Over its 41-year history, Engineering Contracting Co. has garnered the sector’s trust through its ability to exceed expectations, say senior executives
From humble beginnings in 1975, Dubai-based Engineering Contracting Company (ECC) has grown to become an employer of 6,000 people with an enviable reputation within the Gulf ’s demanding construction industry. Company founder Hatem Farah, who today serves as ECC’s Chairman and CEO, believes that values he adopted in the early years still hold true in 2016. “We always tell our people that from the moment we sign a contract, we take ownership of the project,” he said. “The most important thing for us, from that point on, is to find a way to deliver the best quality in the shortest time. In addition, our core targets and values are not affected by shareholder demands, which can sometimes be compromised in publicly listed companies. Khodr Al Dah, the company’s General Director, explained, “Clients and developers want professional people, they want delivery on time, they want quality; if you do that, you become for 41 years by taking up challenges and trying things that most others would avoid.”
When pushing the boundary of industries, the resulting challenges come in a variety of forms, Al Dah noted. “Sometimes it is the fast-track delivery; other times it is budget; sometimes the challenges lie in the required quality standards, and sometimes it is the unique nature of the project, or design, when it is the first of its kind in the GCC or the Middle East, such as the Emirates flight catering facility, which is the largest in the world producing 125,000 meals per day. This project was complex as it was next to the airport which created logistics, access and security issues. In addition we had to take great care when coordinating the equipment with other installations due to the sensitivity around hygiene,” he said.Nidal Hassoun is ECC’s Senior Contracts Manager. He said ECC employees rely on a strict formula to live up to the company’s standing in the market of being able to deliver diverse projects professionally, on time and in budget.
Nidal Hassoun is ECC’s Senior Contracts Manager. He said ECC employees rely on a strict formula to live up to the
company’s standing in the market of being able to deliver diverse projects professionally, on time and in budget
APPLYING THE FORMULA
“First of all we consider the clients,” said Hassoun. “We know, after 41 years in business, who are the good clients.
Secondly, we know from experience who, among consultants, are the most professional. Next we consider workflow; we will only take on a project when we know we can accommodate it within our schedule. Several times we returned letters of award, which did not meet these criteria.”
Once a project begins, ECC regards diplomacy as part of its role as the lead contractor – to shepherd all stakeholders
through the process in a single direction and with a single aim: efficient, successful delivery, in the best interest of the project.
COMBINED EXPERIENCE
Hassoun also singled out the respect the company enjoys from its peers, in the market and insisted that the source of its success was not just its people, but the company’s fatherly treatment of them.
“In terms of quality, we are regarded as one of the best around,” he said. “But this reputation for quality comes from experience and a systematic and innovative approach to construction. I personally have been here for 26 years and some of our employees have been here for more than 30 years. And that loyalty comes from our corporate culture. Our pledge to our employees is that their pride and dignity will be respected. We also work to ensure job stability; in this company, if you are performing
well, you will be highly appreciated and highly rewarded”
“ECC also strives to challenge our staff and provide them with deep learning experiences. This, in combination with its professional approach, ensures accountability through strict quality control measures, which have their own internal reward system, health and safety system, cost control system and construction programme control system, to ensure productivity is maximised. As we have many employees who stay with the company for a long period of time, we are able to maintain, solidify and develop this strong corporate culture even deeper than usual,” he added.
Because ECC has built a strong core of experts, it is able to approach out-of-the-ordinary projects more boldly than many competitors. Such projects include Dubai’s public parks, which according to Al Dah, have many “special features” not seen in standard developments. The challenge for ECC then becomes technical, rather than budgetary or time-related. “The smaller contractors may not be technically able to take jobs like this,” he said. “Take Dubai Municipality, for example, they don’t just build villas and towers, they build unique structures, with very specific requirements, that many companies would not even know
how to price, let alone deliver.”
DIVERSE PORTFOLIO
According to Al Dah, “We love and actually specialise in taking up challenges and unconventional projects, which require innovative approaches to both operations and techniques but also working with different suppliers and subcontractors to ensure the best result. Take for example Zayed University which had a 50m+ silo as an iconic design feature and required every piece of wall cladding inside (of varying sizes) to be installed individually. Logistically this was difficult. We also pride ourselves on our management expertise, on and off site, to ensure we minimise risk on any project no matter how difficult.” “The first computerised greenhouse – maybe in the whole Middle East – is such a project, done by us on behalf of Dubai Municipality,” Al Dah continued. “This was located in Garhoud and completed in the 1980s, when computerised projects like that were not commonly available off the shelf. We had to bring in special technology from the Netherlands.” ECC also built a hazardous-waste treatment system for Dubai Municipality, which was the first of its kind in the region, when completed in the early 1990s. “The waste system was not only built by us, but also designed by us, which was unusul for a contractor at that time. The Deira Clock Tower was another project of ours which had its own unique challenges some completely unrelated to construction.” Hassoun said ECC is “one of the very few contractors that have true diversity” in terms of the projects the company can deliver. “Some projects, like Zabeel Park, involve a lot of different types of engineering – mechanical, electronic, electrical, hydraulics – and so not every contractor can handle them. We have done malls, schools and universities, as well as museums and heritage projects. “Satisfaction is our greatest reward,” said Al Dah, “knowing that we have been able to accomplish these projects against all odds and to feel we have done something for the community.” Farah, the CEO, concluded: “When we take on a project, we examine the details carefully and highlight potential problems for our clients, and meanwhile we treat everyone in the company like we are part of one big family; we take care of them; we educate them and expose them to the complexities of this field and in return, they feel like the company is theirs and this ensures that everyone is accountable for their actions and everyone feels a duty to uphold the core values of the company.”
