Driving around Singapore, one can’t help but be impressed by the city’s innumerable clean, modern buildings.
Take the same journey a few years later and you’ll likely see even more new buildings on now empty parcels of land, catering to Singapore’s steadily growing population, which has risen by almost 50 percent since 2000.
One of the companies behind this remarkable development is Kay Lim Holdings, which styles itself as Singapore’s leading construction group, offering a full range of property development and construction services.
Its roots started back in 1979 as a metal roofing specialist in Singapore. After years of rapid growth, the construction arm of the group, Kay Lim Construction & Trading, was launched in 1989, eventually leading to the company’s first Housing & Development Board (HDB) project award in 1999.
Award winning
Over the years, Kay Lim Construction & Trading has been awarded over US$2.8 billion worth of private and public sector contracts to date. Projects include private condominiums, schools, factories, lift upgrading projects; the company has also constructed more than 17,000 public housing units.
Some of its notable projects include Singapore’s first public housing eco-precinct development, Treelodge@Punggol, which harnesses the elements of nature to promote sustainable green living, and Singapore’s first eco-business park building, CleanTech One, an R&D and test-bedding site for early adoption of green technology and solutions.
In collaboration with
Hor Kew Corporation
Today the company is run by Director Alvin Tng, son of company Founder Tng Kay Lim. Tng grew up immersed in the family business.
“My dad used to take me along to various construction sites and I’d sit in the canteens or offices listening to him discuss work plans with his staff,” he says. “This business is my father’s baby, so I want to carry on what he started and bring the company to greater heights.”
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Under Tng’s leadership, the company has grown from strength to strength, winning numerous industry awards and recognition for its construction safety, quality and sustainability practices.
This includes 23 Workplace Safety & Health Sharp Awards, 10 HDB Construction Awards as well as bizSAFE partner, bizSAFE Star and CultureSAFE awards for promoting workplace safety and health within the company and to its subcontractors and partners.
Change is a constant
One of the company’s largest HDB projects, Tampines GreenVerge, was awarded CONQUAS STAR, Singapore’s highest ranking for construction quality, and the HDB Construction Award for the project’s use of innovative construction methods and good project management. The company is also ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and OHSAS 45001:2018 certified, a testament to proper project and quality management.
“Construction is a very complex and dynamic industry, hence, it’s a continuous learning process for me, whether this means tendering projects, the selection of subcontractors, managing site progress or managing people,” Tng explains. “No two projects are the same, therefore every issue requires a unique solution.”
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This sentiment is demonstrated by the company’s work on the Forest Spring @ Yishun HDB development, for which construction took place during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to finding ways to speed up the construction timeline by building the residential blocks and surrounding amenities simultaneously, Kay Lim Construction & Trading also paid its subcontractors upfront, including an acceleration cost to speed up works, to resolve their cash flow issues and to guarantee the continuance of works.
Furthermore, the company introduced new e-training modules and a mobile app to facilitate safety and work progress inspections, which the company states increased productivity by 20 percent.
Thanks to these efforts, the company won a Construction Award (Housing) at the HDB Awards 2023. The awards recognize architectural and engineering consultants and building contractors for projects that have demonstrated excellent design, engineering and construction.
“While the pandemic brought tremendous disruption and destruction, in hindsight, it also opened up doors for doing things differently. These include methods we wouldn’t have previously thought viable, yet eventually proved doable and efficient,” Tng explains.
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“We all know that it’s human nature to resist changes and nobody likes being dragged out of their comfort zone, but the pandemic taught us adaptability and the readiness to unlearn and relearn – after all, the only constant is change.
“We also recognize the fact that mindset determines attitude, which translates into actions. Hence, I’m working towards building a culture-of-growth mindset in the company. This aims to encourage employees to always see the glass as half-full rather than half-empty, to always be mentally ready to innovate, to pivot and adapt to changes in order to keep propelling us forward.”
Group success, individual excellence
The Kay Lim Group consists of a number of businesses, with each one flourishing since its establishment. In 2010, it diversified into property development when it acquired a row of shophouses through a collective purchase process.
Then in 2011, the Group launched its first boutique development, Rangoon 88, and sold 70 percent of the units within two weeks of its launch.
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In the same year, it successfully tendered for a Design, Build and Sell Scheme project at Pasir Ris with SGX-listed SingXpress Land (now SingHaiyi Group).
Together with SingXpress Land and Amara Holdings, the Group won the bid for an executive condominium plot in Tampines. The development, Citylife @ Tampines, sold 90 percent of its units within two days of its launch.
To date, the Group has developed seven different properties, including condos, landed houses and commercial real estate.
Today, it is constantly looking for plots of land to add to its land bank for future developments while keeping itself abreast of market trends so it can deliver quality products that appeal to its customers.
The Group also set up another construction subsidiary called Jia Yi Construction, which worked as a contractor for Citylife @ Tampines and was awarded its first HDB project, Woodleigh Hillside, in 2018.
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Like Kay Lim Construction & Trading, Jia Yi Construction has also received various industry accolades and certifications, including the Building & Construction Authority (BCA) Green and Gracious Builder Award, CultureSAFE certificate of commendation, BizSAFE Partner Certificate, and BizSAFE Star certificate.
“Building residential public housing is the bread and butter of our company and I take pride in providing not just a comfortable shelter, but homes to families. That gives me a sense of purpose and meaning in my job,” Tng says.
Super suppliers
While the Group has worked on increasingly prestigious projects over the years, Tng acknowledges that this success relies on good working relationships with suppliers.
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“In construction, it isn’t just a linear line between subcontractors and main contractors. It is, in fact, a multifaceted trade that involves consultants, suppliers, government authorities and clients as well,” he says.
“When so many parties are involved, we really need to be versatile and always be ready to accommodate changes.”
It’s for this reason that the Group has always prioritized paying subcontractors promptly, Tng says, especially during the pandemic, as with the Forest Spring @ Yishun project.
“My dad always says ‘Helping our partners is as good as helping ourselves’ because, really, our stakeholders and us are so interdependent,” he explains.
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“So to create a healthy, trustable, long-term working relationship, apart from making sure we internally fulfill our responsibilities dutifully, we must be empathetic and ready to help at all times.
“For instance, we have come across subcontractors who have miscalculated their costs on their signed contracts with us. When we understand the situation, we have shared the cost with them on a reasonable basis.”
Ever upwards
Looking ahead, Tng plans to focus the Group’s efforts on its core competency, which is constructing public housing projects. However, achieving this depends on several key factors.
“To grow our business, we need to grow our people. To achieve this, I encourage my employees to advocate the culture of perpetual learning and skill upgrading,” he says.
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“I also put great emphasis on open communication since good communication enhances human relationships and job efficiency. It is common for traditional companies to adopt a top-down approach to getting work done, but I think in today’s context, to remain relevant and competitive, we need to strip away the hierarchy mentality.
“Instead, I want to provide a platform for every employee to have the courage and opportunity to share their input.”
Beyond this, Tng also stresses the importance of maintaining work safety standards, for which the Group has won multiple awards over the years. Other priorities include the need to ensure financial stability through prudent financial management, and the importance of continuing to build on the amicable and trusting relationships between the Group and its many stakeholders.
“We used to be a very traditional company, so initially transitioning to digital was not easy. I remember 11 years ago, when I proposed creating a website for Kay Lim, there were mixed opinions. I had to take it step by step to show why having a website was necessary,” he says.
“I even built a website from scratch for our subsidiary Jia Yi Construction. Since then, we’ve developed our own innovations to address safety, productivity and sustainability issues and have won awards for these efforts.”
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For example, Kay Lim Group has already been awarded the BCA Green and Gracious Builder Award (Excellent) for adopting environmentally friendly and gracious practices. Where possible, the Group reduces, reuses and recycles its construction and office materials while prioritizing environmentally friendly products and processes.
“We’ve recently introduced robotics onto our construction sites, including a transporter capable of moving materials without human intervention, and spray painting robots,” Tng reveals.
“We will continue expanding our digital capabilities to improve even more construction processes, and plan to start using electric machineries and generators at our sites to reduce carbon emissions by at least 45 percent.”
Leadership lessons
When asked what makes a great business leader, Tng turns his mind to human qualities more than specific practices.
“There are many elements that make up a great leader, like discipline, adaptability and resilience. But I think one very distinguishing factor that stands out to me is wisdom,” he reflects.
“Wisdom is the intelligence built on a vast pool of experiences and exposures. A leader with great wisdom can foresee potential challenges and opportunities, adapting strategies accordingly.
“Another important quality is humility. Too many times, giants are defeated by their own egos. However, above all else, empathy is the most important attribute, in my opinion.
“A great leader needs to understand the needs and emotions of his people; they need to take time to slow down and listen to their people, to reflect and improvise, whatever shortcomings arise. However great or profitable a company, if it is lacking empathy, I think it’s hollow.”
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Outside the workplace, Kay Lim Group demonstrates this by making donations to non-profit organizations such as temples, providing residential community services and participating in the BCA-Industry Built Environment Undergraduate Scholarship/Sponsorship programs.
“I’m blessed to have my dad to back me up as my mentor. To this day, he continues to be my most important source of support and inspiration for my journey with the company,” Tng says.
“I want to help grow the company to even greater heights. I aim to help the company reach its 100th anniversary and eventually pass it on to our future generations.”
In collaboration with
Hor Kew Corporation
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