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SUSTAINABILITY SPECIAL MENTION

Utracon makes effort to reduce carbon emissions

Utracon Overseas director hopes company's efforts on construction sustainability will create more awareness and inspire others to adopt greener practices.

    Published Sun, Dec 19, 2021 · 09:50 PM

    DIRECTOR of Utracon Overseas Khoo Jyh Hao believes bridges are connectors that help connect people separated by geographical boundaries, such as rivers. His fascination for bridges is what led him to his first job at Utracon Overseas, a construction company known for its specialisation in post-tensioning and bridge construction work.

    Khoo's passion for his work eventually shone through to his superiors, who appointed him director of Utracon Overseas six years after he first joined the company as a design engineer in 2002. Khoo, then 31, was tasked with the responsibility of expanding the company's footprint, which was then entirely based in Singapore, into key markets around the world.

    And that he did. Fast forward to 2021, the 44-year-old has successfully expanded the home-grown brand's reach internationally, with offices established in some of the world's biggest construction markets, such as China and the US. It also grew from a team of 5 into a company with more than 350 employees and growing.

    But the journey was not a smooth sailing one.

    Financial crises and uncertainties

    When Khoo first assumed the role of a director for Utracon Overseas in 2008, a banking crisis that started in the US left many major economies in a state of jeopardy.

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    The company, which had then started on its projects in Middle Eastern countries, suffered heavy losses as many of its construction projects were halted all of a sudden due to the financial crisis.

    "Everything just came down overnight," said Khoo.

    These mounting obstacles were what forced the company to change its expansion strategies as it pulled out of the market in the Middle East to focus on countries closer to home - in South-east Asia.

    The company's pivot turned out to be a right move for the company as most of its projects in South-east Asia prevailed despite the recent Covid-19 pandemic, helping the company tide through yet another financial crisis.

    Prioritising employee healthcare amid the pandemic

    Khoo recalled how dire the situation had been when Covid-19 first took the world by storm. Hospitals around the world faced a major shortage of ventilators, which were essential in helping Covid-positive patients through the toughest periods of infection.

    Many developing countries especially, took a great hit as a result of the pandemic, which placed mounting pressures on a healthcare system that was ill-equipped to handle a pandemic.

    Noticing this, Khoo took the initiative to provide ventilators for its employees, some of whom were not able to be admitted to the hospital.

    "They just relied on our ventilators to survive, and it worked," said Khoo.

    Besides ventilators, the company also stockpiled a supply of medicines for its employees in countries with a severe shortage of medical facilities and drug supply.

    A greener future

    Despite these measures, Khoo revealed that business had been inevitably hit as the total value of contracts clinched in the last financial year fell by approximately 50 per cent, compared to pre-pandemic levels.

    Still, the construction firm is optimistic on recovery as its projects, previously put on hold due to Covid-19 regulations in various countries, are starting to resume.

    Nominated for the Enterprise 50 award for the second consecutive year, Utracon Overseas also received a Sustainability Special Mention for its efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

    It uses prestressed tendons to "tighten" the concrete flooring, which reduces the quantity of concrete needed but without compromising on the sturdiness of the flooring.

    The prestressed tendons, Khoo explained, works much like how a belt tightens one's loose pants, which upholds the structural integrity of the infrastructure while reducing the amount of concrete and rebar needed.

    This further reduces the carbon embodied in its materials by about 35 per cent, said Khoo. Besides cost savings from using less raw materials, the director, who considers himself an environmentalist, is also a firm believer in contributing his best efforts to halt or slow climate change.

    Outside of work, the father of two actively engages his children in recycling work, such as sorting plastics and papers and consumes a vegetarian diet in order to minimise carbon emission on a personal level.

    He hopes that the company's efforts on construction sustainability will create more awareness and inspire others to adopt greener practices, thereby creating a "more liveable world" for the next generation.

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