Incorporated Builders Group
Building from solid foundations The Incorporated Builders Group has been steadily building a reputation for quality since its inception in 1983. They've earned a real name for themselves in the delivery of real estate and construction-related services to a huge variety of corporate clients. Writer Chris Farnell Project manager Arron Rampling The company has achieved this by delivering an impeccable service in full- spectrum design, construction and engineering. With clients that range from residential and industrial projects to, commercial, retail, hospitality and infrastructure, they are the go-to guys for both private and municipal clients. One only needs to look at the numbers to see the regard that the Incorporated Builders Group is held in. For the past five years they've recorded over 270 million Singapore dollars in orders, with over $100 million in turnover and contracts worth more than $74 million in 2013 alone. They've done this by having a clear set of goals and principals that the whole firm adheres to strictly. "We aim to be a global leader in the building and real estate business," says group director Dean Lim. "We strive towards generating maximum value and returns for all our clients and stakeholders, while creating a positive impact on our surrounding environment and communities." A key part of this is the importance the Incorporated Builders Group places on transparency. They work hard at establishing a clear and transparent financial dialogue with their clients that includes the services of reputable independent valuation services, so that the client knows they are being quoted a true…
Hwa Seng Builder
Leading in Infrastructure Singapore-based Hwa Seng Builder Pte Ltd is a leading civil engineering and construction provider, providing an integrated range of professional civil engineering works and construction-related services. Writer Chris Farnell Project manager Arron Rampling Hwa Seng Builder Pte Ltd, or HSB as it's often known, is a young company but it has already amassed a proud history as a leading provider of civil engineering and construction in Singapore. According to Thomas Ng, managing director of the firm, in the years since its founding HSB has grown to become a force to be reckoned with within a number of highly competitive fields. "My company started 21 years ago," he says. "We're a civil engineering contractor that does all kinds of infrastructure work such as building expressways, bridges, and road and drainage systems. We also have subsidiaries which do some property development, particularly private apartments." Indeed, HSB is a name that you'll find behind a whole range of infrastructure projects around Singapore and its work is associated with not just expressways, bridges, drainage and roadways but also aircraft pavements, runways and taxi ways, earthworks, golf courses, sewerage and more. Originally established as a way of tapping into local technical know-how, expertise and resources, the company has become a go-to provider for the region thanks to the high level of quality it provides. "We have two decades of experience working in Singapore," Ng adds, clear about the ingredients that have mixed to create the company's success. "We have wide ranging experience in the field and also I…
Holcim Singapore
Raising the bar in sustainability Holcim is one of the world's leading suppliers of cement and aggregates. It is also a leader in sustainability. Writer Ian Armitage Project manager James Mitchell The past six years have been very good to Holcim Singapore and Dr Sujit Ghosh. Its market share has grown to almost double what it was in 2007 when he took over the role of CEO and Holcim's brand image has been "strengthened dramatically". "When I took over we had low market share and the brand was relatively unknown," he says. There are several factors behind its success. A major one is an unrelenting focus on sustainability – Holcim's vision to provide "foundations for society's future and commitment to sustainable development", continuously seeking "ways to promote sustainable construction through innovation". It's a hell of a vision. And for Dr Ghosh, it is much more than mere window-dressing. He believes that by adopting sustainable practices, companies "can gain competitive edge, increase their market share, and boost shareholder value". What's more, the "growing demand for 'green' products has created major new markets," he says. Before joining Holcim, Dr Ghosh worked with Lafarge Asia-Pacific as Regional technical Director and had a role in several other major multinational corporations. Holcim Singapore is a subsidiary of the Swiss-headquartered Holcim group. "Our sustainability efforts are central to our core strategy," he says. "Apart from focusing on business growth, we also put a strong commitment to sustainability development. Typically, companies have lofty visions and Holcim also has its own lofty vision –…
Lian Beng Construction
Dare to dream It pays to dream big. And dream big is what Lian Beng has done. Within the first four months of 2013, it has secured six construction projects worth about S$750 million, taking its orderbook to record highs. Construction Director Jeffrey Teo tells us more. Writer Ian Armitage Project manager James Mitchell In 1978, Ong Pang Aik joined his father to help run the family business. At the time, the company, Lian Beng, was a civil engineering sub-contractor. Mr Ong wanted more. He wanted to expand. It was his dream and a lot can be said for the power of the dream – he helped grow Lian Beng from a subcontractor that took on small-scale civil engineering a to a Building and Construction Authority Grade A1 main contractor, and subsequently to an SGX-listed company with close to $250 million in market capitalisation and an annual turnover of close to $450 million . Today Lian Beng's wholly-owned subsidiary, Lian Beng Construction, is the chief revenue driver. While it has gone into property development and continues to grow along the value chain into other construction support services such as ready mixed concrete, construction equipment and machinery leasing and engineering works, they are a secondary focus. "While we have ventured into property development and other fields, construction remains our group's main business, forming more than 75 percent of our turnover," Mr Ong said in a recent interview. Notable on-going construction projects include Thomson Grand, developed by the Cheung Kong Group from Hong Kong, Waterfront Isles, developed by…
Continued expansion for deugro
Asia Outlook talks to Sven Hergemoeller, deugro's Regional Vice President for South East Asia. Founded in Germany in 1924, the deugro Group is one of the world's leading project freight forwarding companies and has completed complicated turnkey logistics contracts on almost every continent. deugro is historically known for project logistics, specialising in turnkey projects and complicated cargo moves to and from major industrial sectors around the globe. It is also active in international freight services such as sea freight and airfreight. "We are a global leader in our niche of project logistics and freight forwarding," says Sven Hergemoeller (pictured), deugro's Regional Vice President for South East Asia. "deugro is a truly global presence but significantly we remain a privately held, family organisation in the third generation. We are highly specialised offering a diversified portfolio of services to a variety of clients located in every corner of the globe. Our company slogan is "Minds over Matter" and our strength and competitive advantage lies in our people – they are our most valuable resource. This, and close working relationships with our clients, distinguishes us from our competitors and provides a platform for future growth, flexibility and superior service." He says deugro takes "the best minds to make the right moves." "Our philosophy is to get the best people in the industry. Our people really do make the difference." deugro has enjoyed substantial growth over the last year and it aims to continue to expand its core business in existing and new markets. "The last 12 months were actually…
Alfa Tech VestAsia
Invest in SE Asia Asia Outlook talks to Zach Wilson, the Managing Director of Alfa Tech VestAsia, and learns more about the company's growth in Southeast Asia. Writer Ian Armitage Project manager James Mitchell When Zach Wilson set about establishing Alfa Tech VestAsia he was regularly told he was "wasting his time" and "didn't stand a chance". For a while it looked as though the critics were right. Despite successfully entering the market in 2007 - thanks to long time partner Ultratech who needed help in setting up its own operations in Singapore - it was several months before the next contract was signed. "Moving to a new market is difficult," says Wilson, Managing Director of Singapore-based Alfa Tech VestAsia (ATVA). "It is even more difficult when that market is a mature market. We built this business from scratch and carving out a niche wasn't easy. After we finished the Ultratech job we didn't have any concrete opportunities. Eventually we won several prospects and we haven't looked back." ATVA is today renowned for an almost unrelenting focus on customer service and delivery. Wilson says, "It is like a restaurant, if you go somewhere and have bad service and terrible food, which is late and cold, you don't go back. And you certainly don't tip. We want to make sure people come back and tip!" The result is a brand that even its biggest competitors envy. "There is great potential here," Wilson says. "Despite the global downturn Asia-Pacific economies continue to grow and as international businesses -…
Lian Beng Construction
Dare to dream It pays to dream big. And dream big is what Lian Beng has done. Within the first four months of 2013, it has secured six construction projects worth about S$750 million, taking its orderbook to record highs. Construction Director Jeffrey Teo tells us more. Writer Ian Armitage Project manager James Mitchell In 1978, Ong Pang Aik joined his father to help run the family business. At the time, the company, Lian Beng, was a civil engineering sub-contractor. Mr Ong wanted more. He wanted to expand. It was his dream and a lot can be said for the power of the dream – he helped grow Lian Beng from a subcontractor that took on small-scale civil engineering a to a Building and Construction Authority Grade A1 main contractor, and subsequently to an SGX-listed company with close to $250 million in market capitalisation and an annual turnover of close to $450 million . Today Lian Beng's wholly-owned subsidiary, Lian Beng Construction, is the chief revenue driver. While it has gone into property development and continues to grow along the value chain into other construction support services such as ready mixed concrete, construction equipment and machinery leasing and engineering works, they are a secondary focus. "While we have ventured into property development and other fields, construction remains our group's main business, forming more than 75 percent of our turnover," Mr Ong said in a recent interview. Notable on-going construction projects include Thomson Grand, developed by the Cheung Kong Group from Hong Kong, Waterfront Isles, developed by…
China’s economic growth slows
China's economy, the world's second largest, has slowed and performed worse than expected in the first three months of the year. Annual growth was 7.7 percent in the first quarter of this year, down from the previous quarter's 7.9 percent, the government said on Monday. That fell short of many forecasts which predicted growth would accelerate slightly to eight percent. China's economy expanded 7.8 percent in 2012, its slowest pace for 13 years. Inflation hit a 10-month high of 3.2 percent in February, up from January's 2.0 percent. Beijing has set a 7.5 percent GDP growth target for 2013. Image: © Kitsen | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images Copyright is owned by Asia Outlook and/or Outlook Publishing. All rights reserved.
