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THE EDGE POST

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How Gamuda Berhad Started


Gamuda Berhad is a Malaysian company specialized in engineering, infrastructure and property services. They are the ones who help in construction, making and supplying materials for road surfacing, is part of an operation where the company hires and rents plant and machinery, and also makes and sells paper.


The Founder Of Gamuda Berhad

Graduated from Kings College London in a bachelors of civil engineering, YBhg Dato Lin Yung Lin kickstarted his career as a project engineer at Mudajaya Construction Sdn Bhd from January 1976 to December 1978. However, on 6 October 1976, Gamuda Berhad was founded by investor Koon Yew Yin and Lin Yung Lin, who also became appointed as its CEO/Group Managing Director on 10 February 1981 at the age of 26. He still holds a key part in the organization and is part of Gamuda’s Board of Directors.


Gamuda's Projects

Being a major player in the manufacturing and supplying of construction materials and property development, Gamuda Berhad has worked on tons of projects ranging from the construction of the MRT to having its own branch called Gamuda Land which is an infrastructure company that is more focused on township development.


Gamuda's Foreign Success Story

Gamuda attributes its success to the risky choices they make in their projects but being also able to see how that risk can bring lots of growth and opportunity if done well. Prior to the 2010s, Vietnam’s economy was mostly focused on the agricultural sector but the industrial sector has slowly gained traction in that country thus attracting foreign investors including Gamuda Land. Gamuda decided to take the opportunity of a growing industrial sector and flew to Vietnam and began its township development in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh which began in 2007 and 2010 respectively. Gamuda now boasts two advanced township developments namely Gamuda City in Hanoi and Celadon City in Ho Chi Minh.


With Foreign Success Comes Foreign Struggles

So how did Gamuda achieve this feat? According to Gamuda Land’s CEO, Ngan Chee Ming, the team had to do strategic forecasts and calculated risks by observing interested buyers’ opinions and the overall general demand in their project. Since there were rarely any similar township developments in Vietnam, it was challenging to dissect the possible market due to a lack of reference point for the Gamuda Land team. Before this, some area of Hoang Moi in South Hanoi was an uninhabited area due to its lack of a proper sewage system which Gamuda had to address. After addressing the sewage issues, they proceeded in rehabilitating 102-ha Yen So Park before proceeding further with the town-making elements. Since the company was in a foreign land it was extremely important to ensure the township included elements that are familiar to the Vietnamese such as auspicious elements scattered throughout the township.


Gamuda's Employee Growth

Ever since the pandemic, remote working has become more prevalent. For the Gamuda Australia team, it meant working with different time zones; arising communication problems due to differences in Australian English in comparison to Malaysian English; and being exposed to international markets by understanding the Australian technical standards which would then allow Gamuda’s engineers to apply it to their technical design solutions for Gamuda Australian projects.

However, these workplace issues are a key part in the growth of Gamuda’s employees. Different time zones meant seeing which meetings were important and which meetings were not. Communication issues can cause tension in the beginning but as a Gamuda employee, it is crucial to have patience and empathy to understand the other party. Furthermore, both parties (the Gamuda team and the consultants/suppliers/vendors) have the same goal so it’s crucial to constantly keep that in mind as well. Working as an engineer means solving technical problems which can be daunting and exciting at the same time. With perseverance and great mentors around, the employees can kill two birds with one stone as they are able to deliver their best efforts into projects all while building themselves up.


Townships With Personality

Gamuda remains one of Malaysia’s top construction companies and township developers as the company incorporates elements of a well-rounded township such as having different districts for research and institution, art and culture, central business, leisure and entertainment, and wellness. The township seamless connects these districts with the surrounding nature and make it a point to include nature inside the township as well as nature brings with it peace and peace makes the people’s daily lives…well…more peaceful.



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