ELEVEN Singapore-listed companies have made it to the Forbes Asia's 2005 'Best Under a Billion' list, including Brilliant Manufacturing whose managing director Koh Soe Khon was earlier charged with insider trading.

The 200 companies highlighted are seen as the most successful smaller public companies in Asia and the Pacific.

To make it to this list, companies must first have 'revenue under US$1 billion a year and five-year returns on capital of at least 5 per cent'.

'The companies are then judged by sustained gains in sales, return on equity and earnings,' Forbes said.

Brilliant Manufacturing was shown as having a five-year average return on equity (ROE) of 10 per cent and an average earnings per share (EPS) growth of 15 per cent.

The local winners - a few are newcomers to this annual list - come from different industries, ranging from maritime (Chuan Hup Holdings and Jaya Holdings), home furnishing (HTL International), reinsurance (Singapore Reinsurance), plastics (Meiban Group), computer services (Mentor Media), electronics (Seksun) to specialty retailing (Sincere Watch).

Others are healthcare group Osim International and water-treatment specialist Hyflux.

Osim's five-year average ROE came in at 26 per cent while Hyflux's stood at 43 per cent.

Other companies in the region which are on this list of 200 include Malaysia's AirAsia and China's Tsingtao Brewery.

Japan leads this year's list with 38 entries; Australia came in second with 25 companies; and Hong Kong and Taiwan tied for third place with 22.

The other countries in the list are India (with 20), China, Singapore and Thailand (11 each), Malaysia (10), Indonesia, Pakistan, South Korea (seven each), New Zealand (six), Sri Lanka (two) and Philippines (one).

The award ceremony will be held at the Sentosa Golf Club on Nov 10.

Sponsors for this year's event include the Sentosa Leisure Group, Mercedes Benz and Credit Suisse.