 'My character was moulded because of the game I played. When you take a knock and go into the rucks, you still get up and go.'

A combination of hard work and his experience in the industry paid off.

He said: 'I had a lot of pulling power over my customers...they were the ones who supported me all the way. I also had a lot of belief in my staff - the people who followed me. We marketed aggressively and dedicated a lot of time to our customers.'

The business that began with five workers and two trucks is now a 40-employee operation boasting a fleet of 15 trucks and seven warehouses - five in Changi and two in Pasir Panjang.

He added: 'By the third year, we broke even. The business was up and running and already in gear.

'Now, we're cruising.'

Last year, revenue hit $8 million, with profits reaching seven figures.

That same year also saw Mr Rajoo's firm achieving the feat of air freighting possibly the world's largest item of cargo on a commercial aircraft - a cylinder assembly used for deep sea drilling which occupied nearly the entire plane.

The feat involved moving an object that was 19.8m and weighing 32,000kg from Singapore to Frankfurt, Germany.

Said Mr Rajoo: 'They were going to charter a whole plane for about $1 million. We did it for less than half that price.'

It was an arduous process which required three weeks of planning.

First, The National Forwarder had to pack the item into a customised crate, which was sized to fit neatly into the Boeing 747-400.

Moving the item from the shipyard to the airport was done late at night, under police escort.

A 150-tonne crane and three 20-foot high loaders were used to load the item into the aircraft.

A total of 120 pieces of wooden blocks were used as weight spreaders and 250 aircraft pallet straps were needed to secure the item.

The item occupied 12 main deck pallets covering 200 cubic m on board.

Mr Rajoo added: 'As far as we know, a single piece of this length and weight has never been air freighted on a commercial aircraft before.

'Speed was of utmost importance, as every additional day without the spare part was costing the company hundreds of thousands of dollars.

'We took on the challenge, pulled out all the stops and showed the world that Singapore is the location of choice for global logistics.'

Now, his firm specialises in the marine industry, shipping vessel spare parts with tight deadlines.

He also deals with other consumer goods from time to time, such as computers, flowers, phones and sports equipment.

Despite his busy schedule, Mr Rajoo still finds time for the occasional swim, rugby or badminton game, and likes watching documentaries on history and geography.

And his business philosophy is not just about dollars and cents.

He makes it a point to donate a part of his profits to charity.

Over the past year, his firm has given a total of $40,000 to charities such as the Down Syndrome Association and the Ramakrishna Mission, Singapore.

Said Mr Rajoo: 'What drives me now is generating more employment. If it's because of me that 50 or 60 people have a job...that 50 or 60 families are dependent on the way we run our business...that gives me a lot of satisfaction.'

Moving to bigger things

LAST year, The National Forwarder air freighted possibly the world's largest item of cargo on a commercial aircraft from Singapore to Frankfurt, Germany.

What it is: A cylinder assembly used for deep sea drilling which occupied nearly the entire plane. It was 19.8m long and weighed 32,000kg.

How it was done: It took three weeks of planning for a start.

The National Forwarder packed the item into a customised crate to fit into a Boeing 747-400. It was then moved from the shipyard to the airport at night, under police escort.

A 150-tonne crane and three 20-foot high loaders were used to load the item into the aircraft.

A total of 120 pieces of wooden blocks were used as weight spreaders and 250 aircraft pallet straps were used to secure the item.

The item was rested on 12 main deck pallets covering 200 cubic m.

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