Established in 1976, Gamuda has grown over the years to become Malaysia’s leading infrastructure and property developer.And over the last four decades, the Group has continuously delivered to the nation breakthrough projects rooted in its culture of sustainability and innovation.
According to Gamuda Engineering managing director Dato’ Ubull Din Om, their latest success story is the timely delivery of the initial phase of the nation’s first ever MRT project in Peninsular Malaysia, adding that they are on track to complete Line 1 in July this year.
Work is currently underway on Line 2 which is targeted for completion in 2022.
Figure 1 – Malaysia’s first MRT Line 1 spans over 51km and 31stations
“This is one of our main strengths, to be able to deliver projects on time and within budget. This is made possible with our competent workforce who subscribe to our culture of sustainability and innovation,” he added.
Gamuda is also the first in the country to introduce the Project Delivery Partner (PDP) model for the implementation of the MRT project, and was appointed to the role for both MRT Lines.
Sustainability and Innovation, Talent and Nation Building
He added however that while the MRT represents Gamuda’s latest breakthrough project, it is certainly not their first achievement.
Back in 2007, Gamuda completed the world’s first dual purpose tunnel (SMART), built to manage flash floods in Kuala Lumpur while relieving traffic congestion in the city centre, establishing its global expertise in tunnelling.
Figure 2- Dato’ Ubull Din Om, Gamuda Engineering Managing Director
Here, Ubull is particularly proud to mention that Gamuda is well known for its tunnelling expertise and its use of the tunnel boring machines (TBMs), which the company modified to suit varied work specifications after its initial experience of using TBMs during the construction of the SMART Tunnel.
He added that the use of the TBM was the reason why they started the country’s first Tunnelling Training Academy (TTA), to prepare a local pool of highly skilled manpower for the tunnelling industry in Malaysia.
To date, about 600 young Malaysians have undergone training at the TTA and almost half are employed by Gamuda. In addition, many of their talents are also sought after by overseas counterparts.
Apart from the TTA, Gamuda has set up various other training facilities such as the TBM Refurbishment Plant, KVMRT Training Centre and Gamuda Plant Operator School aimed at preparing the young Malaysian workforce for roles in the engineering and construction fields.
Infrastructure for the people
Gamuda has helped progress the socio-economic development of the country through infrastructure developments. Today, Gamuda is Klang Valley’s prime builder and operator of major intra-urban highways in the Klang Valley. These developments have improved the everyday lives of Malaysians in the way they commute and live.
Having started off as a Class A contractor involved in the construction of major roads, the company has since undertaken significant projects that not only eased traffic congestion, but spurred new growth corridors due to better connectivity, for example, the six-lane Kota Bridge in Klang, Selangor which, upon completion in the early 1990s, relieved traffic congestion in the Klang town centre. The company was also involved in the construction of the North South Expressway from Simpang Pulai to Gopeng, in Perak as well as a road from Simpang Pulai to Pos Slim.
Gamuda’s other major infrastructure projects since the 1990s that served as catalysts in urbanising the Klang Valley include the Shah Alam Expressway, the Damansara-Puchong Highway and the Western Kuala Lumpur Dispersal System (SPRINT). The company also built the four-lane Kuantan Bridge spanning 423.9m, which was completed in 2009. These new connections spurred new developments and bigger populations, which in turn led to the introduction of new modes of public transportation such as the MRT and Light Rail Transit to serve these new growth corridors.
Through its JV partnership, Gamuda went on to build the 329km Electrified Double Track from Ipoh to Padang Besar, making it one of Malaysia’s largest rail infrastructure undertakings.
Its JV partnership with Naim Engineering was recently awarded a package for the Pan Borneo Highway from Pantu Junction to Batang Skrang worth RM1.57 billion.
Pioneering Property Development
Gamuda’s property arm, Gamuda Land is also well-known for its pioneering concepts in building homes for community living. Kota Kemuning, a sprawling 1,820-acre township in Klang Valley, was the country’s first integrated township with a green street layout which then set the benchmark for other sustainable townships.
Since then, the developer has added more townships and niche lifestyle projects in Malaysia and abroad, and this includes Bukit Bantayan Residences, an invigorating highland retreat-inspired development perched atop an 18-acre hilltop site at Inanam, Kota Kinabalu.
Figure 3–Bukit Bantayan Residences offer a retreat-inspired lifestyle to homebuyers
Building Local Businesses
Gamuda has nurtured a robust Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) ecosystem for the construction industry though its large-scale infrastructure projects. The company now aspires to replicate this ecosystem in its foray into Sabah.
Figure 4 – In FY2016, Gamuda provided RM4.7bil worth of contracts to 608 SMEs that employ a total of 27,864 workers.
As the bore piling contractor and pre-stressed concrete spun piles supplier for Bukit Bantayan project since 2015, Benagusan Sdn Bhd Managing Director Richard Lee Fuh Min hails Gamuda for its world-class engineering and construction capabilities, and proven track record in delivering projects on time. “Our winning partnership with Gamuda has strengthened our organisation and helped us to expand our business. I trust this partnership will be the start of many more to come, as we work together and share our expertise as a team,” said Lee.
Figure 5–Richard Lee Fuh Min, Benagusan Sdn Bhd Managing Director.
Sound Financial Performance
Gamuda achieved a group revenue of RM4.17 billion and profit before tax of RM781 million in FY2016.Going forward, Gamuda remains a favoured pick among analysts for construction sector jobs to build up its already strong order book of RM9 billion and projects touted to be coming its way include packages of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), Pan Borneo Highway and the Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR).
Gamuda is now looking to boost their construction order book even further to RM10 billion in FY2017.