Tag: Myanmar

Surbana Jurong expands industrial & infrastructure business in Myanmar

Teo Eng Cheong Myanmar hanthawaddy international airport i-land industrial park infrastructure sectors

Singapore, 26 February 2016 – Surbana Jurong Private Limited announced today that it has grown its consultancy business in the industrial and infrastructure sectors, after securing a series of projects in the last 12 months, bringing its total number of projects in Myanmar to 40.

Most notably, Surbana Jurong had partnered CITIC Group in the winning bid for Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone’s (SEZ) industrial park and deep sea port components, providing masterplanning, infrastructure and port planning services. The consortium was selected from amongst 10 bidders, with the successful notice of award announced at the end of 2015.

When completed, the proposed 1900-hectare industrial park within the Kyaukphyu SEZ will house industrial clusters such as textile & garment, construction materials processing, food processing and marine supply.Given its strategic location in Western Rakhine, Kyaukphyu SEZ’s deep sea port will also facilitate Myanmar’s trade corridor between India, Africa, the Middle East and China, and provide further employment opportunities.

The Kyaukphyu SEZ project comes on the back of Surbana Jurong’s earlier secured i-Land Industrial Park in Bago. Having successfully attained Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) approvals in Sep 2015, i-Land Industrial Park will launch a formal groundbreaking ceremony in end-Feb 2016. Surbana Jurong has secured a further 3-year contract to continue overseeing the masterplanning, infrastructure development and project management services for the project.Located 65 kilometres from Yangon city and a 45 minute drive from the upcoming Hanthawaddy International Airport, the 160-hectare i-Land Industrial Park is slated to be a key strategic economic node as well as the first and largest integrated industrial hub in Bago.

Surbana Jurong also provided design and engineering consultancy services to the Hanthawaddy International Airport winning consortium. A framework agreement was signed between the winning consortium and Myanmar’s Department of Civil Aviation on 31 January 2016, marking a significant milestone in the lead-up to the development of the airport. When completed, the Hanthawaddy International Airport is expected to have a capacity of 12 million passengers per year, making it the largest airport in Myanmar.

Surbana Jurong was also recently awarded an Underground Engineering design services contract by Shwe Taung Development to build Myanmar’s first underground pedestrian walkway. The underpass will connect the Practising High School, Yangon Institute of Education and Junction Square shopping centre, allowing pedestrians bypass heavy traffic on Pyay Road, Yangon’s busiest thoroughfare. The underpass measures about 30 metres long and when completed will help improve traffic flow and pedestrian movement significantly.

Said Mr Teo Eng Cheong, CEO (International) for Surbana Jurong: “Since our branch opening in April 2014, Surbana Jurong has grown its presence rapidly in Myanmar. From two projects in April 2014 in Yangon, we are now actively involved in 40 projects across the states of Yangon, Bago, Mandalay, Rakhine as well as Ayerwaddy Division. Our staff strength has also grown significantly to 33. Our recent wins in the industrial and infrastructure sectors underline our intention to go big in these sectors as Myanmar witnesses an economic and infrastructure boom.”

Added Mr Wong Heang Fine, Group CEO of Surbana Jurong: “Our fast expanding presence in Myanmar is fuelled by our mergers and acquisitions. The addition of KTP Consultants last year has helped to expand our service offerings in a number of mixed developments in Yangon, while the merger with Jurong has given us an edge in industrial development. Having also taken up an equity stake together with CITIC Construction on an IFC-led project in Kenya last year, we are now continuing to build on this strategic partnership for the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone in Myanmar.”

Surbana Jurong has also named Mr Lee Leong Seng the General Manager for its Myanmar office effective February 2016. Leong Seng succeeds Mr Gareth Wong, who has served as the company’s General Manager for Myanmar since 2013. Mr Wong will be returning to Surbana Jurong Singapore Headquarters as Senior Vice President in the Chairman’s Office.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Melissa Ho
Senior Specialist, Group Corporate Communications
T: 6248-8290 | Melissa.hosq@surbanajurong.com

Alvin Hang
Group Director, Group Corporate Communications
T: 6248-1100 |alvin.hangwy@surbanajurong.com

About Surbana Jurong Private Limited

Surbana Jurong is Asia’s consultancy powerhouse for urbanisation and infrastructure developments.

We have a distinguished track record in shaping Singapore’s urban and industrial landscape over the last 50 years and we deliver total urbanisation, infrastructure and engineering solutions to support sustainable social and economic growth for our clients.

Our multi-disciplinary team of specialists provides one-stop complete value chain consultancy services harnessed through years of successfully completing a wide array of projects in more than 200 cities in over 50 countries worldwide. We have designed and completed more than a million homes in Singapore, completed masterplans for over 30 countries and developed 49 industrial parks around the world.

In June 2015, Surbana Jurong acquired two companies – KTP Consultants Pte Ltd in Singapore and Sino-Sun Architects & Engineers Co. Ltd in China. These two acquisitions will grow our staff strength by 25%, strengthen our infrastructure development capabilities and bring our market reach in China to 16 cities.

We also announced in November 2015 that we would be taking a 20% equity stake in China’s CITICC (Africa) Holding Limited, a USD300 million investment platform set up between International Financing Company (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, and Chinese multinational construction and engineering company, CITIC Construction Co., Ltd. Through this deal, we could potentially develop 30,000 affordable homes in Africa in the next five years.

Surbana Jurong also took up a 8.4% stake (USD 9.25 mil) in an American software company, FLUX Factory, Inc, a spin-off from Google X, which builds collaborative cloud-based software tool used for building design, urban solutions and master planning, which will grow our sustainable and building design capabilities

With over 600 international and local awards under our belt, we have what it takes to understand, anticipate and exceed our clients’ expectations. Today, Surbana Jurong employs over 4,000 employees from 40 nationalities in 26 offices across Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

SJ Myanmar Brand Inauguration Speech by Mr Teo Eng Cheong

‘Ming gah-Lah Ba’

Your Excellency, U Kyaw Lwin, Union Minister of Construction

Your Excellency, Mr Robert Chua, Singapore Ambassador to Myanmar

Mr Liew Mun Leong, Chairman of Surbana Jurong Private Limited

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Introduction

1.Good afternoon.

2.Thank you for joining us today to celebrate the inauguration of the new Surbana Jurong brand in Myanmar.

3.Our Group CEO Mr Wong Heang Fine would like to convey his apologies for not being here today as he has to attend to an urgent meeting.

Surbana Jurong’s Rapid Growth in Myanmar

4.Surbana Jurong began operating in Myanmar in early 2013 when we were appointed by Myanmar’s Ministry of Construction to provide masterplanning, architecture and engineering consultancy services for the Dagon Seikkan Township project.

5.In April 2014, we set up our office in Yangon, and in a short span of 2 years, we have grown our business significantly. From 2 projects in Yangon, we now have 40 projects spanning across various sectors – residential, commercial, recreational, industrial, infrastructure and aviation sectors. We also extended our geographical footprint with projects in Bago, Mandalay and Ayerwaddy regions, as well as the state of Rakhine. In terms of staff strength, we grew from 2 to 33 today comprising a mix of professional engineers, architects and project managers.

6.This rapid expansion was in response to the strong demand we experienced in Myanmar for our consultancy services. We have made headway in the market with both public and private sector companies coming to trust and recognise the work that we do.

Growing Our Business in Industrial and Infrastructure Sectors in Myanmar

7.A recent report by McKinsey estimates that a total infrastructure investment of USD$320 billion is needed by the year 2030 to support Myanmar’s growth potential. As Myanmar continues to open up her economy, infrastructure development will grow to keep pace with the country’s modernization. Surbana Jurong has managed to make new forays into these areas, and I am happy to report some of our successes today.

8.In 2014, Surbana Jurong partnered CITIC Group in the tender submission to provide masterplanning and port planning services for the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone. The consortium was selected as the preferred bidder from amongst 10 bids. Our partnership with CITIC comes on the back of a joint venture we forged with CITIC Construction and IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, in November last year to undertake affordable housing projects in Africa. We are very glad that today we have with us Madam Hong Bo, Chairman of CITIC Construction.

9.In all, the 1900-hectare industrial park within the Kyaukphyu SEZ will house industrial clusters such as textile & garment, construction materials processing, food processing and marine supply. Given its strategic location in Western Rakhine, Kyaukphyu SEZ’s deep sea port will also facilitate Myanmar’s trade with India, Africa, the Middle East and China. Surbana Jurong is indeed very excited about the prospects for this project, and we look forward to make this project a reality together with CITIC.

10.Surbana Jurong has also made good progress on the i-Land Industrial Park in Bago. Having successfully attained approvals from the Myanmar Investment Commission in September 2015, i-Land Industrial Park will launch a formal groundbreaking ceremony tomorrow morning. We have entered into a further 3-year contract with i-Land’s master developer to continue overseeing the project. Located 65 kilometres from Yangon city and a 45 minute drive from the upcoming Hanthawaddy International Airport, the 160-hectare i-Land Industrial Park is slated to be a key strategic economic node in Bago.

11.Surbana Jurong is also the consultancy team behind the winning consortium for the Hanthawaddy International Airport, where we are providing design and engineering services for the airport and its supporting infrastructure facilities. Just last month, the framework agreement was inked between the winning consortium and Myanmar’s Department of Civil Aviation. The airport is expected to have an initial capacity of 12 million passengers per year, making it the largest in Myanmar when completed.

12.Just this week, Surbana Jurong was also appointed by Shwe Taung Development to provide Underground Engineering design services for Myanmar’s first underground pedestrian walkway. The underpass will connect the Practising High School, Yangon Institute of Education and Junction Square shopping centre, allowing pedestrians to bypass heavy traffic on Pyay Road, Yangon’s busiest thoroughfare. The underpass measures about 30 meters long and when completed will help improve traffic flow and pedestrian movement significantly. This project will be funded by Shwe Taung, and donated to the Yangon community.

Augmenting our Position with Mergers and Acquisitions

13.We made two acquisitions last year – KTP Consultants Pte Ltd in Singapore and Sino-Sun Architects & Engineers Co. Ltd in China. Their additions will allow us to further expand our service offerings and presence in Myanmar. KTP already has some notable projects including the Shangri-la Residences, Sedona Hotel Inya Wing Extension, Pyay Tower and Residences, Spring Line Residences and the ongoing expansion works for the Yangon International Airport in Mingaladon. Sino-Sun is a well-established local design institute in China with presence in 16 Chinese cities. We believe that both companies will add to the range of services that we will provide in Myanmar.

The new Surbana Jurong brand identity

14.At this stage, allow me to spend a few moments to talk about the new Surbana Jurong logo. It capitalises on the brand equity of Surbana and Jurong, both well recognised in Singapore and overseas. The little red dot in the logo reminds us of our home country, Singapore, where we have shaped the urban, industrial and infrastructure landscape over the last 50 years. As a Temasek-linked company, Surbana Jurong embodies our strong Singapore attributes to execute projects reliably, transparently and efficiently. We believe these attributes strengthen our value proposition as the consultant of choice in Myanmar.

Conclusion

15.Surbana Jurong Myanmar would not be where she is today without the faith and strong support of our valued clients and partners. I would like to put on special record our gratitude to the Myanmar Ministry of Construction. I thank His Excellency the Minister of Construction and would like to affirm Surbana Jurong’s ongoing commitment to build capabilities in Myanmar’s construction and building development sector.

16.I would also like to take this opportunity to announce that we have a new General Manager for Myanmar, Mr Lee Leong Seng. Leong Seng brings with him a wealth of experience having previously been with developers such as CapitaLand and United Overseas Land. Leong Seng will succeed Mr Gareth Wong, who served as General Manager since 2013. Gareth will be returning to our Singapore headquarters as Senior Vice President in our Chairman Mr Liew Mun Leong’s Office.

17.We are optimistic about the future and business outlook for Myanmar as her leaders continue to push for economic development and reform. Surbana Jurong is committed to growing our presence in the country, and we are already looking beyond Yangon to open our next Branch Office in Mandalay within a year or two. We are confident that we will achieve our vision to become Asia’s powerhouse in urbanization and infrastructure developments.

18.Thank you very much.

SJ conducts 2nd Urban Management Programme for Myanmar’s Ministry of Construction

ministry of construction urban planning ffordable Housing and Township Planning

Surbana Jurong’s Myanmar office successfully conducted the second instalment of the Temasek Foundation – Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (TF-SCE) workshops in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar from 23 – 27 Nov. The workshop was graced by U Min Htein, Director General of the Department of Urban & Housing Development (DUHD) as well as 60 government officials from the Ministry of Construction (MOC).

The focus of this workshop centered on Affordable Housing and Township Planning, and is part of a larger series of capacity building initiatives aimed at equipping MOC officials with new knowledge to develop customized urban development solutions for Myanmar. Similar to the first workshop, this session saw representatives from Surbana Jurong sharing Singapore’s experience in urban planning and housing development over the course of our nation’s 50 year history. Leading the team from Surbana Jurong was Mr Patrick Lee (Dy MD Architecture) who was joined by Ms Shrena Joshi from Urban Planning, Mr Dennis Aw from City Management and Mr Goh Chee Kiong from C&S Engineering.

The workshop also saw involvement from Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), who supported our team’s efforts by delivering a presentation on Housing Finance. The workshop received positive reviews from the participants, and drew many lively exchanges. Many provided feedback that they had gained further insights into key principles of integrated town planning, design principles for liveable high-rise public housing as well as best practices in zoning regulations and enforcement policies.

Mr Tin Thu Ya, our Myanmar Office’s Principal M&E Engineer said “The 2nd TF-SCE Workshop further underscores our close collaborations with the Ministry of Construction. Riding on our case studies from Singapore’s experience, our counterparts from the Ministry have expressed confidence that the series of capacity building workshops will improve their larger planning, development and management of urban, road and water infrastructure.”

Surbana deepens roots in Myanmar

engineering and architecture Myanmar masterplanning Yangon

Yangon, Myanmar — Surbana International Consultants (Myanmar) announced today that it has secured new projects in Bago division and Yangon as well as awarded USD$10,000 worth of scholarships to students from the Yangon Technological University in an effort to grow the professional services sector in engineering and architecture.

The latest major project that Surbana secured is a masterplanning project in Bago division in Myanmar. This comes on the back of two other major projects which it announced earlier this year – a residential development within the Dagon Seikkan Township and the iconic Yangon Aquarium, which is slated to be a major tourist attraction.

Speaking at a ceremony to hand out the scholarships, General Manager of Surbana (Myanmar), Gareth Wong: “Surbana Myanmar started operating in 2013 with our first project, the Dagon Seikkan Township. In April 2014 we opened our first branch office where we also announced our involvement with the iconic Yangon Aquarium. The groundbreaking ceremony for the aquarium project was held in October this year. Today, we are happy to announce that we are masterplanning the i-Land Industrial Park, a significant project that will support the economic growth plans of Bago division.”

“In Yangon, we have undertaken new projects in facilities management for an integrated retail complex in Yangon as well as design services for a boutique cluster housing project in the heart of the city. We are also working on several project management jobs, one of which is for the upcoming Polo Club Residences that will be launched later this month. In this short timeframe, Surbana has expanded into different sectors beyond Yangon,” added Wong.

As part of its growth strategy, Surbana is also committed to work with its partners to grow the professional services sector, particularly in the areas of engineering and architecture.

Added Wong, “Surbana is committed to be in Myanmar for the long haul and to grow its presence. We will invest time and effort to develop Myanmar’s professional services sector particularly in the areas of engineering and architecture. The scholarship is our first cross collaboration project with the government, professional bodies, education institutions and developers to achieve this objective and it will also not be the last as we continue to secure more jobs in Myanmar.”

With the uptake in new job orders, Surbana has upgraded its branch office to a full-fledged subsidiary and awarded USD$10,000 worth of scholarships to five students from the Yangon Technological University (YTU) to beef up its local workforce.

The five scholars are currently pursuing courses related to architecture, electrical and civil engineering at YTU. Each scholarship is valued at US$2,000 and will cover tuition fees, monthly maintenance allowance and miscellaneous fees. The award amount is one of the largest quanta offered in a single disbursement by a foreign company in Myanmar.

Said U Min Htein, Director General of the Department of Human Settlements & Housing Development, Ministry of Construction: “Surbana’s progressive growth in Myanmar is undoubtedly a good sign for the country, and the Surbana-Myanmar Scholarship is a strong show of their commitment to being here for the long haul. I look forward to many more years of collaboration with Surbana to grow and develop Myanmar’s building and construction sector.”

Said Singapore Ambassador to Myanmar, His Excellency Mr Robert Chua: “I commend Surbana for bringing together industry, academia and the government sectors through the Surbana-Myanmar Scholarship. The close collaboration also reflects the strong ties between Myanmar and Singapore.”

Said YTU Rector, Prof Aye Myint: “YTU is very privileged to have the opportunity to partner Surbana International Consultants in this inaugural Surbana-Myanmar Scholarship. The programme aims to provide the chosen scholars with professional opportunities to advance themselves in the fields of engineering and architecture, by tapping on Surbana’s international network or projects and experience. I am excited for these chosen scholars as they will gain a broad spectrum of working experiences and new perspectives with Surbana. I am also confident that this will enable them to become more technically competent and professional, which will in turn raise the overall standards in engineering and architecture in Myanmar.”

Said one of the scholars, May Soe San: “I’m proud to be part of the pioneering batch of Surbana-Myanmar scholars. With this scholarship, the knowledge and exposure that I’m going to receive will definitely help in my future career in civil engineering.”

Scholarship recipient, Hlaing Bwar said: “I’m elated to receive this scholarship, and I believe it will bring me closer to an exciting and fulfilling career in architecture and engineering.”

More on the Surbana Scholarship
The five scholars were selected based on their technical competency, leadership qualities, character and values, as well as motivation and passion. Scholars will have an opportunity to work with partner Myanmar authorities and professional agencies and Surbana (Myanmar) after graduation.

About i-Land Industrial Park
i-Land Industrial Park is a 160-ha development strategically located 65 kilometres from Yangon city and a 45 minute drive from the upcoming Hanthawaddy International Airport, it is slated to be a key strategic economic node as well as the first and largest integrated industrial hub in Bago state. It will contribute to the state’s larger economic objective of attracting local and international investors, businessmen, skilled workers and tourists.

About Surbana International Consultants

Surbana International Consultants (www.surbana.com) is a leading urban solutions consultancy.

A Singapore, Temasek-Linked company and award winning urban solutions consultant, our clients value and trust us to meet their development needs.

Our expertise is backed by over 50 years’ experience building more than a million homesacross 26 townships and shaping the urban landscape in Singapore – one of the world’s top 10 best cities recognised for urban sustainability.

From masterplanning to engineering, architecture design, project management, land reclamation, coastal engineering, underground engineering & city management, Surbana’s expertise cuts across many sectors – real estate, aviation, healthcare, infrastructure.

Our multi disciplinary team of experts knows what it takes to provide urban solutions in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.We have completed projects in 90 cities in 30 countries over the last 10 years.

Today, Surbana employs over 2,200 employees in 14 cities across Asia, Africa and the Middle East.