In 1982, a group of professional engineers, many

of them buddies from Technical College, Kuala

Lumpur, met to map out a way to compete as
equals with well-capitalised foreign players who
had entered the growing Malaysian construction
industry.

The result was the merger of their three

companies in 1983. They named the new company
after their initials, written in alphabetical
order: IGB Construction Sdn Bhd, Jurutama Sdn
Bhd and Mudajaya Construction Sdn Bhd. In
1986, IJM was listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock
Exchange.

THE IJM STORY

The formative years were difficult, and as a result,

IJM diversified into property development,
manufacturing, plantations and overseas.
The IJM story had just started

IJM CORPORATION BERHAD

THE IJM FOOTPRINT

PAKISTAN
Islamabad
Karachi
MAURITIUS

CHILE
San Bernado
Santiago
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Houston
Orlando
ARGENTINA
Buenos Aires

UNITED
KINGDOM
London

BAHRAIN
ITALY
Perugia
NAMIBIA
Grootfontein

UAE
Abu Dhabi
Dubai

INDIA
Andra Pradesh
Karnataka
Madya Pradesh
Maharashtra
New Delhi
Rajasthan
Tamil Nadu
West Bengal
MYANMAR
Yangon
BANGLADESH

CHINA
Changchun
Guangdong
Hong Kong
Jilin
Wuxi
Yangzhong
MALAYSIA
SINGAPORE
VIETNAM
Danang
Ho Chi Minh City
INDONESIA

AUSTRALIA
Gold Coast
Melbourne
Sydney

Moving with the Times

Original Logo (1983-1989)

IJM Managing Directors 1983-2013

Current Logo (since 1989)

The IJM Motto

Big, Strong and Caring

(1983-1990)

Excellence through Quality

(1990-2000)

We Deliver
(2000-to date)

Left to right: Koh Boon Chor (1983-1988), Goh Chye Keat (1988-1996), Krishnan Tan Boon Seng (1997-2010) and Teh Kean Ming (2011-to date)

Advisor Krishnan Tan Boon Seng

Project Head Juliet Choong Wai Gaik

Author Premilla Mohanlall
Designer Low Seong Chai

Produced by
pVm communications sdn bhd 633010-K
www.pvm.com.my
Published by
IJM Corporation Berhad 104131-A
Wisma IJM, Jalan Yong Shook Lin
46050 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Tel: 603-79858288
Fax: 603-79529388
Website: www.ijm.com
Printed by
Dolphin Press Sdn Bhd 803493-W

2013 IJM Corporation Berhad

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in
any form or by any means without prior permission from the
Publisher.
Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

The IJM Story 30 Years of Distinction & Pride

1. IJM history 1983-2013
2. Diversified group with international presence
3. Construction, property, quarrying & manufacturing,
plantation and infrastructure
4. Mergers and acquisitions, game changers
ISBN 978-967-12002-0-9

Acknowledgement
Abdul Halim bin Ali
Ahmad Azizuddin bin Haji Zainal Abidin
Boey Tak Kong
Goh Chye Keat
Goh Chye Koon
Goh Nan Kioh
Ho Phea Keat
Khor Kiem Teoh, Harry
Koh Boon Chor
Koon Yew Yin
Lee Teck Yuen
Lim Choong Kong
Lim Yong Keat
Neoh Soon Hiong
Oh Chong Peng
Ong Yeng Tian
Ooi Poay Lum
Soam Heng Choon
Teh Kean Ming
Tek Choon Yee, Joseph
Tan Gim Foo
Tan Sin Leong
Tan, Velayuthan
Tengku Ahmad Rithaudeen bin Tengku Ismail
Wilson, David Frederick
Wong Soon Fah
Wong Tet Foh, James
Yahya bin Yaacob
Wan Abdul Rahman bin Wan Yaacob
Wong See Wah
Yap Lim Sen

Every effort has been made to acknowledge those who played

his or her part in bringing to fruition this 30th anniversary
publication of IJM. Any errors or omissions are regretted.

CONTENTS

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

The Birth of a Nation

and Three Companies 8

PART 1 The First 30 Years 16

The Meeting
of Minds 18
The Founding Fathers,
30 years on 28
Lessons in
Leadership-1 44
Slowdown after
Take-Off 50
On a Roll 60
Lessons in
Leadership-2 78
When the Going gets Tough...
the Tough get Going 84
The Game Changer 102

10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17

Lessons in
Leadership-3 120
Lessons in
Leadership-4 130
The Board,
30 years on 140

PART 2 The Pillars of Distinction and Pride 160

Construction
The Leader of the Pack 162
Property
On the Ascendancy 180
Industry
Manufacturing a Stronger Base 204
Plantations
Vive la Diffrence 216
Infrastructure
Assets that can be Monetised 238
Conclusion 252
Index 256

THE IJM STORY

The Birth of a Nation

and Three Companies

n 1959, Tunku Abdul Rahman declared: I am the happiest Prime

Minister in the world. Money was pouring into the country, business boomed,
new industries grew up and there was complete peace and harmony in the

country, he explained later in his book Political Awakening (Pelanduk, 1986).

Two years earlier in 1957, the Tunku had led the Federation of Malaya to
independence after 171 years of British colonial rule, starting with Penang in
1786, and became the nations first prime minister.

Malaysias first prime minister

Tunku Abdul Rahman Putras
famous cheer Merdeka,
Merdeka, Merdeka! to mark the
nations independence from
Great Britain on 31 August 1957.

The future held a lot of promise for the citizens of the fledgling nation. First, there was the
Malayanisation programme that created wide-ranging jobs, especially in high ranking positions
in administrative and professional services following the departure of British officers. There
was a dire need for qualified Malayans to fill these positions. Education and training became
a top priority, with tertiary and technical education taking precedence as nation-building
became the rallying call of the young federation.
There was no better time for high achieving school leavers aspiring to become engineers,
especially civil engineers who were needed to implement public works projects. To pursue
an engineering degree, it became necessary for many to attend a foreign university. The
University of Malaya, the first university in the country, began with the establishment of the
engineering faculty in 1958, but it had only 40 places available. The rite of passage for most was
to attend the diploma programme offered by the Technical College in Kuala Lumpur before
travelling abroad. Upgraded from a technical school to a college in 1946, it forged a close-knit
community of students in the early years, many from relatively poor families fired by the
burning desire to realise their ambition to become engineers and rise above their current
station in life. This shaped the outlook and values of many Technical College graduates from
the 1950s and 1960s, a few of whom later joined forces to start IJM Corporation in 1983.

10

THE IJM STORY

THE BIRTH OF A NATION AND THREE COMPANIES

The main agent of nation building was the Public Works Department (PWD), which was
responsible for both federal and state projects. In the course of the implementation of the
first Malaya Plan (1955-60), the PWD suffered a shortage of planning staff, and it began to
engage with private sector consultants. Despite severe technical manpower shortages, the
nation continued to speed ahead with development projects aimed at narrowing the divide
between urban and rural Malaya; the latter had been neglected by the colonial administration.
Revenues earned on the back of rubber, tin and other agricultural exports were ploughed
back into building new roads, water supply networks, sewerage works, hospitals and clinics,
schools, power generation stations, transmission & distribution lines, and drainage and
irrigation works. Many of these projects received strong financial and technical support from
international agencies such as the World Bank and United Nations affiliates that championed
poverty reduction and self-sufficiency in Third World nations.
The countrys building industry flourished, and it attracted contractors of every stripe and
colour. Historically, contractors were hardy and enterprising migrant Chinese with the street

echnical College: old school tie @work

The old school tie was at work when Mudajaya

Construction Sdn Bhd and Jurutama Sdn Bhd
were born. Most of the pioneers were alumni of
the Technical College, which was upgraded to a
college in 1946 after having served as a technical
school since 1904.
As a school, it served the needs of the British
colonial administration that needed personnel

to man and maintain infrastructure. Students

who passed their examination were awarded
the certificate of civil engineering that enabled
them to pursue professional examinations
conducted by the City and Guilds of London
Institute in the United Kingdom. Successful
candidates could then proceed to sit for the
Part 1 and Part 11 professional examinations

conducted by the Institution of Civil Engineers,

United Kingdom. With this, they qualified as
pupil or graduate engineers.
The school became a college to meet the
growing demand for more competent technical
personnel, and it began by offering a 3-year
diploma in civil, mechanical and electrical
engineering, architecture, town and country
planning, land and quantity surveying. The
engineering diploma exempted its graduates
from the Part 1 examination conducted by the
Institution of Civil Engineers since 1967.
Originally located in High Street (now Jalan
Tun HS Lee), the college moved to its new
campus in 1955, a sprawling 18-hectare location
in Jalan Gurney (now Jalan Semarak). Among
the early undergraduates at this campus were
the founding fathers of IJM Yap Lim Sen, Koon
Yew Yin and Koh Boon Chor. Following in their
footsteps a few years later were Lim Choong
Kong, Lim Yong Keat and Goh Chye Keat.
It was the salad days of these young men,
raised in hard times and who valued hard
work. The ties of friendship sown during their
college years became their point of reference for
future collaborations that ultimately led to the
formation of IJM.

Landmark buildings that

celebrate the birth of a
new nation (left to right):
Subang International
Airport, Parliament House
and National Mosque.

smarts to work well under the direction of engineers and architects. They were essentially
tradesmen, who ran businesses that were paternalistic, clannish, frugal, and had an appetite
for the high-risk contracting world. Typically, these businesses consisted of the kepala who
would assemble a team, usually family and clan members, who gained experience through an
apprenticeship system.
Surprisingly, few of these tradesmen survived the colonial building frenzy during the tin
and rubber boom of the 19th century and early 20th century. Those who did were late entries
such as Low Yat and Lim Goh Tong who became contractors in the closing years of the British
colonial administration. Lim Goh Tong was a true pioneer, a contractor ahead of his time. His
company, Kien Huat Construction secured the Kemubu Irrigation project in Kelantan that was
funded by the World Bank. After the completion of this project, Lim moved all his resources
to build the now famous Genting Highland Resort in Pahang. These early stalwarts of the
Malaysian construction industry who earned their spurs in the colonial years proceeded
to cultivate the patronage of the new leadership of independent Malaya to strengthen their
positions. In the heady days leading up to independence, Low Yat
and his team worked furiously to build the 10-storey Federal Hotel
along Jalan Bukit Bintang that was to be used to house foreign

The hallmarks of a successful
guests and diplomats invited to attend Malayas independence
celebrations. Another contractor, Lim Chong Hin constructed the
traditional contractor in the early days of
Merdeka Stadium, the venue of the celebration, from where the
the building industry were a Merc, a gun
Tunku officially proclaimed independence with his famous cheer:
and a mistress.
Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!
Lim Yong Keat, co-founder of Jurutama Sdn Bhd
Other prestigious projects to proclaim the new nations
sovereignty followed: the National Mosque, Parliament House,
Subang International Airport, University of Malaya, to name a few. Meanwhile, Tan Chin Nam
won hearts, including that of the Tunku, when he built the countrys first low cost housing in
Kampung Congo in Kuala Lumpur, making the prospect of home ownership among the poor
a reality.
Rural development projects, on the other hand, were a different ball game altogether.
They tended to be driven by international aid agencies who preferred dealing with their

11

12

THE IJM STORY

THE BIRTH OF A NATION AND THREE COMPANIES

The year 1966 marked the beginning of the

First Malaysia Plan (prior to this they were
called Malaya Plans, beginning in 1955).
This is a new era where the Jabatan Kerja
Raya (JKR) was completely staffed by local
officers.

own community of consultants. Heres the rub: local contractors

lacked the professional expertise to engage with them. They
barely spoke English, essential to deal with foreign consultants,
avoided paperwork, were disorganised by Western standards
and were often under capitalised. In short, they did not have the
professional competencies to meet international requirements.
This did not deter the contractors, who persevered, overcoming
Source: Commemorating 123 Years of JKR (Jabatan
their limitations by hiring professional engineers.
Kerja Raya, known as the Public Works Department
For an engineer, one of the best places to work in the 1960s
before 1965).
and 1970s was the public service. Many had stepped into the shoes
of departing colonial officers, positions that were accorded much
respect. In addition, the government adopted the British model for public works projects,
which involved appointing a consulting firm to draw engineering designs for contractors
whose function was to build only, supervised by the consultant. As a client, the government
engineer was often treated deferentially, even delicately. The salary structure was also
attractive, with perks and lurks along the way. To work in the private sector was not an option
considered by many then.
Yet a few did, stepping out of the comfort zone and high status associated with government
jobs for less pay in the construction business. Perhaps, it was the spirit of enterprise, the
desire for change, or from their commanding positions in the public service, these engineers
could see that day by day that the grass was growing greener on the other side the annual
public expenditure for construction was outstripping other economic sectors. The prospects
were likely to be bright for those who went private at the start of the construction curve. In
all probability, it is the combination of all these factors that prompted a few civil engineers,
later the founding fathers of IJM, to cross over to the private sector.
First among them to take the leap were Yap
Lim Sen from the Department of Drainage &
Irrigation and Koon Yew Yin, a Public Works
Department engineer whose credentials
included the construction of Merdeka
Stadium. Technical College mates, they joined
a consulting firm in Ipoh in 1962, before
venturing into the construction industry,
reputedly not for the faint-hearted. As Yap
puts it, We were Chinamen who did not want
to work for people for a few RM100. We were
not afraid to lose our pensions.
In 1965, Koon joined Chye Hin Construction
Ltd in Ipoh that was founded by wealthy
tin miner Choong Chin Liang, who was its
chairman. To boost the companys professional
Technical College Hostel in 1957

expertise, Koon invited Technical College buddy and PWD engineer Koh Boon Chor into the
fold. The pooling of resources enabled Chye Hin to qualify as a sub-contractor for the Muda
Irrigation Project, a coveted World Bank-funded project of the Department of Drainage &
Irrigation that consisted of a variety of large and small civil engineering packages awarded
on an open tender basis.
Chye Hin picked up a few lucrative packages, and proved that engineers could run
a construction company well, if not better. As a tribute to the successful completion of its
inaugural project, the company changed its name to Mudajaya Construction Sdn Bhd (a Malay
phrase that translates as success in Muda), with Koon Yew Yin and Koh Boon Chor as joint
managing directors. They were a good match, the entrepreneurial and outgoing Koon squared
off by the methodical technocrat Koh.
Mudajayas new identity also served to distance the company from being associated with
the rough and tumble world of the Chinaman contractor. In all likelihood, the name change
was also a strategic exercise in a Malaysia that was recovering from the 1969 race riots, the
worst in the nations record. In its aftermath, the New Economic Policy was launched in 1971,
and this affirmative action programme sent ripples of unease particularly among the Chinese
business community. Chye Hin must have found it timely to move beyond its communal name
to project a more national image.
Yap, meanwhile, ventured into property development, enticed as a consultant to work on
a housing project for the newly established Ipoh Garden Sdn Bhd or IGB in 1964 by influential
entrepreneur Tan Chin Nam, a rising star both in Malaysia and Singapore. Yap delivered well,
and was appointed managing director, and started to take the company to new heights with
trailblazing projects. In 1981, IGB became one of the earliest real estate companies to become
public listed in Malaysia.
In Kuala Lumpur, another professional construction company was being constituted by
another group of Technical College alumni. They too vied to work on the Muda Irrigation
project, but the birth of their company was complicated.
This team was led by Lim Choong Kong, who had dabbled with construction jobs since
he was a teenager, and gained insight into project management when he interned with
Wimpey Construction of London, one of the largest contractors in the United Kingdom, as
part of an industrial training scholarship. With his hands-on experience, Lim Choong Kong
was accepted for a Masters engineering programme at Southampton University. He was
in the midst of it when he received news of the impending Muda Irrigation Project tender.
Ever the entrepreneur, Lim Choong Kong took a break from his studies to bid for the Muda
Irrigation Project.
His entry point was Soon Tat Construction, a sole proprietorship that belonged to Chow
Soon Tat, a tailor. Chow Soon Tats tailoring shop in Jalan Bangsar was in the neighbourhood
of the Drainage & Irrigation Department, whose officers were his regular customers. Through
his friendship with them, Chow Soon Tat secured a Class A Contractors licence, and won a

13

14

THE IJM STORY

uda, here we come!

few contracts. When the Muda Irrigation Project was tendered,

Soon Tat won a few packages. However, one of the stipulations
of the contract was the employment of professional engineers.
Soon Tat Construction found it expedient to join forces with Lim
Choong Kong, who had professional credentials as well as a few
drainage & irrigation projects under his belt.
Lim Choong Kong recognised the need to bulk up Soon Tat
Constructions engineering muscle, and he did exactly what Koon
Yew Yin did at Mudajaya Construction: turn to friends from the
Technical College. He found Goh Chye Keat, a PWD engineer
looking for a break in the private sector, and they made a fine
pair, the enterprising Lim Choong Kong complemented by the
engineering excellence of Goh Chye Keat.
As the Muda Irrigation project drew to a close in the early
The Muda Irrigation Project is one of the biggest World Bank projects in
1970s, the sole proprietorship was converted to a private limited
post-independence Malaysia. Valued at US$45 million, it was approved
company called Soon Tat Construction Sdn Bhd. Chow became the
for implementation in 1965 and completed in 1973. It involved the
main shareholder and Lim Choong Kong, the second shareholder.
construction of three dams, a tunnel connecting two reservoirs,
The company established its principal premises at No. 36, Jalan
ancillary structures and a system of irrigation canals in the states of
Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, and began tendering for new jobs.
Kedah and Perak to facilitate double cropping of padi on 261,000 acres.
Ironically, Soon Tat Construction came undone by success, when
The area was previously served by an irrigation system that supplied
it won the bid for the construction of the coastal bund for the
water for a single crop; the rest of the acreage was entirely dependent
on the monsoon rain. The project was designed to increase rice output,
North Klang Straits Industrial Estate. It was a pyrrhic victory that
increase rural income and reduce Malaysias dependence on rice
posed one challenge after another.
imports.
Soon Tat won because its tender was cheaper; RM1.6 million
Malaysian engineers who cut their teeth on the Muda Irrigation
compared to second bidder Chye Hins RM2.4 million. As a result
Project honed their project management skills and gained exposure
of the price disparity, the client Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri
to new western technologies. Best of all, the project gave them the
Selangor (PKNS) had its reservations about Soon Tatts ability to
grounding to be confident of their own ability to handle projects that
were large, specialised and international.
deliver. To safeguard its interest, PKNS raised the performance
bond from 5% as stipulated in the tender document to 30%.
Soon Tat Construction did not have the funds, and needed fresh
working capital. The notion of eating humble pie and exiting from the project was too
shameful to consider. To resolve the crisis, a partnership was offered to senior engineer Goh
Chye Keat. Lim Choong Kong also invited Ong Yeng Tian, a resident engineer at the Muda
Irrigation project, to join the company as a partner. Also invited was his brother Lim Yong
Keat, a Technical College graduate and PWD engineer who was then employed at United
Asbestos Cement. As partners/shareholders, each invested RM100,000.
Even so, Soon Tats money woes were far from over there were operational costs and
overheads to be borne, and cash flow issues and pay cuts became the order of the day.
Accustomed to being a one-man show, Chow Soon Tat did not share the same approach
to business as his partners did. The inevitable happened within the first year a friendly
departure by Chow Soon Tat who went on to start another construction company. The

THE BIRTH OF A NATION AND THREE COMPANIES

15

remaining shareholders then proceeded to change the companys name to Jurutera

Pertama Sdn Bhd, shortened to Jurutama Sdn Bhd in 1973. The name is an acronym of
Jurutera Pertama (First Engineers) to mark the entry of professional engineers into the
construction business. The partners deliberately omitted Construction from their name
as they planned to grow beyond this function, and did. It was a difficult birth, but Jurutama
rode on the goodwill and track record of the Soon Tat name to move forward, diversifying
into manufacturing along the way.
By the seventies, a clutch of reputable professionally-run construction companies
emerged on the Malaysian scene. The building industry continued on the uptrend, with
projects continuing to grow in magnitude and contract value.
Professional outfits such as Mudajaya and Jurutama shored up their portfolio of jobs and
capabilities. However, one thing irked them: they were always the bridesmaid, never the
bride. Twenty years after the Muda Irrigation Project and diverse civil engineering projects
later, they remained subcontractors of international companies, not main contractors. To
these professionals with internationally recognised engineering qualifications and World
Bank project experience, this state of affairs was unacceptable.

adical Restructuring with the New Economic Policy (1971-1990)

The New Economic Policy was launched

following the race riots of 13 May1969 that
exposed cracks in nation-building. It highlighted
that after more than a decade of independence,
while the Malays held the reins of political power,
the economy of the nation was in the hands of
immigrant communities, especially the Chinese.
The race riots were followed by the
dissolution of Parliament and emergency rule
for two years. Malaysias image suffered, and
foreign investment inflows slowed. There was
a change of leadership, from Tunku Abdul
Rahman to Abdul Razak Hussein, who became
the second prime minister of Malaysia. In 1971,
the latter launched the New Economic Policy
that adopted a two-pronged approach for the
radical restructuring of the Malaysian economy.
The first prong was to reduce and eventually
eradicate poverty by raising income levels
and increasing employment opportunities
for all Malaysians, irrespective of race. The
second prong aimed to accelerate the process

of restructuring Malaysian society to correct

economic imbalances, so as to reduce and
eventually eliminate the identification of race
with economic function.
In Crossroads, A Popular History of Malaysia
and Singapore (Times, 1999), Jim Baker writes:
The political leadership did not preclude
the Chinese and Indians from maintaining
their cultural identities. It did not preclude
Chinese and Indian political participation,
and it did not preclude the immigrants from
prospering, but all these had to take place in
the context of Malay goals.
Still, the status quo was challenged and
it caused anxiety among the immigrant
communities. What unsettled them most was
the 30% bumiputera ownership of the corporate
and business sector and the quota system in
education and employment, particularly in the
government sector, which was now required to
reflect the national racial composition 60%
Malay, 30% Chinese, 7% Indian and 3% others.

Confidence gradually returned with the

implementation of one Malaysia Plan after
another that became regarded as a model for
the developing world by the United Nations
and other international development agencies.
The success of the plans resulted in an everenlarging economic pie, with rich pickings to be
had by all Malaysians. This has been validated
by the fact that non-bumiputeras continue
to dominate the list of wealthiest Malaysians
published every year by the local magazine
Malaysian Business and Forbes Asia.
The New Economic Policy was followed by
the New Development Policy (1991-2020) that
emphasised assistance only to bumiputeras with
potential, commitment and good track record
rather than the previous blanket measures to
redistribute wealth and employment. The New
Development Policy is part of the longer term
programme called Vision 2020 to transform
Malaysia into a fully industrialised country and
quadruple per capita income by 2020.

PART 1

The First 30 Years

18

THE IJM STORY

THE IJM STORY

The Meeting of Minds

JM is the result of the meeting of minds at the crossroads of ambition

and frustration. It represents the ambition of men helming two contracting

companies who wanted to lead, not play second fiddle to international giants.

They were men who wanted their outfits to stand out and be counted as
first generation professional construction companies, not hereditary family

businesses. But they were frustrated because despite their considerable

credentials, they were relegated to the role of professional workhorses to

main contractors who basked in the glory of jobs well done. Worse, the Look

East policy launched by prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 1981 did

not bode well for them.

Mahathirs rationale for Looking East was simple, writes Hng Hung Yong in CEO Malaysia,
Strategy in Nation Building (Pelanduk 1998): After decades of following Western work
practices, he felt it was time to learn from those who had succeeded where the West had
failed. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Japanese economic machine was chugging along nicely in
Europe and America, outperforming homegrown economies in many sectors. Japan was No.
1, and its admirers went trooping to Tokyo to study the Japanese Miracle. Mahathir thought
it was time Malaysians did the same. Look East was thus his wake up call to Malaysians.
The Japanese had shown how competitive advantage could be achieved. The Koreans and
Taiwanese were following suit. It was time to learn discipline, application and innovation
from those who had succeeded.
While justified in some sectors, the Look East policy undermined the local construction
industry. It pitted local firms against well-capitalised Japanese and Korean construction
giants that had surplus capacity and concessionary government loans in bids for multi-million
ringgit construction projects. Two voices of the building industry, the Housing Developers
Association and the Master Builders Association Malaysia, diplomatically expressed their
dismay, with an oblique criticism of Malaysian Government awards of most of its larger
construction projects to the foreign firms.

19

1980s

The main area of conflict was

large construction projects. However,
Japanese and Korean contractors were
Construction Projects By Japanese And Korean Companies in 1980s
also perceived as trying to win even
Project
Foreign Construction Companies
comparatively small construction jobs,
Dayabumi
Takenaka Komuten & Kumagai Gumi (J)
which they didnt compete for in the
UMNO Headquarters
Takenaka Komuten, Kumagai Gumi, Shimizu (J)
past. This meant that the market for local
Permodalan Nasional Berhad Headquarters Shimizu (J)
contractors shrank even further. This
Headquarters UBN Shangrila Hotel
Taisei (J)
was clearly unacceptable to an industry
Employees Provident Fund Headquarters
Taisei (J)
that had experienced significantly high
PKNS Low Cost Housing
Hazamagumi, Taisei (J)
growth rates in the past 14 years; the
Urban Development Authority
Taisei-Marubeni (J)
Bukit
Nanas
Project
construction sector had grown four fold
Penang Bridge
Hyundai (K)
since 1970.
Maybank 58-storey Headquarters
Keang Nam/DaeWoo Construction (K)
By 1981, there were 4,584 construction
Kenyir
Dam
Hyundai (K)
firms, providing employment to almost
Sabah Natural Gas Project
Daelim (K)
a quarter of a million Malaysians. Most
Prefabricated Housing Pahang/KL Housing
Samick (K)
were family businesses, with Mudajaya
Resins Project, Pahang
Young Dong (K)
and Jurutama the notable exceptions.
Source:
Star,
27
March
1984,
Nightmare
for
Local
Builders;
and Far Eastern Economic Review, 14 June 1984, Seoul
Modeled after international engineering
builds bridges. (J) Japanese main contractor; (K) Korean main contractor
construction companies, the latter
were mid-size professionally operated
businesses with an annual turnover of
RM60-100 million, and staffed by qualified personnel from a broad spectrum of engineering
and allied disciplines. They represented the way forward for Malaysias construction industry,
yet they were heading nowhere.

ooking East

The owners of both companies found a staunch ally in their old Technical College mate Yap
Lim Sen, the managing director of prominent property developer Ipoh Garden Berhad (IGB).
He says: It was absurd that professional companies such as Mudajaya and Jurutama were
working for big ones at half price and not allowed to tender. They had the experience and
the track record but were undercapitalised and could not qualify for big jobs that required
substantial performance bonds. Bold and daring, he decided the time for change had come.
IGB became a public listed company on the Malaysian bourse in 1981, which would gave
it access to the capital market to fund its expansion plans. Ever the visionary, Yap recognised
the bright prospects for a well-managed and efficient construction company for IGB. Fresh
from the listing of IGB, Yap proposed an acquisition exercise that would serve the interest of
all three parties: Mudajaya, Jurutama and IGB Construction, the young construction arm of
his company.
The merger & acquisition (M&A) was to be the prelude to the listing of a new entity that
would give it access to capital markets. Yap is said to have reasoned that this route will enable

20

THE IJM STORY

Jalan Kuching ramps in

Kuala Lumpur, one of
Jurutamas urban projects
in the Klang Valley.

THE MEETING OF MINDS

21

1980s

engineers to concentrate on what they knew best engineering while public listing will give
the company the financial clout to grow.
The idea of public listing had crossed the mind of the successful Mudajaya, but it was
too small to go it alone. Jurutamas growth, unfortunately, was stymied by money woes.
Yap played the role of matchmaker with vested interests. I knew both sides, and thought
why not bring these companies together as a group that would evolve into a public listed
company. The merger also fitted well into IGBs construction agenda. IGB was an urban
property developer that could grow better with the professional experience and skills of
Mudajaya and Jurutama.
He won the confidence of Mudajayas management, with whom
he had a long association. Next, he approached Jurutamas managing
director Lim Choong Kong with: Outsiders are getting good jobs and
good money. We should as well! It worked.
All three companies aspired to build Malaysias largest
professional engineering and construction firm with the resources
to ride the construction boom they could see coming in Malaysia. It
was an exciting proposition, with each company bringing to the table
different skills sets and experience. Indeed, the merger would create
an entity with capabilities that covered the entire engineering and
construction spectrum, backed by the financial muscle of IGB. It would
catapult them to the league of foreign competitors, to work hand-inhand with them, not for them. Better still, it would have the financial
and operational might to bid for large scale projects on merit.
Mudajaya came with a strong track record for infrastructure
projects such as irrigation, interstate highways and water supply
networks. After the Muda Irrigation Project, it had ventured to the
East Coast where few contractors were willing to go. It participated
in joint ventures with Japanese and Korean companies, and forged a
strong relationship with the Japanese Development Corporation, who
later became its international partner.
In Pahang, it constructed the first package of the Bahau-Keratong
Highway while in Terengganu, it built the petroleum supply base
for the Kemaman Port. It was also appointed by a Korean turnkey
contractor to build a tank farm for the newly formed Petronas.
Another Terengganu project was the construction of hydroelectric
saddle dams with the Japanese. The company later went on to build
the Upper Pierce Dam in Singapore, the Lumut Naval Dockyard and
the APMC cement plant in Rawang.
Jurutamas areas of specialisation were urban infrastructure, housing and
manufacturing. In the post-Muda Irrigation Project period, it used its Kedah experience
to secure contracts to build urban roads and schools in the state capital of Alor

Setar. The drainage and irrigation experience proved useful in securing contracts for
reclamation works in Sungai Perai, Penang and the coastal bund for the North Klang
Straits Industrial Estate. The latter resulted in the usage of an 8-km long conveyor belt
system, the longest and the first of its kind for a reclamation project in Malaysia.
Other Klang Valley projects included the Jalan Ipoh
overpass, the Federal Highway upgrading works in Selangor,
the parking apron of Subang International Airport and the
Kuala Lumpur sewerage system. In Sarawak, it was awarded

Consulting firm Minconsults founder P. Ganendra once
the civil works contract for Shells crude oil terminal in
remarked that if Jurutama wants to cheat you, it will ask your
Bintulu, where it also built the MLNG staff housing; in Miri, it
permission first. We had become known for operating on trust and
built the Shell head office.
doing the best for our clients, including saving costs for them.
At times, Jurutama was the principal subcontractor and at
Lim Choong Kong, managing director of Jurutama Sdn Bhd
other times, the joint venture partner of Mitsui Construction
Co. of Japan, with whom it forged a strong relationship. Mitsui
introduced Jurutama to the manufacture of pre-stressed spun
concrete piles, a new piling system that was beginning to
revolutionise the construction industry. The Mitsui connection
was instrumental in Jurutama diversifying into manufacturing
with the establishment of Industrial Concrete Products Sdn Bhd
(ICP) in 1977 one of Jurutamas biggest assets.
IGB Construction Sdn Bhd began as the in-house construction
division of the parent company. Its successful completion of
the 20-storey Plaza Pekeliling in Kuala Lumpur resulted in its
incorporation as a limited liability company in 1981. The start-up
company highlighted to IGB the need for a strategic partnership
with companies with a longer and richer history.

In their best interest

The M&A corporate exercise began in 1982, and was completed

in two phases. First, there was the acquisition of Mudajaya and
Jurutama by IGB, which paid approximately RM30 million that
was settled with the issuance of IGB shares at RM2.00 per share.
There were misgivings about the valuation exercise conducted
by IGB. Jurutamas Lim Choong Kong felt that his company was
undervalued, especially their profitable subsidiary ICP. It took
some negotiation to bring this to pass. On the Mudajaya front,
joint managing director Koon Yew Yin had reservations about the
share swap arrangement. There was a moratorium on the sale
of IGB shares, and by the time it was lifted, IGB share prices had
fallen substantially. Both issues left a bitter aftertaste that lingers
till this day.

Nation-building kicked off with large infrastructure projects that aimed to

improve the quality of life in Malaysia. Picture here shows an official visit by
prime minister Tun Hussein Onn to a project site in Johor.

PROJECT PORTFOLIO

JURUTAMA

MUDAJAYA

IGB

Lumut Naval Dockyard in Perak

Alor Setar urban roads

Kemaman Port in Terengganu

APMC cement plant in Rawang, Selangor

Jalan Ipoh Overpass in Kuala Lumpur

Plaza Pekeliling in Kuala Lumpur

Peninsular Gas Utilisation Export Terminal in

Terengganu
Sungai Perai barrage and reclamation
project in Penang

Federal Highway II in Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Kuala Terengganu Water Supply Plant in Terengganu

Connaught Bridge Power Station Gas Turbine

Extension Stage II in Klang, Selangor

Bintulu Development Authority housing project in Sarawak

IGB Plaza in Kuala Lumpur

24

THE IJM STORY

THE MEETING OF MINDS

25

1980s

Regardless, the M&A proceeded as planned, with common sense and pragmatism as
its hallmark.
In 1984, the second and final phase was completed with an internal restructuring that led
to the reactivation of a dormant IGB company called Solidstate Sdn Bhd. IGB transferred all
its equity interests in Mudajaya and Jurutama and IGB Construction in exchange for 31 million
shares in Solidstate, which became its wholly owned subsidiary. To celebrate their union, the
company adopted a new name the initials of their names in alphabetical order to create IJM
Engineering & Construction Sdn Bhd.
Meanwhile, senior management and Maraputra Sdn Bhd, a 100% bumiputera construction
company that was previously the partner of Mudajaya, were invited to join as shareholders
of the newly-incorporated company, with the latter taking up
five million shares while the senior management team of the
combined entity was allocated 10 million shares. IJM began with
an authorised capital of RM200.0 million, and a paid up capital of
RM46.0 million.
Before the merger, all partners
Overnight, IJM became a strong, robust and competitive
of the three companies met
company with the largest pool of experienced construction
for a brainstorming workshop
engineers and managers in the country. This was just the
in Ipoh with one primary item
on the agenda: the naming of the new company, recalls Goh Chye
beginning, as it had set its sight on becoming the best managed
Keat, a partner of Jurutama who became the second group managing
and most reputable construction group in the country.
director of IJM.
All shareholders of the component companies were appointed
After much deliberation, it was decided to name the company
to the Board of Directors to enable IJM to realise the mission and
using the initials of each. We toyed with JIM, but it was shot down.
goal of the merger. IJMs first Board of Directors were:
Finally, we settled for IJM it was the alphabetical order of our company
IGB: Yap Lim Sen, Tan Boon Seng with Goh Nan Kioh and
initials and therefore did not ruffle feathers. We also liked it because it
Krishnan Tan as alternates
sounded like IBM, a much admired company.
At that point in time, we also decided on the slogan: Big, Strong
Jurutama: Lim Choong Kong and Goh Chye Keat, with Ong
and Caring, inspired by the Standard Chartered tagline Big, Strong
Yeng Tian and Lim Yong Keat as alternates
and Friendly. We agreed it was critical for senior management to be
Mudajaya: Koh Boon Chor and Koon Yew Yin, with Chay
caring, especially since the merger would result in the convergence
Kwok Thong as an alternate.
and consolidation of different work styles and corporate cultures.
Maraputra: Ahmad Azizuddin bin Haji Zainal Abidin
Independent Director: Mohd Tahir bin Haji Abdul Rahim
Mudajayas Koh Boon Chor was appointed as the first managing
director of IJM, with Jurutamas Lim Choong Kong as his deputy. Ahmad Azizuddin bin Hj
Zainal Abidin from Maraputra Sdn Bhd was appointed as IJMs first chairman.

hats in a Name?

IJM Engineering & Construction began to prepare for its first corporate milestone: public
listing on the KL Stock Exchange, now known as Bursa Malaysia. At the end of 1984, it applied
to the Foreign Investment Committee and Capital Issues Committee for public flotation. It
obtained approval from the former but the application to the Capital Issues Committee was
delayed. In IJMs 1985 Annual Report, the chairmans statement reported: The application

to the Capital Issues Committee is pending. It has been

affected by the freeze on approvals for new listings imposed
during the year. With the recent change in policy to give
selective approvals, I am confident that our application
will be reconsidered by the Capital Issues Committee.
Unfazed, IJM pressed on in an economy that had slowed
as a result of a global recession. Government cutbacks in
capital expenditure for civil and building works meant less
jobs. Profit margins were thin, and unemployment was on
the rise. The situation was compounded by the continued
presence of foreign contractors who made bidding
extremely competitive.
The company proved that it was made of sterner stuff,
and against this gloomy backdrop, it boldly diversified
venturing offshore for construction projects in Hong Kong,
Bangladesh and Pakistan. It also bought stakes in local
building material companies and entered joint ventures
partnerships for property development in Malaysia,
Australia and the USA. It also made an unexpected move:
it entered the plantation sector in Sabah, amidst protests
from a few directors who questioned the wisdom of the

Source: Business Times, 7 February 1985

26

THE IJM STORY

An office to call our own

Before the merger, Mudajaya was based in Ipoh,
where it had an office at 76, Jalan Gopeng. Jurutama
occupied a bungalow at No. 9 Jalan Timur, Petaling
Jaya. Once IJM was incorporated in 1983, some
staff were based temporarily at the IGB premises
before moving to the rented annexe of the Sharidal
Complex. IJM bought the entire complex in 1985
and all staff came under one roof, and the building
was renamed Wisma IJM. It has served as the head
office of the IJM Group since then.

THE MEETING OF MINDS

27

1980s

venture that had burnt the fingers of more seasoned players. Yet, the majority ruled in favour,
and IJM became a planter in the remote state of Sabah that was off the radar of investors
from Peninsular Malaysia. Looking back, it was a fortuitous decision that paid off, especially
whenever the construction business hit the down cycle.
The first two years tested the companys strength. It bore the challenges well, and
IJM delivered a post tax profit of RM7.2
million in 1984 and RM6.0 million
in 1985. It also invested in an office
building, the Sharidal Complex in
Petaling Jaya that became Wisma IJM,
Manufacturing company Industrial Concrete Products Sdn Bhd was the pride of Jurutama. It had
the group head office.
a winning product pre-tensioned spun concrete piles (ICP) that was introduced to Malaysia as
Then came the much-awaited news
a result of its joint venture with Mitsui Construction Co of Japan during the piling project for the
Prai Power Station Phase 3. The Japanese set up an onsite manufacturing operation, and upon
the approval for public flotation by the
the completion of the project, sold the facility at a good discount to Jurutama. In 1977, Jurutama
Capital Issues Committee of the KL Stock
incorporated ICP to manufacture and supply pre-stressed concrete piles. The product rapidly
Exchange. The offer for sale of 7,499,000
gained market acceptance, both locally and overseas, and ICP expanded its manufacturing
ordinary shares and for the subscription
operations to meet demand.
of 4,000,000 ordinary shares, both at
Jurutamas main point of contention during the pre-merger valuation exercise was the valuation
par of RM1.00 each was oversubscribed
of ICP, in which Jurutama had a 20% stake (the rest was held privately by its shareholders). ICP was
by 1.98 times. In line with the New
raking in strong profits, yet the valuation team from IGB priced it at book value and gave it a poor
forecast. The shareholders were upset.
Economic Policy, 30% of shares were
Eventually, they accepted an improved though not wholly satisfactory valuation. This
allocated for bumiputera individuals and
reconciliatory act is a proud testament of the commitment of Jurutama shareholders Lim Choong
organisations. On 29 September 1986,
Kong, Goh Chye Keat, Ong Yeng Tian and Lim Yong Keat to the merger and the future of IJM.
IJM Engineering & Construction Berhad
On 9 December 1996, ICP was listed on the Main Board of the KL Stock Exchange, and in 2004,
was listed on the KL Stock Exchange
IJM took control of the company. Later in December 2008, it was taken private because of its
with an authorised capital of RM200
subdued share price and the lack of liquidity for the stock despite good earnings.
million and a paid up capital of RM50.0
million. The share closed at RM1.10 per
share on that day.
The roll-out of the Fifth Malaysia Plan (1986-1990) had started and there was optimism.
But as a company born during an economic downturn IJM remained cautious. By sheer dint
of hard work, financial prudence and a healthy respect for risk management, it managed to
keep its head above water. These formative years shaped the character of IJM, which has been
a profitable company since Day 1, in spite of all the slings and arrows of outrageous economic
downturns and meltdowns.

ticky Moment: ICP Valuation

THE IJM STORY

The Founding Fathers, 30 years on

ll the key players from the three companies that merged to become

IJM Engineering and Construction in 1983 were appointed to the first board
of directors. The board also represented the largest collection of Technical
College graduates ever assembled for a business venture. By chance, it

consisted of men in their 40s and 50s, which facilitated the smooth transition

of leadership from within the ranks of the founding fathers for more than 20
years. This helped mould an IJM that till this day reflects their values.

Parent company IGB left the management of IJM to the other partners, civil engineers
with substantial experience; its stewardship occurred from behind the scenes. With their
hands-on approach, the directors from Mudajaya and Jurutama led project teams to build
IJM into a construction powerhouse in Malaysia and overseas. Inventive and imaginative,
they also explored new horizons that took them far and wide to ensure the sustainability
of the company.
Thirty years on, IJM pays homage to the directors of the first board who laid the foundation
of a company that has grown from a RM46 million firm in 1983 to become the premier
diversified group in Malaysia, with a market capitalisation of RM7.78 billion at the end of 2012.

Mudajaya pioneers, Koon Yew Yin (far left) and Koh Boon Chor (far right)
with Ahmad Azizuddin (seated left), the first chairman of IJM. Standing
to the right is Yap Lim Sen, who initiated the merger that resulted in the
formation of IJM.

Left to right: Goh Chye Keat and Lim Choong Kong, Jurutama shareholders who became the co-founders of IJM.

29

1980s

THE FOUNDING FATHERS, 30 YEARS ON

IPOH GARDEN BERHAD (IGB)

poh Garden Berhad

Yap Lim Sen

Goh Nan Kioh

Yap Lim Sen

Tan Boon Seng

Yap Lim Sen made IJM happen. This is the unanimous view held by the rest of IJMs founders.
The visionary Yap was the managing director of IGB, a property development company that
was going places. It needed a strong construction arm and instead of reinventing the wheel,
he proposed a merger between IGBs construction subsidiary and two companies led by men
who were his college mates. The result is a company built on familiarity, trust and ambition.
The formation of IJM involved the meeting of men with a similar background and similar
aspirations. We wanted to break new ground and build a reputable construction company run
by professional engineers. We invited Azizuddin, a mining engineer, to join us as chairman
because the government wanted Malays to do business.
IJM, which began as a wholly owned subsidiary of IGB, is now bigger than the parent
company. It shows the dynamism of our model. IJM today is a corporate democracy, too large
to be owned by individuals. It is a truly public company run by professionals, with no owner
operator. It is an ideal model the Malaysian government wants to
promote, and also an international model where large companies
IJM today is a corporate democracy, too
are run by professionals, with no single substantial shareholder.
large to be owned by individuals. It is a
IJM expanded overseas, but it made the best money here
truly public company run by professionals,
in Malaysia. As with any business, there are challenges but we
with no owner operator.
coped with the government policies here, and came out well. This
country is good to non Malays.
As I see it now, if given a second chance, I will do exactly the same all over again. I have a
sentimental attachment to IJM, but do not believe in clinging to it. I hope IJM will last long.
Yap retired from the board of IJM in 1989, and now divides his time between his hometown
of Ipoh and Sydney. He has diverse interests that range from investment and publishing to
food and art.

Goh Nan Kioh

Krishnan Tan Boon Seng

Employed as the treasurer of IGB, Goh Nan Kioh was 31 years old when he was appointed
as the alternate director of the IJM board. A business graduate, he joined IGB after having
worked in the banking sector, and led the IGB pre-merger valuation team in what he calls a
merger of talents.
IGB was happy with the valuation, and it acquired Jurutama and Mudajaya via a share
swap that cost less than RM30 million (refer to chapter 2). However, there was unhappiness
when IJM shares grew faster than that of IGB. But having entered the marriage, the partners
of Jurutama and Mudajaya were determined to live together. They were a passionate lot,
who took pride and joy in the ownership and management of IJM. They were men with great
capabilities who wanted IJM to succeed; money was not their primary motivation. They
would be a hard act to follow these days.
IGB wanted IJM to become one of the biggest construction companies in Malaysia, one that
could ride on the countrys construction and infrastructure boom. IJM met our expectations,

31

1980s

32

THE IJM STORY

except that I felt that it had deviated from its original goal as a construction company. Soon
after the merger, it diversified into property development, manufacturing and plantations.
There was a difference of opinion, but the managements decision prevailed. On hindsight, it
has proven to be the right thing to do.
The success of IJM has served as an example for other engineers to strike out to establish
their own construction firms, for example, Gamuda, was once a subsidiary of Mudajaya.
Goh Nan Kioh left the IJM board in 1990, and is now a businessman with substantial equity
interest in Mega First Corporation Berhad. He also has business interests in Indo-China.

Lim Choong Kong

Goh Chye Keat

Tan Boon Seng

Tan Boon Seng, the son of IGB Berhad founder and owner Tan Chin Nam, was the general
manager of IGB since 1980. He was appointed to the IJM board as the representative of the
single largest shareholder of IJM. Tan served as a board member from 1984 to 1989, and was
instrumental in the purchase of Sharidal Complex in Petaling Jaya to accommodate the newly
incorporated IJM. The building was renamed Wisma IJM, and serves the head office of IJM till
this day.
A Master of Arts graduate from Cambridge University, United Kingdom, Tan Boon Seng
served as the managing director of IGB from 1991, and has been its joint managing director since
1995. He has extensive experience in property development, corporate finance and trading, and
currently serves as the chairman and managing director of Lee Hing Development Limited
based in Hong Kong. He is also a director of Wo Kee Hong (Holdings) Limited and Genting Hong
Kong Limited. All three companies are plcs listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Krishnan Tan Boon Seng

Krishnan Tan was a 31-year old accountant hired by Yap Lim Sen for IGB. Tan chose to move
to the newly established construction group, where he became the first financial controller of
IJM, with the blessings of Yap who gave him the sage advice: Let the engineers do what they
know best, while you look after the money. Tan says, The merger created the largest pool
of construction professionals under one roof in Malaysia. IJM was a consortium with huge
technical capabilities, an excellent track record and at the same time it met the bumiputera
equity requirement to bid for government projects.
Trust was the underlying principle at work among the founders. They shared a common
background, and there was a lot of give and take. Even though a wholly owned subsidiary
of IGB, Yap left IJM to be run independently by the engineers, which gave the new company
room to grow and grow. This has been the key to our success.
Tan rose to become IJMs third group managing director, the first non engineer to hold the
position. The last of the founding board in IJM employment, he relinquished the reins of the
group in 2010, and now serves as the executive deputy chairman. He has several directorships
within and outside the IJM Group, including one at Malaysia Airlines (more on Krishnan Tan
as group managing director in Chapter 10).

urutama Sdn Bhd

Ong Yean Tian

Lim Yong Keat

34

THE IJM STORY

THE FOUNDING FATHERS, 30 YEARS ON

JURUTAMA SDN BHD

Lim Choong Kong
Jurutama managing director Lim Choong Kong was appointed as the first deputy managing
director of IJM following the merger. Lim had his first taste of the volatile construction
business while still a teenager helping his father, a small contractor. The business ran into
financial difficulty, and Lim Choong Kong took over, only to become embroiled in a legal
wrangle with suppliers. It was back to books, and he enrolled at the Technical College and
upon graduation, returned to construction. An industrial training scholarship to the United
Kingdom opened his eyes to the need for a more professional and
The benefits of the merger, however,
systematic approach to the construction business.
outweighed the differences, which were
Most contractors in Malaysia then were not very educated
eventually ironed out. Like any good marriage,
or efficient. In the United Kingdom, there were many specialists
and much knowledge-sharing between contractors, consulting
we worked out difficult situations to lay a
engineers and clients who worked together on models and
strong foundation for the company.
simulation tests in laboratories. I felt Malaysia needed this kind of
working environment that empowers contractors to utilise their skills and knowledge for the
clients benefit. It called for professionalism, systems and dedication to quality and integrity.
Malaysians are more versatile, but this is not enough.
The seed of the merger was sown by Yap at a time when Jurutama was facing money
problems and the partners had to make many personal sacrifices. The intent and prospects of
the merger appealed to us and we agreed to sell Jurutama to IGB.
The biggest challenge after the merger was integration. We had different work cultures
and teamwork was not easy. Jurutama was the smallest of the three companies, and by virtue
of its size, it was more flexible and decisions were made quickly. We had to adjust to the more
hierarchical structure introduced by IGB; Mudajaya fared better than us because they were
familiar with the IGB organisational structure given its long association with Yap Lim Sen.
I liked the well-defined chain of command but was distressed whenever it was
undermined. More upsetting was the treatment of Jurutama staff by IGB personnel, who
tended to be condescending. We also suffered the indignity of being a low cost entry company
as a result of the poor valuation of Jurutama.
The benefits of the merger, however, outweighed the differences, which were eventually
ironed out. Like any good marriage, we worked out difficult situations to lay a strong
foundation for the company. We moved into the IGB office first, before setting up home at
Wisma IJM, previously known as Sharidal Complex that was occupied by Tractors Malaysia.
IGB negotiated the sale of the building, and it was a good move to have our head office in the
heartland of Malaysias industrial and commercial belt.
In terms of business, the early years were difficult. There were very few jobs and we put
a lot of effort to get some contracts. I left before the economy recovered.
All of us co-founders remained loyal to the company goals, and are good friends till this
day. I used to feel a sense of pride whenever people made the observation that IJM partners

35

1980s

tend to stick together and rarely quarrel like those in other companies, where there are
quarrels even with subcontractors.
Lim Choong Kong retired from IJM in 1988, the same year as Koh Boon Chor and Koon
Yew Yin. However, the Mudajaya pair continued to serve as IJM directors while Lim chose to
pursue other business interests.

Goh Chye Keat

Krishnan Tan describes his predecessor Goh Chye Keat, who became the second group
managing director of IJM, as a prominent player from Day 1. A Technical College graduate and
PWD civil engineer who became a senior partner of Jurutama at the behest of Lim Choong
Kong, Goh joined the first board of directors at the age of 43. Under his watch from 19881996, IJM struggled out of hard times to soar with the Malaysias infrastructure & construction
boom of the early 1990s. A strategic thinker who stressed on team play, Goh is recognised for
ramping up IJMs five core businesses construction, property development, manufacturing
& quarrying, plantation and infrastructure.
He says, The merger was initiated by Yap Lim Sen, who read the cards right. He recognised
that the country needed bigger construction companies, and advised us to merge into a bigger
entity to compete with Japanese and Korean construction giants who were here because of
the Look East Policy.
When IGB acquired the three companies it paid us with
We embarked on a business and geographical
the issuance of its shares. The valuation of the companies was
diversification strategy that resulted in downward
based on net assets and three years of guaranteed profits by the
integration into building materials, vertical
principals. As a result, after the merger, we continued to work
integration into property development and
independently on projects already in hand for the first three
geographical expansion into overseas markets.
years. We just had to make sure we delivered the agreed profits.
New projects were scarce then since Malaysia was in the
throes of an economic recession. As a professional construction company, IJM had higher
overheads than traditional contractors who were mainly family-owned businesses with
lower overheads. Our primary concern was whether we could be competitive enough to
secure sufficient contracts to pay for overheads without slipping into the red.
Our survival was at stake, and we embarked on a business and geographical diversification
strategy that resulted in downward integration into building materials, vertical integration
into property development and geographical expansion into overseas markets. We were one
of few Malaysian companies that pre-qualified for World Bank and Asian Development Bank
projects abroad. We also took the unprecedented step of moving into the plantation business,
which incidentally has construction potential building roads, housing and utilities.
Under Koh Boon Chors leadership, IJM was in the consolidation mode, trying to get
people to work together and manage our resources in tough times. When I took over as group
managing director, there was organic growth as well as business building. Krishnan Tan
continued with the organic growth and bulked up the company with mergers & acquisitions
during his term of office.

36

THE IJM STORY

THE FOUNDING FATHERS, 30 YEARS ON

37

1980s

Goh retired as IJM group managing director in 1996 and in his inimitable management
style prepared a comprehensive set of hand-over notes for Krishnan Tan to ensure a smooth
transition of leadership. Like the rest, he is in active retirement pursuing a range of business
interests. (More on Goh Chye Keat as group managing director in Chapter 7)

Ong Yeng Tian

Ong Yeng Tian was one of the resident engineers of the Muda Irrigation project when he
met Lim Choong Kong. A student of Penangs Chung Ling High School, he graduated as a civil
engineer from RMIT, Australia. This was followed by a stint with the Drainage & Irrigation
Department before he was invited by Lim Choong Kong to become
a founder partner of Jurutama.
He says, One of the main benefits of the merger was growth
at a rapid rate that would have been impossible had Jurutama not
merged with the other two companies and become listed. With an
enlarged capital, we could diversify into other businesses, which
in a way is a risk-spreading strategy. There were some sacrifices
to be made to become a part of a larger entity, but not significant
enough compared to the benefits.
IJM dispelled the myth that local contractors were
unprofessional and technically unsound. The company slowly but
surely and muscled its way to gain the trust of local authorities
and was awarded very challenging projects. On the other hand, it
did not seize opportunities to enter China when it first opened its
doors to foreign investors and participate in construction and development projects.
Ong is a quiet achiever, recognised as the board director instrumental for IJMs foray into
plantations in Sabah. Less known is his role in property development. He says, I was keen for
IJM to enter oil palm plantations and property development, and had a difficult time trying to
convince sceptics amongst my colleagues and major shareholders since we were contractors
with no experience in both these fields. Fortunately, I had the support of some other directors
who believed we should not be putting all our eggs in one basket. We felt that the way forward
for IJM was to grow and diversify into other sectors or else we will be trouble in times of
recession when construction projects are scarce. We sought out businesses that would
cushion the impact of downturns in the construction business that is cyclical by nature, and
closely tied to the troughs and peaks of the countrys economy.
He says, I never doubted that we would be successful in both. The plantation business
is not rocket science. And I have not met successful developers who are super geniuses. I
believed that with good management and control, hard work, honesty and common sense,
we would prevail, and I was right. I thank other colleagues who believed in me and stood
by me at board level. I felt vindicated when the plantation division helped IJM weather the
storms of a few recessions. Of course, it was very satisfying to see both IJM Plantations and
IJM Land listed.

Of IJM today, he says, IJM has grown tremendously since the early days. It has evolved into
a different animal with a different corporate culture. Although it retains the professionalism
and aspiration to do a good job, the interpersonal relationship among staff is different. In
my time, the relationship among staff was almost family-like. Now, the atmosphere I observe
is almost impersonal. I suppose this tends to happen with a company that has grown to
such a huge size so rapidly. In my time, most staff joined at entry level and there was time to
assimilate the company culture. It is not so now.
Ong retired from IJM in 1990, and currently provides oversight for a few companies,
mainly in his favourite sectors, plantations and property development. He has ongoing
property development projects in Ipoh, Bukit Mertajam and is planning another in Australia.
He describes them all as small scale ventures.

Lim Yong Keat

Lim Yong Keat is credited with turning Industrial Concrete Products Sdn Bhd (ICP) from
a company with a seed capital of RM30,000 in 1977 into the largest pre-tensioned spun
concrete piles manufacturer in Southeast Asia. In 1981, there was a further cash injection
that raised the paid-up capital to RM550,000. In 1994, ICPs value grew to RM72 million
following the asset injection of Hume factories, valued at RM48 million. In 2004, IJM bought
Humes 33% stake in ICP, and injected its quarry and ready mixed concrete assets, valued at
RM130 million. Apart from the initial cash capital of RM550,000 and two injections of assets
totalling RM178 million, there were no other capital call up. Today, ICPs shareholders fund
stands at RM700 million.
The building materials manufacturer has also evolved from a single product company to a
group of companies involved in multiple product manufacture, marketing and investments ICP that now has an international presence.
Lim Yong Keat was a Technical College graduate who became a PWD civil engineer.
Meticulous and detailed, he brought to IJM several invaluable qualities, given his predisposition
for engineering design and technical sales & marketing experience. His contributions to IJM
at its inception were in the areas of administrative and personnel
systems and computerisation. He resigned as a director of IJM in
With the merger, ICP had an in-house buyer. But
1994 to concentrate on building up ICP.
we never stopped looking for new markets and
Lims previous experience came in handy. He recalls,
today our pre-tensioned spun concrete pipes is a
Before joining Jurutama as a partner, I worked as a marketing
market leader in Malaysia and also earning export
engineer at the Australian-owned United Asbestos Cement
ringgit for the company.
Bhd (UAC) for a year and a half, at a time when few engineers
wanted to do marketing. I liked it, and worked in the pipes
division selling pipes to the JKR, state government water authorities and these contacts
were useful when I joined Jurutama, later a part of IJM. The UAC experience gave me the
skills sets to grow ICP into a profitable business for the IJM Group. The importance of
credit control in marketing cannot be overemphasised, and it became central to the ICP
business management process.

38

THE IJM STORY

With the formation of IJM, ICP had an in-house buyer. But we never stopped looking for
new markets and today our pre-tensioned spun concrete piles is a market leader in Malaysia
and also earning export ringgit for the company.
On the merger with IGB, Lim had this to say: The statement put to us by Yap Lim Sen in
1982 was that most of big corporations were helmed by accountants and lawyers. Why cant
engineers be given similar opportunities? The idea was to gather capable engineers to build
and run bigger companies. Much has been said about low valuations given to Jurutama and
ICP. Thanks to this low valuation, 80% of ICP shares remained in the hands of the founders
at the time of the merger. For the acquisition of Jurutama and Mudajaya, IGB issued about
15 million shares at RM2 each, equivalent to about 10% of its paid up capital then. From the
proforma Consolidated Profit and Loss Account at December 1983, Mudajaya and Jurutama
contributed about 40% of the group profit of IGB. Unfortunately, for the principals, just
months after getting their IGB shares, the price went down to RM1.
After the merger, we had great expectations of learning from a bigger company. As Yap left
us alone to manage the new entity, we had to put together a management system by adapting
the best practices from both Jurutama and Mudajaya, says Lim.
It was Yaps hands-off policy that enabled IJM to grow and diversify its business. But a
time came when IJM was perceived to be going out of control. One day in the early 1990s, Yap
called a crucial meeting with all the principals and put this question to them: Are you ready
to be on your own? To maintain our independence, we had no choice but put up a brave front
and said yes. His parting remark was: We will act accordingly. Shortly after this, IGB started
diluting its equity interest in IJM, from 51% to 20%. Yap was definitely visionary and ahead of
his time.
Lim says the pioneers of IJM belong to the generation that participated in open tender
government projects. He explains, They treated the Government General Order and
Financial Order as bibles when bidding for jobs, and we were diligent in meeting all the
criteria stipulated in tender documents. We were also trained to deliver according to the
terms and conditions of the contract as there were government audits being conducted
throughout the project. The pioneers, the last of whom is Krishnan Tan, were raised on this
tradition of governance.
Lim Yong Keat was the executive director and shareholder of ICP, which became a public
listed company in 1996. It was taken private in 2008, and became a wholly owned subsidiary
of IJM. After his retirement in 2004, Lim was appointed as an advisor of the ICP Group and
continues in this role till today.

THE FOUNDING FATHERS, 30 YEARS ON

39

1980s

udajaya Construction Sdn Bhd

Koh Boon Chor

Chay Kwok Thong

Koon Yew Yin

40

THE IJM STORY

THE FOUNDING FATHERS, 30 YEARS ON

MUDAJAYA CONSTRUCTION SDN BHD

Koh Boon Chor
Koh Boon Chor was appointed as the first group managing director of IJM. Together with
Koon Yew Yin, he was instrumental in professionalising Chye Hin Construction, later renamed
Mudajaya Construction, where he served as joint managing
Our early annual reports were all about
director. Described as a quiet technocrat who squared off with
savings and cost-cutting. I believe this
the business zeal of Koon Yew Yin, the duo built up Mudajaya into
approach may have rubbed off and the
a mid-size company with an annual turnover of RM80 million.
Those days, few local contractors could compete with foreign
management became prudent and IJM has
contractors. To do so, we needed a larger paid up capital, and
never reported a loss till this day.
this led to the merger. My first task as managing director was
to prepare the company for public listing. With public trust, we
will have the capital to grow bigger. At the same time, I was entrusted to integrate the staff
of Mudajaya and Jurutama, and win their confidence to work together. These challenges
were compounded by the fact that the country was in a recession, and money was scarce.
We attracted professional engineers and retained them with our staff policies and incentive
system. This gave us an advantage in better times.
Our early annual reports were all about savings and cost-cutting. I believe this approach
may have rubbed off and the management became prudent and IJM has never reported an
operating loss till this day.
The soft spoken Koh retired in 1988 but continued to serve as an executive director, a
position he relinquished in 1994. He cherishes his friendship with the IJM pioneers, especially
his old partners from Mudajaya, and spends much of his time travelling to be with his children
who live abroad.

Koon Yew Yin

Koh Boon Chor describes his Mudajaya partner Koon as an enterprising businessman who
charged ahead with the boleh approach to get jobs, sometimes with low tenders. This is the
quintessential Koon, with the DNA of an entrepreneur and an appetite for calculated risks.
Koon was 50 years old when he became a member of the first IJM board of directors.
Says Koon, Most of us were poor boys from the Technical College, with nothing much to
lose. We stuck together, and the need to succeed became our mother of invention, and it led
to the formation of IJM.
Yap Lim Sen is the prime mover of the merger and the listing
Each of our companies had its own track
of IJM. Each of our companies had its own track record, and this
record, and this was important for listing,
was important for listing, which took account of the financial
which took account of the financial health,
health, operational capabilities and prospects of the company.
When we joined IJM, Mudajaya was a cash rich company and
operational capabilities and prospects of
had RM17 million in reserves. We were acquired with the issuance
the company.

41

1980s

of eight million IGB shares at RM2 each. We were not happy, but the survival of the fledgling
company was what mattered most.
There was a recession when IJM started, so we kept our overheads low and managed
to stay afloat because we owned it, led it and were the main performers. We also hired
unemployed graduates, giving them jobs when they had little hope elsewhere. Some remained
with us when good times came.
Looking back, IJM has always managed to survive one economic crisis after another. Our
chairman Azizuddin was a politician, but we did not win jobs because of his connections.
We got them on merit and took chances when no one else did. The company diversified and
entered the plantation business in Sabah. It was a state scheme that offered us good terms
and it has worked out well for IJM.
Koon did not take up any management position after a heart bypass operation but
remained as a board director until 1994. Widely respected in the investment community
for his good picks on Bursa Malaysia, he is also a philanthropist known for giving
scholarships to poor students. His charitable work won him recognition in the 2011 Forbes
Asia Philanthropy Issue.

Chay Kwok Thong

Chay was an executive director of Mudajaya Construction, and a

minority shareholder in the company. The affable pipe-smoking
civil engineer from Singapore was in charge of the BahauKeratong highway and later the Upper Pierce dam, both Mudajaya
projects. His senior manager Tan Sin Leong describes him as my
first boss who is a quiet and calm person, and does not get excited
easily when faced with difficult problem. He never raises his voice
with staff, and his door was always open to us.
In 1988, Chay was appointed deputy managing director when
Goh Chye Keat (Jurutama) became the group managing director,
the second in IJM. Chay retired from IJM in 1993 but remained
a director of IJMs Singapore associated company, Hexacon
Construction Pte Ltd until his demise in 2010.

Mudajayas Terengganu hydroelectric saddle dam

project that was completed in1983.

The North Klang Valley

Expressway is an
infrastructure project
that represented
the turning point for
the group, after the
setback caused by the
1980s global recession.

44

THE IJM STORY

THE IJM STORY

Lessons in Leadership-1
Koh Boon Chor
Managing Director, 1984-1988

udajayas Koh Boon Chor became

the first managing director of IJM. The

board was unanimous in its choice,

and stood solidly behind Koh, who

alongside his deputy Lim Choong Kong
from Jurutama, engaged in consultative

management to realise the goals of the

founding fathers. They were a well-

suited pair, who put aside individual

interests to serve the groups top

priority: the post-merger integration

of the diverse resources, especially

people management.

A technocrat, Koh was adept at laying the foundation of a professionally run organisation,
with emphasis on computerisation, process and systems excellence, which was second
nature to the professional engineers who led the management team. Equal emphasis was
given to good governance, which was fundamental to the realisation of IJMs desire to become
a public listed company while gaining recognition as a world-class professional engineering
construction firm.
To forge a sense of belonging and cohesion among staff, the integration exercise kicked
off with the transfer of 200 staff about 100 from Mudajaya, 80 from Jurutama and 20 from
IGB Berhad to the newborn IJM Group. A common salary scheme was unveiled for all staff,
and payroll, accounting and tender processes rationalised into a standard operating system
that was undeniably IJM. This was implemented despite a condition of the merger that
provided for the valuation of the three companies to be based on their individual net assets
and three years of guaranteed profits by the principals. It allowed Jurutama, Mudajaya and

45

1980s

IGB Construction to work independently on projects in hand for the first three years as long
as they delivered the guaranteed profits.
However, they could not bid individually for government jobs since the Jabatan Kerja
Raya (previously PWD) required them to surrender their individual licences. Instead, the JKR
issued a Class A Construction Licence to IJM on the back of the track record of its constituent
companies. This ruling did not apply to private sector projects. As a result, Jurutama and
Mudajaya who had built long term relationships with technology partners and private clients,
invoked their individual licences to make inroads into private projects.
The biggest challenge came from people management. To merge three companies and get
their staff to work harmoniously was tough, acknowledges Koh Boon Chor. Each company
had its own history and philosophy, and as managing director I wanted to bring out the best
in staff for the best of IJM. It is like building a bridge. To build a strong and sturdy one, the
project head not only has to make both sides meet but also has to
ensure the bridge can withstand the test of time. Otherwise the
bridge wont last. To achieve this, I knew I had to be firm and fair at
all times.
First on my agenda was to address staff all at once, which I did it
Construction management is most exacting in that it requires
together with the rest of my management team because through them
thorough planning, close coordination and communication, and
all three merging companies were well-represented. This I felt was
absolute control of manpower, material and financial resources. It is
the right approach because if we met them as individual groups, the
precisely in these respects that the IJM Group excels.
Computerisation of all the companys activities ensures better
perception of favouritism and discrimination is more likely to arise.
planning and control and at the same time significantly benefits
We faced staff without fear or favour to provide reassurances,
productivity. In addition to its versatile and dedicated team of
dispel disquiet and instill loyalty to the new company. Sometimes
professionals, the group has some $30 million worth of plant and
it was like walking on eggshells, and delicate situations had to be
equipment resources, which enables the group to be self-sufficient.
handled with care and compromise. I would seek the advice of
Source: IJM Engineering & Construction Sdn Bhd Corporate Profile 1985
Jurutama directors whenever necessary to resolve grievances of
staff previously under their employ. However, while conciliatory, we
did not wish to be intimidated, and I made it clear that no one was
indispensable.
At these forums, I explained to staff that the merger would
enable IJM to bid for bigger projects and they stood to benefit from
a more profitable company. I also assured them that their jobs were
safe as the management was committed to retaining all staff. There
would be no shedding of staff even though the business environment
was gloomy.
The economy had slowed as the country grappled with its
first ever recession in 1985, which was caused by the sharp fall
in commodity prices, the main revenue generator for Malaysia
then. A large number of local contractors were without adequate
work volume and the continued presence of foreign contractors
compounded the problems in the industry, making competitive

he Groups Resources

46

THE IJM STORY

LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP-1

47

1980s

During Kohs term in

office, IJM embarked
on geographical
diversification because
of the recession. Picture
here shows Hong Villa
Apartment in Hong Kong
built by IJM.

A leader is good when he
gets things done; better when people
know he exists; best when people
exclaim: we did it ourselves!
Lao Tze, Chinese sage

bidding extremely difficult. Public capital expenditure for infrastructure and construction,
the lifeline of our business, shrank and unemployment hit an all time high of 8%. Against
this harsh backdrop, IJM managed to secure a few new projects, but the main contributors to
revenue were older contracts belonging to Mudajaya and Jurutama that were still a work-inprogress. There was also the pressure to remain profitable as IJM needed to stay on course to
meet its deadline for public flotation in 1985.
Money was scarce but I am proud to say IJM did not retrench staff. Our overheads were
high because in our desire to become a professional construction company, we employed only
professional engineers. IJM had the largest pool of construction
professionals on its payroll given its multi-disciplinary approach
to construction to ensure physical and financial success. However,
it also meant that we were management intensive unlike other
construction companies that were family businesses. This affected
our competitiveness, but we refused to take the easy route of
reducing staff numbers. As a new company, retrenchment may
appear to be the obvious solution. IJM, however, did not want to be
tainted by the stigma of a heartless company that does not care for
its staff. From the outset, we made it clear that staff welfare counts.
Instead, we tightened our belt and cost cutting became our
mantra. Several members of the senior management were men
of Hokkien or Hakka origin, known for their frugal ways, and this
may have had some bearing on the companys prudent practices.
Fortunately, we had the systems in place to closely monitor our
cash flow, balance sheet and income and expenditure, and they
helped us to take the necessary pre-emptive measures to avoid
slipping into the red.
Management did not pay itself excessively; instead IJM
continued to allocate reserve funds to invest for growth. It was
a matter of sound corporate practice for good governance and
sustainability, which was close to the heart of the founders. As
group managing director, my monthly salary was RM12,000 while
that of my deputy was RM11,000, considered modest by industry
standards. I had no increase in salary for the duration of my five year term in office. We did
not have any entertainment allowance, which is common for the top management in the
construction business, and travel was restricted to economy class flights, and even then, only
when deemed essential.
Things came to a head in 1986, when the management had no choice but to resort to a
voluntary pay cut to contain costs. This was implemented across the board, barring the lower
income group that was spared. Everyone felt it was a better alternative to retrenchment. Then
we did the unexpected. When the companys financial position improved, IJM returned every
sen sacrificed by staff. I think staff were taken aback because it is not the norm in business.

I think the action boosted the companys image and engendered staff loyalty. This preemptive action and reaction has become a part of IJMs unique way of dealing with threats to
its profitability. When pay cuts were introduced in the aftermath of the 1997 Asian Financial
Crisis and 2008 global economic meltdown, I was told staff took it in their stride. They knew
that IJM would pay back the money when the economy improved.
There was underemployment but company time was put to good use with staff
development programmes. We conducted in-house training for human relations skills,
computer applications and financial & engineering practices. We also launched a scholarship
scheme to sponsor bumiputera students to local universities to increase bumiputera
participation in the construction industry.
Our engineers were encouraged to pursue the Advanced Management Development
Program conducted by the Golden Gate
University of the USA that was sponsored
by the company. The management
rationalised that this approach would
strengthen our in-house capabilities to bid
First office: at parent company IGB Berhads
for big jobs when the economy bounced
premises in Jalan Pekeliling, Kuala Lumpur
back. We wanted to be in a state of readiness
before moving to current head office building
when good times came instead of putting a
in Wisma IJM
team together only after winning contracts.
First motto: Big, Strong and Caring
By 1986, we had 12 staff with the Master in
First chairman: Ahmad Azizuddin bin Haji
Business Administration from the Golden
Zainal Abidin
Gate University.
First managing director: Koh Boon Chor
Notwithstanding
our
own
financial hardship, IJM also responded
First deputy managing director: Lim Choong
Kong
to the governments call to hire the
unemployed. In 1987, we launched
First engineer: Goh Chye Koon, a senior PWD
the Unemployed Graduates Training
civil engineer who was hired in 1984 and rose
to become the groups deputy managing
Programme, which saw 11 new civil
director. Prior to him, engineers in the company
engineering graduates completing a one
were either from IGB, Mudajaya or Jurutama.
year internship that involved six months
First corporate acquisition: Pucung Building
of field work, three months in the tender
Products Sdn Bhd (49%) in 1984 for quarry
department and three months in the
operations
accounts department. Upon completion
First wholly owned subsidiary (excluding
of their internship, seven were offered
three merging companies): Chen Yu Land
permanent employment by IJM.

ist of Firsts

Sdn Bhd in 1984

The management of IJM consists of

hands-on engineers, each with his own
portfolio of projects. In addition to his

First major contract: construction of three

major interchanges (Package 1) for the KLSeremban Toll Expressway with a contract
value of $40.2 million awarded in 1984.

Interchanges at the Kuala Lumpur-Seremban

Toll Expressway.
First international joint venture: IJMDegremont Sdn Bhd formed in 1985 with
Lyonnaise de Eaux, Degremont SA of France
and local bumiputera partners for water
projects.
First plantation: Desa Talisai, a 10,000-acre oil
palm plantation near Sandakan, Sabah

48

THE IJM STORY

The Connaught Bridge Power Station in

Selangor is a Mudajaya inheritance that
enriched IJMs construction track record.

LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP-1

49

1980s

role as group managing director, Koh Boon Chor was in charge of a few Malaysia-based
construction projects and one in Sydney, Australia - the construction of the head office of the
St Georges Building Society.
He says: Project engineers were the pulse and profit centre of IJM. They could make
or break the company. Working from site offices, hundreds, even thousands, of miles away,
they are essentially running satellite operations. So, it was vital to accord them their due
recognition while aligning them to the head office work practices and ethics.
We thus introduced a project incentive scheme that involved drawing up a budget for each
project, irrespective of the tender price. When the project team
delivers savings on this, 20% of it is ploughed back to the team,
not the head office. At times, we had project heads earning more
than the senior management. At the head office, staff received
bonuses based on work performance. I believe these incentives
resulted in a low staff turnover.
To keep abreast with what was happening on the ground,
I felt the American-style management where the CEO goes on
walkabouts was more appropriate than the hierarchical British
management style with its more rigid reporting structure. Every
now and then, I would travel to site offices to meet the No. 1, 2 and
3 of project teams and engage them in small talk while obtaining
updates on the work in progress. I made a conscientious effort
not to undermine anyone, especially senior personnel, when
fraternising with their project staff.
On my visits, I never failed to tire of reminding project teams of the golden rule of IJM:
A promise is a promise. If you cannot fulfil it, you must explain it to the client. These men
were the face of IJM and it was important that they represent the values of the company.
Face-to-face engagements helped create a congenial and caring working environment.
During these sessions, I learned about their problems and sought ways to resolve them. Some
of these men were away from home for long periods of time, and their children were raised
entirely by their wives. I discovered their strengths and sought ways to harness them for the
benefit of the company. My best moments at IJM were those spent with site staff. We had a
good team, who were open to discussion to tackle problems and solve them.
In 1988, Koh Boon Chor retired as the group managing director at the age of 55. Businesswise,
his years in office were characterised by the constant struggle for survival because of low
profit margins and high overheads, especially the cost of hiring professionals in a difficult
economic environment. However, he had laid the foundation for a public listed professional
construction company that was the first of its kind in Malaysia. In terms of capabilities, the
group had grown from its initial staff strength of 200 to more than 500 trained personnel.
He acknowledges their invaluable contribution to the groups success and profitability

throughout the difficult years. In recognition of their loyalty and dedication, IJM issued a
significant portion of its equity upon public listing in 1986 to staff to allow them an active
participation in its growth.
Koh set the precedent for the leadership succession plan that was deliberated and adopted
by the board of directors in the early days of the formation of the IJM Group.
The board had set 55 as the age of retirement using the government benchmark. After
stepping down, Koh remained as a non executive board director with two functions. First,
was to serve as a sitting board member who had recent knowledge of the groups activities to
help chart strategic directions for the group while ensuring a smooth transition of power and
responsibilities to the new leadership. Second, was to continue his role as a project director
to ensure continuity as well as enhance client goodwill for his portfolio of projects.
This leadership succession plan continues to serve IJM till this day. The leadership team
of Koh Boon Chor and his deputy Lim Choong Kong ended in 1988, when both retired. They
were succeeded by Goh Chye Keat as the group managing director, with Chay Kwok Thong as
the deputy.

Another international project: excavation works at

World Square in Sydney, Australia.

Koh provided oversight for Australia-based projects such as the St Georges Building Society head office in Kogarah, Sydney.

50

THE IJM STORY

THE IJM STORY

Slowdown after Take-Off

he start of Malaysia Plans is usually a cause for optimism for the

construction industry that receives a substantial allocation of government

expenditure given its role as one of the top drivers of the national economy.

The 5th Malaysia Plan of 1986-90 sadly did not bring much cheer. In the I986

Annual Report, IJM chairman Ahmad Azizuddin bin Haji Zainal Abidin writes:

There are some signs that the countrys economic outlook is improving. Continued recovery,
however, will depend on sustained improvement in commodity prices. For the construction
sector, recovery is expected to be slower. Private sector expenditure on residential and
commercial buildings can be expected to remain weak and government infrastructure
investments will at best be modest. It will take some time before improvements in government
revenue from rising commodity prices are translated into increased government spending for
infrastructural development. Prospects for the group in 1987 can be expected to be satisfactory.
Satisfactory is corporate-speak for disappointing. It was a trying year indeed, with
statistics confirming that the construction sector remained depressed for the third consecutive
year, recording a 5.4% decline. Group pre-tax profit declined 38% to RM7.6 million in 1987,
only to slump further by another 54% to an all-time low of RM3.5 million in 1988 accounting
for a mere 1.93% of the group turnover of RM207 million. Profit margins were alarmingly slim,
and if the trend continued, the group was in danger of slipping into the red.
When the economy hit the skids, IJM has just taken off with a share capital of RM46 million that
grew to RM50 million following the public flotation exercise in 1986. Serious soul-searching
within the ranks of management on how best to maximise returns on shareholder funds
resulted in the adoption of a diversification strategy to ensure their dreams dont turn to dust.
Since pickings were poor in recession-ridden Malaysia, IJM decided to explore greener
pastures in the USA, UK, Australia, Singapore and developing countries. The geographical
diversification occurred on the coat-tails of directors, who pulled out all stops to activate
contacts in their respective spheres of influence. Happily, they met with some success.

The first project to kick-off was the joint venture JMD

Development Inc. for a 37-acre residential development called
South Fork in Orlando, Florida that involved the construction
and sale of 107 bungalows. In Australia, the unknown IJM scored
big, when it won a major project management contract for the
basement and substructure works for the Anthony Horden
Project in Sydney. It also took an option to purchase loan stocks
convertible into 19% equity in Paynter Dixon Holdings Ltd, an
Australian public listed construction group. In Hong Kong, it
was awarded a residential building project, while in the United
Kingdom, it picked up a few building jobs through a newly acquired
associate Crendon Holdings Ltd, a company with vast experience
in precast building systems. Meanwhile, IJMs associate, Hexacon
Construction Pte Ltd Singapore secured a few civil engineering
and contracting jobs in the island republic.
As one of few Malaysian contractors to have pre-qualified for
World Bank and Asian Development projects, the group bid for
projects in developing countries that came under the aegis of these
funding agencies that were known as reliable paymasters. IJM won
jobs in Pakistan (irrigation works) and Bangladesh (road building).
By 1988, the groups overseas contracting activities accounted
for 48% of the order book, with Bangladesh as its latest market,
where IJM formed a joint venture with a local partner for road
contracts valued at RM60 million. The overseas contracting
ventures generally proved to be costly mistakes that later
prompted group managing director Krishnan Tan to remark:
Never go overseas when you are hungry. In that state, these
opportunities look inviting and you are likely to miss providing
adequately for local conditions. When they dont work, you have
to book losses at a time when the company can least afford them.
For incoming group managing director Goh Chye Keat, who
took office in 1988, it was a baptism of fire. Looking back, he says,
Our concern then was whether the company would become a
dinosaur and fade into extinction. He describes the Bangladesh
experience as his worst lesson in IJM. He recalls, After tendering
for several highway contracts in Bangladesh without success,
the company allowed the local partner to play the lead role in
tendering and securing some highway projects in the country.
However, the local partner could not perform and IJM had no
choice but to step in and complete the project in order to avoid
paying liquidated damages and blemishing its track record with

51

1980s

urvival Strategies

In a paper entitled Survival Strategies of Construction Companies

in Malaysia during Two Periods of Recession (International Journal
of Academic Research Vol 3, No 4, July 2011), Abu Hassan Abu Bakar
writes that during the 1985-1987 recession: Construction companies
used the flexible management style as the number one strategy of
survival. Since the government froze some national and international
construction projects in a bid to reduce public spending, they were
forced to adopt innovation in market penetration to survive. Companies
that had strong financial standing were able to do so. Meanwhile, some
companies tried to develop new project areas.
Spot on precisely what IJM did.

South Fork in Orlando, Florida, an IJM property development project in USA.

Avillion Hotel, Horden Tower in Sydney, Australia, another IJM property

development overseas.

SLOWDOWN AFTER TAKE-OFF

1980s: CONSTRUCTION HIGHLIGHTS

Jalan Mesjid Negeri Flyover in Penang

Restoration of MPH building in Singapore

1980s

he Commodity Shock 1985-86

The economic downturn in developed countries

triggered by the US high interest rate policy (the
Volker shock) in the early 1980s resulted in a
massive collapse of world commodity trade.
Between 1984 and 1986, Malaysias overall
export price index declined by 30% reflecting
a sharp decline in tin and palm oil prices. The
terms of trade deteriorated by almost 20% and
remained virtually at that level for the next two
years. The economic collapse caused problems
for new industries, many of whom had just
begun production.
Earlier in November 1980, the minister of
international trade and industry Dr Mahathir
Mohamad (who became prime minister a year
later) announced a state-sponsored heavy

industry project with the stated objective

of strengthening the foundation of the
manufacturing sector. The Heavy Industries
Corporation of Malaysia (HICOM), a publicsector holding company, was incorporated
to act as the apex government body for the
implementation of the new policy. HICOMs
mission was to establish industries, often with
the participation of foreign partners in HICOM
projects. As a policy, the government provided
the lions share of capital.
The recession dealt a severe blow to HICOM
that suffered heavy losses. In addition, there was
a drain on state coffers as a result of the debt
repayment burden of firms associated with yen
loans following the appreciation of the yen in

1985. At the end of 1988, 37% (or US$6.1 billion)

of total public sector debt was attributable to
public enterprise loans.
On the general business front, the sharp
downturn in aggregate demand created
massive excess capacities and a rising number
of corporate bankruptcies. The unemployment
rate grew to 8% in 1986, from an average level
of 4.5 during the first half of the decade. The
recession also precipitated a severe banking
crisis, with non-performing loan (NPL) ratio of
commercial banks reaching a historical height of
30% in 1987 and 1988.

Source: Governance Re-invented: Progress, Constraints, and Remaining Agenda in Banking and Corporate Restructuring in Malaysia by Mohamed Ariff, Azmi Setapa and Elayne
Yee Siew Lin (http://www.unescap.org/drpad/publication/fin_2148/chap3.pdf)

Vocational Institute for the Singapore Vocational and

Industrial Training Board

Kelab Darul Ehsan Taman Tun Abdul Razak in Selangor

Office buildings in Taman Melawati, Kuala Lumpur

Lincoln Lodge Condominium in Singapore.

53

delays in completion. The company had to suffer some losses in

supporting the local partner. The lesson learnt is never to rely on
a local partner in a developing country to play a lead role in the
execution of contracts as IJM would invariably have to step in to
complete the project in the event of a default by the local partner.
Another solution to boost business was forward and backward
integration. Put simply, quarrying & manufacturing and property
development.
Subsidiary Jurutama had already set the precedent in
manufacturing with its Industrial Concrete Products Sdn Bhd (ICP)
that produced pretensioned spun concrete piles and poles. Through
A housing project in Bintulu, Sarawak.
Crendon Building System Sdn Bhd, it also specialised in pre-cast
buildings systems, and made headway in Taman Brown, Penang,
where it built 1,005 units using the Crendon technology. Its joint venture with the Bintulu
Development Authority, BDA-Kidurong Development Sdn Bhd, resulted in several residential
units and commercial buildings being developed.
Between 1985 and 1987, IJM spearheaded a series of acquisitions to establish its quarrying
and manufacturing business. Its stake in Pucung Building Products Sdn Bhd (49%) enabled

54

THE IJM STORY

Quarrying in Selangor

Source: Business Times, 1 December 1990

Source: Business Times, 31 May 1994

SLOWDOWN AFTER TAKE-OFF

55

1980s

ICPs factory in Kapar marked its entry from Penang to the Klang Valley in
the 1980s.

it to gain a foothold in quarrying in Selangor via Pucungs wholly owned subsidiary Kamad
Quarry Sdn Berhad.
For manufacturing, ICP expanded its pre-tensioned spun concrete piles
business by setting up factories in Penang, Perak, Selangor and Terengganu. The
building material base was widened
further when the company invested in
Source: Business Times, 19 June 1991
Styrobilt Sdn Bhd (65%) to produce and
market Styrocon and Stryroplast dry wall
panels. Patented in the United Kingdom
and manufactured under licence in
Malaysia, these panels were particularly
suited for external and internal drywall
construction in industrial, commercial,
institutional and residential buildings.
More products and services entered
the IJM stable when the company
bought stakes in Glass Reinforced
Cement Sdn Bhd (reinforced cement products) Cofreth
(M) Sdn Bhd (electro-mechanical services) and Ulbon Sdn
Bhd (high frequency induction heat treated bars for prestressed concrete).
The manufacture of building materials helped improve
the efficiency and competitiveness of the group. With the
economies of scale provided by in-house purchases, these
companies were able to compete and expand their market
presence.

Building material manufacturing was a timely move, encouraged by the government as

part of the national industrialisation programme that anointed the private sector as the
engine of economic growth. According to the Malaysian Economy in Three Crises by Premachandra Athukorala (ANU 2010), government capital expenditure as a percentage of GDP
declined from an average level of
23.5% during 1980-85 to 14.2% in
the second half of the decade.
A raft of incentives such as
pioneer status tax exemptions and
tariff protection was unveiled to
provide the necessary impetus. It
resulted in the inflow of foreign
direct investments while spurring

In the beginning: a prefabricated affordable housing project in

Taman Brown, Penang.

imaginative local businesses to seize the day. The majority of the

IJM board viewed the diversification into manufacturing as a winwin situation. While its quarrying and manufacturing business
helped improve the companys bottom line, its portfolio included
products favoured for government special incentives in the
aggressive export-oriented Malaysian economy.
Like quarrying and manufacturing, IJMs entry into property
development was initially aimed at stimulating construction
activity. It was an option worth considering in the absence of public
construction opportunities and a private sector experiencing high
payment risks. Medium cost housing, in particular, emerged as a
low risk proposition with relatively attractive margins compared
to construction.

New Straits Times, 3 April 1991

IJMs first property privatisation project: PKNS housing development in

Ampang (now Wangsa Maju), Selangor.

A casting yard for pre-fabricated housing.

56

THE IJM STORY

First property privatisation

project in Penang: Batu Lancang
Apartments, affordable-medium
cost housing.

SLOWDOWN AFTER TAKE-OFF

57

1980s

The beginnings were humble. With no land bank to call its

own and cash very tight, IJM sought out privatisation projects of
state governments. Typically, government land was alienated to
the private sector for the development of subsidised affordable
housing and medium cost housing, both with strong sales uptake.
Development costs pumped into subsidised affordable housing
by the private sector were recovered through tidy profits made
in the sale of medium cost housing. For the government, this
arrangement was an expedient solution to home ownership by
low income groups since the public purse no longer had any
allocations for low cost housing.
The first such opportunity presented itself in Selangor where
Jurutama had initially been awarded a turnkey construction contract for 1,600 residential units
in Ulu Kelang (now Wangsa Maju), Kuala Lumpur by the Selangor Economic Development
Corporation (PKNS). Due to funding issues and the introduction of privatisation policy
initiatives, Jurutama was requested to convert this construction contract into a property
venture with the risks and rewards transferred to Jurutama in exchange for subsidised
housing and price control.
Encouraged by the success of this project, IJM began to aggressively pursue privatisation
or joint venture development projects because they involved low capital investment in
equity or land cost. Moreover, the projects were usually in prime urban locations that
ensured relatively quick sales. Due to their high density, they provided ample construction
work as well.
IJM then made its debut in Penang, where it achieved considerable success with this
formula. It won a privatisation bid to develop 20-plus acres of government land in Batu Lancang
at a relatively low premium of RM6.1 million from the Penang Development Corporation.
Regarded as a strategic piece of land in a new growth area, the project involved building low
cost and medium cost apartments, supported by some commercial development. All units
were fully sold within a reasonable period of time. This project marked the beginning of the
groups property division and the establishment of IJM Properties Sdn Bhd as the groups
property vehicle.
IJMs strong execution capabilities and its reputation for quality brought quick market
acceptance and also recognition from the Penang Government that opened more doors to
the company. A string of other developments followed, with the state government as well
as with the Penang Development Corporation. Another break came when IJM bought IGBs
land bank when the latter chose to exit Penang, and with this, IJM was able to strike outside
the low cost-medium cost privatisation paradigm. Meanwhile, in Perak, subsidiary Chen Yu
Land Sdn Bhd launched a 34.5- acre residential development for bungalows, terrace and shop
houses in Ipoh.
To enhance its property development business, IJM took up a stake in Negara Nurseries
Sdn Bhd (50%), a pioneer in landscape consultancy and contracting whose credentials

included prestigious projects such as Subang International Airport, the US Embassy, Taman
Melawati, Istana Kinta and the Dayabumi Complex.
In 1985, IJM took the unusual step of diversifying into oil palm plantations in Sabah. The
decision, including the venture into Sabah, took the business community by surprise as it was
a path that had been trodden by more seasoned players, some of whom had returned hurt. It
was not without its detractors in the board, and difficult boardroom discussions ensued. They
argued that plantation agriculture veered from the groups stick to the knitting strategy of
familiarity. Their contention was that the group was clueless about agriculture. The counter
argument was that there was a need for a business that provided revenues to offset down
times in the cyclical construction business. The detractors were outnumbered and the
motion to carry was passed. Apart from reflecting the democracy of the board, the decision
also reflected the entrepreneurial DNA of the pioneers. They were engineers willing to take
calculated risks, and not to be stifled easily. An agro-economist of good standing in oil palm
agriculture was engaged to do the necessary research and math. He was KP Lim, a friend of
Lim Choong Kong, with impressive credentials in plantations economics, especially oil palm.
Better still, he was familiar with conditions in Sabah.

IJM ventured into the landscaping

business to enhance its property
development proposition as
well as serve as an independent
revenue stream. Picture shows the
landscaping at Subang International
Airport in Selangor.

58

THE IJM STORY

SLOWDOWN AFTER TAKE-OFF

1980s

1987: The beginning of planting Desa Talisai Estate

An abandoned cocoa estate being transformed to

an orderly and profitable oil palm plantation.

Selecting the location of the plantation business occurred by

chance IJM happened to be in the right place at the right time.
While in Sandakan to bid for a road building job, project director Ong
Yeng Tian came across an abandoned plantation on the outskirts of
Sandakan that belonged to the state government. It had seen better
days as a cocoa plantation, regarded as a sunset crop, and the terrain
was considered suitable for oil palm.
Oil palm was then on its ascendancy as the golden crop of Malaysia,
with plantation owners rushing to replant rubber estates with oil
palm. The best land in Peninsular Malaysia had been taken up by
established plantation owners, and Sabah was more or less the last
bastion for new investors. IJM approached the state agency Koperasi
Pembangunan Desa (KPD, or Rural Development Corporation in
English), the landowner of the abandoned plantation, and it led to
the birth of Desa Talisai Sdn Bhd, named after the 10,000 acre estate.
Krishnan Tan, who was involved in the negotiations recalls, We
did not have the money to buy the land that was valued at RM700
per acre, an investment of RM7 million. The owner, KPD, also wanted
to continue in the venture instead of outright sale. We proposed a

alaysia Plans (1966-2000)

The goals of the Malaysia Plans reflected the

changing direction of the economy. In a nutshell,
they are:
First Malaysia Plan (1966-70) that
promoted agricultural and industrial activities
so as to diversify the economy and create
employment. Accordingly, the focus was on
labour-intensive import substitution and export
Second Malaysia Plan (1971-75) paid much
attention to export-oriented industrialisation,
in addition to increasing direct government
participation in commercial and industrial
activities, a radical departure from the earlier
practices.
Third Malaysia Plan (1976-80) focused
on resource-based industries that were given
a boost, thanks primarily to the discovery of
oil and gas. Education and training in the field
of industrial engineering were given much
Source: Tan & Ariff, 1997

59

emphasis to relieve the shortage of skilled

manpower.
Fourth Malaysia Plan (1981-85) aimed to
boost productivity, expand the industrial base
and modernise the services sector. In addition,
small-scale industries were promoted through
the provision of training and financing facilities.
Fifth Malaysia Plan (1986-90) was
launched to restructure the economy in the face
of a recession, introduced reforms such as the
removal of restrictions on private investment
and foreign equity participation in the economy.
R&D activities were given new emphasis,
especially in high technology areas including
microelectronics, laser technology and electrooptics, biotechnology, and materials technology.
Sixth Malaysia Plan (1991-95) aimed to
enhance the competitiveness of Malaysian
manufactures through technological upgrading,

industrial restructuring and innovation in

production, design and marketing.
Seventh Malaysia Plan (1996-2000)
stressed productivity-driven growth via
integrated production in higher-value added
activities, especially technology-intensive and
knowledge-based industries.
Reference must also be made to the two
Industrial Master Plans (IMP 1 &2). The IMP1
(1986-95) was a long-term indicative plan for
the development of 12 industrial subsectors,
comprising seven resource-based industries
and five non resource based industries. The
IMP2 (1996-2005) has adopted a Manufacturing
++ concept to integrate all the components
of the value-added chain, combined with the
cluster concept whereby related industries are
geographically grouped to maximise intraindustry synergies.

50:50 joint venture with KPD contributing land, and we contribute our share of RM7 million
to fund the plant-up that would occur over a period of time. This would enable us to raise
Source: New Straits Times, 15 December 1989
funds progressively, internally and through bank loans. IJM has
always appreciated the great leap of faith on the part of KPD,
which entered into a partnership with a company that had no
previous experience in plantations and probably no immediate
money to meet its obligations. As it turned out two decades later,
Desa Talisai is probably one of the most profitable investments
made by KPD.
Oil palm has a gestation period of three years after which
it provides regular income for a period of 20 years. Goh Chye
Keat describes the foray into plantations as a fantastic success
story whose growth has been beyond our wildest imagination.
The founding fathers had no experience and brought in KP Lim
as a consultant and Velayuthan Tan as the manager. Vela had
previously worked in oil palm estates and was a confident and
good operator. With good management to ensure high yields, we
started to get back our investment in five years.
Through sheer dint of work, prudence and out-of-the-box
thinking, things began to look up for the group by the late 1980s.
Staff morale and business prospects were boosted in 1988, when
IJM won a RM103.76 million contract for the construction of the
North Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE) from Klang to Subang.
This is the first package of the North-South Expressway, a massive
highway privatisation concession awarded to United Engineers
Malaysia Berhad (UEM). Although the award had its critics who
claimed IJM had underpriced the bid and would suffer huge losses
since the closest competitor had quoted a considerably higher
price, IJM and its people remained confident as it was later borne
out. IJM and its subsidiaries went on to successfully construct
the NKVE as well as many other sections of the North South
Expressway.
By the end of the recession, IJM emerged with four core
businesses that became the groups pillars of growth, profitability
North Klang Valley Expressway: on the road to recovery.
and sustainability. A name change occurred in 1989, when IJM
Engineering & Construction adopted IJM Corporation Berhad to
better reflect the changing concentration of the groups activities.
A new logo was created and it remains in use till this day.

THE IJM STORY

The North Klang
Valley Expressway is a
35-kilometre toll highway
built from Kuala Lumpur
to Klang. It serves one of
the densest corridors of
Malaysia that consists of
residential and
industrial clusters.

On a Roll

JM entered the 1990s more confident after a bruising start, a rite of

passage that built the character and culture of the group. As the economy
turned the corner, it was in a state of preparedness with the right mindset,

talent and stamina to ride on the wave of a buoyant economy that occurred
under the leadership of prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who entered

his third term in office after a decisive electoral victory in November 1990.

The election results left him virtually unchallengeable and gave him an

unencumbered opportunity to consolidate the programme of modernisation,

industrialisation and deregulation that he had started when he became prime
minister in 1981.

They became the pillars of his working paper Malaysia: The Way Forward popularised as
Vision 2020 and unveiled in 1991. Vision 2020 mapped out the national agenda to transform
Malaysia into a fully developed nation by the year 2020. It was an exhilarating start to the
new decade and included an instructive note that since no nation can achieve full progress
with only half its human resources harnessed bumiputeras must play their part in the
achievement of this national goal. Indeed, the entire population was to be mobilised to make
the 1990s the most economically productive decade in our history.
Vision 2020 urged accelerated privatisation to make a flourishing reality of Malaysia
Incorporated, the productive partnership between the public and private sectors that was
deemed vital for the realisation of national aspirations. Even as early as 1984, Dr Mahathir had
declared in a paper entitled Malaysia Incorporated and Privatisation:
The time has come for all managers in the private sector to stop thinking of progress and
development only in terms of what their own companies and firms intend to do. Malaysia
has the resources. It has the manpower. It has the basic skills. It is rich enough to buy the
technology if home-grown technology is not available. Malaysia is stable, prosperous and
strategically situated. Indeed, the list of positive assets of Malaysia is long and impressive.
But to succeed, we must have the right attitude. We must cultivate the right values and ethics.

61

1990s

62

THE IJM STORY

rivatisation stated and implied goals

We must have the right principles and

approaches. The government believes
The Economic Planning Units booklet on privatisation spelt out in black and white what this
it has the right formula now. In the
meant and what it implied:
Malaysia Incorporated and Privatisation
The privatisation policy forms an integral part of the Governments strategy in realising active
concepts we have the right combination
participation by the Bumiputera in the corporate sector since the policy encompasses also the
to propel Malaysia to greater heights of
transfer of Government trust companies to the Bumiputera. The programme will also be used
achievement for both the spiritual and
as a vehicle to correct the imbalances in the corporate sector by providing Bumiputera wider
opportunities to participate in the privatisation of non-trust companies.
material well-being of her people. It is
In other words, this was a restatement of the aims of the New Economic Policy as they had first
up to us now. Let us join hands and work
been set out in the preamble of the Second Malaysia Plan in 1971. Privatisation was to serve as a
together so that we will not be ashamed of
vehicle for ensuring that the declared target of a one third bumiputera stake in the national equity
the legacy we bequeath our beneficiaries,
would be achieved. This is a point worth bearing in mind when considering the manner in which
the future Malaysians.
the privatisation of the North-South Expressway Project was actually carried out. The framers of
If there was one painful lesson that
the policy reckoned that everybody would benefit from privatisation in one way or another.
the
1985 recession had taught, it was that
Source: Projek Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan: The Anatomy of an Expressway (Muzaffar Tate, 1994)
it is not the business of the government
to be in business. The government
abandoned its eight year commitment to the heavy industry policy and sold several public
enterprises to private owners. In addition, in 1991 it published the Privatisation Master Plan
that listed privatisable government-owned enterprises. Meanwhile, there was a renewed
emphasis on FDI, and the Investment Coordination Act 1975 was amended to make Malaysia
a more attractive haven for investors, especially export manufacturers. To entice them, the
government gave priority to building world-class infrastructure, and allocated substantial
resources for the implementation of privatised mega infrastructure projects in the Sixth
Malaysia Plan (1990-1995). These projects involved large civil engineering works and triggered
a construction and infrastructure boom.
Outlining the prospects for 1990, the IJM Annual Report of 1989 stated: The domestic
construction and property sectors are currently experiencing a strong upsurge and this is
expected to continue in 1990. Surging foreign investments in the domestic manufacturing
sector will continue to provide the necessary impetus for increased investments in
infrastructure facilities by the government while the improving demand
for residential properties, improving rentals and occupancy levels of
commercial properties should see demands for new building construction.
For IJM, this was the sorely needed kiss of life to awaken the giant within.
It had the capacity as a result of investments in plant and equipment; it
had the skilled manpower as a result of retaining key staff and training
programmes during the recession; it had the working capital as a result
of the implementation of rights issues and the setting up of more banking
facilities; and it had a reliable supply of downstream products as a result of
the expansion of its quarrying and manufacturing capacities. The group was
Source: The Sun, 20 September 1994
ready to seize the bullish economy by the horns.

ON A ROLL

63

1990s
The groups construction business was the golden child, filling the order book with project
after project to breach the RM1 billion mark in 1991. It was unstoppable over the next few
years, delivering sterling performances that saw the groups market capitalisation soaring
from 260.8 million in 1990 to RM1 billion in 1993 (when the share price hit a high of RM11.80)
and peaked at RM1.88 billion in 1996. According to group managing director Goh Chye Keat:
From 1991 onwards, Profit Before Tax grew substantially, from RM31 million in 1991 to RM51
million in 1993, RM81 million in 1994, RM97 million in 1995 and RM116
million in 1996. No serious challenges or hurdles were encountered
during that period.
They were heady days indeed, not just for IJM but for the rest
of the nation and countries in the region, hailed as Asian miracle
workers, Tiger Nations roaring away with double digit growth and
whose eastern management philosophies and work ethic were
lauded by western management gurus, business schools and books.
The Gulf War of 1991 failed to dampen their zeal.
For IJM, the up cycle began in 1988 when it landed the first package
for the construction of the 847.7 km North-South Highway, a privatised
build-operate-transfer project awarded to United Engineers (Malaysia)
Berhad, the private concessionaire of the dual carriage toll highway. More construction
packages followed. The group also succeeded in winning substantial packages in other
landmark projects such as the Mid Valley Megamall (initially called the Grand Bazaar), the KL
International Airport, Putrajaya and the Commonwealth Games Village to be built by the host
nation for the XVI Commonwealth Games held in Kuala Lumpur in 1998.

IJM was awarded the contract for earthworks at the main terminal and construction of the second runway at KL International Airport.

Source: The Star, 19 May 1995

1990s: PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

Santubong Bridge in Kuching, Sarawak

Tropicana Golf & Country Club House in Selangor

Double tracking rail project from Rawang to

Seremban
Pantai Puteri Hospital in Ipoh, Perak
Petaling Jaya-Bangsar Linkage

Tampines Avenue 12 Interchange in Singapore

National Heart Centre (Institut Jantung Negara) in Kuala Lumpur

Le Morne Beach Resort Hotel in Mauritius

Jasmine Towers Condominium in Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Bukit Raja Industrial Park in Klang, Selangor

Gleneagles Hospital in Singapore

Micasa Hotel Apartments in Yangon, Myanmar
Bukit Jambul Indah in Penang
Renaissance Hotel and New World Hotel in
Kuala Lumpur.

Source: Business Times, 20 March 1991

66

THE IJM STORY

ON A ROLL

67

1990s
C u r i o u s l y, w h i l e a c h i e v i n g
considerable success as a contractor, IJM
did not succeed in securing any significant
privatised infrastructure project to call
its own, even though bids were made.
Still, IJM was not out on a limb. While it
failed to win privatisation projects (due
to lack of know who), typically multimillion or billion ringgit Build-OperateTransfer concessions for highways, ports
and independent power plants with
promises of recurrent income, it secured
projects from these concessionaires,
mainly start-ups with little expertise
and track record. The latter made up for
the shortfall by appointing experienced
players such as IJM as contractors and
subcontractors. This resulted in the
mobilisation of professionals, paraprofessionals, technicians and support
service providers across the board.
Privatisation truly enlarged the proverbial
economic pie, with slices of varying sizes
distributed to anyone worth his salt. The
construction of the North-South Highway
and the development of the green field
KL International Airport and federal
administrative city of Putrajaya are
classic examples.
Never in the history of Malaysia has so
much development occurred in so little
time. IJM was flush with jobs, and under
pressure to meet tight deadlines to build
fast-track world class infrastructure
as the nation rushed to have iconic
landmarks to put Malaysia on the world
The Sedenak-Kulai stretch of the
North-South Expressway is one
of many packages of the 772-km
highway built by IJM. This is the
longest expressway in Malaysia.

Steel fabrication
works for the Pergau
hydroelectric dam
in Kelantan was
undertaken by IJM
subsidiary Torsco.

map Dr Mahathirs famous phrase, which became an oft-repeated quote, to attract trade and
investments. Demand outstripped supply, and manpower and material shortages became
critical. IJM took comfort in the fact that it could leverage on its first-rate talent pool of
professionals and in-house quarrying and building materials business.
The quarrying and manufacturing division was expanded with new acquisitions to feed
construction demand. The move also represented the group strategy to broaden and enhance
the earnings base of all its revenue streams. While quarrying & manufacturing divisions direct
contribution to the bottom line was middling because of intense competition and shrinking
margins, it played a vital role in supporting the construction and property divisions.
Two companies stood out as top performers, pretensioned spun concrete pile
manufacturer Industrial Concrete Products Sdn Bhd (ICP) and steel fabricator Torsco Sdn
Bhd, both market leaders in their respective fields. In 1996, ICP was listed on the Kuala
Lumpur Stock Exchange and Torsco was next in line. The IJM Annual Report 1996 states:
The listing of ICP and the proposed listing of Torsco will enable both companies to access
cheaper funds from the capital markets to spur their respective companys expansion
plans. It will also greatly enhance the market value of the groups investments.
IJMs property business began to shine when it ventured into high end residential and
the industrial markets with Riana Green Condominium, PJ Industrial Park and Bukit Raja
Industrial Park, all in the Klang Valley, Sri Pangkor and Bukit Jambul satellite town in Penang.
Adopting the motto Excellence through Quality (later adopted group-wide in 1994 when IJM
began to pursue ISO certification for its core businesses), it began to gain market acceptance

68

THE IJM STORY

ON A ROLL

1990s

Ministry of Public Works in Kuala Lumpur

Source: The Sun,

69

27 August 1994

as a reliable and quality-conscious developer. A string of developments began to take shape in

the island of Penang, which became the jewel in IJMs property crown in later years. In Kuala
Lumpur, it landed the 16-year old BOT concession of the first privatised government building
in the country the RM96 million office complex of the Ministry of Works.
During this period, the groups land bank was also expanded selectively through direct
purchases, acquisitions, joint ventures and state government privatised housing projects.
By the end of 1996, IJM had land banks in Penang, Perak and the Klang Valley, Johor and
Sarawak. Located in strategic urban locations with good infrastructure, property sales
were unaffected by government measures introduced to curb excessive
speculation that caused prices to spiral out of control. The real estate
mantra Location, Location, Location proved right. For IJM, this was a
period of brand building, to establish itself as a preferred developer, and
the divisions contributions to the groups coffers varied from year to year,
depending on product launches. Progress achieved meant that the group
had strengthened and enhanced yet another of its revenue streams, just like
it did with quarrying and manufacturing.
The plantations business also witnessed growth and enhancements,
notably from the expansion of plantation acreage to diversification into palm oil
milling, trading of agrochemicals and fertilisers and agri-management services.
IJM plantations had established a reputation for their consistently high yields
and productivity in Sabah. In 1996, the division was awarded the Certificate of
Merit by the Palm Oil Registration and Licensing Authority for achieving excellent rates of palm
oil extraction at its Desa Talisai palm oil mill, regarded as an industry benchmark in milling
efficiency. Not a bad performance by a newcomer to agriculture. This business recorded its
maiden profit in 1992, and thereon its contributions grew from strength to strength.
Then, in 1992, IJM chose to enter yet another business: education, which occurred on the
back of its Bukit Jambul development in Penang. Even at the height of the building frenzy
and record-breaking profits, IJM did not lose its focus to plan for the future. Down-to-earth
and realistic, it continued to explore for recession-proof businesses that would sustain
the company through thick and thin. Private tertiary education had emerged as a growth
industry with bright prospects, encouraged by government incentives. An earlier attempt to
enter education was nipped in the bud; this time it saw fruition.
On 27 August 1997, the Penang International Education and Technology Centre held its
ground-breaking ceremony that was officiated by the prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
A privatised joint venture project with the Penang Development Corporation, PIETC aimed
to raise further the status of the island as a regional higher education hub with its Kolej
Antarabangsa, which offered matriculation, undergraduate and post graduate courses
through a twinning arrangement with the prestigious University of Sydney, Australia. Campus
construction was completed in 1993, and the college commenced with its first intake of
students in 1994.

Desa Talisai palm oil

mill in Sandakan, Sabah

70

THE IJM STORY

ON A ROLL

1990s

MASSCORP sees itself as a catalyst for Malaysian trade
promotion and investment in South countries, said Malaysia
South-South Corporation chairman, Azman Hashim. According
to him, there is tremendous potential for trade and investment
in South countries. Trade and investment among South countries
only came into focus in recent years, and Malaysias external
trade with them accounts for only 8% of its total trade. Our trade
statistics show that Malaysias external trade is skewed towards
Singapore, the US and the European Community. Together, they
account for 70.6% of external trade of RM195.8 billion, he said.
Business Times (Anna Taing, 14 June 1993)

IJM ventured into the education business that culminated in the Penang International Education and Technology Centre in Bukit Jambul. It exited from the
business in 2009.

IJMs Kolej Antarabangsa in Penang offered

twinning programmes with the University of
Sydney, Australia.

IJM celebrated its 10th anniversary in 1993 with three defining

announcements. One was the renewal of its international thrust.
This time around, IJM was not desperate; it had the winning
combination of deep pockets and a sound reputation as a leader
in heavy engineering. Two, was the appointment of two deputy
group managing directors instead of one given the growth of the
group and the magnitude of projects under the helm of the handson group managing director. Goh Chye Keats new lieutenants
were career civil engineer Tan Sin Leong and Krishnan Tan,
an enterprising accountant with a flair for diversification and
deal-making, a significant advantage when venturing into new
investments. Three, the divestment of Mudajaya because the
price was right according to Goh Chye Keat, illustrating the
pragmatism of IJM that did not allow itself to be clouded by
sentimental attachments.
In the early 1990s, IJMs overseas expansion occurred as a
response to the government call for Malaysian companies to
globalise through South-South cooperation. In Paradoxes of Mahathirism (Oxford University
Press, 1995), Khoo Boo Teik writes:
Mahathir denounced the insincerity and manipulations of the rich industrialised nations
which have brought us to a stage where we dont believe in meaningful North-South relations

71

1997: Signing ceremony between IJM and the City of Windhoek in Namibia
for the development of Freedom Square.

any more. On behalf of those nations, still overwhelmed by unbeatable external debts,
strait-jacketed by protectionism and beggared by volatile interest and exchange rates he
pronounced the North-South dialogue dead, and dismissed the New Economic World Order
as a non-starter. His alternative was South-South Cooperation, and offered facilities for
establishing the South-South Commission which might help to expand it. His defence against
the manipulation of the G-7 was the solidarity of the G-77. He took the initiative of practising
South-South Cooperation of a kind and embarked on a campaign of befriending and assisting
of the very small countries of the Pacific and Africa whose levels of economic development
was not as advanced as Malaysias.
Goh Chye Keat recalls, The prime minister led trade & investment missions to South
countries, accompanied by captains of industry. Most were members of the Malaysia SouthSouth Corporation Bhd (MASSCORP), the investment arm of the Malaysia South-South
Association that consisted of 48 of the biggest companies in Malaysia. IJM was one of them
because we were one of the largest construction companies in the country. The delegation
to China in 1993, for example, had representatives from half the companies listed on the
Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange, including us. Bilateral trade and investment agreements often
culminated in Malaysian companies signing Memorandums of Understanding to implement
government-to-government projects. Through MASSCORP, IJM entered Vietnam, Namibia,
Argentina, Chile, the Philippines, Myanmar, Mauritius, India and China.
They were mainly privatisation projects. In Malaysia, we had tendered for utility and
other concessions but were unsuccessful. However, the experience was invaluable, and we
put it to good use in Vietnam and secured a Built-Operate Transfer (BOT) water treatment
plant in Ho Chi Minh City that had a 25 year concession. In Philippines, we spent a lot of time
promoting BOT of a power generation facility in Manila but it was in vain. However, we met
with success in China, where IJM became a partner in the Wuxi 90 MW co-generation plant in
Jiangsu Province, our first project in the country.

THE IJM STORY

ON A ROLL

Source: New Straits Times 17 June 1994

he Sale of Mudajaya Construction Sdn Bhd

Wholly owned subsidiary Mudajaya Construction

Sdn Bhd, one of the three original component
companies of IJM, was sold in two first phases.
In 1990, an agreement was finalised for the
sale of 60% of IJMs equity interest in Mudajaya to
United Engineers (Malaysia) Berhad and PATI Sdn
Bhd. Malaysian daily Business Times (30 October
1990) reported: Mudajayas principal activities
are those of civil engineering and building
contractors. UEMs board considers the proposed
acquisition to be in the long term interest of
the company in view of the business synergies
between Mudajaya and UEM. The IJM Board also
sees this proposal as a positive step towards
Mudajayas potential involvement in projects
undertaken by UEM.
For IJM, Mudajaya was an empty shell, with
its staff and other resources transferred to IJM.
It did not have a contracting licence to bid for
government jobs, which had to be surrendered
when IJM obtained its own contracting licence.
Mudajayas contracting licence could only be
used when bidding for private projects, but
it had lost its bite and become redundant
since IJMs was also acceptable when bidding
for private sector jobs. For IJM, it was more
expeditious to sell down its stake in Mudajaya
and forge a strategic alliance with UEM. For the
fledgling UEM, equity in Mudajaya enabled the
concessionaire to ride on the latters impressive
construction credentials.
UEM was the concessionaire-contractor
with large infrastructure projects such as the
North-South Highway, KL International Airport,
Commonwealth Games Sports Complex and
the Second Link Bridge between Nusajaya and
Singapore. IJM was previously awarded several
contracts by UEM and there were more to
come. The sale was a win-win transaction since

UEM undertook to provide its new subsidiary,

Mudajaya, with new contracts from its vast array
of concessions and it was hoped, with Mudajayas
past track record and steady profit stream, it
would become a good candidate for listing on
the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE).
The sale was finalised in 1991, and Mudajaya
became an associate company of IJM. While
the contracts and profitability materialised,
the introduction of chain listing rules by the
KLSE killed any possibility of the public listing
of Mudajaya so long as it was owned by UEM or
IJM, both public listed companies. Eventually, in
April 1993, IJM and UEM sold their entire 100%
equity to Tiararibu (M) Sdn Bhd for RM60 million
in cash. IJM reaped an extraordinary gain of
RM8.95 million from the divestment. In a strange
twist, within days Tiararibu sold its entire stake in
Mudajaya to Mulpha International Bhd for RM3
million in cash.
With its impressive track record that dates
back to the Chye Hin days in the 1960s, Mudajaya
was a perfect vehicle for a company seeking
public listing. In 1997, Mulpha listed Mudajaya
on the KLSE. The onset
of the Asian Financial
Crisis that July, when the
share market crashed,
resulted in the dilution
of Mulphas shareholding
in
Mudajaya.
A
management buyout in
2003 resulted in another
change of ownership. The
company has since been
relisted and rebranded as
the Mudajaya Group.

Source: Business Times, 12 April 1993

Source: Business Times, 30 October 1990

72

There was some pressure for companies

expanding under the South-South prosper
thy neighbour thrust. The de facto
ambassadors of Malaysias foreign policy,
they embarked on projects that were not
necessarily profit-motivated but rather
undertaken as goodwill or national service,
as described by corporate chieftains. IJM
did its share of national service projects
that included building affordable housing,
construction technology transfer and
training & skills development, especially
in Africa.
The well-capitalised IJM also became an investor, taking
up equity in joint venture companies and concessionaires
implementing privatisation projects. There was a quantum
leap in overseas investments, states the 1996 Annual Report,
and most were undertaken by wholly owned subsidiary IJM
Overseas Sdn Bhd. Two investments paid off handsomely the
Western Access Tollway in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a BOT concession and the Guangdong
Provincial Expressway, a toll concession in China.
Managing director Goh Chye Keat says, One of our best investments was the Guangdong
Provincial Expressway Development Company Ltd, which owned the Guangzhou-Foshan
Expressway in the Guangdong Province and invited foreign investors to take up equity stakes
to fund the extension to Kaipeng. At that time, the capital market was in its infancy and the
Chinese government wanted overseas companies to participate in infrastructure projects.
IJM was accepted as an investor because of our track record in heavy construction. This was
in July. A month later, in August 1996, the concessionaire was listed on the Shenzhen Stock
Exchange. We bought our shares at HK3.52 and it cost us RM100 million. We sold our shares
over a period of 10 years and made more than RM240 million in profits. I consider this as IJMs
most successful overseas project.
The Indian subcontinent was also on the radar, and IJM pursued construction projects
that involved multilateral agencies such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
Progress, however, was slow.
There were a few missteps. In Chile, a mixed development in San Bernardo, Santiago did
not pan out as planned. We built houses that were sold out, says Goh. However, when it
came to the commercial component, the government designated the old buildings that were
to be redeveloped on the site as heritage buildings, and therefore not for development and
sale. It was a good learning experience on how policies can change. Another lesson was a
tannery project in Argentina. We invested in a company that was said to produce the best
leather for the export markets of Europe. Unfortunately, the management was weak and its

73

1990s
Source: Business Times, 17 June 1994

1994: Chiles president Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle

and Malaysian prime minister Dr Mahathir
Mohamad at the official launch of the San
Bernardo project in Chile.

ON A ROLL

75

1990s

The launch of IJMs Horden Tower, a mixed development in the heart of

Sydney that was built in time for the Sydney Olympics 2000.

1996: Malaysias minister of international trade and industry Rafidah

Aziz (centre) officiated the launch of Horden Tower. Left, the Mayor of
Sydney, Frank Sartor.

Source: Singapore Paper, 8 August 1996

In 1989, IJM was one of the most favoured stocks by foreign

marketing and financials were poor. The company was declared a
institutional investors in the infrastructural and construction-related
Chapter 11. It taught me that we should only invest in businesses
sector. This year, some other foreign institutional investors suddenly
we knew and in which we had better control.
There were also investments in the developed world. Goh says,
paid attention to this counter and a re-rating of IJM is currently
In the West, they dont need us as a contractor but they welcome
underway. This renewed interest is certainly not without merit,
us as a developer. This is what happened in the housing project in
especially since IJM continues to rake in construction contracts worth
Orlando, Florida. It was a small development but we learnt about
hundreds of millions of ringgit in the construction sector.
good home designs from this experience.
Business Times (SN Lock, 31 October 1990)
In Australia, the group took up a 50% equity interest in the ASXlisted DEM, an architectural practice that had several property
development projects in Sydney and Melbourne. Another investment, OSW Properties Pty
Excellence Through Quality
Ltd (50% equity) had a mixed development of luxury apartments, commercial and retail
space and a hotel in World Square in inner city Sydney that was scheduled for completion in
time for the 2000 Olympic Games.
During this period, IJM laid the foundation of a sustainable group. There was vigorous
organic growth, with the seeds sown in the 1980s flowering and bearing fruit in varying
intensity. IJM became the benchmark for the construction and building industry, and was
awarded the ISO 9002 certification in 1996 for the Provision of Construction Services in
Building and Civil Engineering Works. The group was also recognised as one of Malaysias
largest and most diversified construction groups both in terms of project type and
geographical spread.
Once a nonentity, IJM became a regular newsmaker, hailed as a construction giant by the
media reporting on its expansion, investments and robust results. The groups share capital
was expanded with bonus share issues, bumiputera share issues, ESOS issues, and ICULS
issues to fund investments. Offshore borrowings were made on the back of strong balance
sheets. Investors, meanwhile, were rewarded with good dividends and rising share prices.
In an atmosphere of intense share market speculation and flamboyance, IJM Corporation
Berhad was not a speculative counter. It was described as practising a conservative
income recognition policy with profits recognised progressively based on the percentage of
completion starting only when more than 50% of the project was completed.
The 1985 recession that occurred during its formative years, had left an indelible mark
and IJM had not forgotten the pain. As a result it did not rush in where angels feared to tread.
A Schroders Report (11 September 1996) described IJMs expansion as prudent management
making safe investments. It was a policy that saved the day for what came next: the 1997
Asian Financial Crisis.

Part of the
55-km Western
Access Tollway
in Buenos Aires,
Argentina, an IJM
infrastructure
concession asset.

78

THE IJM STORY

THE IJM STORY

Lessons in Leadership-2
Goh Chye Keat
Group Managing Director, 1988-1996

oh Chye Keat was 47 years old

when he took over the reins of IJM

Group from Koh Boon Chor in 1988. To

him, a good leader is one who can take

the company and its people to greater

heights of achievement in terms of

financial success while at the same time

build its reputation, capabilities and

capacity. He did his best to live up to his

personal expectations.

Not new to change and challenges, the

founder partner of Jurutama steered the group
through difficult times as well as the best of times in IJMs corporate history. He led IJM
on a meteoric rise to become a Malaysian construction giant with a growing international
presence, matched only by a handful in the industry.
The group, which posted double digit growth in earnings every year throughout his term,
was recommended by investment analysts as a buy stock
Mr Goh stressed that selectivity would remain
with strong fundamentals and relatively low gearing for a
the keyword in IJMs direction and that the
construction giant. Market capitalisation grew from RM206.1
group would not take unnecessary risks
million in 1988 when he took office to RM1.88 billion in 1996,
when Goh Chye Keat stepped down as its chief executive.
venturing into unfamiliar ground overseas.
Two factors favoured Goh Chye Keat with the Midas
We want to conserve our capacity for Malaysia.
touch. One, the post-merger integration of IJM that came
The country is going through a boom period
to an end, and the group began to move ahead, thinking
and with our track record and expertise, we are
and acting as one. Two, the time had arrived for heavy
well-placed to do a lot.
construction companies to soar on the wings of a surging
New Straits Times, 15 December 1989
Malaysian economy.

79

1990s

Goh recalls: In the first three years

of IJM, the component companies
were allowed to work independently
Year
1988 (RM million) 1989 (RM million) 1990 (RM million)
based on work in hand as long as they
Targeted Group Turnover
200.0
250.0
250.0
delivered guaranteed profits. This period
Actual Group Turnover
207.0
375.0
502.0
had ended, and the first thing I did as
Targeted Group PBT
3.5
7.0
10.0
the CEO was to take stock of business
Actual Group PBT
4.0
8.0
13.0
operations and arrange to draw up a new
organisational structure and the groups
first Strategic Business Plan 1988-90. Subsequently, there was one every
three years.
One of the best management books to inspire me is Kenichi
Ohmaes The Mind of a Strategist the Japanese Art of Business,
I subscribe to the participative management philosophy that encourages
says Goh Chye Keat. Here, Ohmae explains the Three Cs or Strategic
an egalitarian approach of shared responsibility and reward. Information is
Triangle and states: In the construction of any business strategy,
to be shared and corporate objectives and targets jointly drawn up. I thus
three main players must be taken into account: the Corporation
had the pleasure of being involved in the setting up of the organisational
itself, the Customer, and the Competition. Only by integrating
structure together with other members of senior management and we
these three in a strategic triangle can sustained competitive
are all proud it worked well in the implementation of all our construction
advantage exist.
Kenichi Ohmae was voted by The Economist as one of the
activities and other business ventures.
worlds
top five management gurus who changed the landscape
The Strategic Business Plan was drawn up in the context of the
of management strategy in The Mind of the Strategist. In this
organisational structure, and it defined the roles of directors and senior
compelling account of global business domination, Ohmae reveals
managers and the key performance indicators of their respective profit
the vital thinking processes and planning techniques of prominent
or cost centre. Copies of the plan that addressed the companys position,
companies, showing why they work, and how any company can
weaknesses and set targets and future thrusts were circulated to senior
benefit from them. Filled with case studies of strategic thinking in
management for deliberation. With the plan in hand, everyone became
action, Ohmaes classic work inspires todays managers to excel to
new heights of bold, imaginative thinking and solutions. In many
involved, and targets set were based on feedback gathered.
ways, Ohmae can be considered the modern reincarnation of a
Unit heads were empowered to carry out their roles and functions
much older guru, Adam Smith.
independently, with oversight by the management committee. The
committee, which consisted of executive directors and senior managers,
held weekly or fortnightly meetings, usually on a Friday, to discuss and
resolve issues and monitor progress and minutes were kept diligently. This facilitated a
proper check-and-balance of work at hand. Frankly, I think IJM is one of few companies to be
rigorous about this process that enabled us to work out if we had made or lost money at any
point in time. It also enabled us to spot weaknesses and fix them quickly. As a result, losses
were either contained, mitigated or avoided.
The efficacy of the our Strategic Plans was proven with the success of our first Strategic
Plan (1988-90) that was implemented when the group was threatened by a shape-up or ship
out state of affairs in the aftermath of the 1985 recession. Happily, the actual performance of
group turnover and PBT exceeded targets during this critical period.
Every six months, we held a Senior Management Dialogue, also unique in the
industry then. I would make a kind of State of the Union address of the groups plans
and status, and announce the actual performance of each division against the targets

988-90 Strategic Plan Results

Inspired by Kenichi Ohmae

80

THE IJM STORY

LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP-2

1990s

Source: Business Times, 27 September 1993

set out in the Strategic Business Plan. It usually ended with a

celebration as we kept growing from strength to strength.
During this period, the composition of the board of directors
began to change with the resignation and retirement of the pioneers
who had played a pivotal role in the formation of the group. First to
step down was Lim Choong Kong in 1988 followed by Yap Lim Sen in
1989. The latter was the mastermind who led the group from behind
the scenes. His departure was followed by the resignation of Goh Nan
Kioh in 1990. That same year, Jurutama founder partner Ong Yeng Tian
retired and left; he had played a defining role in the establishment
of the plantation and property divisions. In 1993, Mudajaya principal
Chay Kwok Thong retired, followed by the resignation of long serving
directors Koon Yew Yin, Koh Boon Chor (both Mudajaya principals)
and Lim Yong Keat (Jurutama). Substantial shareholder IGB Berhads
equity also dwindled, from 51% to 18.97% in 1992.
Except for two independent directors, the rest were replaced by insiders promoted
from within the ranks of senior management. With this, IJM continued its tradition of
having a board composed of hands-on executives. The new appointments resulted in a
greater democratisation as the board moved from owner-centric to become management &
stakeholder-centric.
Source: The Sun, 26 August 1995

81

Like his predecessor Koh Boon Chor, Goh regarded human

resource management as a priority. The administration &
personnel department established during Kohs watch reported
directly to the group managing director. Goh is a firm believer
of performance-based rewards. He says, Recommendations for
salary increments, promotions and bonuses are based on merit.
We have an elaborate process in place to safeguard against
nepotism, favouritism or victimisation. Bonuses are paid based
on the performance of the company, project and individual.
Proper guidelines were drawn up to establish the total bonus pool
for head office staff and project bonuses to ensure that there is a
fair and equitable distribution of bonus payments. Through the
years from 1991, when IJM had turned the corner and no longer in
danger of posting a loss, the company took pride in paying high
performers bonuses that are higher than the industry norm.
IJM also took pride that staff turnover was low, a reflection
of high staff morale. Of course, we also recognised that even with
personnel policies based on best practices, you cannot make
everyone happy. You can only make them less unhappy.

HR policies and processes aside, Goh feels a leader should also display a caring attitude to
staff and be prepared to listen and consider issues and problems faced by them. It is a good
practice to build on the strengths of an individual and help him address his or her weaknesses
by providing the necessary support. The company should also make provisions for medical
assistance and education benefits for staff and their children.
It is not all about carrots, because the stick will come down hard when there
are lapses in conduct that threaten to besmirch the reputation of IJM, especially
since its businesses involve industries riddled by dubious perks and lurks. Goh
is vehement with: As managing director, I made it clear that I will not tolerate
corruption or any other form of malpractice. The company must always practice
integrity at every level of management. Corruption in a company is like having
cancer, and it will lead to its slow or fast death. Fortunately, I had the support of
the rest of the board and management who were committed to good corporate
governance and transparency and recognised that bad practices will affect the
1996: Managing director Goh Chye Keat receiving the
survival and sustainability of the company. It must be borne in mind that is very
ISO 9002 certification on behalf of IJM from works minister
difficult to build up a good company but very easy to destroy it.
S Samy Vellu.

10

Characteristics of a Good Leader

1.

2.

3.

4.

Professionalism, he must ensure that

the company and its people offer the best
of services in terms of quality and timely
delivery, especially in the service industry.
The IJM slogan Excellence through Quality
must be practised always.
Visionary, he must be able to see and plan
ahead the growth of the company in the
short (1-3 years), medium (3-5 years) and
long term ( beyond 5 years) and position
the company as a market leader in the
national and international arena.
Corporate governance, he must ensure
the company practices good corporate
governance and transparency, free from
corruption, nepotism, favouritism and
victimisation. The company and its people
must adopt best practices of world
standards.
Leadership by example, he must set the
highest standards for himself in terms of
integrity, diligence and hard work and the

5.

6.

7.

highest level of professionalism so that staff

can emulate him.
Knowledge of macro and micro aspects
of the business, he must have a good
working knowledge of both macro and
micro aspects of his business(es) so that
he can set realistic targets to be achieved.
He must be pragmatic and understand the
strength and weaknesses of the company
and its people.
SWOT Analysis, he must ensure that
proper SWOT analysis is carried out before
venturing into any overseas project. Care
must be taken to ensure that any venture,
in Malaysia and overseas is viable, profitable,
bankable and manageable. One bad
mistake can prove fatal to the well being of
the company.
Caring, he must display a caring attitude to
staff and the community by implementing
suitable Corporate Social Responsibility
projects.

Team player, he should be a team player

and inspire others in the top and middle
management to do the same.
9. Succession planning, he will plan and
identify his successor well in advance to
ensure smooth and seamless transition
when it is time for him to pass the baton.
His successor should be well prepared to
take over the job and take the company to
greater heights of achievement.
10. Passion, he must be passionate about his
work and the company, and inculcate this
value across the management hierarchy
so that everyone will strive for the best
and deliver the best. This is the only way
to make the company grow and remain on
the radar screen of institutional and foreign
investors, thus increasing its share price
and market capitalisation.
8.

according to Goh Chye Keat

THE IJM STORY

LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP-2

Source: Business Times, 19 September 1997

1994 Executive Committee: Seated (left to right): Krishnan Tan, Tan Sin
Leong and Goh Chye Keat. Standing (left to right): Choo Choon Yeow and
Khoo Chew Meng.

Goh also courted the investment community because he

says, It is important for IJM to be on the radar screen of fund
managers, institutional investors and analysts of foreign and local
research houses. Investor relations is paramount for a public
listed company such as IJM. We must have good stories to tell
and remain sexy to ensure that the shareholdings of foreign and
institutional investors remain high and the share price is well
supported. In order to achieve this, the managing director and the
chief financial officer must be approachable and available to meet
and impress fund managers and analysts.
For customers, Goh has one word: Quality. In its pursuit of
quality and excellence, the group adopted the slogan Excellence
through Quality that had evolved from the original Big, Strong
and Caring. He says, For IJM to stand out as a professionally

IJM Corporation Bhd with RM1.1 billion contracts in hand is in

a better position to secure contracts than its less established
competitors. Omega Investment Research says that IJM with
its excellent track record, strong management and its ability
to complete jobs on time within budgeted costs has a better
chance in securing contracts than its competitors.

Business Times, What Analysts Say by Azizul Shamsuddin, 27 September 1993

1995 IJM Board of Directors: Seated (left to right): Murad bin Mohamad
Noor, Ahmad Azizuddin bin Haji Zainal Abidin (chairman), Goh Chye Keat
(managing director) and Krishnan Tan. Standing (left to right): Jeremie Ting
Keng Fui (secretary), Ooi Poay Lum, Lai Meng, Mior Abdul Rahman bin Miou
Mohd Khan, Choo Choon Yeow, Khoo Chew Meng, Chay Kwok Thong, Sim
Quan Seng, Mohamed Feisal bin Ibrahim, Goh Chye Koon, Chee Wan Yee, Tan
Sin Leong and Choy Chee Keong (secretary).

A gathering of IJM pioneers who were feted for their services to the group.
Left to right: Goh Chye Keat, Lim Yong Keat, Tan Sin Leong, Chay Kwok Thong
and Chee Wan Yee.

run company, all customers, business ventures, contracts and

investments, have to be successfully managed to the highest
standards of quality. The pursuit of quality culminated in the
groups ISO 9002 certification for the Provision of Construction
Services in Building and Civil Engineering Works months before
the end of his term in office. He also set in motion the ISO journey
of quarrying & manufacturing subsidiaries to make their products
more attractive to export markets while simultaneously helping
the groups construction and property divisions deliver on their
quality promise.
Overtures were also made in community service. Every
successful company must give something back to society and the
community, says Goh. We gave scholarships to poor and needy
students with good academic qualifications and encouraged staff
to donate blood and undertook road beautification projects, built
bus stops, contributed to charitable institutions and sponsored
social events.

A more defined CSR policy began to emerge

in 1994, when IJM entered into a sponsorship
agreement with the National Sports Council of
Malaysia and the Malaysia Rugby Union to donate
RM500,000 a year for five consecutive years for
the development and promotion of the sport in
Malaysia under the Rakan Sukan Programme.
This annual grant was considered a meaningful
investment that would support the governments
effort to promote national unity through sports.
There were some disappointments, the most
significant being the groups failure to secure
infrastructure privatisation projects in Malaysia
that was attributed to the lack of political
patronage and bumiputera connections. Another was the difficulty to persuade staff to
relocate overseas. IJM staff were not keen to work overseas. If pressured, there was a good
chance that we would lose experienced staff as they were spoilt for choice in a booming
Malaysian economy. Malaysian staff tend to be homing birds, unlike those from Korean,
Japanese and European companies that have been more successful internationally because
they have personnel based in overseas offices for better management and control. We could
have done better overseas in countries that had good prospects as profit centres if only our
managers had been willing to live and work there. I believe this culture has to change.
Looking back, Goh recalls his proudest moments in the company. They include the
introduction of the Strategic Plan that continues to serve the company well till this day.
Another is having raised great children. The civil engineer chieftain did not indulge his first
born, the construction division, which contributed about 60% of earnings. During his term, he
also poured his energies into strengthening each division within the group and they turned
out well. Best of all, is his choice of successor.
A year before I left, everyone knew that Krishnan Tan would take over from me. I was
pleased that my selection of an accountant to helm the construction giant was approved by
the board. I vacated my seat with peace of mind that comes from knowing that what I have
done will not come undone. When I stepped down, I gave Krishnan a copy of The Future
of the Group into the 21st Century Strategic Plan as part of my hand over notes. I am a firm
believer in putting my thoughts on paper. And I am delighted that Krishnan has completely
outperformed all my expectations.
Goh retired as group managing director on 31 December 1996 and continued to serve as a
non-executive director on the board for the next 10 years. In 2003, he was awarded with The
Prominent Player Award by the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) for his
contribution to the construction industry.

83

1990s

Source: Business Times, 17 May 1996

82

THE IJM STORY

IJM headed to India

when the going got
tough in Malaysia
to take advantage
of the infrastructure
boom in the
subcontinent.

When the Going gets Tough...

the Tough get Going

even months into his term of office, group managing director Krishnan

Tan had to grapple with a destabilised IJM in the wake of the brutal Asian

Financial Crisis that unleashed its fury on the region in June 1997, and whose
aftershocks continued for more than a year. He had inherited a group on its
ascendancy, with prospects shining bright. Now, this.

The speed and ferocity of the Asian Financial Crisis was nothing short of startling. What
was at the time perceived to be a localised currency and financial crisis in Thailand ravaged
the rising tiger economies of Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong
and Korea, and rippled across to Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. All were caught dead on
their tracks.
A paper entitled Corporate Governance and Debt in the Malaysia Financial Crisis of 1997
by Tommy Thomas, a senior consultant with the United Nations Development Programme,
quotes Linda Lim, the associate professor of International Business at the University of
Michigan Business School as reporting that after 12 robust years of uninterrupted GDP growth
averaging about 8% per annum, the Malaysian economy nose-dived into a recession with a
GDP of about minus 8% in 1998 the worst on record for independent Malaysia. According
to Lim, the ringgit depreciated almost 50% against the dollar between the first week of July
1997 (at RM2.50 = US$1.00) and January 1998 (at RM4.88 = US$1.00). The stock market collapse
was even greater. In the same six month period, the composite index experienced the biggest
plunge of all the Asian crisis countries, descending 54%, from 1,230 points to 574 points. It lost
over 65% of its capitalisation, wiping almost US$225 billion off share values. The worse was
yet to come for the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE).
To contain the slide, Malaysia pondered over International Monetary Fund (IMF)
measures at the suggestion of then finance minister Anwar Ibrahim, and it included currency
devaluation and high interest rates. IMF intervention, however, came with strings attached
that prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad dismissed as untenable given the socio-economic
aspirations of the government. It led to a fall-out between the finance minister and prime
minister, who prescribed another recovery plan. On 1 September 1998, Bank Negara (Central

85

2000s

86

THE IJM STORY

Source: New Straits Times, 6 November 1997

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH THE TOUGH GET GOING

87

2000s

Bank) announced currency controls on foreign capital flows to curb the speculative demand
for the ringgit, and prevent its internationalisation. The following day, the ringgit was
pegged at RM3.80 to USD1. The ringgit was thus officially devalued by 34%, 10% higher in
value than if left to market forces of the time. It was an unorthodox approach denounced
by international business circles, and they retaliated. The KLSE hit rock bottom and sank to
269.42 points. Malaysia pressed on regardless. The cheaper ringgit stimulated demand for
Malaysian exports and FDI inflows while curbing the outflow of capital. In addition, a cheap
money policy took the place of the year-long rising interest rate to jump-start the domestic
economy. The government also instituted austerity measures that included substantial cuts
in public expenditure, deferment of infrastructure projects, freezing of reverse investments
and restructuring stressed financial institutions through mergers and take-overs.
A key feature of the 1997-98 crisis in Malaysia was the scale and magnitude of corporate
debt, principally borrowings by companies listed on the KLSE, and sometimes, short-term
borrowings to fund long-term projects. It exposed poor or ineffective corporate governance
that involved ill-advised investment decisions. The weakness was traced back to the
ownership structure, with little or no separation of power between owner and management.
The situation was exacerbated by the listing rule that required only a minimum of 25% of
equity to be held by the public that resulted in several plcs being controlled by an individual or
family. The Governor of Bank Negara then, Ali Abu Hassan, condemned the cavalier approach
to borrowings displayed by both directors and shareholders of several listed companies. He
said, Many, for instance, utilised their borrowings for purposes other than those declared to
the banks. Loans for working capital were used for share financing, to finance new business
ventures or became a complex web of inter-company advances. By the time the annual
review of the loans are carried out, the level of leverage in the company had ballooned and
the business focus of the group had expanded so much that it altered significantly the risk
profile of the group.
There were also instances when borrowers purposely reneged on their loans although
they had the capability and capacity to repay their loans. Whilst there had been many
initiatives to improve the credit culture in banking institutions, similar efforts should be
initiated to promote a more responsible credit behaviour among borrowers.
Several heavyweights collapsed when the screws were tightened. With little reserves set
aside for rainy days, share prices in the doldrums and the ringgit-peg burdening them with
exorbitant foreign loan repayments, they keeled over and fell.
IJM took a beating but good governance, an intrinsic value
embedded by the pioneers, kept it out of harms way.
Market capitalisation dropped by more than 60% in tandem
with the overall decline of the local bourse, from a healthy
RM1.88 billion in 1996 to a worrisome RM441 million in
1997. It dipped further to RM201 million in September 1998,

the lowest when the full impact of the crisis was felt. During the same period, share prices
plunged from RM5.95 to RM1.29 and to an all-time low of RM0.59 in September before closing
at RM2.39 at the end of 1998. Turnover shrank 22.2% from RM1.47 billion in 1997 to RM1.15
billion in 1998 and Profit Before Tax dropped from a peak of RM131 million in 1996 to RM94
million in 1997 and RM71 million in 1998. Staying profitable was indeed an achievement.
The construction, property and manufacturing & quarrying divisions took the brunt of
the fall. With the outflow of funds, liquidity shrivelled and banks
began to withdraw facilities. It had serious consequences on the
access to working capital, a situation that was worsened by the
steep rise in interest rates, leading to clients stopping work and
failing to pay. The fall of the ringgit, meanwhile, resulted in the
ballooning of foreign debt and import costs. Krishnan Tan recalls,
We were experiencing big hits from all corners on on-going
projects and businesses. On the debt side, we had funded all our
overseas investments with US dollar debt that now translated to
much bigger numbers in ringgit terms. Meanwhile, we had just
won the Putrajaya Hospital project worth RM282.7 million, more
than half of which was for plant and equipment mainly from
overseas and the costs had escalated by more than 50% for these
equipment. We faced the immediate prospect of a huge losses.
There was also a loss of confidence in Malaysian companies
among the investment community and international financial
institutions, with many withdrawing funding lines for offshore
projects. IJM was hit by the withdrawal of the funding line for its
Binh An Build-Operate-Transfer water supply project in Vietnam
where construction had reached peak intensity
IJM quickly stepped into damage-control mode, assessing the
Binh An Water Treatment Plant, IJMs build-operate-transfer concession
damage and adopted measures to address issues, particularly
in Vietnam.
those relating to contracts, debts, funding and overheads.
The collection of receivables became a priority with the abrupt stoppages of construction
work due to the lack of liquidity among clients Work schedules on some jobs were
reprogrammed to suit the clients payment capabilities. Rising costs were closely monitored
and acted upon. The glut in the property led to the deferment of new launches. For works in
progress, there was a contraction of demand, defaults by buyers and high carrying costs. The
manufacturing & quarrying division went into the red and a series of austerity measures were
put into effect to turnaround the division. The planned public flotation of IJM steel fabricating
subsidiary Torsco was aborted in 1998 because of the poor performance by companies to be
acquired by Torsco as part of the listing exercise. As to be expected, the KLSE toughened its
rules on initial public offerings as part of its post-crisis housekeeping.
One of most serious challenges faced by the group were bank debts and the liquidity
crunch caused by the outflow of funds from the country, rising interest rates and fluctuating

88

THE IJM STORY

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH THE TOUGH GET GOING

Source: The Star, 21 May 1998

erils of International Business

IJMs first investment in China, the Wuxi Co-generation Plant in

Nenda.

Source: The Sun, 18 October 1999

Yangzhong Changjiang Bridge, one of IJMs infrastructure

assets in China.

foreign exchange rates. After the ringgit peg, the volatility subsided but
businesses with foreign bank borrowings were overburdened by debt. Though
not overgeared by any standard, IJM earnestly worked at reducing bank
borrowings and restructuring the maturity profile of certain short-term debts
incurred in funding long term investment in infrastructure-based projects.
It divested its investment in Wuxi co-generation plant to the local Chinese
partner, and the proceeds were used to reduce foreign bank borrowings.
Despite the dismal scene, one knight in shining armour brought good
tidings. Plantations delivered the highest PBT contribution to the group for
two consecutive years, 1997 and 1998, as a result of higher crude palm oil prices.
The performance of the plantations division during dark times vindicated
diversification into this sector, a corporate strategy that had its detractors.
In addition, overseas operations proved their
worth. The international ventures divisions interests
in Australia (Horden Tower with OSW Properties
Pte Pty Ltd), China (equity in Guangdong Provincial
Expressway Development Co Ltd and Yangzhang
Changjiang Bridge Co Ltd) and Argentina (equity in
Grupo Concessionario del Oeste SA) had started to pay
off, with China investments posting their maiden profit
in 1996, followed by Australia in 1997 and Argentina
in 1999. Their contributions, enhanced by a weaker
ringgit, further helped the group remain in the black
in the aftermath of the 1997-98 Asian Financial Crisis.
Tan recalls the aftermath of the Asian Financial Crisis,
What saved us was our good risk management practices
in the choice of clients, conservative and prudent debt
financing policies, pragmatic quick action and, the loyalty
and commitment of proactive staff. There was also the
tinge of good luck. The biggest sacrifice was made by

89

2000s

staff when we were able to convince

them to volunteer for immediate pay cuts
In 2001, the Argentine peso was devalued following its failure to make a debt repayment to the
for those earning above RM3,000, with
World Bank that was due on 14 November. It was not the first time the country had defaulted on
senior management taking the highest
debts to private lenders but multilateral credit organisations are more stringent.
percentage cut. It was not so much the
Pegged at par value to the US dollar since 1991, the peso could not keep pace with the US
dollar given the vastly different economic conditions between the two countries. It became a
cost savings but how it got our people
burden because it made Argentina more expensive than neighbouring Brazil. Industrial activity
focused on the challenges ahead. This was
and exports declined, while unemployment and underemployment rose sharply. The government
not the first time in IJM history. We had a
borrowed heavily to make up for the shortfall in revenue.
similar exercise in hard times during the
Then the inevitable happened. In 2001, the Argentine peso was devalued and it ended the
1985 global recession when lost wages
decade-long fixed link with the dollar. The peso fell about 70% against the dollar.
were repaid in their entirety when IJM
IJMs portion of the operating pre-tax profit from the BOT investment Grupo Concessionario
del Oeste shrank substantially to RM3.41 million in 2002, from RM12.29 million the previous year.
recovered. We are indeed proud that in
IJM Annual Report 2002 notes: The flotation of peso required the group to make an allowance
1999 we were able to repay all the pay cuts.
of RM47.0 million for diminution in value of its investments in GCO, in which IJM holds 20.1%
As with all things with good intentions,
equity stake. IJM had earlier placed out 4.8% of its shareholding in GCO in conjunction with its
we were blessed with an added bonus it
initial public offering in 1999 and booked a substantial profit. The investment remains with IJM
was a tax free year. Similar pre-emptive
and is profitable, well looked after by our representatives Adam Eleod and Marcello Santurio
action was to be repeated without much
since inception.
fuss in 2008 with the onset of the Global
Financial Crisis. This is a shared destiny
human resource policy hallmark of IJM till
this day.
Government pump priming initiatives to nurse the battered economy back to health took
time, and besides there were too many casualties about. In IJMs view, the domestic scene had
too many contractors chasing too few jobs. With one foot firmly on home ground, completing
existing jobs and bidding for new contracts, it decided to step up its international ventures.
Immediate interest was on construction contracts that will generate quick profits without
major long term commitments.
IJM managing director, Krishnan Tan (left) with
On the horizon, India was waking up from a slumber, lifting the shutters of the closed Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh during
economy that had been off limits to foreigners for decades. Having tasted the fruits of success the 11th ASEAN Summit that was held in Malaysia
with its first mover strategy that caught the rising tide of prosperity in China, IJM made a in 2005.
beeline to yet another economic powerhouse in the making.
On 24 July 1991, Indian finance minister Manmohan Singh presented a startlingly bold budget
to the nation with the memorable words (paraphrasing Victor Hugo): No power on earth
can stop an idea whose time has come. Delivered to a nation teetering on the brink of
bankruptcy, the budget marked the liberalisation and deregulation of the Indian economy. It
opened the door, sector by sector, to welcome foreign participation in the modernisation of
India. Initially, there was no rush to take up the invitation with multinationals recalling how
IBM and Coca Cola Co were expelled from India by nationalisation pursued by the leadership
of Indira Gandhi in the late 1970s. There was also uncertainty if the rigid wall of controls

90

THE IJM STORY

and regulations that typified the Indian

bureaucracy and business environment
would be dismantled. Another barrier
Life in India was certainly no bed of roses for the few IJM staff who volunteered or requested to
was Indian tariff duties, one of the highest
oversee projects in the subcontinent. Most of them were stepping onto Indian soil for the first time.
As Krishnan Tan acknowledges, Doing business in India is tough. Navigating through
in the world at 112%, and investors
the myriad of obstacles ranging from the legendary bureaucracy, political interferences and
awaited the relaxation of tariff duties as
challenging logistics in a foreign land even before considering economic issues takes immense
promised by Manmohan Singh. A blitz of
patience, tremendous humility, sheer stamina and hard work. In the construction business, you
breakthrough reforms later, the trickle
need to deal with these challenges on a daily basis and it takes men of character with true grit and
of foreign investments became a swift
forbearance to persevere in the face of these difficulties and deliver. For this, I have great admiration
stream, and they helped transform the
for our early Indian team comprising people such as Liew Hau Seng who headed the Mumbaieconomy from a sluggish growth of minus
Pune Expressway, country head Ng Chin Meng, ably supported by Liew Chee Khong in finance,
chief operating officer Pankaj Agrawal, Sanjay Agrawal, and DS Rao, the company secretary and
3% to a robust 8% plus in the decade and
also head of legal & administration, and those hands-on construction managers.
a half that followed.
We were fortunate and grateful to receive the selfless guidance of Deepak Dasgupta, who is
By the mid 1990s, India became the
our independent director, RC Sinha, Ramaraju, Dr T Subbarami Reddy, Brij Mohan Reddy and many
favoured destination of multinationals
others, who proferred advice that enabled us to understand and map out our game plan across the
and emerging Asian companies seeking
trying Indian infrastructure construction landscape.
new markets. To attract investments,
India set out to overhaul its creaking
road, railway and power sectors, long seen as a drag on growth in Asias third largest economy.
For IJM, the going continued to be tough back home, while investments in Vietnam and
Argentina would take time with their returns. China was racing ahead, but it had developed
its own massive construction expertise and capacity, all state-owned, and the development of
the capital market started to give it access to funds. IJM had seen better days there and it was
time to move on it began to ease out of the China market to concentrate on an India rising.
There were several pull factors. Unlike China, India then lacked the construction capacity
and skills to undertake huge infrastructure projects. By the mid-1990s, many Malaysian
companies emerged as pre-qualified bidders for Indian road projects funded by international
IJMs debut in India was a partnership in Gautami
multilateral agencies. IJM was one of them. The widespread use of the English language in
power plant, a build-operate-transfer concession
in Andra Pradesh.
Indian government and business circles made communication easier, not only at official

ioneering in India

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH THE TOUGH GET GOING

Source: The Sun, 8 January 1998

discussions but also in the interpretation of legal and financial

documents. Technical standards and contract documents were very
similar to Malaysia. Furthermore, India had a functional legal system
and an established banking system that provided working capital
as well as non recourse long term debt for up to 80% of project cost
compared to nil project financing in China at that time.
IJM entered India armed with recent knowledge, experience and
expertise acquired during a boom in Malaysia that had ended abruptly
with the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997. IJM had another trump card
Indian staff who were familiar with both the Indian business
landscape and the IJM work culture. Group managing director Krishnan Tan explains, In
the 1980s and 90s, government-to-government trading arrangements between the two
countries included Malaysian palm oil exports in exchange for Indian railway expertise.
Many Indian engineers arrived to work on the project to overhaul Malaysias antiquated
rail system. IJM was employed as a subcontractor to the Indian Railway Company. When
their work was done, many Indian expatriate engineers were hired by IJM. They remained
with us, some for as long as a decade, and then joined us in India when the construction
sector there took off. Our Indian expatriates like Pankaj Agrawal, Sanjay Agrawal, Lahori
and others were appointed to key engineering positions in our India operations.
IJM launched itself as a contractor and later as an investor, vying for privatisation projects
that would keep its construction order book full while earning recurrent income from its
equity in concessions. The first success occurred in 1997, when wholly owned subsidiary
IJM Overseas Ventures Sdn Bhd took up a 60% equity interest in Gautami Power Limited
that had been awarded the 360MW concession to build and operate a power plant in Andra
Pradesh. In 1998, IJM was awarded a two contracts, one for the construction of the MumbaiPune Expressway and the other, a bypass road in Chennai in a joint venture with Satyam
Construction, an Indian partner. Encouraged, IJM was on the prowl for more. Several more
road projects were won in Andra Pradesh in joint ventures with another Indian partner,
Gayatri Construction.
IJM was determined to make its mark in India, to emblazon its name on the Indian
landscape, just as it had in Malaysia. With the rallying call to replicate an IJM in India, a
subsidiary named IJM India Infrastructure Limited (IJMI) was incorporated in 2001 to lead
business in the subcontinent. IJMs FDI was routed via Mauritius, a common international
practice since the island republic had OECD-compliant legal and financial frameworks and an
avoidance of double taxation treaty with India. IJMs deputy managing director was assigned
to oversee this important market, and a senior management staff was dispatched from Kuala
Lumpur as a country manager to be based in Hyderabad, Andra Pradesh, where IJM had the
most number of projects. First to lead the charge was deputy managing director Goh Chye
Koon, and when he retired, his successor, Teh Kean Ming. The first country manager was Ng
Chin Meng. As a multinational, IJM was committed to upholding its corporate culture and
brand values of quality and excellence on Indian soil. By 2000, IJM had gained recognition as

91

2000s

Mumbai-Pune Expressway, IJMs first privatised toll

highway project in India.

The Malaysian Standard Bearer

In responding to the national call to go global,
IJM became one of few Malaysian builders to
prove its prowess in winning competitive bids
and delivering quality off-shore. For its role in
projecting the good name of the country, it was
given due recognition:
2000: The Construction Industry Development
Board presented the company with the first
Malaysian International Contractor of the Year
Award in September 2000. In 2005, CIDB again
honoured IJM with this award.
2001, 2006 and 2007: IJM won the Malaysian
Construction Industry Excellence (International
Achievement) award.
2003 and 2007: IJM won the Malaysian Ministry of
International Trade & Industrys Excellence Award
for Export of Services.

92

THE IJM STORY

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH THE TOUGH GET GOING

2000s

IJM built the 28-storey

headquarters of the
Municipal Corporation
of Delhi, currently the
tallest building in the
Indian capital.

IJM was the first

Malaysian company
to be awarded a
construction contract
for the Delhi Metro.
Subsequently, IJM
undertook several
other packages for
this project.

93

the pioneering Malaysian contractor that had

carved a niche for itself in the emerging Indian
construction market.
In India, land acquisition falls under the jurisdiction
The groups top management cultivated
of the state government. Farmlands are affected, and there
good relationships with their India partners
is also the relocation of temples. In one instance, there were
and state governments who had rallied to the
as many of 127 temples involved, and the local community
union governments call for the privatisation
appreciated the relocation.
of development projects. Group managing
James Wong Tet Foh, managing director, infrastructure division (tolls)
director Krishnan Tan became a frequent
visitor, diligently networking with Indian
officialdom to bring things to pass. Tan says, Our business is all about bidding. It is
important to become involved in the market to win new jobs. My visits were also to show
our boys in IJMI that the head office is with them.
IJMs first point of entry was the state of Andra Pradesh, where IJM had made its presence
felt with the investment in a power project. This is also where IJM was awarded its first BOT
highway project in India that involved a 31.9% equity interest in the Swarna Tollway Pte Ltd,

94

THE IJM STORY

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH THE TOUGH GET GOING

2000s

Rajadhok toll plaza along the 108km four lane Jaipur Mahua Tollway

Chennai Bypass Highway, part of a

circular transportation corridor to
reduce traffic congestion in the city.

95

a project negotiated on a government to government basis in

2001. It was a 30-year concession for two toll highways. It went on
to build several other road projects in the state.
With the slogan IJM Mark of Excellence, IJM doggedly
pursued the Indian market. Tan acknowledges, India is a tough
place to operate in many ways. We completed our first project,
part of a six lane state-of-the-art concrete highway between
Mumbai and Pune on schedule. It was a milestone for us in India,
and it enhanced our reputation substantially. Over the next few
years, IJM grew its footprint on the subcontinent, employing more
than 500 staff to manage large construction jobs and concession
assets in the states of Andra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madya
Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, West Bengal, Maharashtra and the municipality of Delhi. They
boosted construction revenues immediately, while returns from infrastructure concession
investments that typically involved heavy borrowings were realised gradually with the buildup of toll traffic volumes.
The India push continued unabated when it became clear that prime minister Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi who replaced Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 2002 did not share his predecessors
approach to development. The new leader focused on soft infrastructure centred on
human capital development, and relegated costly hard infrastructure projects to the back
burner. Within months into his term of office, Badawi announced the cancellation of several
mega infrastructure projects causing more heartache for the already strapped construction
industry. Instead, he urged Malaysian contractors to go global.

By then, IJM had diversified into property development in India, where it created several
firsts. It was the first foreign property developer in India under the new FDI guidelines
announced in 2003. It was the first to build an integrated township in the rapidly developing
state of Andra Pradesh; and the first to develop more than 100 units of housing at any one
time in the state. IJMI property manager Manjit Singh recalls, Since 2000, IJM was ready to
enter the real estate market in India. Following the opening up of the highway sector to FDI
inflows, we felt that the real estate sector would be next. The union government formulated
and announced the first set of FDI guidelines in 2001. They were very stringent, and one in
particular blindsided us it stipulated 100 acres as the minimum acreage for development.
IJMI had by then entered into a joint venture agreement with Andra Pradesh Housing
Board to develop 35 acres in Hyderabad, 65 acres short of the 100-acre development criteria.
We decided to present our case to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) in Delhi
to convince officials of our proposal. We were rejected twice but did not give up. Eventually,
the FIPB relaxed its guidelines provided foreign developers build no less than 2,000 housing

Commercial Crescent in
Prestige Shantiniketan, a
fully integrated township
developed in Whitefield,
Bangalore, India.

96

THE IJM STORY

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH THE TOUGH GET GOING

2000s

Kukatpally Raintree Park, often referred to as Malaysian township or IJM

township, is a major residential and commercial suburb of Hyderabad.
Source: Business Times, 3 April 2003

97

units on the 35 acres. IJMI subsequently became the first foreign

company to enter the real estate market in India under the new
FIPB guidelines that was announced in February 2003.
Back in Hyderabad, we recommended that the client allocate
400 units for low income earners based on the Malaysian model
of creating affordable housing for poorer segments of society.
Our proposal was well received by the state government. For the
state, we were trailblazers for having built an entire township
of 2,200 units (including 400 units of affordable housing) at one
time, and at one location. Housing projects in India then consisted
of 50 to 100 units in any one scheme.
The biggest challenge we faced was dealing with authorities
and buyers. Their expectations of foreign developers were high,
maybe because they are well travelled and seen or lived in

quality buildings in developed countries.

We signed the joint venture agreement with the Andra Pradesh Housing Board in
We did our best to deliver the best
the presence of the states chief minister Chandrababu Naidu and IJM group managing director
while continuously battling with Indian
Krishnan Tan. When addressing guests, Tan said, I dont want Indian class. I want a Malaysian
construction workers lackadaisical
class development.We worked at living up to this expectation. The chief minister, a great
attitude to safety and quality.
With its in-house construction
admirer of Dr Mahathir, was pleased with the outcome.
expertise, innovative designs and
Manjit Singh, IJM property manager
competitive pricing, IJM properties
became desirable buys. The success of the
maiden housing project, Raintree Park in Hyderabad, led to other township developments,
enhanced versions of the first one, with retail and commercial components. Locals began to
refer to them as Malaysian townships or IJM townships because they introduced a whole new
way of living in urban India. Better still, IJM properties were treated as
quality assets with strong capital appreciation potential.
The difficult business climate at home led another IJM division
to seek out opportunities in India. In 2004, Industrial Concrete
Products subsidiary, Strong Mixed Concrete (SMC) arrived to provide
management services to IJMIs ready mixed concrete subsidiary that
principally supplied the IJM construction division. SMC helped set up
and operate a ready mixed concrete plant in Hyderabad to provide
in-house supplies as well as sell to third parties, and within a year of
increasing sales to third parties, the plant delivered its maiden pre-tax
profit. It was a promising start, and ICP decided to buy the subsidiary
from IJMI, and quickly proceeded to set up one plant after another to
support and take advantage of the volume generated by IJMIs evergrowing construction activities in the subcontinent as well as to
penetrate the market for third party business. By 2007, earnings from
The industry divisions quarry operations in Hyderabad, Andra Pradesh.
these plants exceeded those in Malaysia.
IJM continued to be upbeat about India, while exploring another booming market: the Gulf
States. In 2004, it won its first project, the construction of the Emirates Catering Centre and
it was followed by the RM120 million Fortune Tower in Dubai. Others followed, in Abu Dhabi
and Bahrain, countries in a hurry to outshine each other with super structures, funded by
petrodollars derived from surging oil prices.
In 2005, JP Morgan singled out IJM as one of the five homegrown Malaysian companies
poised to become world beaters as it ventures abroad. It stated: These companies possess
formidable local expertise that appears replicable worldwide as well as globally attractive
and unique business models with high entry barriers. We place great faith in the management
to deliver significant earnings growth over the next three to five years, which should result
in price earnings multiple expansion as well as significant share price performance over the
next three years. JP Morgan added that IJM could leverage on its overseas expertise to bid for
projects in countries such as India and the Middle East.

98

THE IJM STORY

Marina Square, the firstcommunitydevelopment

to becompleted on Al-Reem Island, Abu Dhabi.

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH THE TOUGH GET GOING

Overseas operations began to account for more than half the groups
construction order book by 2006. Most were Indian contracts with total values
exceeding RM1.0 billion. IJM properties were popular with Indian buyers while
the ready mixed business exceeded ICPs expectations. By 2008, the plantations
division was also in India, through a joint venture with Godrej Agrovet Limited
and Godrej Gokarna Oil Palm Limited. However, this investment was sold when
IJM Plantations decided to focus its attention in Indonesia, where it had acquired
substantial acreage of plantable land.
In less than ten years, IJMI was a mini IJM, with principal activities that
paralleled that of its parent company: construction, property, manufacturing and
oil palm processing. However, it trumped the parent with concessions, something
that had eluded the parent company on its home turf (a sore point that was sorted
out with the acquisition of Road Builder refer to Chapter 9). The earlier catch-cry
to create another IJM in India was no empty boast.
Malaysian newspapers reported that IJM planned to list its India operations.
Krishnan Tan side-stepped with: Listing will take some time, and we may when
our assets mature and our order book is replenished and increased to the levels of
our peers in India.
But, all this was not to be, at least for now. IJM was at the peak of its activity
level, both in order book and property development in early 2008, when the impact
of surging worldwide commodity prices began to be felt.
The Indian economy began to slow following the surge in commodity prices and it deteriorated
further with the 2009 global meltdown. The once aggressive economy was injured by the
backlash, as were the economies of the Middle East. With galloping material prices, projects
costs soared as did interest rates in India that rose as high as 20%, projects stalled, collections
became a nightmare and austerity measures were instituted. In an urgent message to all staff
in 2009, Tan urged the Indian team to finish off most of our projects by year end and perhaps
with the start of new projects and restructuring of working capital, better times will prevail
and a reassessment can be done in January. He reassured them with: IJM is committed to
a long term Indian strategy. Do not be disheartened, your time will certainly come and we
will be fair. However, conditions deteriorated further and IJMs Indian construction business
suffered losses. For the first time in the history of the IJM Group, the construction division
reported a loss of RM79 million in the financial year 2011, mainly due to projects in India and
the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Malaysia was becoming the land of opportunity once again with a change of
leadership. The new prime minister Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak who took office in April
2009 unveiled his Economic Transformation Plan to achieve a high income economy by 2020.
Under this plan, big ticket infrastructure projects were back on the national agenda, and IJM
had the resources to participate in this new road map for the nation.

99

2000s

xit from China

IJM pulled out of China gradually, disposing its

three investment assets over a period of ten years.
It began with the divestment of its equity interest
in Wuxi Co-Generation plant in 1998 ostensibly to
reduce the groups foreign bank borrowings after
the Malaysian ringgit peg that caused foreign
borrowing in ringgit terms to balloon.
Next was the disposal of the Guangdong
Provincial Expressway Development Co Ltd
(GPED). When IJM took a 20% equity interest
in GPED, it was with an understanding that the
company will seek a listing on the Shenzhen
Stock Exchange. The shares owned by foreigners
including IJM would be quoted as B shares to
be traded in Hong Kong Dollars (HKD). IJMs
equity holdings was divided into 2 tranches
one that would be tradeable as B shares and
another non tradeable tranche which required
approval of authorities to be converted to
tradeable shares.
In 1996, GPED was listed. Except for a small
disposal at the initial listing, IJM did not dispose
any shares until 2001 as the volume of trading
was thin and, with GPED continuing to do well,
IJM was receiving good dividends.

In 2000, GPED stock prices hit record prices

with record trading volumes. Krishnan Tan
recalls, I remember that P/Es were over 70 times
when the toll concession had 20 years life. It was
a no brainer to start selling especially with the
market showing good signs of absorbing the
huge share volumes. We sold into the market at
good prices till we hit the Kuala Lumpur Stock
Exchange (KLSE) listing rule limits requiring
shareholder approval for further disposal. At
this stage, we had made RM122 million of
profits from disposal. Sensing that the market
would not last, we sought an exemption from
KLSE but to no avail as the post Asian Financial
Crisis environment needed strict adherence to
governance rules.
We had to wait a another seven years until
2007 for market conditions to return to dispose
the remaining shares.
Meanwhile in 2003, we obtained approval
from the Chinese authorities to convert the
non tradeable shares to tradeable ones, and
became the second overseas investor after
billionaire investor, George Soros, to be granted
this concession. We were then ready for any

market opportunity, and this took another

five years. The disposal in 2007 netted a gain
of RM118 million. A RM100 million investment
returned more than RM240 million excluding
dividends received. Whats important was also
that we had an excellent relationship with our
Chinese partners throughout so much so that
they retained Loy Boon Chen, our key man for
Chinese ventures, to remain as an independent
director on the board of GPED.
IJMs third China investment, in a toll bridge
concession company in Yangzhong China was
sold in 2006, when IJMs associate company
JWS Projects Sdn Bhd sold its equity interest in
the concessionaire.
Earnings and profits from these divestments
were used to release cash flow for operations,
pre-pay or pay off foreign currency borrowings
and plough money into new investments.
IJM has since returned to China. In
2004, ICP initiated an investment into a pile
manufacturing plant in Jiangmen in the
Guangdong Province. It started operations
in 2006. Meanwhile, IJM Land is starting a
development project in Changchun.

Source: Business Times, 20 August 2001

100

THE IJM STORY

IJMs debut in
the Gulf States:
construction of the
Emirates Catering
Centre, the largest
flight kitchen in the
world.

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH THE TOUGH GET GOING

101

2000s

102

THE IJM STORY

THE IJM STORY

Source: The Star, 4 October 2006

103

2000s

The Game Changer

t a press conference on 18 October 2006, IJM announced its proposed

takeover of rival Road Builder Holdings Berhad (RBH), lock stock and barrel for
a whopping RM1.56 billion based on a price of RM3.00 per share. It was hailed

as the biggest and boldest merger & acquisition (M&A) in the construction

Source: The Star, 10 October 2006

sector as indeed it was.

Source: Business Times, 26 January 2007

There had been media speculation of the M&A a couple of weeks prior to the official
announcement and the news grabbed many by surprise. The conservative IJM was better
known for growing its business organically or buying equity in individual companies with
promise rather than buying up whole group of companies. Intriguingly, the take-over of the
construction giant occurred without any boardroom drama, making it the stuff of corporate
dreams that IJM had the luck to live out.
The man of the hour was managing director Krishnan Tan who recalls: I could only give
very short notice to the board of directors to buy Road Builder as rumours began to fan out of
control and affected the share prices of the two companies. The directors knew that I would
have done my homework. Usually, I would talk things over, especially the numbers, with Oh
Chong Peng, the chairman of our Audit Committee, someone very well versed with corporate
matters and who would not hesitate to pour cold water on any deal with the faintest shadow
of doubt. He gave me the green light, and I proceeded to speak to the chairman and the board
about the M&A. This brought into fruition the strategy of growth by acquisition that the
group had as its strategic agenda for over three years.
Describing it as a game changer, he said the acquisition was an opportunity not to be
missed. Tan gave four reasons for the acquisition. One, word began to circulate that the
founder and largest shareholder of Road Builder, Chua Hock Chin wanted to retire and may
sell his shareholdings. It was an opportune moment for us to move as there was unlikely to
be much resistance from owner-managers for a takeover. The rest of the shareholdings were
fragmented, which made it easier to proceed with the acquisition. Moreover, many of the
significant shareholders were also shareholders of IJM, and it made the consolidation story
easier to sell.

104

THE IJM STORY

THE GAME CHANGER

2000s

Two, and more importantly, Road Builder represented a good fit for an IJM keen to
ramp up its capabilities, especially in the light of the impending 9th Malaysia Plan (20062010) rollout, where some RM200 billion had been allocated for large scale civil engineering
infrastructure. There were also opportunities arising in the economic corridors in the north,
east and Iskandar Malaysia in the south. We wanted to be out there in front, prepared. I also
felt that Road Builders businesses, management and professionals could be integrated into
our group relatively well.
Three, organic growth is slow, and building a management team comprising a big number
of new talented individuals would take too long. With RBH in our stable, we would instantly
inherit a good and experienced management team, bulk up our construction and property
divisions and add the sorely lacking Malaysian infrastructure assets to complement IJMs
overseas ones.
Finally, the acquisition price was cheap. RBH share price had been declining because
of slow order book build-up. The concession assets were still early into maturity producing
low profits or incurring losses that were dragging their group earnings. This will change
dramatically once inflexion point is reached. As for its property arm, earnings were, in my
view, sedentary. It could be dramatically accelerated with a push.

Rumours had been rife for some time that the public listed RBH was up for sale. In the first
week of October, there was heavy off market trading of RBH shares, and it sent the business
media into an overdrive. The next few days were eventful, RBH shares were heavily traded

he Big Picture

Going international as many of us have done

in the past is like going deep sea fishing in a
motorised sampan. Some, like us in IJM, had
been lucky but others not so because clearly
the odds are stacked against us. We rarely come
across negotiated contracts. We compete like
mad for jobs offshore, not surprisingly on many
occasions among Malaysians. We dont have big
balance sheets to take on the less competitive
but better margin bigger jobs because they
normally carry added responsibilities such as
arranging financing. With thin margins, heavy
investments in people, equipment and working
capital, we invariably take a hit on profit & loss
on some jobs. This gets noticed quickly by the
investment community and our share price gets

105

punished. More importantly, our people are also

in the transition of skills. Or skills set that are not
adequate to navigate the difficult, uncertain
and sometimes stormy waters of international
contracting. We may be jaguh Malaysia but out
there in the international waters it is a different
game being played altogether.
Malaysian construction companies are at a
major crossroad. We can sit back with comfort
that we are still making profits, albeit small
relative to our balance sheet or take some
calculated risk, plan for the future, and grow.
Thus our merger with Road Builder must be seen
as a response to changing market conditions and
plan for our own future survival. It is a strategy
to build a strong ocean going vessel to take us

to opportunities within our shores as well as

the emerging markets of Asia, which have just
commenced on their explosive growth journey.
If we believe that this 21st century will be the
Asian Century as I do, we have a chance now
to ride the wave as early movers and establish
a strong foothold quickly for ourselves in these
markets. The time is right now when they need
us and we are ahead of the curve. With our
combined financial and people resources and
our combined skills and experiences, I strongly
believe we can achieve great success in these
markets because in a limited way, we in IJM have
been succeeding there.

Krishnan Tan, group managing director

An extract of his address at the IJM Annual Dinner 2007 (post RBH merger)

and culminated in a notice of resignation filed to Bursa Malaysia by executive vice chairman
and director Chua Hock Chin on 5 October 2006 after selling his 68 million RBH shares (13%
equity interest). Chua was the substantial shareholder of RBH.
The bet was on MMC Berhad as the likely buyer given its penchant for infrastructure
concessions with the potential of generating recurrent income. IJMs name hovered in the
shadows, as an indirect candidate via MMC subsidiary Zelan Berhad, one of IJMs largest
substantial shareholders. RBH came with concessions; the two toll highways of Besraya
and New Pantai Expressway and two ports of Kuantan and Kemaman, and a listed property
subsidiary. The concessions were the piece de resistance for IJM, which had a long history of
misses with infrastructure investment concessions in Malaysia. Having failed to score on its
own bat, it decided to buy them in the marketplace.
The acquisition, however, was part of a bigger agenda as far as IJM was concerned.
It was a logical progression, one deemed necessary for both companies to move forward.
The shrinking addressable domestic construction market in Malaysia, with its political
constraints and maturing economy relative to the growing sizes of both companies meant
that construction giants such as IJM (second largest in Malaysia) and RBH (third largest) had
to look beyond the national border to sustain their principal activity of construction. The
days of a one-market focus were well and truly over for both of them. Merged, they would

Kuantan Port in
Pahang entered the
IJM fold following the
acquisition of Road
Builder Holdings
Berhad.

106

THE IJM STORY

Besraya Highway is a
toll concession that
came with Road Builder.
The 15.5km highway
is the alternative route
for south-bound traffic
between Kuala Lumpur
and Seri Kembangan,
Balakong and Putrajaya.

THE GAME CHANGER

107

2000s

have the financial and operational clout to compete in the global market place, especially
in the booming construction and infrastructure markets of the economic powerhouses of
China, India and the oil rich Gulf States. It was an intensely competitive arena of seasoned
international players, where negotiated contracts were a rarity and margins thin. Only
companies of substance stood to gain in these theatres of action.
Major shareholder Chua Hock Chin started Road Builder (M) Sdn Bhd in 1985, listed it in 1993
and transformed the company into a construction conglomerate with an order book in excess
of RM1.0 billion, with projects in Malaysia and overseas, particularly India. RBH had also
diversified into property development, toll roads and ports and had a market capitalisation
of RM1.4 billion. Businesswise, it was an IJM rival. Chuas unexpected exit from the company
he founded after more than two decades was interpreted as part of his plan to call it a day
while the company was riding high.
Krishnan Tan said to the press at that time, The acquisition, which I prefer to call a
merger, is not an ego trip for me or IJM. Yes, it put me and IJM in the news for quite some
time, and it helped raise the share prices of both companies. Initially though, the response of
the investment community was subdued. Most could not appreciate the big picture behind
the deal, and some even questioned why pay RM1.6 billion when you could just employ
another 50 people. When we explained, many began to appreciate the implications the deal
had in the consolidation of industry players and the firepower it gave the enlarged IJM in
the context of development and opportunities not just in Malaysia but also in the region. Not
surprisingly, the rating of our stock went from neutral (analysts initially said there will be a
large overhang of new shares arising from the deal) to a buy rating with a forecast target of
as much as RM11.00!
There was strong buying support from foreign funds, underscoring their confidence in the
pumped up IJM. The winner of the Asia Money Best Managed Malaysian Company in 2006,
IJM was recognised in the marketplace for its foresight, professional management and strong
fundamentals. IJM share prices began to climb, outperforming the benchmark index, and for
the financial year ending 31 March 2007, hit RM8.65, an increase of almost 70% from RM5.10
at the close of the previous financial year. Market capitalisation almost tripled, from RM2.45
billion at end of FY2006 to RM7.00 billion at end of FY2007. Meanwhile, the asset portfolio
swelled from RM4.12 billion to RM10.00 billion.
By 26 February 2007, IJM announced that it had received acceptances for 90.41% interest in
RBH following the mandatory general offer to shareholders to buy their shares. It then invoked
Section 34 of the Securities Commission Act 1993 to compulsorily acquire the remaining
RBH shares. The acquisition was completed in April 2007 and paid in shares, with one new
IJM share issued at RM6 per share for every two existing RBH shares. Investment holding
company Road Builder (M) Holdings Bhd was taken private and it became a subsidiary of the
parent company, along with its 50 plus subsidiaries and more than 20 associate companies.

108

THE IJM STORY

IJM Lands Board of Directors originally comprised

former Road Builder board members (italics), left
to right: Soam Heng Choon, Lee Teck Yuen, Krishnan
Tan Boon Seng, Raymond Tan, Teh Kean Ming,
Jeremie Ting Keng Fui (Secretary), Boey Tak Kong
and Nasruddin bin Bahari.

THE GAME CHANGER

109

2000s

RBH chairman of the day, Tengku Ahmad Rithaudeen bin Tengku Ismail, recalls events leading
up to the acquisition, which he prefers to call a merger because discussions were conducted
in a transparent and professional manner. He notes that both companies were in the same
kind of business, although RBH was more of a contractor while IJM had a more diversified
base. RBHs construction business during this period was quiet. So were its ports, especially
Kuantan Port.
In my assessment, the offer price was fair, he says. It was based on one IJM share in
exchange for two RBH shares. I was proven right later because RBH shares began to appreciate
after the merger.
The merger benefited IJM because it gained good assets such as RB Land, the port and
toll highway concessions. It also inherited RBHs talent pool of experienced and dedicated
management executives and engineers. Among those who come to mind are David Wilson, an
experienced engineer with sound project management expertise. Wilson and Lee Teck Yuen
(TY Lee) both board members of the holding company, were appointed to the IJM board. TY
Lee played a key role in ensuring the smooth transition of RBH staff to IJM.
Naturally,
there
were
some
reservations about the merger but most
senior executives recognised the light
that shone at the end of the merger
tunnel. They included Soam Heng Choon
who headed RB Land, Wong Soon Fah
and Ho Phea Keat who helmed Kuantan
Port, Neoh Soon Hiong who led the
toll division and Lee Chun Fai from the
finance division.
IJM behaved very professionally,
acknowledging the talent of these men
who were appointed as members of the
groups senior management team. The IJM
chairman invited me to join the board but
I declined because I felt I was getting too
old. However, I was retained as chairman
of Kuantan Port Consortium and Besraya
Sdn Bhd that have been under my watch
since their incorporation.
Another board member who concurs with these views is former RB Land board member
Boey Tak Kong, who was appointed as a director of the IJM Land board. He was previously
a board member of RB Land. IJMs policy of being transparent during the entire exercise
prevented a brain drain. It won the talent war, says Boey Tak Kong, who is no newcomer to
M&A. Referring to his own career as transformation journey of take-overs, he traces his first
experience at Econstates Berhad that was absorbed into RBH following a reverse take-over.

Econstates was subsequently renamed RB Land Berhad, and Boey appointed to the board.
Following the IJM acquisition, the public listed RB Land was renamed IJM Land, and the assets
of IJMs property division were injected into it. Boey was retained in the IJM Land board, and
stepped down in 2012.
Boey credits RBH board member TY Lee for keeping the RB team intact when they
moved to IJM. TY Lee called for meetings and kept everyone informed on the progress of the
acquisition. Through regular dialogue, he ensured seamless interfacing of assets, especially
human capital. As a result, IJM succeeded in inheriting well-performing staff from RBH. There
was little sabotage during the transition.
Meanwhile, the entire RB Land board migrated to IJM Land. This is success story, from
the perspective of both companies. Prior to the takeover, RB Land had cash flow but struggled
with its hotel business. Its dividend pay-out was modest but it came with good assets and
experience in township development. In the amalgamation that followed, IJM injected
income-yielding assets such as its high end condominiums and build-and-lease properties
into the public listed company. IJM Land, meanwhile, inherited a sizeable land bank from
RB Land, and gained a presence in key urban areas in Malaysia, especially in Johor, Negeri
Sembilan and Melaka. Turnover rose sharply, from RM295 million in FY 2008 prior to the takeover to more than RM1 billion in FY 2010.
Another strategic move was appointing Krishnan Tan as the chairman of IJM Land. He
served as the bridge, linking IJM and RB senior executives. His oversight instilled confidence
in former RB Land board members and management, who found comfort in having guidance
from someone who had led the acquisition and was also the managing director of the holding
company. Boey says Krishnan Tan is adept at communicating well with directors and keeping
them well-informed of decisions taken at board level. Under his stewardship, IJM Land grew
to become one of the top five developers in the country, with a national property portfolio.
Its turnover grew and so did its bottom-line and the ability to pay dividends. That makes
institutional investors happy.
With the acquisition behind them, the process of integration occurred swiftly to enable staff
to settle down to business as usual. Each company had projects in hand and the reputation
for timely delivery to safeguard. IJM was no newcomer to this, as its entire existence is based
on the integration of three companies. Many old hands were still there, including Tan who
had worked through the ups and downs of integration of the merger of IGB Construction,
Jurutama and Mudajaya in the 1980s. The experience and the existence of proven systems and
processes made the task relatively painless this time around.
It was a merger of equals, and the result was the doubling of almost everything staff
numbers, assets, market capitalisation, construction order book, property development
projects and land bank. IJM now had a diversified order book by category and region. For the
first time in the groups history, turnover and profits more than doubled. Turnover soared
from RM2.31 billion in 2007 to RM4.64 billion in 2008, with the RBH acquisition acknowledged

Seremban 2 is an
integrated township
in Negeri Sembilan,
sprawling over
2,300 acres.

112

THE IJM STORY

New Pantai Expressway, Kuala

Lumpur, one of two Malaysian toll
concessions in IJMs stable following
the RBH acquisition. The 19.6 km
expressway in the Klang Valley eases
traffic flow between the densely
populated suburbs of Subang Jaya
and Bandar Sunway and the city of
Kuala Lumpur.

THE GAME CHANGER

113

2000s

as having played a contributory role in this sterling result. Operational profits rose 2.5
times during the same period, from RM319.0 million to RM796 million. It was a great 25th
anniversary present for IJM.
Three IJM divisions came under the radar during the period of integration and asset
rationalisation construction, property development and infrastructure. RBH core companies
were rationalised and fitted into the existing organisational structure of IJM; two became
part of the construction division, three entered property development (each came with their
respective realty companies) and five into infrastructure.
In his address at the first post-merger IJM annual dinner held in 2007, Tan said that the
IJM order book of RM4.70 billion was given a hefty shot in the arm when RBHs own order
book of RM1.1 billion was injected into it. The result was an all time high of RM5.8 billion,
pushing up IJM as the nations second biggest builder. Thats an average of RM250 million
a month in construction billings and that needs working capital of at least RM500 million.
Thats something the group has never seen. Now picture the new jobs in the pipeline such as
the Karachi Expressway in Pakistan, jobs in India as well as local prospects such as the West
Coast Expressway, National Cancer Institute and so on.

The land bank of the property division

was enlarged from 7,200 acres to 10,000 in
fast growth urban regions that included
prize developments such as Seremban 2.
The biggest winner was the infrastructure
division, which welcomed four Malaysian
concessions two tolled highways and
two profitable ports and posted its
maiden profit. By the end of 2007, this
burgeoning division boasted a total of five
operational toll highways (two in Malaysia
and two in India and one in Argentina),
two ports (both in Malaysia), one power
plant (India) and one water treatment
facility (Vietnam). Two more toll highways
were under construction in India, with
operations scheduled in the near future.
Staff strength almost doubled across
Integration at work: the IJM Senior Management Dialogue in 2008 saw several new faces; they were
previously directors and senior management of RBH.
all levels, from management, executive to
non-executive. Overall, it stood at 4,314,
up from the pre-merger total of 2,674. Tans annual dinner address
allayed fears of job loss. He said, Let me declare that there is no
intention to downsize people as we need every pair of hands that
is able and willing to work. In fact, I promise you that you will be
so busy the next few years that you will not have time to dream of
the past or fear losing your job or position, unless you are not able
and not willing to rise to the challenges ahead.
There are very few positions of conflict between the two
organisations. In those instances, both parties must make
accommodations but let me assure you that I will act fairly as I
need all you guys for the bigger agenda.
The merger created two sets of leadership in three divisions.
Again IJMs personal history helped steer this corner with
relative ease. In construction, the principal activity of both titans,
Managing director Krishnan Tan addressing staff at the annual dinner.
the acquisition resulted in two heads, but it was resolved when
the RBH Construction head called it a day and departed. In the
property division, RB Lands managing director Soam Heng Choon was appointed as the
head of the IJM property division following the promotion of the IJM property head Teh Kean
Ming as deputy group managing director, following the timely retirement of incumbent Goh
Chye Koon. Infrastructure leadership was based on concessions, and RBH heads continued to
provide oversight for their respective portfolios.

114

THE IJM STORY

THE GAME CHANGER

115

2000s

The first post-merger annual report proudly proclaimed a sharp increase in productivity,
with revenue per employee increasing by more than 41%, PBT per employee by 76% and
value addition per employee by about 50% of value. These results vindicated the decision to
acquire RBH and the success of the integration exercise.
While on all counts, the acquisition was a positive move, profit & loss-wise it had
serious repercussions, resulting in IJMs first loss ever. The shadow was cast by the merger
goodwill write-off. IJM was hit by the application of the FRS 3: Business Combination
of the Malaysian Standards Accounting Board that regulates the financial accounting of
public listed companies in Malaysia. Instead of the standard practice of determining the
purchase consideration based on the share price at the time of the acquisition, it required
the value at time of completion of the transaction that occurred six months later. As the
investing public began to appreciate the acquisition better, IJMs share price began to
climb. The share price of IJM had increased markedly during this period, from RM6.00 per
share to RM8.80. In the CEOs Review of Operations in the IJM Annual Report 2008, Tan
explained the situation:
Though the merger was well-received by the investment community, the resultant increase
in IJMs share price brought new challenges in the form of the FRS 3: Business Combination
that required the purchase consideration to be valued at the IJM share price at the date of
completion, thus artificially creating a goodwill item that cannot be sustained going forward
without encumbering future earnings. When this predicament became obvious, I quickly
sought views of fund managers and shareholders. Surprisingly, the response was unanimous.
They said, KT, take the hit and dont encumber your future earnings. After all, it is a non-cash
item. It was extremely comforting.
Thus the group had booked in a one-off impairment of merger goodwill amounting to
RM940.86 million that resulted in the groups current financial year loss before tax and after
tax of RM144.85 million and RM300.16 million respectively. This resulted in negative retained
earnings at company level and subsequently the company obtained a court sanction to off-set
the negative retained earnings against the share premium account to the extend of RM922.26
million, thus reinstating a positive earning position. The impairment written off is a nonrecurrent and no-cash transaction, and the groups future earnings and operational strengths
are not expected to be impaired by the write-off.
Known for paying dividends even during hard times, IJM did not pay any dividends to
shareholders in 2008, the first in its 25-year corporate history.
IJM celebrated its 25th silver anniversary in 2008 in the afterglow of the biggest coup of its
lifetime, the acquisition and successful merger of RBH into its ranks, PBT loss notwithstanding.
The group also had other corporate milestones under its belt, the most significant being the
listing of three of the groups five divisions. They had maturity, a track record of profitability
and strong leadership, and the parent company reckoned it was time to recover some hardearned investments ploughed into making them stalwarts in their respective industries.

Source: The Star, 1 January 2003

First cab off the rank was the plantations division, the outsider
that was the groups saving grace during construction doldrums.
On 2 July 2003, the wholly owned subsidiary was listed as IJM
Plantations Berhad (IJMP) on the Main Board of the Kuala Lumpur
Stock Exchange following the acquisition of the listing status
of Rahman Hydraulic Tin Berhad. The public flotation resulted
in the dilution of the groups investments to 49.4%, mainly as a
result of distribution of IJMP shares to IJM shareholders (it also
held RM50 million in RCULs that it could convert to 100 million
shares) making IJMP an associate company. Still, IJMP continued
to be a strong revenue contributor, posting an increase of 16.70%
in revenue and 17.11% in pre tax profit that year.
In 2004, operations in the industry division were rationalised
with an internal merger that culminated in the indirect listing of
IJMs quarrying arm, Malaysian Rock Products Sdn Bhd and its subsidiaries. The groups 20%
associate, Industrial Concrete Products Berhad (ICP), a public listed company since 1996,
served as the vehicle of this exercise. In 2004, IJM acquired control over ICP following the
acquisition of Hume Industries Bhds shares in ICP and making a mandatory general offer for
the rest of the shares. This was followed in 2005 with IJM disposing its entire interest in the
Malaysian Rock Products Group to ICP for shares in the company. The group then reduced its
equity interest in ICP to 66.3% through placements to institutions to comply with the public
shareholding spread requirement. Thus ICP emerged as the flagship of the groups industry
division in 2005.

2003: Listing of IJM

Plantations Berhad on
Bursa Malaysia.

116

THE IJM STORY

Source: Business Times, 7 May 2004

THE GAME CHANGER

117

2000s

A somewhat similar scenario was played out in the property division following the
acquisition of RBH that came along with the public listed RB Land Holdings Berhad. On 25 July
2007, IJM announced the disposal of its
wholly owned subsidiary IJM Properties
Sdn Bhd to RB Land, a 70% indirect
subsidiary via RBH. This proposal was
approved by the Securities Commission
and at the Extraordinary General Meeting
held on 16 June 2008. Three days later, on
19 June 2008, RB Land Holdings Berhad
was officially renamed IJM Land Berhad.
The media speculated over the listing
of the India operations, but it proved

IJMs quarrying business is managed by Malaysian Rock Products that has quarries in strategic locations in Kedah, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang and Johor.

wishful thinking. Then suddenly, the fair weather turned gloomy with the onslaught of the
global credit crisis that began when Lehmann Brothers filed a Chapter 11 Notice of Bankruptcy
on 15 September 2008. The celebratory tone of the 2008 Annual Report made way for a more
sombre mood in the 2009 Annual Report where the Chairmans Statement said: The global
economy grew at 3.4% in 2008. This figure, however, belies the extent of the worst global
decline seen since the 1930s, although this may only become evident in 2009. He painted
a picture of a world tainted by widespread wealth destruction, rising delinquencies and
deteriorating business and consumer confidence, and forecast a challenging year ahead.
Structural reforms instituted in
Malaysias banking and financial system
in the aftermath of the 1997 Asian
Financial Crisis helped break the fall
of the Malaysian economy. In addition,
For IJM, acquisition is about fuelling growth, not buying revenues, says managing director
a safety net was thrown by the new
Krishnan Tan. When IJM launched the M&A of MRCB in 2010, it was to tap the synergies that existed
government of the day led by Mohd Najib
between our two organisations. The fact that they shared a common substantial shareholder,
Employee Provident Fund (EPF), helped ease the passage of the take-over. However, the two
Tun Abdul Razak, who took office in
parties could not agree over the leadership roles following the merger.
mid-2008. To arrest the slowdown of the
Tan shared the inside story: In any merger, there will be two sets of leaders, but we believe
economy, the government implemented
it cannot have two chief executives and two chief financial controllers. IJM has a good history of
two stimulus packages totalling RM67
post-merger integration, handling human resource issues sensitively. Besides, when IJM acquires
billion. Subsequently, the government
a company, it intends to have strong management control thats non-negotiable. Ultimately, our
launched the national Economic
goal is to integrate quickly and move forward without becoming embroiled in battling egos.
Months after the official announcement, the IJM-MRCB merger was called off.
Transformation Programme (ETP) to
fast-track Malaysias goal to become
a high-income economy by 2020. The starting point of the ETP was the implementation
of concrete changes in specific sectors and areas of the economy. Twelve national key
economic areas were identified and given special attention: oil, gas and energy; palm oil &
rubber; financial services; tourism; business services; electrical and electronics; wholesale
and retail; education; healthcare; communications content and infrastructure; agriculture;
and Greater Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley. The 10th Malaysia (2011-2015) translated several of
them into concrete action plans, together with budgets. Among others, priority was given
to improve public transportation systems, rural road networks and public utilities and the
creation of vibrant liveable cities.
The home market became bullish again, what Krishnan Tan described as an oasis of
positive economic activity blessed with a sound financial system. It presented a feast of
opportunities for the pumped up and regrouped IJM, the much vaunted silver lining in
otherwise grey skies that hovered over its international operations in the post-2008 global
meltdown. As expected, IJM landed a few coveted jobs under the 10th Malaysia Plan (20102015), notably the West Coast Expressway and a substantial package for the construction
of the multi-billion 156-km KL Mass Rapid Transit, the biggest infrastructure project in
Malaysia budgeted under the 10th Malaysia Plan.

JM-MRCB Merger Called Off

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THE IJM STORY

rawling for tolls

IJM had been trawling the market place for toll highway
concessions in Malaysia, with which it had considerable
success in China, Argentina and India. It was difficult to explain
to foreign clients and the investor community why IJM did not
have a track record of toll concessions in Malaysia. It became
embarrassing, says Krishnan Tan, group managing director
(1997-2010).
Eventually, the bad streak ended in 2005, when IJM bought
stakes in the concessionaires of the West Coast Highway (later
renamed West Coast Expressway) and Lebuhraya KajangSeremban. Both were troubled companies.
On 30 May 2005, IJM entered into a share purchase
agreement to acquire a 25% stake in Kumpulan Europlus
Berhad, with a call option to acquire a further 5%. Kumpulan
Europlus was then finalising its concession agreement for
the proposed West Coast Expressway. First awarded in 2007,
the concession could not be implemented because of the
escalation in building material prices and the global financial
crisis of 2008/9 that made it unbankable. The concession was
subsequently re-negotiated and a revised agreement signed
on 2 January 2013, in which Kumpulan Europlus owned 80%
equity interest and IJM the remaining 20% stake in the West
Coast Expressway Sdn Bhd.
On 30 September 2005, IJM entered a Definitive
Agreement with Antah Holdings Berhad, KASEH Lebuhraya
Sdn Bhd and Lebuhraya Kajang-Seremban Sdn Bhd (LEKAS)
to participate in the concession for the 44.3-km-highway
linking Kajang to Seremban for a period of 33 years. The
project dates back to 1997, when the concession was awarded.
Highway construction began in 2002 but stalled when the
original concessionaire KASEH faced financial problems. The
project was revived in November 2006 following a takeover
by the new concessionaire LEKAS, the special purpose vehicle
incorporated to replace KASEH. IJM Corporation Berhad and
KASEH Sdn Bhd are both equity shareholders of LEKAS.

THE GAME CHANGER

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2000s

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THE IJM STORY

THE IJM STORY

10

Lessons in Leadership-3
Krishnan Tan Boon Seng
Group Managing Director, 1997-2010

rishnan Tan Boon Seng has the

distinction of being the first non engineer

to be appointed as group managing

director of IJM. The accountant took

office on 1 January 1997 and his term

ended on 31 December 2010, making

him the longest serving chief executive

of the group. He had been with the

company for 28 years, the last 14 as chief

executive. One of the youngest in the first

board of directors, he was the last of the

founding board when he took office. He

thus assumed the leadership with an amazing overview of the business.

While I was the most junior of the newly formed senior management team, I was no listening
post, says Krishnan Tan who joined IJM when it was formed in 1983. The pioneers gave me
room to talk, accepted me from an early stage as one of them, and treated me like a principal
even though I was not an owner-operator like them. They appointed me an alternate director
early. As the only accountant amidst engineers, I became almost omnipresent. I was kept
in the loop because of the corporate financial and tax implications of the business, and
participated in most of the negotiations especially during IJMs period of diversification
and internationalisation that occurred during the tenure of my predecessors. By the time
I took over, I had a good grasp of IJMs construction, property, industry, plantations and
infrastructure businesses.
While not hands-on in engineering projects like my predecessors, I was involved in
strategising and chasing for jobs. I had a decent macro view of the construction business.
From the finance vantage point, one tends to have a birds eye view of the entire business.

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2000s

The construction division had the biggest number of staff and

their acceptance was important. With the strong backing of
the engineering team headed by Choo Choon Yeow and Goh
Chye Koon, who become my deputy managing directors, I was
comfortable in the drivers seat, says Tan.
I was 44 years old when I stepped into the large and
impeccable boots of Goh Chye Keat who had transformed IJM from
a mid-size construction company to a billion ringgit construction
conglomerate. While overwhelmed by the honour, I was also
overwhelmed by the expectation that came with it. The board had
entrusted me to take IJM to the next level of sustainable growth, a
new orbit so to speak.

Out in the field:

Krishnan Tan at the
ground breaking
ceremony of Suriamas
Service Apartments in
Kampung Serantau,
Johor.

IJM sifu Yap Lim Sen could pick a winner from afar. He had met
the up-and-coming financial controller of Kumpulan Perangsang
at board meetings of Negara Properties, a joint venture real estate
company between IGB Corporation Berhad and Kumpulan Perangsang, a Selangor state
corporation. Upon completion of a 7-year scholarship bond to the Selangor government in 1982,
Tan was ready to take on the challenges of the real world of business in the private sector. A
chance meeting with Yap led him to the IGB Group, where Tan says he fell for Yaps charm and
the Volvo company car that Yap promised as a fringe benefit of the IGB employment package.
In 1982, Tan joined IGB as a financial controller, and in a
farewell address to staff in 2010, jestingly declared he had
bragging rights for being involved in the merger negotiations
leading to the formation of IJM, talking to founders such as Yap
The universal model for business is to deliver the bottom line.
Lim Sen, Koh Boon Chor, Lim Choong Kong, Koon Yew Yin, Goh
Accountants play an important role in this respect as they have a
Chye Keat, Ong Yeng Tian, Lim Yong Keat, and Chay Kwok Thong.
good overview of the business. An accountant who can turun padang
They left a strong impression on the 30-something Tan, who, with
(go down to the shop floor) gains invaluable insights that help
the blessings of Yap, quickly switched from IGB to join IJM. He
strengthen his understanding of the business. An accountant with
was impressed the founders practised a cordial, practical and
both the macro view as well as the ground view has the makings of a
common sense approach to important issues at hand. It was an
good chief executive.
approach he admired and chose to emulate during his leadership.
Tan became IJMs first financial controller, the only outsider
in the owner-operator management team. His first responsibility
was to draw up a new and common scheme of service for staff and
a common accounting and reporting system. He noted that the
entire exercise involved a consultative, practical, open door and no
ego approach that had come to characterise the leadership of his
predecessors. It was another lesson in leadership that he chose to
Site visits provide invaluable insights of the groups operations.
adopt during his tenure.

he Accountant as CEO

Senior Management Dialogue, which is held every year.

Speaking to analysts at a signing ceremony to raise RM300 million to fund

growth and expansion.

LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP-3

Source: Business Times, 15 May 1999

THE IJM STORY

Source: The Sun, 8 January 1999

122

Tan had inherited a professional organisation with an

entrepreneurial spirit. IJM had survived turbulent times and matured
into a robust and diversified group. His predecessor had left behind
his own mark of excellence. Now it was Tans turn, and he planned
to do so without diluting or diminishing the legacy of the past that
had groomed and moulded him. Fortunately, the management-driven
IJM gave Tan a free hand to push his own barrow. Fortunately too, he
had the support and confidence of the board that had watched Tan
in action over the years, and recognised his potential to take IJM to
new highs.
Times had changed, and IJM was no longer one of few professional
construction outfits. Competition was intense in the new normal
where business at home had increasing overtones of political
patronage. Tan set out to challenge the status quo, to prevent IJM
from sliding into a has-been, a prospect that was an anathema to
everyone associated with the birth and growth of the group.
With the term bulk-up as his mantra, Tan became a man with the
mission, zealously building IJMs business platforms for immediate
and long term growth. As he explained to English weekly The Edge (27
July 2009), Each of the operating divisions has the opportunity to lead
depending on the market environment.

Source: The Sun, 14 January 2000

He employed his proven talent in dealmaking and corporate restructuring that

resulted in investments, divestments,
public flotation exercises and mergers
& acquisitions. He was the prime mover
in the public listing of IJM subsidiaries
so that the groups balance sheet was
more liquid than asset-heavy. Listing
also meant the subsidiaries could raise
funds in the capital market for growth. In
2003, IJM Plantations Berhad went public,
followed by the back door listing of the
industry division through acquisition
of control and the injection of IJMs
quarrying and manufacturing assets into
its 20% owned public listed Industrial
Concrete Products Berhad in 2004 and
2005. ICP was later taken private in 2008
when share prices stagnated despite
good earnings. Tans star shone brightest
when he won board approval for what he
calls the crazy idea of launching a RM1.6
billion take-over bid of Road Builder at
short notice. (refer to chapter 9)
During Tans term of office, the business landscape was far from accommodating as the
countries where IJM operated lurched from one challenge to another from the aftermath
of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis to the fall-out of the 9/11 World Trade Centre bombing
and the 2008 global financial meltdown. Along the way, petroleum prices spiralled out of
control, the cost of raw materials and labour surged, currency devaluation hit hard, and
changes in political leadership threatened the letter of the law in contractual agreements.
Singly, in parts, or collectively, these stingers threatened profitability at every turn. There
were many moments of anxiety, agony, even hopelessness. It was a roller-coaster ride, but
with Tan at the helm, IJM pulled itself out of the dips and troughs, energised to seek new
thrills. Throughout, Tan clung to IJMs unblemished record of never having retrenched a
single staff since its formation.
Im a strong advocate of the concept of shared destiny. Our people are key to our good
performance and governance. They volunteered pay cuts in the advent of crises to ride
out tough times. They must be acknowledged and rewarded accordingly. We thus paid
decent salaries and good bonuses. During my tenure, we also had good employee (not just

123

2000s

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THE IJM STORY

Risk Management Committee

Source: The Star, 18 April 2005

LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP-3

125

2000s

executive) share option issues and there were even two issues of
warrants to staff, which is unprecedented in corporate Malaysia.
More importantly, we gave them a good environment to put
their skills to work and take risks in an entrepreneurial way to
grow our group.
A perennial optimist, Tan saw opportunities in threats, and
like the founding fathers before him, dared to take risks to move
IJM forward. The devastating 1997 Asian Financial Crisis that
unfolded shortly after he took office instigated the Malaysian
government to adopt a regime of fiscal discipline and fiscal
consolidation. Put simply, it meant construction jobs were scarce.
Worse, in repairing the economy, the government priority was to
resuscitate the fallen heroes of the New Economic Policy, and IJM
was not one of them. With the support of the board, Tan pressed on with IJMs first mover
strategy of catching the growth potential of Asias emerging markets. To him, the 21st century
was the Asian Century of promise, not one to be approached with trepidation.
There was potential and we took the necessary risks, says Tan. The key is good risk
management, to deal with changing circumstances precipitated by political changes or
economic problems. With this mindset, IJM ventured into the newly liberalised India and the
oil rich Middle East. This time around, IJM was not starving; we had a full stomach. We had
strong balance sheets and could absorb losses. We could afford to be choosy, and run when
there was doubt. Initially, IJM positioned itself for construction and infrastructure investments
in India. Later, we diversified into property, industry and plantations, a replication of IJM in
the subcontinent.
Tan advocates looking beyond the groups construction focus for long term growth
sustainability. Previously, the risk-reward equation favoured construction because we
operated in a more regulated environment where the Malaysian government fixed the
price of key building materials. Traders gave good credit terms. So with a small capital
outlay it was possible to make big money. Things changed in the 1990s, when market forces
began to dictate the price of goods and services in the industries we operated. Contract
conditions were getting more onerous and projects became technically and financially more

demanding. And we had to move to overseas markets to grow. As a result, we had to take
bigger risks to enjoy rewards. My training said that if IJM focuses solely on construction,
the group would become vulnerable. In the world of hedge funds and volatile commodity
prices, it was vital to grow our other businesses to diversify contributions to our bottom
line. While the construction division must be recognised and acknowledged for the earnings
and platform it gave for us to grow, the new realities of the business must be accepted.
My predecessor Goh Chye Keat led IJM into the property game, says Tan. I had a
healthy attachment for the palm oil plantation business. Industry was already a part of IJM
since Day 1. Our international ventures resulted in infrastructure concessions, an asset class
that could provide order book, recurrent income and increasingly easily monetised. While
construction turnover was big, profit margins were becoming more and more compressed.
Over time, construction could no longer drive the groups bottom line significantly without
taking greater levels of risk.
History has proven time and time
again that when there is an economic
slowdown, construction takes a big hit.
It happened in the aftermath of the 1985,
1997 and 2008 recessions. The lessons of
2008 were insightful. We had the highest
construction order book ever in early 2008.
As the commodity prices ravaged through,
we were counting losses in millions by the
day. Fortunately, the collapse of Lehmann
Brothers brought a respite to this but
it also brought other challenges such
as escalating debt costs. It has taken us
more than four years to recover from its
aftermath. Thankfully, the performance of
our plantations, industry and infrastructure
divisions put the smile back on our faces.
That is why I was almost evangelical about
ramping up capacity and capability across all
divisions notwithstanding the clamour that we are a construction company and it should
get greater attention.
Tan does not believe in micro-managing. When he became chief executive, IJM was into
its 15th year of business and had its talent pool of managers, the best of whom had been
selected to lead divisions. I had highly motivated, very experienced, long serving generals
like Choo Choon Yeow and Goh Chye Koon in construction; Ooi Poay Lum, followed by Teh
Kean Ming in properties; Sim Quan Seng, later Mah Teck Oon, Harry Khor Kiem Teoh and

Managing director Krishnan Tan providing

a company briefing to investors at the KLSE
Investors Week.

Source: The Star, 1 April 2009

126

THE IJM STORY

LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP-3

127

2000s

Leong Yew Kuen in quarry &

manufacturing; and Velayuthan Tan,
Joseph Tek and Purushothaman Kumaran
in plantations. All of them knew how
to grow their businesses and ensure
profitability. They had great cohesive
people working under them, says Tan,
and I did not want to stifle them. I
concentrated on providing the strategic
direction. Towards the end of my term, I
also presided over a generational change
sweeping across all divisions with the
retirement of the old guard.
New leaders have to be encouraged
not only to manage but also to take risks to
expand their businesses, while ensuring
that the appropriate risk management
processes were in place. Not too many big
Meet the press: a media briefing on
the proposed privatisation of Road
risks and not ones that cannot be cleaned up. This would sharpen their entrepreneurial skills
Builder (M) Holdings Bhd following the
and make the board listen to exciting proposals fielded by them.
acquisition by IJM.
Second generation IJM Plantations chief executive Joseph Tek confirms this, quoting Tans
advice to his senior management team: Out of 10 new business decisions made, you may fail
or not do well in seven, but make sure the remaining three more than make up for them.
While giving them latitude, Tan also provided guidance. Every month, we would meet
at executive committee meetings where major decisions affecting the group were discussed
before taking them to the board of directors for approval. At this point too, all operational
issues and doubts were cleared. In addition, I have always been vigilant about ensuring
process excellence within our organisation because winning jobs or making an investment
is just one half of the business. The money is in ensuring that staff can execute and deliver
results according to IJMs high standards.
I am pleased that the next generation leadership is well trained to take risks as well as to
execute. It is important to continue to building confidence and concentrate on the big picture
exposure to fire their businesses into the next orbit. They have to
look beyond contracts and profits and keep an eye on their balance
sheet and market capitalisation. They have to manage perceptions
Yap Lim Sens advice to me on matters when
dealing with staff during the formation of
and expectations of the investment community and media to keep
IJM: You cant make everyone happy, you
share prices performing. This way, they can fund investments with
can only try to make them less unhappy. So
paper rather than cash and avoid big borrowings to buy big assets
I promise to try, if I cant make you happy,
when appropriate.
I will try to make you less unhappy.
Krishnan Tan created a lot of buzz during his term, not by design but
Krishnan Tan in 2007, on staff integration
by results. The strong performance of the group and its subsidiaries
after the RBH merger.

Yap says

received generous column inches in business media. Milestone

events such as the public listing of the divisions, international
achievements and the Road Builder acquisition became headline
news, and journalists hankered for interviews about the man
himself. He avoided direct media interviews, but was diligent in
responding to queries about IJM and its businesses. In a profile
article with Peak magazine, the only one Tan had consented,
journalist Diana Khoo acknowledges, Having finally acquiesced
to an interview after being deluged with requests for almost two
years, its clear that he is still a most reluctant interviewee. Tan
is an extremely private man whos desperate not to appear in the
news unless absolutely necessary and, even so, always exclusively
on business-related matters. He is also agreeable to media
exposure to promote his favourite sport rugby and the Combined
Old Boys Rugby Association (COBRA).
He is also a sought-after speaker at conferences on

Tan has definitely provided IJM with the leadership
globalisation, where Tan often shared IJMs experiences in
the international arena, particularly India and on corporate
to take on the world. He is far sighted and can literally smell
governance. The publicity generated a lot of goodwill, projecting
opportunities. He might be mild mannered, but hes smart, robust
IJM as a sure-footed, ambitious and result-oriented group that
and gets things done fast.
does not squander shareholders money. The media wryly
S Samy Velu, Malaysias works minister, quoted in Peak magazine (2007)
observed that IJM did not move into the spanking new office tower
in Petaling Jaya that was developed by its subsidiary IJM Land.
Instead, Tan chose to retain the head office in a 1980s building in a
sedate neighbourhood, preferring to sell the building for a good price. In the same article, the
journalist obliquely commented on another construction group, also a plc, that was preparing
to move its corporate offices to a plush new building in a prestigious suburb. Tan says, Every
step IJM makes must add value. For instance, if we move into another building, it must be to
Krishnan Tan became the second
add further value to the company such as redeveloping the existing office space.
IJM managing director to be
As chief executive of a plc, Tan knows it is imperative to court the investment community. They
honoured with the Malaysian
are kept abreast with regular updates of internal corporate developments, pre-empting news
Construction Industry Excellence
Awards 2008 Prominent Player
coverage, making IJM one of the most well-tracked companies on Bursa Malaysia. He notified
Award. The other recipient is
them when he was about to step down and introduced his successor before it became public
managing director Goh Chye
knowledge.
Keat, who was honoured in 2003.
His approach is that investors are the lifeline of the company, whose fundamental needs must
be met. The needs are the same for all investors earnings, capital growth and a management team
that delivers peace of mind to investors with decent governance. Indeed, he made We Deliver
the IJM slogan because it subjects IJMs performance to scrutiny in a wider sense, embracing all
divisions that are made accountable to honour the IJM promise of quality and excellence. Tan
considers the diversification of the IJM profile as his greatest achievement. When he called it a
day, IJM was a well-diversified group, with a firm and growing Malaysia and regional footprint.

128

THE IJM STORY

The construction division had a large

order book that would keep it busy for the
next five years, and Tan predicts a new
construction boom in Malaysia for which
IJM is well placed.
The property division has the
biggest land bank in company history,
with real estate bought cheap at prime
locations. The industry divisions stellar
performance in the last three years of
Tans leadership was unprecedented in
its history. According to Tan, the ICP
ship had caught the 9th Malaysia Plan
wind, and should be sailing strongly.
Plantations had expanded its oil palm
A gift for prime minister Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak, the guest of honour who delivered the keynote
address at the Malaysia-India Business Council Seminar in 2010. Another guest of honour was Indian
acreage into Indonesia, the largest palm
Union minister in charge of commerce, industry and textiles, Anand Sharma (beige suit). IJM Managing
oil producer in the world, with more
director Krishnan Tan was the president of the business council then.
contributions from this business due
from 2014. Most remarkable was the
bulk-up that occurred in infrastructure
investments, which generate both
construction work and recurrent income.
It was an asset class that IJM understands
well and has the in-house expertise to
operate efficiently. When well managed
they provide recurrent income that
attract institutional investors, and
provide handsome exit opportunities
when required as evident from the sale of
Bulking-up: signing ceremony for the privatisation of the Lebuhraya Kajang-Seremban, a tollway
infrastructure asset. The 2006 function was witnessed by works minister S Samy Vellu (centre).
GPED in China, the Second Vivekananda
Bridge and the Trichy Tollway in India.
Many are already profitable, with more cash flow and earning contributions due as the
rest mature, but they remain probably the least understood and most undervalued of
IJMs assets.
Then, in the same breath, in quintessential IJM style, Tan throws a damper, forewarning
that the heavily laden apple cart may be upset by the economic contagion in Europe that
could stymie Asian ambition as well as by political changes that could cause government
concession agreements to be rewritten. In Malaysia, the government has a good record
of honouring concession agreements; it is not the same elsewhere in the region, and in
pursuing recourse, IJM might get embroiled in protracted legal processes that are not
2006: The opening ceremony of the ICP plant in
good for business and the IJM image.
Jiangmen, China.

LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP-3

129

2000s

He also stressed the importance of good governance and maintaining the

strong confidence of the board and shareholders. He says, For management
to continue having the freedom to manage, we have to show that we have good
governance and risk management practices in place and we wont let them
down. Once they lose this faith in you, managing becomes a lot more difficult,
especially in this new corporate governance environment. We would be busy
battling within the organisation instead of in the market place.
In his farewell speech at the 2010 Annual Dinner, Tan shared extracts of
the Senior Management Dialogue themed IJM in the Next Decade, Broadly
speaking, we have concluded that the fundamentals of our businesses are
strong and we should be able to continue our growth path into the next decade.
However, the greatest challenge facing our companies today is adapting to
change and uncertainty in what is a very volatile and increasingly complicated
business environment. Not all things about change are bad. It also brings great
opportunities, which, if we are quick to catch, can bring opportunistic gains.
He also cautioned against complacency, saying, We can be our own enemy. In this
connection, one key factor will be the ability of our leadership to promote the right people
from within and bring talent that is lacking internally from outside. There has been a general
lethargy in this direction, by me included, preferring the status quo of familiarity and loyalty
in choices versus a critical mission focus. This must change for our good.
The sooner we realise that not all our jaguh kampung (local heroes) can
play division one, the better. I know this will be hard to accept but the
market will punish us for complacency.
Long before Krishnan Tan stepped down, he strengthened the
leadership of the finance department because unlike myself, my
successor is not a finance person and he must get the best possible
support in this discipline to succeed.
His retirement marked the end of an era for IJM that had witnessed
a group-wide changing of the guard. The recent years also bade
farewell to Goh Chye Koon as deputy managing director and head of
the construction division, Velayuthan Tan as managing director of IJM
Plantations and Wong Soon Fah as managing director of Kuantan Port.
Earlier on, the first ICP managing director Lim Yong Keat had retired. Each had built up their
respective portfolios and internationalised their business along the way.
In the tradition of pioneers, theirs was a legacy of grit, gumption and pragmatism. At IJM,
however, retiring leaders dont fade away; they continue to serve on the board for business
continuity before making their final exit a few years later. Upon his retirement, Krishnan Tan
was appointed as executive deputy chairman in 2011. He was succeeded by Teh Kean Ming, a
civil engineer with construction and property leadership credentials.

Krishnan Tan at his farewell dinner in 2010;

he stepped down as managing director and
was appointed as executive deputy chairman
of the board.

Source: The Edge, 27 July 2009

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THE IJM STORY

THE IJM STORY

11

Lessons in Leadership-4
Teh Kean Ming
Group Managing Director, 2011-to date

n 1 January 2011, Teh Kean Ming

was appointed as the chief executive and

group managing director of IJM, a position
vacated by Krishnan Tan. By the time Tan

left after more than 14 years at the helm,

he had become the face and voice of IJM,

and Teh had big shoes to fill. Yet, Teh was

in exactly in the same spot as Tan when

the latter took over from his predecessor,

Goh Chye Keat, who had built a towering

reputation for IJM during his eight years

at the helm. Teh was hand-picked by Tan

and the board because of his track record and trusted to lead, which he did
with a healthy dose of trepidation, deemed desirable since security is mortals
chiefest enemy, as immortalised by the Bard in Macbeth.

Teh is the first of the second generation of leadership of IJM, taking charge of a multibillion-ringgit group with a turnover of RM4.5 billion and more than 100 companies to its
name in 2010. Market capitalisation stood at RM8.4 billion, supported by an investment
community accustomed to Tan, an accountant. It was a great inheritance by any measure. In
an organisation known for consistent growth since inception, it was now Tehs turn to take
IJM to new heights.
He must have given it deep thought while waiting in the wings as deputy managing
director for two years because within months of assuming leadership, he unveiled his game
plan to take IJM to the next level. In September 2011 Teh announced the introduction of the
high performance culture declaring: A successful company may risk a regression if we allow

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2010s

complacency or arrogance to set in. Even though it is not a burning

platform for us at this juncture, I definitely see the urgency to steer
our focus and effort to build on our strengths, overcome the areas
that need improvement to deliver even greater results. To grow
from strength to strength, we need to nurture a high performance
culture. It serves to integrate the younger generation of the staff
population and provides a platform to nurture core values and
culture that have made IJM so successful today.
The high performance culture was widely welcomed as
timely especially by the second generation of management since
IJM had moved on cruise control on an organisational platform
established when it was a rising construction company. After
decades of vertical and horizontal integration that focused on
the external environment, it was time for introspection to
look within the organisation that had grown to have a presence
in several economic sectors, and institute reforms to avoid
becoming an aging dowager, respected but no longer relevant.
Teh is no newcomer to challenging the status quo. He was the lone
voice of an underling who offered a contrarian view at a meeting of
luminaries to discuss the design of the upcoming Mid Valley City,
with the project name Grand Bazaar. Teh recalls, I joined IJM in
1989 as a project engineer for the Grand Bazaar, a prestigious urban
renewal project by IGB, which was both an IJM related company
and client. At one meeting chaired by IGB managing director Yap
Lim Sen, everyone was informed that prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad felt that the design
of the Grand Bazaar was too much like that of the historic Sultan Abdul Samad Building. Yap said
the design had to be modified. The architect, a well-established name in the industry, suggested
a variation of the original design, and everyone else at the table agreed. They did not wish to be
different from the architect who was the project head. The project team then continued with
extensive deliberation and everyone was pleased with the outcome. At this juncture, I decided
to speak up, and suggested a design that should be modern and futuristic. The team was not
expecting a comment from me. But Yap probed further and asked what I meant.
I hesitated at first because my boss had nudged me to caution against having a different
view. However, encouraged by Yap, I painted a picture of a building with lots of glass and
stainless steel and other kinds of metal. Yap asked if I had seen one and could give examples,
to which I responded,, Sir, I cannot do so, but if you give me a world round ticket, I will travel
and report to you. Everyone laughed.
Three months later, the project team went on a world tour to visit and study prominent
mall designs. I was not invited to join the tour, but my respect for Yap grew because he

Kuala Lumpurs signature Mid Valley

Megamall that opened in November
1999. It is a 4.5 million square feet
complex comprising a shopping mall,
an office tower, a hotel, convention,
entertainment and recreational
facilities.

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2010s

When Teh assumed the helm of the property division, he spared no effort in building the IJM brand name in the property market.

had listened to me, even though I was a young, inexperienced and an unknown member
of the team. It struck Teh then that listening is an important facet of leadership, and the
high performance culture stresses on this with its employee engagement initiatives such as
myVoice surveys that aim to find out what staff value most and improvements they desire in
the company.
The construction of Mid Valley eventually took off in July 1996, after years of being in
the doldrums, One problem was the site, an abandoned tin mine that had a relatively high
water table. It was also next to a river and proved to be a difficult building site. Nine months
into construction, Teh was seconded to the project team to assist in the construction of the
basement since the team was struggling to build up the basement due to extreme ground
conditions. The entire basement kept flooding and Teh came up with a solution: I suggested
that we emulate the padi field, and build bunds to divide the site, and drain the flood water
segment by segment. We applied this technique to the large Mid-Valley site, and it worked.
The project helped Teh gain recognition as an adept trouble shooter.
Teh spent nine months with the RM900 million Mid Valley Megamall project and
established the routine of meeting contractors every evening to plan the schedule for the
following day, addressing issues that cropped up. This routine saved the client a lot of
money because it enabled us to pre-empt problems and resolve issues ahead of time. Cost
savings and value engineering initiatives reduced the cost drastically because construction
problems were solved on an hourly basis literally. When I left the project nine months later,
my relationship with the IGB chief Robert Tan was good. He appreciated what we had done.
Tehs lateral thinking was noted by the top management and he was entrusted with
prime projects. Unbeknown to him, they had other plans for the young civil engineer, and
he was taken aback when asked to leave the construction division to helm the property
division in 2001, replacing Ooi Poay Lum who was leaving. The property division was

considered a poor cousin, and Teh

recalls, I wondered what I had done
wrong to deserve this punishment. My
construction track record was good,
and I was instrumental in securing the
Tanjung Pelepas rail link, the single
largest civil works contract then
for IJM. I was heading the Strategic
Business Unit 5 in the construction
division and doing pretty well. So,
when my direct report Goh Chye Koon
told me that I was to be transferred to
the property division, I was devastated.
I countered by asking him, Why me?
He said the management felt that
my knowledge of and experience in
buildings was sorely needed in the
property division that was moving
into high end condominiums. I
was also told it was also due to my
passion for things beautiful, flair for
architectural concepts and details,
and the leadership shown in the
construction division. This had
prompted the management to take
me out of construction and move me
into property.
In my previous jobs, I had worked
as a resident engineer for Dayabumi,
my first experience working with
a steel structure, and later Menara
Maybank, the tallest building in
Kuala Lumpur then. Unhappy and
disappointed as I was, I accepted the
job, but with one caveat: if I cannot handle the new job after two years, I was to be
transferred back to construction. It was my safety net. I joined the property division
and have never looked back
Unwittingly, it marked the beginning of the end of the silo-mentality in IJM, with the
floodgates gradually raised to facilitate the cross-flow of staff between divisions. Still,
construction ranked higher in the scale of preference for civil engineers. For Teh, a steep
learning curve lay ahead.

Source: The Edge, 25 February 2008

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Riana Green, a class act

by the property division
under Tehs watch.

LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP-4

135

2010s

Accomplished as he was as a civil engineer, Teh fumbled in his first year in the property
division. I was inexperienced and did not know the processes and had staff who were very
clued up. I spent a lot of time listening to them and picking up tips on the property business
from them.
It was a lesson in humility for the engineering graduate who had trodden on a rosy career
path till then. It dawned upon him that technical challenges could be easily overcome, but people
are more difficult to manage. He recognised then the importance of clarity and alignment of
purpose to the main vision so that everyone thinks and acts as one. This has now become the
foundation of his high performance culture that introduced the Balanced Scorecard system,
an enhancement of the previous system,
to measure performance by setting clear
strategies, aligning to group objectives,
priorities and stretching targets for
better performance year on year.
As the property head bent on building
IJMs credentials as a serious developer,
Teh had to battle for funds from the
construction chaps who ran the group.
He echoed the views of his predecessor

The purpose built Menara

CIMB (previously Menara
Commerce) is a another
significant project that
elevated IJM Properties to
the top league.

Ooi Poay Lum of an IJM entrenched in a contractor developer mindset while trying to
make inroads in commercial real estate. IJM needed to make a mark in industry and prove
itself as a serious property developer. There was an urgent need to brand ourselves with
flagship projects, especially in the Klang Valley, the epicentre of well-known developers
then. Teh made a strategic move to turn Riana Green Condominium in Petaling Jaya into a
flagship project as part of brand building for IJM Properties. This positioning gained Riana
Green instant recognition for its well-designed units amidst well-manicured lawns and
landscaped gardens. It also showcased IJMs arrival as a developers developer, especially in
the Klang Valley. In the early 2000s, Riana Green was the single largest condominium under
one management title, with more than 1,300 well designed units that commanded respectable
prices and capital appreciation due to its good after sales and responsible management
services. With the runaway success of Riana Green, the property division began to expand its
horizon in different market segments.
The divisions crowning glory is still a work in progress, The Light along the Penang eastern
shoreline. For Teh it is a project close to his heart and mind, creating a brand new luxury
statement with a development rising from a mud flat, with emphasis on distinctive architecture,
innovative designs, exceptional contemporary finishes and an ambiance of indolence. The Light
is planned to bring to the fore the human relationship with the environment, something he
passionately believes should occur as a rule of thumb in property development.
Envisioned to transform Penang into a world class destination, The Light was a project
in which Teh engaged brand consultants to position and promote regionally. Much thought
went into naming the development, and eventually The Light was chosen because it rolls
off the tongue easily, and is related to an expression of joy, success and vibrancy, says Teh.
It took some convincing of senior members of the company before The Light was approved
and adopted as the name of the development.

The development of the

upscale Sentosa Cove in
Singapore (above) gave IJM
the essential experience to
pursue similar waterfront
developments such as The
Light in Penang.

Property development is
a fragmented business and there are
300 to 500 developers in Malaysia. The
barrier of entry is not high, and as a
result, we have a lot of players.
Teh Kean Ming,
second general manager of IJM Properties

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP-4

137

2010s

Another feather in the cap was bringing Tesco Hypermarket to Penang on a build-andlease arrangement that leapfrogged IJM Properties to the top league of property players.
Several other successes followed, including the purpose-built Menara CIMB in Jalan Raja
Laut in Kuala Lumpur that was sold at RM375 million, the single largest transaction for IJM
Properties at that time. Another milestone was the Sentosa Cove development in Singapore,
the first awarded to a Malaysian company.
By 2006, Teh had succeeded in transforming IJM Properties into a division with projects
worth more than RM1 billion. Goh Chye Keat, who had retired as managing director, called
to congratulate Teh on a job well done. By then, Teh was at the
cross roads once again, following the IJM acquisition of Road
Builder in 2007. In the corporate exercise that followed, the
property division was injected into RB Land, the public listed real
estate arm of Road Builder. Overnight, there were two heads of
the property division; Teh was promoted to become IJMs deputy
managing director. Given his talent as a turnaround specialist, he
was entrusted to stabilise IJM operations in India while awaiting
his turn to take over the top job. He did so at the age of 55.
Teh is a case of a rolling stone that defied convention and
gathered invaluable moss, with the propensity to learn, challenge
and establish new boundaries, and the humility to defer to others
when the need arises. He had a firm grip of running a division and
2011: Managing director Teh Kean Ming (left) presenting a gift to Malaysias
how to move things forward, both in Malaysia and internationally,
deputy prime minister Muhyiddin bin Mohd Yassin, who officiated IJMs
especially in India, IJMs largest overseas venture. Best of all, he
Delhi Metro Rail Corporations Metro Express Line (Package C2) in India.
had shown his capability to embrace change without upsetting
Looking on are Krishnan Tan, IJM executive deputy chairman (centre) and
Shaziman Abu Mansor, Malaysias minister of works (right). Top: Making a
the apple cart.
presentation at the function.

Teh now considers himself a bridge, linking the past with the present and future honouring
the traditions and values of the pioneers while meeting the expectations and goals of the next
generation, typically from Generation X and Y. There was also another connection to be made
between IJM staffers and those who once belonged to Road Builder, now a part of IJM. The
latter were readily absorbed into IJM during the integration process, but Teh recognised the
need for them to internalise the IJM culture.
IJM board member, David Wilson, previously from Road Builder, welcomes this move
because it will encourage greater teamwork and enrich further the human capital of IJM.
He is of the view that the affable, people-centric Teh is the right person to bring to pass this
soft infrastructure development within the group.
In terms of leadership, IJM has come full circle. As a second generation leader, Teh
recognised that it was imperative to strengthen further the inner core of IJM its staff, its
culture, and its shared values. This may not be the stuff of dreams, but it was a fundamental
need that had to be addressed for IJM to move up to the next level.

Says Teh, The pioneers established a very strong foundation,

but many second generation staff have no memory of them.
We hear complaints from older staff that the younger ones are
different from them. This is understandable since IJM now has
a new demographic, with a different outlook and expectations.
We need to change to meet these new challenges. I felt that
IJM needed to revisit the internal environment and take the
appropriate actions so that we continue to remain relevant today
and tomorrow.
At the same time, we had to take stock of the existing
operating landscape. Economic cycles are getting shorter,
and things are moving fast. When the 2008 global financial
meltdown occurred, we were in a state of shock. Krishnan
Tan, my predecessor, called for an emergency meeting with
divisional heads to map out our plan of action. It highlighted the
need for fleet-footedness, and IJM has to nurture staff with a sense of preparedness. Only
with knowledge and experience can staff have the wherewithal to react appropriately to
external conditions beyond our control.
When I became the chief executive officer, I took a step back, and studied what lay before
me objectively. It is not a work in isolation or from an ivory tower, but one that involved a lot of
sharing of views with management and independents. The outcome is the High Performance
Culture that uses the culture platform to recondition the minds of staff across all generations
so that the company will continue to perform well, and in turn, staff
will prosper.
IJM is staffed by baby boomers (born 1946-64), many of whom
are nearing retirement, and the Generation X (born 1965-80) and
Generation Y (born 1981-2000) who represent the future of IJM.
Generation X and Y are focused on short term cash incentives,
and for those employed in the higher levels, the Employee Share
Option Scheme (ESOS) ranks high in their remuneration wish-list.
The baby boomers, while desiring cash, also place emphasis on
job security, and tend to remain in their jobs longer. The younger
set, in contrast, value personal time and space, and will change
jobs when working conditions dont suit them. Our challenge is to
nurture and retain them.
In a staff address to launch the High Performance Culture,
Teh wrote: Preserving our business model and core competencies is undoubtedly the key to
our continued growth and success. Equally critical, we need to be agile in steering ourselves
ahead of time in this competitive and constantly changing terrain. What is important is that
IJM remains relevant, and stays ahead of the game. We need to continue pushing boundaries
like our pioneers did, to make good better, each and every time.

Continuing an IJM tradition: Teh presenting a

scholarship to a needy high-achieving student
to pursue his education, witnessed by IJM
chairman Abdul Halim Ali. The IJM Scholarship
was introduced in the 1990s.

Teh sharing his thoughts on his brainchild, the

High Performance Culture, which seeks to lift IJM
to the next level of performance and excellence.

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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP-4

2010s

he Scorecard, 30 years on

Teh joins staff for Give Day

Out, when staff across the
organisation volunteer a
day for community service.
In addition to serving the
community, the occasion
helps to build team spirit.

There are no short cuts when dealing with people, acknowledges Teh. You cannot use
the line I am the boss, and you work for me with the younger generation. It does not work.
Instead, you have to engage them with the endgame.
The High Performance Culture repackaged IJMs winning ways into todays context, and
adopted a formal framework to continuously communicate them to staff across the group.
Champions were appointed in each division to mentor staff on
how to operationalise the High Performance Culture.
The tone was set, and staff have their courses charted to
In 2012, IJM added another new revenue stream: oil & gas, when it acquired
a 10% stake and an additional 15% in convertible bonds in 2013 in the Scomi
improve the quality of human capital in the group. They attend
Group. As an engineering-based company, IJM has the capabilities, resources
workshops, budget exercises, coaching sessions to familiarise
and confidence to participate in the oil & gas sector that will move IJM up the
themselves with the refreshed vision and mission, enhanced
value chain to high value engineering. The O&G sector is a big ticket business,
clarity of strategy and priorities, core values, leadership
with immense potential not only in Malaysia but also the region. Scomi is a big
competencies and employee engagement factors. Gaps in skill
player and a technological company with capabilities in the supply of drilling
sets are identified, and training programmes mapped out so
fluids, waste management, and monorail public transportation business. With
that every staff member becomes an invaluable asset in the IJM
this acquisition, IJM also aims to become involved in oil & gas downstream
activities, and possibly turn this into an important revenue stream.
talent pool.
One lesson I learnt from the Scomi acquisition is that we must never take
The balanced scorecard became the benchmark of staff
the investment community for granted. Although the quantum of investment
performance. It spells out the goals and targets to be delivered.
was small, when we announced it, IJMs share price fell sharply. We were taken
This is particularly important for the younger generation, says
aback by the reaction, and realised that we should have handled better the
Teh. There must be no ambiguity, and their roles and functions
communication with investors and explain clearly to them the reasons for
need to be made crystal clear, and the results well-defined.
our decision. Subsequently, we met key investors several times, and our share
prices recovered.
Generation X and Y dont live to work like previous generations;

IJM enters O&G sector

139

instead they work well to live well. It is a good philosophy that must be
harnessed for the mutual benefit of the company and staff.
IJM has emerged as a market leader in all its businesses, and the
Teh is an active participant in the staff engagement process, and
prospects ahead are bright. Thirty years on, this is our scorecard:
hosts Luncheons with the CEO, Morning Coffee with the CEO and town
IJM is reputed as a well-managed conglomerate with very
strong delivery capabilities.
hall sessions. He says, People appreciate face-to-face contact with the

IJM is one of the top construction companies in Malaysia.
CEO. I believe in participative management that was promoted by my
In 2012, the order book stood at RM4.36 billion. The West
predecessors, and spend time listening to my generals. Sometimes, a
Coast Expressway concession was awarded in January 2013,
leader can be stonewalled by issues. As a leader, you cannot be egoistic
and IJM hopes to pick up sizeable construction jobs from
and think you know all. IJM has a presence in different economic
the West Coast Expressway that stretches from Banting in
sectors, so it is important to seek out those who know better for advice.
Selangor to Taiping in Perak. It will be IJMs single largest
contract.
In IJM, some things remain non-negotiable, says Teh, Foremost

IJM Land is in the Top 10 of property development companies
among them is trust, reliability and integrity, the foundation of IJMs
in Malaysia, with a sizeable land bank in strategic locations in
motto, We Deliver. When trusted to do a job, IJM staff are expected
Malaysia. It is reputed to be a strategic developer.
to deliver it in an honest and credible way. When there is proof of
IJM is a market leader in pretensioned spun concrete (PSC)
misdemeanour or irregularity, we will not hesitate to take action, and
piles and it continues to look for opportunities to expand to
will not shy away from reporting cases to the police.
serve the buoyant construction industry, economic corridors
Remuneration remain a sticky issue, especially with the middle
of Malaysia and regional markets.
IJM Plantations is reputed to be a well-managed plantation
management desiring instant rewards and incentives. Stating IJM
company, with good sustainability initiatives. With
salaries are slightly above industry norm, Teh says, IJM has been
accelerated planting underway in Indonesia, earnings are
paying consistently good bonuses to staff. As such, total payout (fixed
expected to double in 2017.
and variable) commensurates with market practices. In terms of
IJM is the second largest infrastructure company in Malaysia
numbers, salaries account for a substantial percentage of operating
in terms of tolled kilometres. There are three tolled highways,
costs. We acknowledge that we have low performers on our payroll. I
and with the inclusion of the West Coast Expressway five
years on, the toll bank will surge by another 233 km.
believe the High Performance Culture will address this issue because

IJM is well recognised as a reputable Malaysian company
the balanced scorecard system will help to ensure that every staff pulls
in India.
his or her weight. Their enhanced performance will have a multiplier
IJM-owned Kuantan Port is being expanded to a megaport
effect it will enhance revenue, profit, shareholder value, and translate
to serve growing bilateral trade between Malaysia-China as
into better staff rewards. We believe in pay-for-performance. This has
well as Asia-Pacific markets.
been the hallmark of IJM.
Like his predecessors, Teh is a firm advocate of the shared destiny
principle. IJM is not a single industry company, and when one industry
does not perform well due to an economic downturn, the others save the day. History
has shown that each division has had its own good times and bad, but as a group,
IJM has performed relatively well. We are like a family, where members close
ranks to support the one in trouble. This simple act of faith in each other has
helped IJM remain in the black in the past 30 years. This is the legacy of our
founders, who in their wisdom chose to diversify the group without splitting
it apart as self-sufficient units, especially when they became listed. This
united front defines the character of IJM, and has helped the group grow
into a sustainable, international conglomerate. It is a priceless legacy that we
should cherish.

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THE IJM STORY

THE IJM STORY

2000s

12

The Board, 30 years on

Chairmen

IJM has been blessed with a board that since its incorporation in 1983

has provided sound oversight and subscribed to the principles of good

governance to build a group with strong fundamentals that garners respect
not only in Malaysia but also in the region.

As IJM pioneers retired one after another, the board departed from its original ownermanagement profile to welcome representatives of the largest shareholders as well as enlarge
the team of non executive independent directors, all experienced professionals. Thirty years
on, the IJM Board bears little resemblance to the first. The only link with the past is executive
deputy chairman Krishnan Tan, who provides continuity to an organisation that has grown
beyond the wildest dreams of its founding fathers.
When IJM celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2008, it consisted of 13 directors. Today, it is a
leaner and more streamlined board with nine members, including the chairman, who bring
to the table a breadth of knowledge and experience deemed indispensable in an intensely
globalised and competitive world.

141

Tan Sri Dato Dr Haji Ahmad Azizuddin

bin Haji Zainal Abidin
First Chairman

Tan Sri Dato Ir (Dr) Wan Abdul Rahman

bin Wan Yaacob
Second Chairman

Tan Sri Abdul Halim bin Ali

Third Chairman

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THE IJM STORY

THE BOARD, 30 YEARS ON

143

2010s

First Chairman, 1984-2003

Tan Sri Dato Dr Haji Ahmad Azizuddin bin Haji Zainal Abidin
A mining engineering graduate from the University of Otago in New Zealand, Azizuddin served
as a senior inspector of mines with the Perak State Mines Department before he left to start
his own business. He also entered politics and rose to become an UMNO senator, and has the
distinction of being a speaker in the Perak State Legislative Assembly, a position he held for
one term before retiring to the back bench as the assemblyman for the Belanja constituency
in Parit. He left politics when prime minister Tun Hussein Onn introduced the policy requiring
politicians to declare their business interests. Azizuddin chose business over politics.
Azizuddin was the principal shareholder of Maraputra Sdn Bhd and a director of Mudajaya
Construction at the time of the formation of IJM. Yap Lim Sen, who refers to him as a Malay
gentleman invited him to become the chairman of IJM Engineering & Construction. Azizuddin
remained as chairman of IJM until 2003, stepping down at the age of 70.
I was the only mining engineer on the board and I think they wanted someone neutral to
manage the civil engineers, says Azizuddin. My job was to make sure there was no clash of
personalities. One good thing about IJM is that no individual, family or company controlled
us. IGB was the single largest shareholder and eventually sold its last remaining block of
20% to Tronoh Mines Berhad, later Zelan Berhad (a MMC subsidiary). Throughout, the board
retained its independence.
Our priority was to be vigilant about the financial health and survival of the company at all
times. The early days were difficult because of the recession and we also had to compete with
Japanese contractors for jobs. Our share price hovered around 0.70 sen and was going down.
We struggled until we expanded overseas aggressively, encouraged by prime minister Dr
Mahathir Mohamad who urged Malaysian companies to venture abroad. We also diversified
into plantations, and were very successful.
IJM came about as a result of friendship and loyalty. In life, we must share a common
goal and every one of us wanted IJM to do well. It had to be well run, and for this to happen,
everyone must belong to the same team, same club, to succeed.
We wanted this culture in the company. We gave emphasis to treating staff well to cultivate
loyalty to the job, to each other and to friendships. This is the stamp of the IJM we wanted to
shape. I became good friends with the pioneers we got to know each others families, and the
children by name, and continue to keep in touch even after we had left the company.
IJM has grown big, and it now competes locally and internationally. Those days, we could
not even compete locally; we had to joint venture with the Japanese for jobs. The company
has come very far.

Second Chairman, 2003-2011

Tan Sri Dato Ir (Dr) Wan Abdul Rahman bin Wan Yaacob
Wan joined the IJM board in 1996 as an independent non executive director before being
appointed as chairman when IJMs pioneer chairman Tan Sri Dato Dr (Ir) Ahmad Azizuddin
bin Haji Zainal retired in 2003.

Previously with the Public Works Department where he served the last six years before
retirement in 1996 as the director general, Wan held directorships in Lingkaran Trans Kota
Holdings (chairman), Lysaght Galvanised Steel Berhad (chairman), Bank of America Malaysia
Berhad, MDF, NCB Holdings Berhad and Northport (Malaysia) Berhad. He retired from the
IJM Board in 2011.
His observation of IJM is that it is one of few public listed companies where the board
is well represented by the senior management. At one time, the managing director, deputy
managing director and another senior executive were executive directors, unlike most
companies where only the managing director represents management. This set-up, he says,
enables the board to have a good understanding of management proposals and arrive at
sound decisions.
I also sit on several other boards, where members do not become involved in projects.
At IJM, every large project, both local and international, must be presented to the board for
approval. This system of check-and-balance entrusts the board to assume responsibility for
big ticket projects, and not allow management to shoulder the blame when they falter. Time
is also factored in to provide for quick decision making. This entire process is an integral part
of the IJM culture since it was formed, and survives till this day.

Third and current Chairman, 2011-to date

Tan Sri Abdul Halim bin Ali

Appointed in 2007 as an independent non executive director, Halim became IJMs chairman
in 2011. He says, IJMs strength lies in the fact that there is no dominant individual or family
influencing board decisions. The board functions efficiently, deliberating on policy, discussing
issues and making decisions, always mindful of corporate governance practices. That is why
IJM is a popular counter with institutional investors such as the Employees Provident Fund,
Malaysias pension fund that invests only in companies with strong fundamentals and offer
good dividends.
IJM is a Malaysian conglomerate with an excellent track record and a good management
team. It has bright prospects, not only in Malaysia but also overseas. Tan Sri Halim is a career
diplomat, who has served in diplomatic missions in India, Indonesia, Japan, New York and
Vietnam. He says, My exposure helps in strategic planning for overseas business expansion.
IJM is also ranked as one of the top 20 companies in Malaysia in terms of corporate
governance by the Minority Shareholders Watchdog Group (MSWG). I am conscious of the
conflict of interest as chairman of IJM as well as of MSWG. So, when it comes to IJM matters,
I recuse myself.
Halim served as chief secretary to the government of Malaysia in 1998. Following his
retirement from government service, he served as chairman of the Employees Provident
Fund. He is currently also the chairman of Malaysian Building Society Berhad and Malakoff
Corporation Berhad.

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THE IJM STORY

THE BOARD, 30 YEARS ON

Managing
Directors

2010s

Executive Deputy Chairman, 2011-to date

A position that was created in 2011
Tan Sri Dato Krishnan Tan Boon Seng
On 1 January 2011, Krishnan Tan was appointed as the first Executive Deputy Chairman of IJM,
a position created by the board to tap into his vast experiences and knowledge of the group,
especially when crafting policies and setting new directions for the future.
Refer to his profile in Chapters 3 and 10

Chief Executive Officers/Managing Directors

Each CEO/MD is profiled under Lessons in Leadership.
First Managing Director, 1984-1988
Koh Boon Chor
A founding father of IJM
Refer to his profile in Chapters 3 and 4
Second Managing Director, 1988-1996
Dato Goh Chye Keat
A founding father of IJM
Refer to his profile in Chapters 3 and 7

Koh Boon Chor

First Chief Executive Officer/
Managing Director
Dato Goh Chye Keat
Second Chief Executive Officer/
Managing Director

Third Managing Director, 1997-2010

Tan Sri Dato Krishnan Tan Boon Seng
A member of the first board
Refer to his profile in Chapters 3 and 10
Fourth and current Managing Director, 2011-to date
Dato Teh Kean Ming
The first of the second generation of leadership
Refer to his profile in Chapter 11

Tan Sri Dato Krishnan Tan Boon Seng

Third Chief Executive Officer/
Managing Director
Dato Teh Kean Ming
Fourth Chief Executive Officer/
Managing Director

145

146

THE IJM STORY

THE BOARD, 30 YEARS ON

Deputy
Managing Directors
First Deputy Managing Director
Chay Kwok Thong
Second Deputy Managing Director

Tan Sin Leong

Third Joint Deputy Managing Director

Fourth Joint Deputy Managing Director

Dato Goh Chye Koon

Tan Sri Dato Krishnan Tan Boon Seng

Third Joint Deputy Managing Director
Dato Teh Kean Ming
Fifth Deputy Managing Director

Deputy Managing Directors

First Deputy Managing Director, 1984-1988
Lim Choong Kong
One of the founding fathers from Jurutama, Lim became the first deputy managing director
of IJM.
Refer to his profile in Chapter 3
Second Deputy Managing Director, 1988-1993
Chay Kwok Thong
A director of Mudajaya, Chay is one of the founding fathers of IJM.
Refer to his profile in Chapter 3

1993-1995: Tan Sin Leong

Tan is a British-trained civil engineer who worked with an engineering consultancy firm
before joining Mudajaya Construction, later a part of IJM. He distinguished himself as
the man on the field especially for construction projects in the East Coast such as the
Kemaman Supply Base in Terengganu in the early years and the North-South highway
packages in the 1990s. He says, There is succession planning and mentoring in IJM
that provides for engineers to move up the ranks. He rose to become the head of the
construction division, a portfolio he continued to hold while serving as joint deputy
managing CEO/Deputy MD in 1993. Upon retirement, he continued as a director on the
board until 1998.
Fourth Joint Deputy Managing Directors
1997-1999: Choo Choon Yeow
Choo joined IJM as a technical manager in 1985 after a distinguished career as a structural
engineer in an engineering consultancy firm. He rose to become a project director
overseeing several projects such as turnkey hospitals and high rise buildings. He joined
the board as an alternate director in 1988, became group executive director in 1994 and
was appointed group deputy managing director in 1997. Choo Choon Yeow retired in 1999
but remained as a non-executive director and technical advisor until May 2002.

Choo Choon Yeow

NOTE

2010s

Third Joint Deputy Managing Directors

1993-1997: Tan Sri Dato Krishnan Tan Boon Seng
He was promoted to CEO/GMD
Refer to his profile in Chapters 3 and 10.

Lim Choong Kong

Fourth Joint Deputy Managing Director

Dato Tan Gim Foo
Sixth Deputy Managing Director

147

148

THE IJM STORY

THE BOARD, 30 YEARS ON

149

2010s

1997-2008: Dato Goh Chye Koon

Goh was the first direct entry engineer to join the newly formed IJM group in 1984. He
was appointed deputy managing director when Krishnan Tan took over the helm of IJM
in 1997. In the IJM tradition, Goh was appointed a board member. The civil engineer also
retained his portfolio as the head of the construction division.
His tenure coincided with IJMs international expansion, especially to India and the
Middle East. Goh became a pioneer of IJM in India, providing oversight for construction
activities in the subcontinent. He says, We were IJM flag bearers in India, and I wanted
to ensure that there was professionalism in all that we did there. I would travel to India
every four to five weeks, stay for a week to get to know whats happening on the field, and
provide support for the team.
He credits country head Ng Chin Meng for good public relations with Indian staff and
networking well with clients. Another advantage was IJMs Indian team that comprised
Indian engineers who had previously worked in IJM. They knew the local Indian culture
and were also familiar with IJM work ethics. We completed the first few projects on time
and won the recognition of the National Highway Authority of India. IJM-built highways
became the benchmark of quality.
Ng was like the glue that held the locals together, says Goh. When he left, the team
spirit faded and the chain of command became less clear. Competition was tough, and it
became difficult to get good staff. Things began to unravel, and in 2012, the construction
division suffered its first ever loss.
Still, in my opinion, IJM should continue exploring the India market. We must learn
from our mistakes and move on. We can ride on our reputation as highway builders with a
record number of projects, and be more selective in future undertakings.
As construction head, Goh also provided oversight when IJM expanded to the Middle
East. We built the Emirates flight kitchen, the biggest of its kind in the world, he says.
Goh handed over the reins of deputy managing director to incoming Teh Kean Ming
in 2010. He continues to serve as an executive director.

Fifth Deputy Managing Director, 2008-2010

Dato Teh Kean Ming
He was promoted to CEO/GMD
Refer to his profile in Chapter 11
Sixth and current Deputy Managing Director, 2011-to date
Dato Tan Gim Foo
Civil engineer Tan joined Mudajaya Construction that later became a part of IJM. He rose from
project manager and helms the construction division, a position he continues to hold while
serving as deputy CEO/MD.
Tan says that construction projects with a threshold of RM500 million in Malaysia and
RM250 million overseas need board approval. Our role as executive directors is to table
comprehensive and detailed proposals to win board support to proceed. The upshot is to
ensure projects are viable.
This check-and-balance helps to ensure we pursue the path of profitability for the
benefit of stakeholders. The non-executive independent directors might spot something
we did not at management level. At times, we have had to review and revise, before tabling
it to the board again.
India is unfortunate. It is a legacy issue, and if we pursue India in the future, we must
send a good team of Malaysians to be based there. We need at least 10 key staff there, from
project manager and project accountant to quantity surveyor and purchasing personnel.
Construction is a team effort, and we need people nurtured by IJMs core values that can be
filtered down to staff in our overseas offices and project sites.

150

THE IJM STORY

THE BOARD, 30 YEARS ON

2010s

Executive
Directors

Executive Directors
Chee Wan Yee, Executive Director, 1988-1997
Chee joined Mudajaya Construction in 1981 as a project director involved in IJMs power and
water projects. He was also involved in projects in Vietnam and China. Appointed as alternate
director in 1988, he became an executive director in 1990. He retired in 1993 and continued to
serve on the board till 1997.

Sim Quan Seng, Executive Director, 1995-1998

A graduate in mechanical engineering from the Technical College in 1972, Sim joined Mudajaya
Construction in 1976 as an engineer responsible for the maintenance of earth-moving,
crushing and asphalt plants. He was instrumental in developing the in-house capabilities of
IJMs quarrying activities and asphalt production. He is credited for successfully turning these
in-house operations into successful enterprises that gained the group market recognition.

Appointed as an alternate director in 1995, he resigned from the board in 1998 to pursue
his own interests.
Khoo Chew Meng, Executive Director, 1988-1998
Technical College alumni Khoo joined Jurutama in 1976 as a senior engineer after serving the
Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR). He joined the IJM Board as an alternate director in 1988, and was
made executive director in 1994. His area of specialisation was pre-fabricated housing and
projects in Sarawak. He was instrumental in leading IJM on the road towards attaining ISO
9001 certification.
The MBA graduate from Golden Gate University in USA retired as an executive director in
1998, and remained on the board as a non executive director until August 2001.

Chee Wan Yee

Executive Director
Sim Quan Seng
Executive Director

Khoo Chew Meng

Executive Director

Ooi Poay Lum, Executive Director, 1995-2001

Ooi joined Jurutama in 1980 as a senior engineer and gained extensive experience in the
construction industry while serving as an engineer and project manager prior to taking
the leap into the property business. He became the first general manager of IJMs property
division in 1988, and is credited for transforming IJMs positioning from an affordable housing
developer to a multi-faceted developer with a presence in every market segment. In 1995, he
was appointed as an alternate director of the IJM board, and promoted to executive director
in 1997. Ooi retired as group executive director in July 2001.
Soo Heng Chin, Executive Director, 1998-2010
Soo joined Mudajaya Construction in 1979, after having served in the Drainage & Irrigation

Ooi Poay Lum

Executive Director
Soo Heng Chin
Executive Director

151

department of Pahang. As a senior engineer in IJM, he was in charge of infrastructure projects

and gained recognition for his good implementation skills, and was adept at completing tough
projects. He was made an alternate director in 1998, and elevated to executive director in 2001. He
also helmed construction services at the head office, overseeing various support services such
as the engineering, tendering and purchasing departments under the construction division.
An engineering graduate from University Malaya with an MBA from Golden Gate University
in USA, Soo retired from IJM in January 2010.

152

THE IJM STORY

THE BOARD, 30 YEARS ON

2010s

Long Serving
Non Executive
Directors

Tan Sri Dato (Dr) Haji Murad bin Mohamad Noor

Senior Independent Non Executive Director, 1985-2008
He joined the IJM Board as an independent director after he had retired as Director General of
Education, and was instrumental in IJM venturing into education in the mid 1980s. He was the
longest serving board member until his demise at the age of 78, while still a board member.
During his long tenure as senior independent director, he ably served in the Board Audit
Committee as well as the Nomination and Remuneration Committee.

Tan Sri Dato (Dr) Haji Murad

bin Mohamad Noor
Senior Independent Non Executive Director
Datuk Yahya bin Yaacob
Senior Independent Non Executive Director

Datuk Oh Chong Peng

Independent Non Executive Director

Datuk Lee Teck Yuen

Non Executive Director
Dato David Frederick Wilson
Non Executive Director

153

Datuk Yahya bin Yaacob

Senior Independent Non Executive Director, 1999-2012
After 32 years in the civil service, the last five as secretary general of the Ministry of Works,
Yahya was appointed to the IJM Board in 1999 upon his retirement from government service.
A long serving member of IJM board, Yahya retired from the IJM board in 2012.
Yahya pays tribute to executive directors for providing comprehensive information for
decision-making. They play a critical role in ensuring that the board makes sound decisions
because eventually the buck stops with the board.
He singles out managing director Krishnan Tan for knowing his stuff and being articulate
in presenting proposals. As a result, the board gave him full backing. His nomination as
executive deputy chairman is a reflection of our faith in him and the professionalism of IJM
executive directors.
The board focuses on ensuring a healthy balance sheet, he says. However, when
necessary, we were prepared to bite the bullet. This happened rarely. The only time I recall
was when IJM had to write off debts for construction activities in India and the Middle East
during my last year as a board member. Still, IJM completed the projects and its reputation in
India remains intact.
The economist also notes that the board is represented by a wide cross section of
professionals, from accountants to engineers. I learnt a lot from other board members,
especially Oh Chong Peng who asks searching and pertinent questions, and David Wilson,
who provided good insights of India.
I also find the IJM practice of bringing board members to project sites useful. I visited
India and Argentina, met with local staff, and obtained first hand insights of work on the
ground. IJMs independent non executive directors also engage with external auditors to
ensure everything is prim and proper, a legacy from the days of the pioneers.
As chairman of the Nomination & Remuneration Committee and the Securities & Options
Committee, he says, We need to attract and retain staff to build a strong line of succession.
Good remuneration is key, and this subject was being deliberated when I left the board.

154

THE IJM STORY

THE BOARD, 30 YEARS ON

155

2010s

Datuk Oh Chong Peng

Independent Non Executive Director, 2002-2012
Oh is another long serving board member, and the highly respected chairman of the Audit
Committee. A qualified chartered accountant and former senior partner of Coopers and
Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers), Oh was appointed a board member in 2002
and retired in 2012. During his tenure, he also served as a member of the Nomination and
Remuneration Committee.
Given his background, Ohs opinion is sought out for proposals relating to mergers &
acquisitions. The most significant was the acquisition of Road Builder, says Oh. My advice
was to go ahead with it. The price was good, and it came with good people.
Road Builder staff shared similar backgrounds, says Oh. However, they were better paid
and enjoyed better benefits than IJM staff. Consultants engaged in the integration process
recommended that IJM remuneration be raised to match those of Road Builder staff. The
acquisition thus helped to push up IJM salaries, which were lagging behind the industry.
IJM senior management benefited from ESOS allocations that compensated for the
shortfall in basic salaries. However, staff at lower levels did not have this benefit. As I see
it, the Road Builder acquisition helped raise basic pay across the group. It was a win-win
situation for all staff.
IJM has been frugal since the days of the pioneers. When I joined the board in 2002, I
pushed for higher directors fee, and other board members benefited.
I also proposed a dividend policy based on profitability. The board had to ensure
shareholders are rewarded accordingly while being cognisant of the fact that IJMs businesses
are cyclical. I devised a formula for this, and it has seen IJM dividends going up over time.
Now, even the Minority Shareholders Watchdog Group insists that shareholders should be
rewarded based on profitability.
As chairman of the audit committee, I ensured that IJM and its subsidiaries have in place
good controls. The internal audit function was strengthened, and I am particularly pleased
with its performance in the industry and plantations divisions. In construction and property,
operations are based on projects, and there have been some improvements.
Datuk Lee Teck Yuen
Non Executive Director, 2007-to date
A civil engineer by profession, Lee was appointed as non executive director of the IJM board
in 2007 following the IJM-Road Builder merger. He is a member of the Nomination and
Remuneration Committee. His other directorships include Road Builder (M) Holdings Berhad,
IJM Land Berhad, Malaysian South-South Corporation Berhad and the Asean Business Forum.
In his view, the Road Builder acquisition was more of a merger rather than a take-over. The
process was mutual and transparent. Many Road Builder board members were retained and
senior management continued in their jobs, with a few given a bigger portfolio. Beginning July
2013, Soam Heng Choon, previously from Road Builder, will become IJMs deputy managing
director. Looking back, I regard the IJM-Road Builder merger as a good M&A model.

In a strategic move, RB Land, the listing vehicle of IJMs property division that was renamed
IJM Land, invited Krishnan Tan to become its chairman. We requested Krishnan Tan to chair
IJM Land when he was the managing director of the holding company. Our reason was simple:
we wanted someone to steer the property plc to greater success. On hindsight, it was the right
move. Today, IJM Land (previously RB Land) has grown several times since 2008. It is now
bigger than that of developer IGB, once the parent company of IJM.
Naturally, when two work cultures merge, there are bound to be differences. There were
difficulties adapting to IJM ways among some Road Builder staff but overall performance and
staff productivity results show that decisions made then were right.

Dato David Frederick Wilson

Non Executive Director, 2007-to date
Wilson is a British citizen who was appointed as a board member in 2007, and serves in the
Securities & Options Committee. An engineer by profession, Wilson has worked in Malaysia
since 1980, and his credentials include the management and construction of the North-South
Highway. In 2002, he became a non executive director on the Road Builder board, and later
became a director responsible for construction operations in India. He is one of two former
Road Builder directors on the IJM board. The India hand also serves as the technical advisor
for IJM and Road Builder projects in India.
He says, Things take a long time in India particularly when you are seeking to recover
outstanding payments. There are still projects in arbitration after 12 years. This has happened
not only to Road Builder and IJM but also to others in India. IJM has also suffered losses in
the Middle East. It shows that we have to re-evaluate our construction business model when
exporting our services to overseas markets.
The former Road Builder director notes that the integration process between staff of Road
Builder and IJM is a work in progress. When Road Builder staff migrated to IJM, the priority
was project implementation, especially in the construction division. Each project team thus
continued with its previous projects to meet delivery times. As a result, there was minimal
collaboration between staff of the two companies.
The High Performance Culture launched by Teh in 2012 is timely, says Wilson. It seeks
to address this issue, especially the importance of teamwork, which is fundamental to the
success of IJMs businesses, especially in construction. The High Performance Culture also
seeks to break the silo mindset and make staff more adept at managing different operating
environments.

156

THE IJM STORY

THE BOARD, 30 YEARS ON

2010s

1983-2013 IJM Board Members The Full List

No

Name of Director

Nationality

Tan Gaik Hoon

Malaysian

First Director
2

Rajabee Mohd Yusoff

16 July 1983

18 September 1989

18 September 1989

10 April 1990

Independent Non-Executive Director

25 July 1985

16 May 2001

Senior Independent Non-Executive Director

16 May 2001

22 January 2008

1 November 1988

10 April 1990

10 April 1990

15 May 1997

Director

1 November 1988

10 April 1990

Alternate to Koh Boon Chor

10 April 1990

30 September 1998

1 November 1993

28 December 1995

Tan Sri Dato(Dr) Haji Murad bin Mohamad Noor

16 April 1984

3 April 1989

Director

16 April 1984

1 November 1988

Managing Director

1 November 1988

27 March 1996

Alternate to Ong Yean Tian

1 November 1988

10 April 1990

Group Managing Director

27 March 1996

31 December 1996

Alternate to Lim Yong Keat

10 April 1990

1 October 1994

Non-Executive Director

31 December 1996

16 August 2006

Group Executive Director

1 October 1994

5 September 1998

5 September 1998

15 August 2001

16 April 1984

28 February 2003

Alternate to Chay Kwok Thong

1 November 1988

1 October 1994

16 April 1984

18 January 1986

Group Executive Director

1 October 1994

1 January 1997

Deputy Group Managing Director

1 January 1997

24 March 1999

16 April 1984

17 February 1995

Non-Executive Director

24 March 1999

22 May 2002

12 June 1984

1 November 1988

18 September 1989

23 June 1994

1 November 1988

10 April 1990

22

18 September 1989

23 June 1994

12 June 1984

30 September 1988

23

1 November 1988

1 October 1994

10 April 1990

13 September 1991

12 March 1992

28 November 1996

7 July 1993

5 January 2001

23 June 1994

30 September 2003

25 July 1995

16 April 1998

Tan Boon Seng

Dato Goh Chye Keat

Tan Sri Dato (Dr) Haji Ahmad Azizuddin bin Haji Zainal Abidin
Dato Mohd Tahir bin Haji Abdul Rahim
Koon Yew Yin
Ong Yeng Tian

Lim Yong Keat

Tan Sin Leong

Malaysian

Deputy Managing Director

19

Khoo Chew Meng

Malaysian

Non-Executive Director
20

Malaysian
Malaysian
Malaysian

21

Choo Choon Yeow

Chong Wai Lin (f)

Malaysian

Malaysian

Director

Malaysian

Ping Kok Koh

Malaysian

Alternate to Chong Wai Lin (f )

Singaporean
12 June 1984

31 October 1988

Deputy Managing Director

1 November 1988

1 November 1993

1 November 1988

5 May 1997

Malaysian

Tan Kim Poh

Malaysian

Director
24

Alternate to Koon Yew Yin

Tan Sri Dato Tan Boon Seng @ Krishnan

Malaysian

Director
18

Malaysian

Director

Chee Wan Yee

Malaysian

Alternate to Koon Yew Yin

Malaysian

Director
Chay Kwok Thong

17

Malaysian

Alternate to Lim Choong Kong

14

12 June 1984

Director

18 September 1989

16

Malaysian

Director

13

Alternate to Dato Yap Lim Sen

16 April 1984

Dato Yap Lim Sen

Alternate to Goh Chye Keat

12

Retired / Resigned

17 February 1995

Malaysian

Director
11

21 December 1983

Appointed

21 December 1983

Koh Boon Chor

Director
10

Malaysian

30 September 1988

Independent Non-Executive Chairman

9

Nationality

Goh Nan Kioh

Malaysian

Director
7

Name of Director

15

21 December 1983

Lim Choong Kong

Director
6

No

21 December 1983

Director
5

Retired / Resigned

16 July 1983

Director
4

Appointed

Malaysian

First Director
3

157

Mohamed Feisal bin Ibrahim

Malaysian

Director
25

Mior Abdul Rahman bin Miou Mohd Khan

Malaysian

Director
26

Lai Meng

Malaysian

Alternate to Tan Boon Seng

12 June 1984

3 April 1989

Alternate to Lim Yong Keat

3 April 1989

10 April 1990

27

Director

10 April 1990

Deputy Group Managing Director

1 November 1993

1 January 1997

28

Group Managing Director

1 January 1997

26 February 2004

Alternate to Chay Kwok Thong

25 July 1995

15 May 1997

Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director

26 February 2004

31 December 2010

Group Executive Director

15 May 1997

31 July 2001

Executive Deputy Chairman

1 January 2011

Non-Executive Director
Sim Quan Seng

Malaysian

Alternate to Choo Choon Yeow

Ooi Poay Lum

Malaysian

158

THE IJM STORY

THE BOARD, 30 YEARS ON

No

Name of Director

Nationality

29

Dato Goh Chye Koon

Malaysian

30

31

Appointed

Retired / Resigned

Alternate to Khoo Chew Meng

25 July 1995

1 January 1997

Deputy Group Managing Director

1 January 1997

26 February 2004

Deputy Chief Executive Officer & Deputy Managing Director

26 February 2004

29 June 2008

Executive Director

29 June 2008

29 June 2009

Non-Executive Director

30 June 2009

Tan Sri Dato Ir. (Dr) Wan Abdul Rahman bin Wan Yaacob

28 August 2003

Independent Non-Executive Chairman

28 August 2003

24 August 2011

12 June 1998

17 May 2001

17 May 2001

21 May 2003

12 June 1998

17 May 2001

Group Executive Director

17 May 2001

22 September 2003

Senior Group General Manager cum Group Executive Director

22 September 2003

26 February 2004

Senior General Manager & Executive Director

26 February 2004

30 January 2010

1 October 1998

4 April 2002

35

Datuk Yahya bin Yaacob

36

31 Mar 1999

26 February 2008

Senior Independent Non Executive Director

26 February 2008

28 August 2012

5 January 2001

30 January 2004

12 April 2002

28 August 2012

30 October 2003

16 October 2006

25 March 2004

13 September 2005

18 August 2004

5 July 2005

Alternate to Dato Goh Chye Keat

1 September 2005

16 August 2006

Alternate to Dato Goh Chye Koon

16 August 2006

1 July 2008

Deputy Chief Executive Officer & Deputy Managing Director

1 July 2008

31 December 2010

Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director

1 January 2011

Datuk Oh Chong Peng

Malaysian
Malaysian

Independent Non-Executive Director

37

Dato Ismail bin Shahudin

Malaysian

Non-Executive Director
38

Abd Hamid bin Othman

Malaysian

Non-Executive Director
39

Dato Abdullah bin Mohd Yusof

Malaysian

Non-Executive Director
40

41

Dato Teh Kean Ming

Dato Tan Gim Foo

44

45

Tan Sri Abdul Halim bin Ali

Datuk Hj Hasni bin Harun

46

47

Malaysian

Malaysian

Alternate to Soo Heng Chin

1 September 2005

30 January 2010

Alternate to Dato Goh Chye Koon

30 January 2010

31 December 2010

Deputy Chief Executive Officer & Deputy Managing Director

1 January 2011

6 Jun 2013

Retired / Resigned

31 October 2005

25 August 2009

5 January 2007

21 April 2008

25 April 2007

24 August 2011

Malaysian
24 August 2011
Malaysian
9 May 2007

21 April 2008

21 April 2008

24 August 2011

Non-Executive Director

30 May 2007

9 November 2012

Senior Independent Non Executive Director

9 November 2012

Datuk Lee Teck Yuen

Dato David Frederick Wilson

Malaysian

British

Non-Executive Director
48

Appointed

2010s

Malaysian

Alternate to Ayyaril Karikulath Feizal Ali

Pushpanathan a/l S A Kanagarayar

30 May 2007
Malaysian

Independent Non-Executive Director

Datuk Ir. Hamzah bin Hasan

9 November 2012
Malaysian

Independent Non-Executive Director

50

Malaysian

Non-Executive Director

Ayyaril Karikulath Feizal Ali

Non-Executive Director

49

Malaysian

Independent Non-Executive Director

Haji Osman bin Haji Ismail

43

Malaysian

Non-Executive Director
34

Malaysian

Non-Executive Director

Non-Executive Director

Alternate to Ooi Poay Lum

Dato Arthur Tan Boon Shih

Dato (Dr) Megat Abdul Rahman bin Megat Ahmad

Malaysian

Group Executive Director

33

42

Independent Non-Executive Chairman

1 July 1996

Soo Heng Chin

Nationality

Malaysian

Alternate to Choo Choon Yeow

32

Name of Director

Independent Non-Executive Director

Independent Non-Executive Director

Velayuthan a/l Tan Kim Song

No

Dato Soam Heng Choon

Deputy Chief Executive Officer & Deputy Managing Director

16 November 2012
Malaysian
07 Jun 2013

159

PART 2

Pillars of
Distinction and Pride

Putrajaya International
Convention Centre that
was built by IJM was
described by Jurutera
magazine (November
2006) as a masterpiece,
a marvel of engineering
and the pride and
glory of the Malaysian
engineering sector.

13

CONSTRUCTION
The Leader of the Pack

n 9 June 2003, the Putrajaya International Convention Centre was

officially launched by the prime minister of Malaysia, Dr Mahathir Mohamad

amidst much pride and exultation. It was a futuristic building like no other in

the country, perhaps in the world: it was imaginative, distinctive and involved
innovative technologies. It also represented the coming of age of Malaysian
professionals who had planned, designed and built it.

For guests from IJM in the audience the biggest surprise of the evening occurred when the
prime minister acknowledged IJM as the contractor of the state-of-the-art building in his
speech. It was a rare public recognition accorded to a contractor, usually the unsung hero of
any landmark project. But Dr Mahathir saw it fit to do so on this occasion because the iconic
structure, which even to the untrained eye represented
an architects dream and a builders nightmare, was
constructed according to design specifications, on
budget and in time for the Organisation of Islamic
Conference (OIC) that Malaysia was hosting later
that year. The head of the construction division then,
Goh Chye Koon, and his project directors, Tan Gim
Foo (current head of construction) and Soo Sik Sang,
remember this as the proudest moment in their
respective careers. It gave me the job satisfaction of
being a builder, says Goh.
IJM had finally arrived as a
The buildings project
contractor of choice in Malaysia.
director, Tan Gim Foo,
The Putrajaya International
who was in charge
Convention Centre project was
of the steel truss
roof describes it as
a turning point for IJM. The
challenging given the
company had cut its teeth as a
complicated geometry
main contractor with large scale
and long span.

164

THE IJM STORY

The column-free Plenary Hall at Putrajaya

International Convention Centre can seat
2,800 people.

IJM subsidiary Torsco fabricated the main roof

steel structures.

CONSTRUCTION: THE LEADER OF THE PACK

projects such as Mid Valley Megamall and

KLCC for private clients and chalked up
an impressive track record at home and
abroad. However, it continued to languish
as a subcontractor for public projects.
Eventually, it took an economic crisis to
give the company a big break with the
government.
Even though IJM was formed in 1983 to
break the cycle of being a subcontractor
to Japanese and Korean multinationals,
the company failed to make headway with
government projects. Instead, it merely
shifted from being a subcontractor to
foreign construction giants to becoming
a subcontractor of privatised Malaysian
concessionaires, typically bumiputeraled companies incorporated to realise the governments New Economic Policy. Among
other things, this affirmative action programme sought to raise bumiputera (mainly Malay)
participation across all sectors of the economy where they were under-represented. One
vehicle was the government privatisation programme that favoured bumiputera companies
who were awarded large turnkey developments to groom them into becoming significant
players in the national economy. By the late 1980s, a class of post-NEP bumiputera professionals
had emerged, many of them educated in the best of schools and the best of universities
abroad, and privatisation sought to make entrepreneurs out of them. Called the bumi baru
(new bumiputeras), these ambitious young men were entrusted to lead massive privatisation
projects that triggered an infrastructure and construction boom in the 1990s. They founded
companies that were quickly public listed to raise capital to fund billion-ringgit projects (a
primary reason for privatisation). Short on expertise, they sought out high achievers from at
home and abroad to deliver their end of the deal to the government. Against this operating
landscape, IJM became a trusted subcontractor and joint venture (JV) partner.
Then, the viral 1997 Asian Financial Crisis swept across the region, and many of these
ambitious captains of industry became undone. Their companies keeled over and many
collapsed under the burden of debt servicing and shortage of rainy day reserves. IJM was
shaken but adjusted and recovered quickly.
While seeking solutions, the government put several major projects on hold. One project,
however, was deemed too critical to postpone: the development of Putrajaya, the federal
administrative capital that was being built to accommodate government offices, together
with commercial and residential components, to relieve pressure in an overcrowded and
costly Kuala Lumpur. In fact, this real estate development, the largest in the country, was the
only beacon of hope for the construction industry during the dark days then. The government

had an even more pressing commitment in Putrajaya to build a

spanking new convention centre to serve as the venue for the 10th
OIC Conference that Malaysia was hosting in October 2003. An active
and vocal member of the OIC, the prime minister, referred to as the
architect of Putrajaya, sought to showcase the federal administrative
capital to the Muslim world as a modern city built on the Islamic
design principles of sustainability. For the convention centre, he
envisioned a building that symbolised the convergence of heritage,
science & technology, and functionality.
Engineering consultants Chong Thin Hooi and Lau Kok Loong
from Perunding Mahir Bersatu Sdn Bhd wrote in the engineering
magazine Jurutera (November 2006):
The commitment to host this conference resulted in a 22-month
design and build contract. The brief from the employer required
not only a state-of-the art world class conference centre, but also an
iconic building that can be a landmark for the country. Being sited
on top of the highest hill in the Federal Administration Centre of
Putrajaya, nothing less than an iconic building justifies its position.
The brief also required a 2,800 numbers of uninterrupted view
seating in the plenary hall, a 70m column-free banquet hall below
the plenary hall and a Head of State conference hall in between. This
offered a challenge to the structural engineer and the contractor
Seven (7) tenderers were pre-qualified and a competitive bid was
held. Finally, IJM won and the tendered sum was close to the estimated
budgetary cost submitted earlier by Putrajaya independent quantity
surveyor. The client Putrajaya Holdings Sdn Bhd was satisfied that
the column-free Banquet Hall, uninterrupted view of the Plenary Hall
and budgetary cost met their requirement.

165

IJM adhered strictly to the Putrajaya local authoritys noise pollution levels.
Picture here shows project staff measuring noise generated by construction
machinery near a residential area in Jalan Lingkaran, Putrajaya.

When IJM was formed, Mudajaya and Jurutama
brought along a whole generation of young engineers
such as Soo Sik San, Tan Gim Foo and Ooi Poay Lum. These
pioneers who led projects provided a lot of mentoring to
their young charges who have worked their way up the
corporate ladder. Today, several occupy leadership positions
in IJM. Mentoring is an integral part of the culture of IJMs
construction business.
Tan Sin Leong, project manager who became construction head, and
later deputy managing director

A selection of IJM projects in Putrajaya (left to right): Attorney Generals Office, Alam Warisan Hotel (now Pullman Putrajaya) and Saujana Bridge.

166

THE IJM STORY

CONSTRUCTION: THE LEADER OF THE PACK

167

he construction supermarket

Australian site supervisor from Chadwick

that did the roof covering estimated it
Since its formation, IJM has positioned itself as a construction supermarket, with in-house
would take about four to five years to
capabilities to undertake different types of construction projects, from heavy engineering to
complete a project like this in his country.
specialised construction, from simple to complex works. The three companies that merged to
He did not know that the convention
form IJM, each had their own track records and proven capabilities, and IJM represented the
centre was a fast track project, and we
single largest gathering of civil engineering skills assembled under one roof in the 1980s. It is a
competitive edge that IJM has never ceased to build on.
had to complete construction in two
Today, IJM has made a name for itself in heavy engineering, building bridges and highways,
years. I am proud to say we were able to
public utilities, railway systems, airports and transit systems. It has also made a mark as a builder
hand over the project ahead of schedule
of choice for quality housing, corporate head offices, hotels, hospitals, and restoration and
in June 2003.
refurbishment projects. In all that it does, it stands by its motto, We Deliver.
In concluding its cover story entitled
Thirty years on, its portfolio makes it more of a construction hypermarket, and a sought after
Design and Construction of the Putrajaya
builder, not only in Malaysia but also in the region.
International Convention Centre,
Jurutera magazine said; The completion
of the Putrajaya International Convention Centre on time and on budget has not only made
the Malaysian Government proud but has also shown that local contractors and engineers
are able to deliver a mega project within 22 months. It has become a masterpiece, a marvel of
engineering and the pride and glory of the Malaysian engineering sector.

IJM built the steel-clad faade of the head office of Putrajaya Corporation.

Deputy managing director Goh Chye Koon

presenting trophies and cash prizes to winners of
the Annual Quality and Safety Award.

For IJM project directors Tan Gim Foo and Soo Sik Sang, the construction of the Putrajaya
International Convention Centre was challenging in terms of time and roof structure. Delay
was not an option in the RM604 million project. Otherwise our companys head would be on
the chopping board, says Tan Gim Foo We worked day and night, and sometimes the prime
minister would arrive, riding on a horse early in the morning, to inspect work in progress.
We also heard he used a telescope to check on the progress from his office in Perdana Putra
directly opposite the convention centre, five kilometres away.
I was in charge of the steel truss roof, a unique structure with its complicated geometry
and long span. The shape of the roof resembles a pending the carved buckle on the belt worn
to secure the gold-spun sarong worn by Malay royal bridegrooms. The spine truss spanned
80 metres and had a depth that varied between 3.60 metres and 7.50 metres. This spine truss
supported the centre roof, inner roof and part of the outer roof.
The roof required 5,000 tons of steel and had about 20,000 trongs. IJMs steel fabricating
subsidiary Torsco had the technical expertise but we were racing against time, all the time. An

While IJM may pride itself as a diversified conglomerate with five core businesses, it is
essentially identified as a professional construction company led by civil and structural
engineers. It is listed under the Construction category on the Bursa Malaysia while a recent
Google search entry starts with: IJM is one of Malaysias leading construction groups There
is no question as to who is the leader of the pack in IJM: construction. The acquisition of Road
Builder Holdings Berhad (RBH) in 2007 greatly enhanced the capabilities and capacity of
the division. Until 2009, the construction division was the biggest contributor to the groups
turnover and profits. Although profit contributions have been shrinking since, IJM continues
to be judged by the performance of its construction business whose order book has grown
from tens of millions of ringgit at the time of incorporation to breach RM6 billion at its peak in
2008. Construction projects are also the most influential ambassadors of the IJM brand, raising
the companys visibility and potency not only in Malaysia but also in the landscapes of India,
Pakistan, China, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore and Middle East. Three factors account for the
rise of IJM as Malaysias premier builder. One, the comprehensive set of processes and systems
that the founders introduced to breathe professionalism into every fibre of the organisations
being, from the simplest task of a fax transmission to complex tender proposals, from job hire
procedures to income & expenditure entries. The pioneers had worked alongside international
contracting firms and aid agencies and recognised the value of embedding proper systems and
processes in the organisation to monitor work flow as well as to enhance performance and cost
efficiency. The management continues to keep abreast with developments in management and
technology that have been deployed to give IJM an edge as a competitive contractor.

IJM chairman Wan Abdul Rahman bin Wan

Yaacob receiving the KLSE Corporate Merit Award
(Construction Sector) from deputy prime minister
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2002.

IJM has been to Bangladesh,
Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Dubai,
Bahrain and Abu Dhabi. The success story
is that we completed all the projects and
left lasting landmarks. The failure is that
we were sometimes unable to make money
from them.
Tan Gim Foo, site manager who became
construction head and
later deputy managing director

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THE IJM STORY

CONSTRUCTION: THE LEADER OF THE PACK

A Gulf project: Lulu Reef Access Bridge that links mainland Bahrain and the reclaimed Reef Island, a mixed-use development off the coast of Manama.

The devil is in the detail, and IJM paid (and still pays) close attention to it. As a result, IJM
functions like a well-oiled machine, with the confidence and agility to manoeuvre in tight
corners and ride on rocky roads, which included three destabilising global recessions. The
recessions are tests that separated the men from the boys, says
Goh Chye Koon, head of construction (1997-2009). Our zealous
attention to processes and systems enabled us to come up with a
game plan quickly to bounce back. We were serious players, with
The success of the construction division can be
the tools to survive a beating.
attributed to construction professionals who
Professionalism also means the quality of hires, and IJM
made their mark for IJM since its formation.
prides itself for attracting well-qualified engineers, technical
Apart from the founders, we acknowledge the
specialists and professionals from other related construction
contributions of Chay Kwok Thong, Chee Wan
disciplines, who currently account for 73% of the workforce. The
Yee, Tan Sin Leong, Khoo Chew Meng, Ng Aik
company promotes itself as a construction hypermarket, with
Pang, Koay Poon Hock, Richard Fong, Teng
in-house skills sets to undertake jobs of different complexities
Chong Meng, Goh Chye Koon, Choo Choon
Yeow, Loy Boon Chen, Soo Heng Chin, Ooi Poay
and magnitude. IJM is also well-positioned to take advantage of
Lum, Tan Gim Foo, Soo Sik Sang, Mani, Liew Hau
changes occurring in the construction industry. According to the
Seng, Ong Teng Cheng and many, many others.
Master Builders Association Malaysias 50 Years in Nation Building

n praise of
Professionalism

169

publication: There is now a move for closer integration of construction activities and smart
partnering among various industry players for Design & Build contracts and Build-OperateTransfer contracts that are gaining popularity. This is attributed to the fact that the separation
of design and construction functions under the traditional approach could result in mistakes
at the design stage that needed rectification at construction stage, leading to project delays
and cost over-runs due to re-works.
There is also a trend to employ of high achieving graduates in IJM. A few first class honours
graduates, who after proving themselves on the job, have risen to helm divisions such as
construction, property and plantations.
One of them is Tan Gim Foo, appointed the head of the construction division in 2010, and
deputy managing director in 2011. He says, There is a structured career path for engineers
in IJM. I started as a site engineer, and in the field, you cannot adopt the silo approach.
A site engineer has to be attentive to the delivery schedule, and often ends up doing a
lot of things. My site training covered five years, and I moved from conducting surveys
to quality analysis & control, then site supervision and eventually preparing tenders &
contracts. After this, I was promoted to
construction manager, and then elevated to
project manager and eventually to project

I represented IJM in several government delegations overseas. It took us to
director overseeing several projects.
countries such as Kazakhstan, Ghana, Guinea, Mongolia and Libya. We did not win jobs
Once you become a project manager, it
there but we became known. This is the time to network with each other for jobs back
becomes a numbers game. It is about profit
in Malaysia. I also represented IJM in industry organisations such as the Master Builders
margins and management of cash flows,
Association Malaysia and the Construction Industry Development Board. Again, the
coupled with tight construction schedules to
results are neither quantifiable nor felt immediately. However, the contacts are useful
complete projects.
Life on the site is no bed of roses,
and their influence is felt over time.
especially with green-field highway projects
Goh Chye Koon, head of construction division, and later deputy managing director
and developments such as Putrajaya and KL
International Airport. Project engineer Tan
Sin Leong, later deputy managing director (1993-1995), recalls: When I was working in the
East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, my family was based in Singapore. I used to see my wife
and children on some weekends and the school holidays. My children were raised singlehandedly by my wife for about 12 years. It was the same with other project engineers, who
had to be away from home for extended periods of time. We worked day and night as if we
owned the company.
Tans successor Goh Chye Koon says that the founder directors, mainly civil engineers,
encouraged senior engineers to become intrapreneurs entrepreneurs within the IJM system.
We were given a lot of freedom within the corporate body that consisted of strategic business
units. Each unit head took ownership of it, and ran it like his own business, tendering for jobs,
entering the market, networking with relevant people and organisations. When a project was
profitable, the unit enjoyed the rewards. IJMs basic salary for engineers was pretty average,
but the incentives were great.

170

THE IJM STORY

ecord Breakers

The incentive-driven philosophy

created a sense of ownership among
IJM was awarded the contract to build the basement &
the senior management. As a result, the
foundation of the renowned Kuala Lumpur City Centre
company became management-driven
Project, with the highest twin towers in the world then.
rather than personality-driven like
Valued at RM105 million, the project began in mid July
many other construction companies in
1994 and was completed in April 1996. The project has
the distinction of setting several records for IJM, namely:
Malaysia. The founders had sold their
the largest concrete volume of 185,685m3
equity interest and moved on, but IJM
the largest quantity of formwork ie 271,800m2
continues operating in the traditions laid
the largest quantity of steel reinforcement ie 21,527t
down by them. This is the fundamental
the first project to incorporate grade 60 and grade 80
difference between IJM and other
concrete in structure
3
builders. We have always been about a
the biggest single concrete pour volume of 6,800m
the site with the most number of concrete cranes ie
team, and no one is indispensable. The
8 units
father of IJM Yap Lim Sen was never
the project, with the most number of concrete pumps
in the forefront; he preferred to operate
stationed on site, 3 units of boom pumps and 2 units
from behind the scenes, letting the rest
of static pumps
run the show.
the biggest single grade 80 concrete pour volume of 430m3
Working as a contractor is humbling
the deepest and biggest basement car park with 5 basement levels for 5,000 cars.
for an engineer, says Goh, who joined IJM
(Extracted from IJM News, May 1996)
after 12 years in the Jabatan Kerja Raya
or Public Works Department. There are
four classes of engineers the government engineer, the consulting engineer, the contractor/
engineer and supplier/engineer. We are at the lower rungs of the ladder and its a dog eat
dog world out there. Malaysia has the largest number of construction companies per capita,
with about 60,000 of different sizes. It is easy to start up a construction company, with the
lowest in the hierarchy issued a Class F licence that qualifies them for RM50,000 jobs such
as house renovations. All contracting companies are required to register with the Pusat
Khidmat Kontraktor (Contracting Services Centre), and now with the Construction Industry
Development Board (CIDB).
IJM began to shed its Chinaman Image when the New Economic Policy in the construction
sector was implemented aggressively in the 1990s. The first board of directors was completely
Chinese save one, the chairman who was a bumiputera. IJMs second group managing director
Goh Chye Keat (1988-96) conscientiously sought out well-qualified bumiputeras to replace
board members who had either retired or resigned from government service.
In 1985, educationist Murad bin Mohd Noor, was appointed as an independent non
executive director following his retirement as the director general of the Ministry of
Education. He was instrumental in IJMs diversification into private education, when it
built and operated Penang International College, now known as Inti College. Two other
The Binjai, KLCC, also known as The Binjai On The
influential public servants joined the board: Wan Abdul Rahman bin Wan Yaacob, previously
Park, is a luxury condominium overlooking the
the director general of the Jabatan Kerja Raya, who was appointed an independent nonKLCC Park.
executive director in 1996, and chairman of IJM (2002-11); Yahya bin Yaacob became an

CONSTRUCTION: THE LEADER OF THE PACK

independent non-executive director in 1999 after his retirement as

the secretary general of the Ministry of Works.
Changes also occurred in the shareholdings of IJM when IGB began
to sell its shares, which were bought by institutions. By the late 1990s,
government linked institutions such as the Employee Provident Fund,
Permodalan Nasional Berhad and foreign pension funds emerged as
substantial shareholders. The biggest shift occurred when IGB, the
single largest shareholder of IJM, relinquished its interest to Tronoh
Mines Malaysia Berhad (later renamed Zelan, a subsidiary of MMC
Corporation Berhad) in 2003.
Opinion is divided over these changes, with critics opining that
the government linked company culture will seep into IJM, making
it more bureaucratic, with the board undermining management

171

The Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia extension that is also the head office of the
Albukhary Foundation.

The Butterworth Outer Ring Road in Penang was constructed to serve the metropolitan areas of Butterworth and Bukit Mertajam that have seen a surge in
vehicular traffic with intense industrial and urban development. The 14-kilometre expressway has six elevated interchanges and a bridge over Sungei Perai.

172

THE IJM STORY

CONSTRUCTION: THE LEADER OF THE PACK

173

Road to Prosperity
IJM was awarded six major packages for the construction of the 775km North South Expressway, Malaysias
longest toll highway that was officially opened in 1994. It was also a key player in other civil engineering
works such roads, highways and bridges, deemed vital for Malaysias growth and development.

PERLIS

Reconstruction of Urban Road

in Alor Setar, Kedah
East-West Highway
Phase II Kelantan

THAILAND

KEDAH

Interchange at
Jalan Mesjid Negeri &
Jalan Air Hitam, Penang

SELANGOR

North-South Expressway
Sg. Buloh to Rawang, Selangor

Tunnel boring machine used in Pahang-Selangor

Raw Water Transfer Tunnel.

PENANG
PERAK

KELANTAN

Reconstruction of
Federal Highway Route II

TERENGGANU

North-South Expressway
Kuala Kangsar to
Perak River, Perak

New Klang Valley Expressway

Bukit Raja-Subang, Selangor

Jalan Ipoh Overpass,

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur Inner
Road Improvement

North-South Expressway
Prak River to Jelapang, Perak
North-South Expressway
Tapah to Kampar, Perak

Kuala Lumpur-Seremban Expressway

Interchange at Salak South, UPM & Kajang

PAHANG

North-South Expressway
Slim River to Tajong Malim, Perak

Railroad CrossingBridge &

Approach Road Sg. Besi-Serdang, Selangor

SELANGOR

Putrajaya Primary
Distributor Road

Crawler drill used in Pahang-Selangor Raw Water Transfer Tunnel.

Kuala
Lumpur
NEGERI
SEMBILAN

MELAKA

Highway Rehabilitation
Muar to Pontian, Johor

JOHORE

North-South Expressway
Sedenak to Kulai, Johor

North-South Expressway
Skudai to Johor Bahru, Johor

SINGAPORE

decisions. However, IJM founder Yap Lim Sen, disagrees. He believes that IJM is exactly where
it should be as a professional construction company: a shareholder-driven board with an
autonomous management entrusted to deliver results. IJM managing directors, past and
present, are unanimous in their praise of a board that has always respected and supported
management decisions. Krishnan Tan confirms with: Throughout my time on the board,
there was mutual respect and trust. The board was supportive and management always
delivered. Management was always mindful that it needed the trust and confidence of the
board to perform and in return it must deliver to keep that confidence intact. The case in
point was the RM1.6 billion acquisition of RBH at short notice.
This is the defining character of IJM, a privilege that few construction companies in
Malaysia seem to enjoy. And one that has been fundamental in the rise of IJM from a mid-size
contractor to a premier and diversified construction company in country.

IJMs construction division has survived three recessions that have seen rivals shrink, sold or The Pahang-Selangor Raw Water Transfer Tunnel
vanish. The only black spot in an otherwise clean slate of profits occurred in 2011, described in Hulu Langat-Karak, Malaysia.
as the saddest day for the division by Tan Gim Foo. We lost money for the first time even
though our Malaysia projects were doing well.
He attributes this sad turn of events to the legacy of our international projects. Bluntly
speaking, India let IJM down. The overheated economy melted from the impact of the ruthless
commodity price escalation of 2008 and subsequent international financial breakdown at
a time when IJMs international order book was at a historic high. Inflation reared its ugly
head, and labour, material and energy costs spiralled out
of control. The advent of the global financial crisis in late
2008 made money scarce and interest rates shot through
the roof. Worse, IJM had won projects through highly
competitive bids. In the climate of rising costs and poor
liquidity, payment and collection became problematic.
The construction division had high hopes for the rising
India, which delivered well until then, accounting for
about 50% of the construction order book until 2008. The
sudden turn of events was both a heartache and headache
for IJM, which decided to take the hit once and for all. The
construction division wrote off the losses and went into the
Upgrading of Senai Airport in Johor: IJM constructed the runway extension and built
the airport terminal.
red in 2011. Goh Chye Koon refers to it as kitchen sinking.

174

THE IJM STORY

The Japanese are smart in the way they internationalise
their construction business. They start by establishing trading
companies in new markets. This
gives them the opportunity to
survey the business environment,
establish contacts and find
partners slowly. They dont rush it.
When IJM entered India, we were
opportunistic.
Tan Sin Leong, project manager who
became construction head,
and later deputy managing director

Jaipur Mahua Tollway in Rajasthan, India

CONSTRUCTION: THE LEADER OF THE PACK

It only proved the vulnerability of the construction industry, and

IJMs ability to navigate choppy waters well. When seas were rough at
home, it boldly ventured across the high seas to emerging economies,
taking risks that few Malaysian companies were willing to take. It
made a name for itself abroad, and now that the winds of fortune
have shifted back home, it has returned its focus to the domestic
front, stronger than ever. The 2012 Annual Report announced an
order book of RM4.4 billion, which includes contracts in the Klang
Valley, and the Mass Rapid Transit project, the largest infrastructure
project in Malaysia to date. The division is awaiting the finalisation
of contracts for the construction of the RM6 billion West Coast
Expressway, when the construction order book is expected to breach
its record yet again.
The division and its key players role in the moulding and growth of
the entire group must be recorded for posterity. It built the culture of
trust, teamwork, good governance and entrepreneurship into the IJM
corporate DNA. Its completed landmarks dot the many geographies
through which IJM has journeyed in the last three decades, and are
concrete testimonials of IJM for generations to come. And it provided
the platform of respectability and the earnings to support IJMs
growth into other businesses and expand regionally.

The upscale Prestige Shantiniketan township in Bangalore, India

The luxury
condominium
Troika KLCC in
Kuala Lumpur.

175

176

THE IJM STORY

CONSTRUCTION: THE LEADER OF THE PACK

OTHER PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

Avillion Resort Hotel in Port Dickson, Negeri
Sembilan

National Theatre in Kuala Lumpur

Teluk Intan District Hospital in Perak

Riverside Condominium in Singapore

KL-Seremban Toll Expressway Interchange

Port Klang Power Station Phase II in Selangor

Colmar Tropicale in Bukit Tinggi, Pahang

Pan Pacific Resort Pulau Pangkor

First Silicon semiconductor factory in Kuching, Sarawak

177

178

THE IJM STORY

CONSTRUCTION: THE LEADER OF THE PACK

OTHER PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

Prestige Shantiniketan in Bangalore, India

Jelutong Expressway in Penang

Fortune Tower Dubai, UAE

Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur

Delhi Metro Rail in New Delhi, India

Marina Square in Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Putrajaya Hospital in Putrajaya

Menara CIMB in Kuala Lumpur

The Lumiere in Singapore

National Science Centre in Kuala Lumpur

Ipoh Railway Station restoration and

upgrading works

Kuala Lumpur Monorail

Senai Aeromall Terminal in Johor

179

14

Poolside panorama:
view from the swimming
pool of Light Point, a luxury
condominium in The Light
mixed development along
Penangs eastern foreshore.

PROPERTY
On the Ascendancy

JM has the enviable position of owning one of the largest waterfront

land banks on the island of Penang 324.9 acres of real estate on the eastern
shoreline that greets motorists cruising into the island along Penang Bridge.

Once a sleepy knoll of vegetable farms fronted by mud flats inhabited by crabs

and other marine life, this coastline came under the radar of the states urban
planners when they wanted to build an alternative route to convey motorists
living in the industrial belt of Bayan Lepas and new population centres in the

southeast to the city centre of Georgetown in the eastern tip of the island. The
existing arterial road was overburdened with traffic congestion.

On 22 April 1997, the Penang State Government entered a privatisation agreement with IJMs
Jelutong Development Sdn Bhd (JDSB) for the construction of the Jelutong Expressway, from
Jalan Udini to Weld Quay near Penang Port. One thing was clear, the coastal highway that
sliced through densely populated suburbs of Georgetown must be toll-free.
According to EQ newsletter (September 1997) published by IJM Property Division,
Statistically speaking, the project is noteworthy from a social, environmental and political
point of view. It has captured the attention of millions of Malaysians because it is widely
viewed as a project that will rescue Penang island, its people and its businesses from the
kind of traffic gridlock that is choking Kuala Lumpurs progress.
Since this was not a toll concession, the agreement provided for the cost of construction
of the 4.7 km six-lane expressway, subsidised affordable housing for displaced residents
as well as land reclamation along the project corridor to be recovered with property
development. As a result, the state alienated a total of 324.9 acres of the foreshore, including
a sizeable chunk to be reclaimed, to JDSB for property development. EQ newsletter also says,
The development of such a large tract of land, within proximity of Georgetown, literally
from the ground up, is unprecedented in the islands history. As a measure of comparison,
the total development of the states iconic Komtar covers 57 acres, or 17.5% of the area
defined for JDSBs development.

An artist impression of
The Light, Penang that
is set to transform the
eastern shoreline of this
World Heritage island with
a collection of upscale
developments, from luxury
residential units to leisure/
retail/entertainment
components.

184

THE IJM STORY

PROPERTY: ON THE ASCENDANCY

The toll-free Jelutong Expressway was built in exchange for rights to develop the expressway corridor and land reclaimed alongside it.
Source: The Star, 13 August 1999

Managing director Krishnan Tan

briefing prime minister Mahathir
Mohamad and chief minister Koh Tsu
Koon on the Jelutong Expressway
Project in Penang.

Source: The Star, 18 September 2006

Group CEO and managing director

Teh Kean Ming, previously head of the
Property Division (2001-2007), describes
the Jelutong Expressway project as a
breakthrough for the property division. The
ambitious development project represents
the convergence of IJMs construction and
property arms, working side by side in the
transformation of the eastern foreshore of
Penang. After years of being in the shadow
of the construction division, the property
division shared equal billing with its parent.
The project take-off was bumpy, but on
hindsight this was a blessing. Three months
after signing the agreement, the 1997 Asian

185

Financial Crisis struck, and the toll-free expressway was no

longer bankable. It needed a massive infusion of internal funds
from the group, whose financial resources had shrunk when share
prices plunged and the ringgit was devalued. Key infrastructure
projects were cancelled and collection of receivables became the
order of the day as a result of the crisis. In this harsh economic
environment, it was impossible to proceed with construction as it
would affect sorely needed cash flow and banks were not funding
infrastructure projects, recalls Teh.
The Jelutong Expressway project stalled, and IJM wondered
how to resolve the impasse. As a solution, it boldly proposed
Following the success of the Batu Lancang privatisation project, IJM was
awarded the Harbour Trade Centre privatisation project by the Penang
restructuring the concession agreement. The proposition
Development Corporation. The centre, which was completed in 1993,
caused a stir but the state government acknowledged the need
was built to accommodate commercial tenants affected by the Komtar
for a meaningful compromise to bring to fruition the original
development.
goals of the concession. A supplementary agreement followed.
Teh pays tribute to his predecessor in the property division,
Ooi Poay Lum, and group managing director Krishnan Tan who
IJMs property development business had its roots in
played key roles in renegotiating for more flexible terms that
Jurutama that won a public tender to develop a parcel of land in
were consistent with the prevailing economic environment in
Batu Lancang, next to Green Lane in Penang. This was in the 1980s.
the supplementary agreement.
Source: Organisation Study of Jurutama Sdn Bhd, 31 July 1986
In October 2002, the supplementary agreement was signed
and it provided for the Jelutong Expressway to be constructed in
three stages, with property development funding construction. The phasing of the originally
approved 28 million sq ft of development was revised to enable better cash flow management.
Ooi says, We strategised the construction sequence to allow for sufficient time to generate
revenue from property development and reduce as much as possible the holding costs of the
expressway land bank.
The division started the new millennium with a bang, and the property division took
centre-stage in Penang. The first item on the agenda after the signing of the supplementary
agreement was the land swap that permitted the development of certain medium cost
apartment parcels while the expressway construction was in progress. As luck would have
it, land value had appreciated substantially since, recalls Ooi. Nowadays, land is transacted
by square feet, and in hundreds of ringgit, not in acres anymore. When we did our sums, the
cost of land to us was RM42 per square feet gross in 1997, at a time when comparable land was
transacted at a price lower than this. In 2012, the state government tendered a parcel of 103
acres near the Penang Bridge that was not even fully reclaimed at RM240 square feet gross.
When reclaimed, it would be RM300 per sq feet or more.
For the first time in the property divisions history, IJM approached the Jelutong Expressway
development with the mindset of a real estate developer. Still, there was the problem of public
perception, which still saw IJM as a contractor. Oois successor Teh says, We knew we had to
brand IJM properties and promote them aggressively. Since we had three development parcels

186

THE IJM STORY

involving every segment of the property market, we decided to

market our properties like Toyota that had models for different
market segments. Our strategy was to promote IJM Properties
as the Toyota of real estate, represented in every segment, and
excelling in each.
Stage 1 of the Jelutong Expressway consisted of the
construction of 3.7 km (about 80%) of the expressway to be
funded by two key developments. One, the integrated 90-acre
township Bandar Sri Pinang consisting of low to medium cost
high rise housing, light industrial spaces, schools, recreational
parks and other public amenities. All squatters along the road
corridor and development areas needed to be relocated and
housed. The repeal of the Rent Control Act created an urgent
e-Gate in Penang is a commercial development along the Jelutong
demand for urban redevelopment to meet housing shortages
Expressway, overlooking the sea.d
for city dwellers, explains EQ newsletter
(2000). Typically, rent-controlled homes
were located in the inner city, where

We are continuously looking for opportunities in our characteristic aggressive
rentals were capped at pre-war rates
yet prudent manner that has worked well for us in the past. Currently on our radar are
by the British Colonial Government as
the emerging economies of Indonesia, Cambodia and Myanmar. Our property division,
an acknowledgement of the occupants
meanwhile, entered a joint venture with a British developer to build homes near the
loyalty and services to them, especially
during World War 2. However, inflation
Tower Bridge in London. Motivated by a strong desire to become an internationally known
and the rising cost of living as well as the
developer, our strategic move to enter the UK market was based on capitalising the
dilapidated condition of these homes led
favourable exchange rates and strong Malaysian demand for overseas properties, especially
to the repeal of the Rent Control Act by
in London. The weakening of the pound sterling and stringent lending requirements for
the state.
local London developers provided us with a window of opportunity to enter this much
Two, was the transformation of Udini
sought after market.
Junction at the start of the expressway
with a collection of medium cost and
Teh Kean Ming, CEO/managing director of IJM
luxury condominiums alongside upscale
commercial and retail spaces. This
is where the property division earned its spurs as a reputable developer. There was a
dramatic shift in our sales and marketing strategies, says Teh. Our greatest achievement
was luring Tesco, which we knew, from the beginning, would be the pull factor in enhancing
our development as the anchor tenant of Metro East on a 30-year lease. The Tesco property
was treated as an investment property with recurrent income stream and capital gains
prospects. Three years later, we sold the property to monetise our investment to fund ongoing
development and realised a good return. The strategy had worked well, and since then, we
have sought out other investment properties.
The e-Gate building is another example of sharp sales with a strategic approach. We
had an attractive offer from a very keen buyer for the entire ground floor units. As first

PROPERTY: ON THE ASCENDANCY

floor units are normally difficult to sell

compared to ground floor units, we
bundled them with the ground floor
units as a condition for the buyer. He
agreed to purchase all.
Fifteen years since the watershed
concession agreement of 1997, the spinoffs of the Jelutong Expressway can
both be seen and felt. It has resulted in
the resuscitation of a decaying part of
Georgetown while the bridgehead has
been energised with residential, retail
and commercial buzz.
The jewel in the crown has started to shimmer this is The
Light, which is taking shape after the completion of Stage 2 and 3 of
the Jelutong Expressway project. The pride of IJM Land, The Light
is being developed as a global village described by the website as
a picture-perfect 152 acres of integrated waterfront living, with
residential, recreational, entertainment, business, hospitality,
education and commercial components all in one dynamic hub.
Principally a construction company, IJM entered property
development during the 1985 recession when the construction
sector was hard hit. During this period, the construction business
was tough and collections difficult. IJM reasoned that instead of
building houses for other people and hoping they would pay, why
not build and sell on our own. Then the company would not have
to worry about payments. Since it did not have any land bank of
its own and cash was tight, it decided to venture into privatisation
projects, developing affordable and medium-cost housing for
state governments. The first project was 1,600 units in Ulu Kelang,
Kuala Lumpur, followed by 1,500 units in Batu Lancang, Penang.
Development costs pumped into subsidised affordable housing
were recovered through profits made in the sale of medium cost
housing. Encouraged by success, IJM incorporated IJM Properties
Sdn Bhd to realise its property development ambitions.
It made sense for IJM to diversify its business as a strategy
for growth and protection against overexposure to the cyclical
construction sector, says Ooi Poay Lum, a construction engineer
assigned to oversee IJMs thrust into property development. He was

187

Jurutama is also one of the first
wholly Malaysian owned companies to
venture into prefabricated housing when it
undertook a RM12 million project in Penang.
The project involved 1,005 units of low cost
flats in the present day Taman Tun Sardon.
Ooi Poay Lum, first general manager of
IJM Properties Sdn Bhd

onstruction versus
property development

In the early years, there was always the pull and push factor
between the construction and property business in the allocation
of capital within the group. Since IJM was principally a construction
company running a tight cash flow business, it did not have the
luxury to allocate large capital into its property arm, especially
since construction projects are constantly short of funds due to
large amounts of money being stuck in accounts receivables from
progress claims and retention sums. It was thus not willing to put
in higher equity or shareholders funds to reduce the amount of
interest-bearing type of finance needed to acquire land banks and
pay for development costs.
I am proud of my idea to create an in-house property
management subsidiary, Liberty Heritage Sdn Bhd to add aftersales value to IJM properties. Malaysia is a country that pays little
importance to maintenance and the service culture is weak. I can see
today that the building maintenance industry is developing much
faster than before and many buildings today have invested heavily
in expensive plants, equipment and technology because good
maintenance is essential to preserve the value of property assets.

Ooi Poay Lum, first general manager of IJM Properties Sdn Bhd

188

THE IJM STORY

PROPERTY: ON THE ASCENDANCY

189

Selangor that involved affordable and medium cost housing in safe locations. We pursued
aggressively privatisation projects as well as joint ventures with land owners for projects
that involved low equity and guaranteed sales. Basically, our aim was to keep the construction
boys busy during the recession, says Ooi. The division gathered steam and had a string of
developments in Penang, the Klang Valley and Sarawak.
During the 1990s, the focus in the northern and central regions was on high rise strata
developments because of land constraints and the cosmopolitan lifestyle of Penang and Kuala
Lumpur. It built a condominium in Johor Bahru Sri Mulia but found it difficult to sell.
Thereafter, it concentrated on landed properties in Johor, Sarawak and Sabah.
During this period, the property division began to take shape and a sales team was
appointed to market properties in Penang. Sales offices were also established in Kuala
Lumpur and Sandakan. Fully staffed, and designed with tastefully furnished showrooms, they
aimed to project IJMs image as a serious nationwide developer.

Nusa Duta in Iskandar Malaysia is a freehold development of approximately 127.73 acres. It is a mixed signature development comprising of medium-high to
high end properties.

later appointed to head the property office in the north, and became the general manager of
IJM Properties Sdn Bhd, which was established in 1995. There was synergy between the two
businesses especially since property development could ride on IJMs construction divisions
history of delivering high quality projects, on time and on budget. Not many contractors turned
developers enjoyed this level of professionalism and reputation as technically competent and
trusted builders.
However, the mindset and business culture of a successful contractor versus a successful
developer are different, and it took time for IJM to develop the essential skill sets and market
sophistication to evolve into a successful developer. IGB, our parent company, had earlier
accomplished this under its managing director Yap Lim Sen, a construction man who became
the sophisticated face behind the successes of IGB in the 1980s.
It took about 20 years for IJM to arrive at this destination, but the journey provided useful
lessons and experiences. It began with humble privatised housing projects in Penang and

The newly completed Taman Utama in Sandakan, Sabah.

Initially, my northern team learnt the ropes from our parent company IGB, says Ooi.
We had a good working relationship with our IGB counterparts Ray Cheah, Tan Boon Gark,
Er Ah Huat and PK Poh. They were our mentors, and supported us as peers in a sister
organisation. Personally, my biggest role model was Yap Lim Sen, who I saw as the perfect
professional engineer turned property developer and self-made entrepreneur. This healthy
relationship is another unique feature of the IJM-IGB history.
After going through the first learning curve as a play-safe developer, the property
division was ready to try high end projects that produce higher profits but also carry higher
marketing risks.

Nestled on the Bukit Jambul hillside is the low

density Sierra Vista development that consists of
studio and semi-detached residential units.

PROPERTY: ON THE ASCENDANCY

INTERNATIONAL CREDENTIALS
IJM has good credentials as a developer overseas.
It began modestly with two residential projects in
Orlando, Florida in the late 1980s. One was called
South Fork, named after the property in the Dallas
television series that was the rage of the day, and
another was Conway Place. It consisted of 107
bungalows that taught IJM the importance of good
planning and design.
The big break came in 1993, when IJM acquired
a 50% interest in OSW Properties Pty Ltd, which had
the rights for a commercial, hotel and residential
development on one quadrant of the famous World
Square Project in Sydney, Australia. Tan Joo Kee was
engaged to lead and manage this project which
had many sceptics as it had stalled for many years
prior to IJMs acquisition.
The main challenge for this project, in addition
to getting the necessary building approvals, was
funding the project. In markets like Australia,
90% of payment for residential units is made
upon completion. The residential tower sat on
the hotel and commercial podium, which meant

Raintree Park in Hyderabad, India.

191

Community Counts

In IJM townships, our role goes beyond

sales, and our job does not end with the
handover of keys. We are here to build
relationships with buyers, because a happy
property owner is our best salesperson.
We invest much time and resources in
community engagement, which is a part of
our CSR programme. We usually liaise with
the Residents Association that represents
the interests of the community, and
became involved in issue-management
such as beefing up security and anti dengue
campaigns. We also involve schools in our
environment projects.
Soam Heng Choon,
CEO/managing director of IJM Land

Conway Place in Orlando, Florida, USA

Orchid Park in the Gold Coast, Australia.

Riana Green, Petaling Jaya, a flagship condominium that helped build IJMs brand equity in the
competitive Klang Valley market.
Horden Tower in Sydney, Australia

the company had to raise over A$180 million

for the project. Bankers then were not kind to
developers. The breakthrough came when a deal
was made with the Malaysian group, Reliance, to
acquire a controlling interest in the hotel and to
pay for the construction progressively. OSW went
on to complete the landmark Avillion Hotel (now
Rydges) and the Horden Towers in time for the
Sydney Olympic Games.
Several other projects such as the
redevelopment of the heritage Manning Building
was subsequently successfully undertaken
in Sydney.
Another country where IJM made its mark
as a developer is India, where it pioneered
integrated townships in the state of Andra
Pradesh and Karnataka. They became known as
Malaysian townships or IJM townships. Some of
the best known developments are Raintree Park
in Kukatpally, Hyderabad and Raintree Park in
Vijayawada. (More on IJM in India in Chapter 8)
IJM recently entered the United Kingdom as
a developer, and is on the look-out for property
projects in the emerging economies of Asia.

Our first big break came

when IGB decided to exit Penang
altogether to concentrate in more
lucrative markets in the Klang
Valley and overseas. It sold its
northern land bank to us, and
offered us 30% equity in the Sri
York condominium project. Sri
York gave us the first taste of a
high end development and can be
put down on record as IJMs first
condominium project. It came
with facilities, and involved a lot of
upfront planning for eventual handover to the body corporate for building management.
Sri York also taught us a lot about high rise strata developments and issues pertaining to
them. We learnt about the importance of trust, goodwill and a good reputation that will only
manifest itself when owners and tenants move in and experience the impact of good and bad

planning decisions made by the developer.

Exhilarated by the success of Sri York, the property division embarked on other
condominiums, notably niche private projects such as Sri Pangkor in Penang and Riana Green

Penangs Sri York marked IJMs entry into premium

condominium development.

192

THE IJM STORY

PROPERTY: ON THE ASCENDANCY

PJ8 is an integrated
service apartment
and office
development in
Petaling Jaya.

The retail development SStwo Mall in Petaling Jaya, Selangor

in the Klang Valley, flagship projects to build brand equity. The

contractor mindset was receding as IJM Properties adopted the
developers approach in making decisions for long term benefits
rather than short term gains.
By the end of the 1990s, IJM had grown from the builder
of affordable homes to a reputable developer of integrated
residential, commercial and industrial projects. Its portfolio
included projects across the country, but its biggest achievements
occurred in Penang, where it outlasted most competitors who
failed because they were either undercapitalised or failed
to deliver. Meanwhile, the whos who of real estate, shunned
Penang in the 1990s, preferring to concentrate in the booming
Klang Valley, where the total value of property transactions per
annum was RM12 billion in Kuala Lumpur and RM51 billion in

An artist impression of the residential development Laman Granview in

Puchong, Selangor.

193

The exclusive
Laman Baiduri
condominium
overlooks Subang
Jaya Lake in
Selangor.

196

THE IJM STORY

PROPERTY: ON THE ASCENDANCY

Selangor. In contrast, the Penang platter was a modest RM18 billion. In all probability, the
big timers were also discouraged by Penangs outdated development guidelines that tended
to burden developers with extra obligations as a part of the approval process.
The proclamation of Georgetown as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 2008 has
revitalised the Penang property market. Suddenly, the charm of a heritage city began tugging
the heartstrings of those who had left its shores in search of fame and fortune decades earlier.
Cashed up by foreign earnings, many headed back to their place of birth, and were not coy
about investing in multi-million ringgit luxury homes and condominiums. The big boys of real
estate did not wish to pass off on this golden opportunity, and rushed to stake their claim on

We sold assets because the timing was good, and profits were ploughed back for
future investments. Recent divestments include Menara IJM Land and Tesco in Penang, and
AEON Bandaraya Melaka.
Menara IJM Land in Penang

Tesco in Penang

Teh Kean Ming, managing director of IJM

197

essons from the Field

LESSON #1: The Bukit Jambul township development in Penang was

most problematic because it involved a combination of factors that had
not been taken into account at the time of negotiations with the Penang
Development Corporation that privatised the project. The main challenge
was in having to develop the hilly terrain with minimum earthworks.
Infrastructure development was an additional financial burden and
there were also upfront costs involved in the development of the Penang
International Education and Technology Centre, now Inti College. Further
developable land was reduced following the collapse of Highland Tower,
a hill slope condominium that resulted in several fatalities in 1993. Ooi
Poay Lum, general manager of IJM Properties
LESSON #2: We had 300 acres in Sandakan, and found it difficult to sell
our properties under Phase 1. When we sought answers, we discovered
that local developers were bad mouthing us. They said we came from
Peninsular Malaysia to make money from Sabahans. Another perception
was that we were planters (IJM Plantations is big Sandakan) and could not
build homes. Moreover, since the development was a joint venture with the
Majlis Ugama Islam Sabah (MUIS), rumours circulated that the residential
area would have many religious buildings.
To address these misgivings, we met with the community and shared
with them our masterplan. We showed the entire master plan using a
scale model that displayed no religious building was to be built in this
development. We also appeased them with CSR projects to prove that
IJM was a caring and trusted developer, here for the long term. We

Taman Utama in Sandakan, Sabah.

An artist impression of Fairway Bukit Jambul, Penang.

also showcased our track records prominently in the showroom and at
roadshows to prove that we are a credible developer.
These overtures worked, and our terrace houses priced at RM168,000
against the local developers RM128,000-RM148,000 were fully sold. Now
the word in Sandakan is that if you are willing to pay for quality and welldesigned houses, go for IJM. Locals have also moved up with us. We set the
standards in Sandakan.
Like in Penang, IJM brought a hypermarket chain store to the town of
Sandakan in Sabah on a long term lease. It is an
investment property, desirable for its recurrent
income that generates cash flow and, equally
important, to enhance the marketability of our
shop lots in the area and turn it into a flourishing
commercial precinct. Teh Kean Ming, managing
director of IJM Properties
LESSON #3: In Taman Utama, Sandakan,
IJM pioneered a higher standard of housing
and external roads infrastructure design with
the hope of setting a new benchmark in this
plantation town. It failed to hit home. Initially,
the market did not seem to appreciate the nice
streetscape, and some sidewalks and roads
have not been maintained by the local council
despite IJM setting a new standard for the
town. Teh Kean Ming, managing director of IJM
Properties

198

THE IJM STORY

PROPERTY: ON THE ASCENDANCY

An evening view of the sprawling Seremban 2 in the distance, as seen from Hill Park in S2 Heights, also an IJM development.

the islands buoyant property market, where million ringgit luxury

condominium units were selling like hot cakes.
Well-entrenched in Penang, IJM Properties was ready to welcome
high end buyers with The Light project, designed as a tribute to the
sun, sea and heritage culture of Penang. It is a fitting climax to the
Jelutong Expressway project, which set IJM Properties star clearly
on the ascendancy.

IJM Land has this vision of bringing
life to ordinary spaces. The essence of this
message is conveyed in our tagline, We make
good better, which cuts across all that we do,
deliver and follow-up.
Soam Heng Choon, CEO/managing director of IJM Land

The year 2008 was described as a momentous year for the property
division by group CEO/managing director Krishnan Tan in the first
annual report released by IJM Land, the outcome of the injection of
IJM Properties into RB Land, a listed company on Bursa Malaysia,
on 16 June 2008.
In the IJM universe, the construction and property divisions are
inextricably linked. This is clearly demonstrated in the property
divisions road to public listing. It occurred on the back of IJM
Corporation Berhads acquisition of Road Builder (M) Holdings
Berhad in 2007, ostensibly to ramp up construction capabilities
and vie for international projects (refer to Chapter 9). Road Builder

came with several gems, among them the public listed RB

Land Holdings Berhad, a reputable township developer with a
portfolio that includes Seremban 2 and Shah Alam 2 and niche
high end developments in the Klang Valley such as Bayu Segar
(Cheras), Bayu Sri Bintang (Kepong), 10 Baiduri (Subang Jaya),
the en bloc SStwo Mall and Nusa Duta (Johor Bahru).
In the rationalisation exercise that followed, IJM Properties
was injected into RB Land, and the enlarged listed entity renamed
IJM Land Berhad. The merger resulted in the doubling of the
number of projects, staff and the size of the land bank. The 2008
Annual Report declared: The rationalisation exercise is expected
to propel IJM from a mid size developer into one of the largest
property developers on Bursa Malaysia in terms of asset size.
A year later, IJM Land Berhads chairman Krishnan Tan stated
in the 2009 Annual Report. This year marks a new chapter in the history of the company,
with the completion of our transformation into one of the largest property developers in
Malaysia. This new force, now known as IJM Land Berhad, is expected to spearhead the
groups ambition to become one of the most recognisable and reputable names in the
Malaysian property market similar to its achievement in the construction arena. Towards
achieving this goal, IJM Land undertook a major rebranding exercise that commenced with
the unveiling of its new name and logo on 11 September 2008. In conjunction with this, its new
vision and mission were communicated to staff nationwide so as to align them to the groups
new corporate objectives.

Shah Alam 2 township in Selangor

2008: The launch of the new

corporate identity of IJM Land,
flagged off by minister of housing
and local development, Ong Ka
Chuan, witnessed by (left to right):
deputy managing director Teh
Kean Ming, IJM Land managing
director Soam Heng Choon and IJM
managing director Krishnan Tan.

199

200

THE IJM STORY

PROPERTY: ON THE ASCENDANCY

There was a changing of the guard at the top since the merger meant there were now two
leaders. The issue was resolved with the promotion of IJM Properties managing director Teh
Kean Ming as deputy group managing director of IJM following the retirement of incumbent
Goh Chye Koon. RB Lands head Soam Heng Choon, an industry hand, became the first
managing director of the newly enlarged IJM Land.
It was a good fit, says Soam of the merger. Both companies were focused on property
development in high-growth urban centres but in different geographies. IJM Properties has a
strong presence in the Klang Valley, Penang, Johor and Sabah while RB Land is well known in
the Klang Valley as well as Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Johor and Sarawak. Together, we pretty
much have the entire country covered except for the East Coast of the Peninsular.
The merger boosted the bottom line, and IJM Land registered bumper revenues RM0.67
billion in 2009 that grew to RM1.10 billion in 2010. Soam says, We are not only about driving
sales but also about cash flow management and cost control. As a listed company, we keep a
close watch on costs and performance. Business magazine The Edge Weekly ranked IJM Land
as No. 3 in terms of market capitalisation in 2012.

The Ampersand in KLCC is a low rise luxury condominium tucked away on a stylishly landscaped two acre block in the heart of bustling Kuala Lumpur.

As an IJM subsidiary, we have to breathe quality into everything

we do, and it is evident in our developments, says Soam. Like
our construction division that calls itself a supermarket offering
expertise in every field, IJM Land is also a supermarket with
projects in every segment, from affordable housing for the less
privileged sections of society to exclusive properties such as the
Ampersand @ Kia Peng, a stones throw from KLCC, that targets
the millionaires club. Low end or high end, we do not compromise
on quality.
IJM Land has this vision of bringing life to ordinary spaces.
The essence of this message is conveyed in our tagline, We make
good better, which cuts across all that we do, deliver and followup. It calls upon us to be more daring, innovative and keep up
with changing times. We commission consumer research to study
different geographies and demographics to design products and
environments to suit different lifestyles. For example, we found
that prospective buyers of The Light in Penang are likely to be
influenced by green certification. As a result, three residential
developments Linear, Collection and Light Point are being
built to comply with the criteria of the Green Building Index.
Our biggest achievement is in the development of our first green
township in Malaysia at Bandar Rimbayu (previously called
Canal City) in Shah Alam. It is also a township that will carry
the trademark of IJMs promise of building quality homes to suit
every budget.
In a world of nano-seconds and instant gratification, the
biggest challenge faced by the industry is ever-shortening of
market cycles. Cycles are getting shorter and shorter, and we
need to second-guess the latest trends and consumer reactions
quickly, says Soam. We are living in a globalised world, and
with increased travel, consumer demand is beginning to reflect
international tastes. The demographics have also changed,
with increased strong foreign buying interest especially with
the international promotion of the Malaysia My Second Home
programme.
IJM Land plans to follow in the footsteps of its parent IJM and
venture beyond Malaysian shores. On the cards are niche projects
in China, Vietnam, the United Kingdom (London), but from the
look of things, it has miles to go before it sleeps in Malaysia.

201

Two upscale condominiums by the sea, a part of IJMs development The Light
in Penang. Light Linear (top) consists of two 17-storey condominium blocks
while Light Point (above) consists of 88 units in a 28-storey tower block on a
2.87 acre site.

Moving forward: An
artist impression of
Rimbayu linear-park in
Bandar Rimbayu that is
being developed by
IJM Land.

IJM is one of the largest

quarry operators in Malaysia.
The business is managed by
Malaysian Rock Products, the
first quarry operator in the
country to be awarded the
ISO 9002 certificate for quality
management. Picture here
shows the quarry in Labu,
Negeri Sembilan.

15

INDUSTRY
Manufacturing a Stronger Base

JMs track record for competitive costing, quality and timely delivery owes
in no small measure to the fact that it has its own in-house building materials
operations. What began as an in-house operation grew with the acquisition of

assets and companies of other building materials such as quarrying products,

ready-mixed concrete, steel fabrication and scaffolding to give IJM a better

control of supply and quality. In time, the initial objective of serving in-house
needs evolved into one of supplying the open market to achieve economies

of scale. The business blossomed into an attractive revenue for the group,

culminating in the birth of the quarrying and manufacturing division in 1991

under the leadership of Sim Quan Seng.

The prime mover of the division was wholly owned subsidiary Malaysian Rock Products
Sdn Bhd (MRP), a granite quarry operator with a lineage that dates back to 1962. It became
the launching pad for IJMs expansion into quarry products such as aggregates, pre-mix and
ready mixed concrete, the bread and butter of the housing and building industry. MRP went
on a quarry buying trail, and by 1993, it had profitable quarrying operations in strategic
locations in the Klang Valley, Johor and Negeri Sembilan. Emboldened by success, it even
ventured into contract coal mining in Sarawak, but retreated quickly to concentrate on what
it knew best. Throughout its history, MRP became the behind-the-scenes pillar of support
providing a stable supply of granite and industrial-use stones for IJMs construction and
property divisions.
Another subsidiary, Kuang Rock Products Sdn Bhd (KRP), operating in Klang Valley,
together with MRP, gave IJM market leadership in quarrying. KRP has the distinction of
being one of the first quarry operators in Malaysia to be awarded the ISO 9002 certificate
for quality management. The aggregates of both subsidiaries were consistent top sellers in
this market segment.
Another manufacturing company, Torsco Sdn Bhd, began to outshine MRP. The 90%owned steel fabricator was acquired in 1989, when steel began to emerge as the building

THE IJM STORY

INDUSTRY: MANUFACTURING A STRONGER BASE

In ICP, there is succession planning for all key posts. The

line-up is in place, and when someone leaves, the vacuum is filled
almost instantly. We have been fortunate to have been led by the
co-founder Lim Yong Keat for 27 years. He is someone who enjoys
challenges. At the age of 68, he climbed Mount Kinabalu and again,
three years later at the age of 71. He continues to be our advisor, but
gives us the latitude to manage as we see fit. That is one thing about
the IJM pioneers they know when to let go!

he Hume Connection

Hong Leong Berhad subsidiary Hume Industries entered PSC piles

manufacture when it won a contract to supply the North-South
Highway project that needed about RM500 million worth of piles. The
newcomer set up two plants, one in Ipoh and another in Nilai. When
the highway project was completed in 1994, it began to dump its
products in the market. This affected ICP sales.
ICP proposed an M&A with Hong Leong that enabled the former
to acquire Humes PSC pile plants. In exchange, Hume Industries was
given a 40% equity interest in the company. The M&A was timely, a
good way to expand quickly, says Khor Kiem Teoh, second managing
director of industry division. We needed additional capacity to meet
surging demand. This was the time of Malaysias infrastructure boom
and we wanted to ride the wave. It was a great sellers market.
IJM later bought Hume shares as part of a rationalisation exercise of
its manufacturing & quarrying division in 2005.

207

Harry Khor Kiem Teoh, second managing director of industry division

Source: The Star, 9 March 2005

IJMs quarries produce more than seven million tons of granite and industrialuse stones annually.

material of choice for several mega projects such as the Commonwealth Games Village
and KL International Airport. It also had a strong international clientele for its fabrication
services. The remaining 10% was held by managing director, Loo Ah Hooi. Torsco delivered
one sterling performance after another prompting IJM to prepare it for public listing on the
buoyant Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) to gain access to cheaper capital market funds
for expansion. Alas, listing hopes were crushed when the Asian Financial Crisis decimated the
stock market and serious money fled. The Torsco listing was aborted in 1998. Torscos shine
also began to fade when licensing realities of the oil and gas sector, an important addressable
Source: The Star, 16 October 1998
market for the company, began to relegate it to subcontractor status with a
consequent squeeze on profit margins.
Instead, associate company Industrial Concrete Products (ICP) stole
the march when it pipped Torsco at the finishing line to become IJMs first
manufacturing-based public listed company. On 9 December 1996, ICP
became a listed entity on the KLSE; it was an associate company of IJM,
which had a 20% equity interest, with the rest of the shareholdings held by
Jurutama founders, Hume Industries and the public.
The post 1997 Asian Financial Crisis was a time for consolidation at
IJM following the collapse of the construction industry. Money was scarce,
domestic demand for building materials plunged and the manufacturing
& quarrying division was in the red in 1998, a first for an IJM division.
Reprieve came following the devaluation of the ringgit when the Malaysian
government pegged the ringgit to the US dollar to heal the economy. Export
At its peak, IJMs steel fabrication subsidiary Torsco had two
markets revived the division, which also instituted measures for better
state-of-the-art plants in Ipoh and Lumut to fabricate large
capacity utilisation and debt collection. The result was a leaner and more
container cranes and pressure vessels, heat-transfer and
hydroelectric equipment for local and international clients.
competitive division, which accelerated its overseas thrust.

Parent company IJM never abandoned hopes of owning a

listed vehicle for its quarrying & manufacturing division. The
opportunity came in 2004, an excellent year for the division, when
IJM acquired the Hume Industries stake in ICP, which became a
subsidiary. The groups manufacturing and quarrying companies
were injected into the public listed ICP Group in 2005, two years
after the listing of the plantation division.
The ICP Group continued to deliver strong results, but there was
little trading in its shares although it performed well and gave good
dividends. Share prices remained stagnant. The lack of liquidity
was discouraging, and defeated the purpose of public listing. IJM
decided to take ICP private and made a general voluntary offer to
buy back shares it did not already own in the group. In 2008, ICP
was delisted and the group reverted to its original name Industrial
Concrete Products Sdn Bhd (ICP), The same year, steel star Torsco,
which failed to penetrate the oil & gas sector due to licensing and
other impediments, was sold at an attractive RM21.97 million gain.
ICP did not adopt the IJM name because the ICP brand name was
an established one, the result of decades of sales and marketing
goodwill since the companys incorporation in 1977, before
the formation of IJM. Moreover, its customers included IJMs
construction rivals. IJM is not our only customer, says ICP founder
and first managing director Lim Yong Keat. Several of them are
IJM competitors and it did not make business sense to use the IJM
name. So the management agreed to retain our original red logo
on our business cards and promotional materials. It also reflected
the autonomy of our sales and marketing team. The pragmatism

Source: Business Times, 7 May 2004

206

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THE IJM STORY

INDUSTRY: MANUFACTURING A STRONGER BASE

209

When Malaysia was hit by a recession for the first time
in 1985, I felt like it was the end of the world. I was then a young
engineer, and my sales manager told me that there was no future
in Malaysia and migrated to Australia. I was taken aback. When the
recession blew over, and good times came I realised how wrong my
ex-boss was. When the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis occurred, it was
difficult, but I was older and wiser and knew that the turnaround
would be upon us again.
ICP traces its beginnings to the Prai Power Station Phase III project (April
1976 to May 1977), where it acquired experience in the pre-tensioned spun
concrete pile technology.

ICP piles were used in Berths 11 and 12 of Port of Tanjung Pelepas in Iskandar Malaysia.

2007 Board of Directors, Industrial

Concrete Products Berhad:
Seated, left to right: Chew Kong Seng, Mah
Teck Oon (managing director), Rahmat bin
Jamari (chairman) and Khor Kiem Teoh.
Standing, left to right: Krishnan Tan Boon
Seng, Goh Chye Keat, Lim Yong Keat, Aziz
bin Bahaman and Jeremie Ting Keng Fui
(secretary)

is one of many reasons why ICP remains unchallenged as the

market leader for pre-tensioned spun concrete (PSC) piles till this
day, not only in Malaysia but also in the region.
Culturally though, ICP bore the trademark of an IJM company
since it was previously a Jurutama subsidiary. Founded by IJM
pioneers Lim Choong Kong, Goh Chye Keat, Ong Yeng Tian and
Lim Yong Keat who jointly owned 40% of ICP in 1994, it was
closely aligned to the IJM way of doing business. It shared the
parent companys dedication to quality and timely delivery,
financial prudence for better profit margins, and a willingness
to explore new products and markets to stay ahead. It was also
headquartered in Wisma IJM.
Unlike the construction division that survives on the award
of projects, ICP relies on a strong sales and marketing team to deliver profits. Goodwill is the
hallmark of successful salesmanship. Besides product knowledge, we need to understand the
market and second guess their needs, says Lim, a JKR civil engineer who chose to become
a marketing engineer when it was unfashionable to do so. I joined United Asbestos Cement
as a marketing engineer in the pipes division. There, I learnt the importance of market and
product research as well as quality and credit control to run a profitable business. The
experience provided me with the foundation to grow ICP, incorporated in 1977, following
the end of a joint venture between Jurutama and Mitsui Construction Company of Japan to
undertake piling works for Prai Power Station Phase 3 (3 x 120MW).

The best advice I received as a sales engineer came from my

predecessor Lim Yong Keat. He told me to attend a Dale Carnegie
course on How to Win Friends and Influence People that was being
conducted in the Federal Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. Every week for
three months, I would attend the class after work. It is the best
course I have ever attended because it taught me how to handle
staff, management and crisis. It also taught me the importance of
memorising the names of people and relate to them well. This is a
course I would recommend to every manager.

The partnership was a breakthrough for Jurutama. For the

first time, we had a strong and reputable foreign contractor
for a big World Bank job that we could not have done on our
own. Our joint proposal recommended the use of PSC piles, a
new piling system in Malaysia. They were to be manufactured
on site, with Mitsui providing the technology. As a back-up,
we submitted an alternative proposal for the conventional
square pre-stressed concrete piles since there were no British
Harry Khor Kiem Teoh, second managing director of industry division
standards for PSC piles. We were heartened when engineering
consultant MINCO chose PSC piles, until then used only in
harbour projects in Malaysia.
We sent staff for training to Japan to learn about PSC piles manufacturing. It was an eye
opener as the manufacturing process was completely new to us. I arrived in Japan to finalise
the factory layout and check on the progress of our staff training. As the depth of the piles was
between 37m and 40m, I requested for them to be manufactured up to 20m lengths so that
we needed only one in-situ joint at the site. However, the Japanese International Standards
only provides for the manufacture of 15m lengths; we reached a compromise with Mitsui, who
agreed to our suggestion and the factory layout in Prai was designed accordingly.
We completed the contract in June 1977, one and a half months ahead of the 15-month
contract. Mitsui had low expectations for the project, and it was pleasantly surprised
when we made more than a million ringgit each. When the project was completed, the
Factory managers conduct regular health and
plant was dismantled.
safety briefing sessions for staff.
Jurutama had its own ideas. It formed Industrial Concrete Products in April 1977, and the
first item on its agenda was to buy land in Bukit Tengah, Penang to build a factory to be
fitted with Mitsuis machinery bought on deferred payment terms. ICP was ready for business
five months later on 1 September 1977. Co-founder Lim Yong Keat was appointed as its first
managing director.

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THE IJM STORY

INDUSTRY: MANUFACTURING A STRONGER BASE

By the time IJM was formed in 1983, ICP had a strong order book and making super
profits, according to the financial controller of the time, Krishnan Tan. The low valuation of
ICP during the Jurutama-IGB merger generated some unhappiness, resulting in IGB owning
only the 20% held by Jurutama being transferred to the merged entity. The remaining 80%
interest remained with Jurutama founders, who did not relinquish their individual interests.
ICP continued to make waves in the market, promoting the use of PSC piles. It obtained
ISO Quality Management System accreditation in 1992, ahead of the government call making
it conditional for suppliers. To meet Singapore market requirements, ICP ensured its concrete
batching operations met the compliance criteria of the EN206 European Standards. While it
failed to make headway in Europe, PSC piles gained market acceptance in the more lucrative
emerging markets that had bigger infrastructure budgets.
In 1996, the profitable ICP was listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange under the
Industrial counter, one of few manufacturing companies to do so.
1st ISO certificate received from
SIRIM in 1992

Source: Business Times, 19 November 1996

PSC piles account for about 60% of the precast concrete piles business, and ICP controls 80%
of this market, says Harry Khor Kiem Teoh who took over the reins of ICP from Lim in 2007.
Many competitors had faded away from the marketplace resulting in very few spun pile
players. This also goes to show that ICP is a competitive and efficient operator. This is a highly
technical business that needs one to keep up with new technologies. That is our strength. Our
sales come mainly from external customers; in-house sale to IJM is about 5% of total volume.
Hollow, lighter, faster, more durable and easier to handle than
conventional piles due to pre-stressing, PSC piles are favoured in
the construction of ports, marinas, bridges, highways, railways and
airports They are also competitively priced and the installation
process needs lighter equipment; there is also less noise and
vibration. With its long and credible history in Malaysia, PSC
piles have become the preferred choice of customers for high
rise buildings, marine structures, railway, bridge and other
infrastructure projects. ICPs biggest export market is Singapore.
It also succeeded in exporting piles to Canada and the USA, where
the piles have been used in marinas in the Gulf of Mexico, around
Pensacola, New Orleans and Mobile. Modest sales have also been
made to Brunei, Vietnam, Yemen and Myanmar.
Today, the ICP Groups best seller is pre-tensioned spun piles,
which the market refers to as ICP piles. Our brand has become
the generic name, just like Colgate is to toothpaste, says Khor.
Once a single product company, the ICP Group now has four
distinct products, each has its own market appeal. PSC piles

211

ICPs first overseas plant in Jiangmen, China

One of the industry divisions overseas ventures: a ready mixed plant in Islamabad, Pakistan.

manufacturing is supported by wholly owned subsidiary Durabon that processes prestressing

steel bars at its factories in Klang and Senai for ICP. Durabon also sells its products to other
domestic customers and export markets.
Wholly owned subsidiary MRP operates six quarries across Malaysia and one in India. Its
subsidiary Strong Mixed Concrete Sdn Bhd specialises in the production and supply of ready
mixed concrete to IJMs construction and property projects in Malaysia, India and Pakistan.
Another MRP subsidiary, Scaffold Master Sdn Bhd is principally involved in the rental of
steel scaffolding.
In 2007, the ICP Group established its first overseas plant in Jiangmen, China to meet spun
pile demand for port development, ICP built a jetty to load the piles on barges here. The
division also entered the Indian ready mixed business, slowly expanding from Hyderabad to

PC bars manufactured by Durabon.

IJM provided the scaffolding during roofing and

ceiling works at the Tentera Laut DiRaja Malaysia
training facility.

212

THE IJM STORY

INDUSTRY: MANUFACTURING A STRONGER BASE

A PSC piles factory in Lumut.

A ready mixed plant in Sungai Besi,

Kuala Lumpur.

Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai. In 2011, it added a maiden quarry in Hyderabad for the open
market there as well as to support IJMs construction activities on the subcontinent.
The group made its debut in Pakistan in 2008, with a ready mixed plant in Islamabad,
described in the IJM Annual Report 2008 as the jewel among our ready mixed plants that
generated a pre-tax profit of RM4.05 million on a turnover of RM29.90 million. Buoyed by
this result, ICP invested in a second plant in Karachi the following year. Unfortunately, the
early gains were negated by political instability and the credit crunch that took the world by
surprise in 2008.
The 2008 global economic meltdown caused much hardship, and IJM profits slumped
from the downturn in overseas operations, notably in India. However, in this gloomy
environment, the industry division delivered its best ever performance. Turnover crossed
the RM1 billion mark in 2009, and recorded a profit before tax of RM170 million, a rise of
44% from the previous year, says Khor. ICP, Durabon and Malaysian Rock Products posted
record results due to better product pricing, strong demand from large scale construction
projects and improved overseas contributions. The market was down, but we were

delivering orders taken earlier. For Khor,

who joined ICP as a sales engineer in
1984, there was the personal satisfaction
of sharing this good result with his team
and IJM management during his first
year as managing director.
IJM Annual Report 2009 elaborates
further, ICP Jiangmen plant in China
made a remarkable turnaround during
the financial year. Its PSC piles delivery
and revenue increased by 160% and
190% respectively over last year.
Improved market acceptance and early
implementation of infrastructure projects
were major factors contributing to the
The largest pile with a diameter of 1,400mm manufactured by ICP in Jiangmen, China.
growth of the plant and the achievement
of a PBT of RM3.9 million. Despite the global financial crisis, the outlook for China operations
remains positive as ICP Jiangmen expects to secure port development projects in the southern
and eastern Guangdong regions under Chinas economic stimulus package.
Khor is upbeat about the prospects of the ICP Group. At this point in time, I forecast growth
to exceed 10% per annum over the next few years. We are undergoing capacity expansion to

213

214

THE IJM STORY

A 1,000mm diameter
ICP pile being driven
at the Second Penang
Bridge project.

INDUSTRY: MANUFACTURING A STRONGER BASE

meet demand based on the past few years of growth. A new

PSC pile factory has just been commissioned in Jawi, Penang.
It will be the most modern of its kind in the world and will be
automated to save on manpower, our biggest challenge, and
improve efficiency and energy consumption.
With the tremendous growth in the construction activities
in Iskandar Malaysia in Johor lately, we are putting up a new
factory with two production lines in the economic corridor,
with the same technology as our new plant in Jawi.
The groups research & technology development efforts
have paid off. By utilising the latest in concrete technology,
we have been able to manufacture a super high strength
grade 90 concrete, a milestone in the region.
Capacity expansion to meet demand: the new Kapar 2 factory.
Chinas fast expansion in the last 20 years has resulted
in rising costs. Foreign direct
investments are flowing back
to Malaysia, which is wellpositioned to play a bigger role in
regional transport and logistics.
Our investor-friendly outlook,
competitively
priced
land,
excellent infrastructure, good
legal framework and concerted
efforts to reduce red tape in
recent years has helped make
Malaysia attractive to foreign
investors. In 2011, Malaysia
ICPs Central R & D Lab
recorded 32 billion in FDI, which
received its accreditation
from the Department of
is reported to be a historical high.
Standards Malaysia in 2000.
Malaysias Economic
Transformation Plan has been
rolling out high impact projects in several sectors. The widely
known Greater Singapore Bunkering Hub (that includes
Industry divisions research & development centre in Klang, Selangor
Johor), the biggest of its kind in the world will include the
RAPID project of Petronas that has a development value of RM50 billion. These developments
are time-lined over the next 20 years, and for ICP, they represent strong business prospects,
says Khor.
In the IJM tradition, we will continue with geographical diversification, and are exploring
Cambodia and Myanmar as future markets. We have studied Indonesia, and will enter when
the time is right.

215

16

IJM has a total of 19 oil

palm estates 11 in
Malaysia and eight in
Indonesia. Picture here is
Sungai Sabang Estate in
Sugut, Sabah.

PLANTATIONS
Vive la Diffrence

JM ranks as a mid-size Malaysian plantation company that operates on

60,000 hectares of plantation land. Less than half of this acreage consists of
11 estates in Sabah, Malaysia, The remaining half sprawls over eight estates

located across the border in East Kalimantan and Sumatra in Indonesia. In

terms of maturity, they are a generation apart. IJM started transplanting its
Sabah experience and expertise of 25 years on to Indonesian soil, where the
first oil palm trees were planted in 2008.

According to the 2012 IJM Plantations Annual Report, plantations in Sabah enjoy a favourable
maturity profile, with 85% or about 21,500 hectares planted with palms classified as young
or of prime age (between 4-20 years). Still, the limited planted area of its Sabah plantations
was cause for concern, and prompted IJM to seek out new land banks to sustain the growth
of its plantation division. Such land is scarce in Sabah, and IJM then turned its attention to
Indonesia, which since 2006 had overtaken Malaysia as the worlds largest producer of crude
palm oil since 2006. Almost six times the size of Malaysia, it has vast tracts of land ideal for
the crop. Another push factor to Indonesia was plantation labour. IJM had always depended
on Indonesian migrant labour as plantation workers in Sabah. With accelerated oil palm
cultivation in Indonesia, experienced labourers chose to remain behind, enticed by better
salaries and, better still the advantage of living with their families, and not a life of isolation,
cut off from loved ones when working in Malaysia.
IJM succeeded in acquiring land in Bulungan and Kutai Timur in East Kalimantan and
Lampung in Sumatra, and embarked on a programme of aggressive planting. By the end of
2012, it had planted more than 27,000 hectares overtaking Sabahs total planted area of 25,441
hectares. It took IJM five years to accomplish in Indonesia what took about 20 years in Sabah.
Using a combination of experience, expertise and R&D, IJM succeeded in fast-tracking its
plantation interests in Indonesia. In contrast, it had no experience, no expertise and no R&D
support when it entered the plantation industry in Malaysia, where it began from ground zero.

218

THE IJM STORY

PLANTATIONS: VIVE LA DIFFRENCE

ist of Firsts

According to IJMPs longest serving staff Thomas Kunjumman, hired as an assistant manager in 1986 and currently plantation controller.
First bungalow: It was built in three days in
1987 for Vela, the first manager, using remnant
logged timber left behind in the estate. There
was a temporary sawmill operated by building
contractor Ng Ba Ba who was employed for
all housing. The bungalow also had rooms for
visitors and meetings. It is currently occupied
by Thomas.
First nursery: Started in 1986 by contractor
Agriculture Incorporated Development (AID)
Sdn Bhd

First estate: Desa Talisai, since 1986

First manager:
Velayuthan Tan
First staff: Chief Clerk
Maruthia
First planting advisor:
Jonny Wong
First assistant manager:
Thomas Kunjumman; second
was Siah Heng San, third was
Ng Chung Yin
Velayuthan Tan First secretary: Irene Soo

First planting: February/March 1987

First office: A two-storey building that KPD had

previously used as its cocoa estate office. The
main office was downstairs, and there was also
a meeting room, library, separate offices for the
manager, assistant manager and chief clerk.
There was also a nurses section, and a clinic
adjoining the building. The manager, Vela, lived
upstairs during the early days.

First palm oil mill: Earthworks started in 1991

in Desa Talisai for the mill that was ready for
operations in 1993.

First nurse: Neneng

First office clerk: Fe

The First Board

First plantation worker: Jimior, a Kadazan

First driver: Jamindar
First handyman: Sudirman, a wireman who is
now a mill staff
First mechanic: Ismail Tujuh
First visiting medical officer: Dr Harcharan
Singh; the second VMO Dr Edmund Fernandez
still serves today

First labour line: There were three lines;

the main one was located opposite the first
office, and is now the site of the fertiliser store;
the second Sabah Taiwan, named after the
contractor; the third was Agrosa, named after the
timber contracting company of Xavier Gopal.

The plantation divisions first board had

representatives from IJM and its joint
venture partner, the government agency
Koperasi Pembangunan Desa (KPD). It
consisted of:
Chairman Felix Golingi
Dr Richard S Gunting
Jason Kong Liok Sen
Benjamin Lee
Ong Yeng Tian
Lim Kian Peng @ Lim Keng Peng
Krishnan Tan Boon Seng

The move into oil palm agriculture began as an adventure in itself because it was totally
unrelated to IJMs principal activity of construction. The board was divided, but supported
the management decision given the latters history of calculated risk management for every
new experiment. In the managements estimation, IJM needed a business with a different
boom-bust cycle from the construction and building industry. IJM pioneer Ong Yeng Tian,
acknowledged as the director who alerted the first IJM board to consider entering the
plantation business, says, Palm oil has been dubbed the golden crop. The world population
was growing and so too was the standard of living. In good times or bad, food is a basic necessity.
I was keen for IJM to enter plantations because there will be a continuous growing demand
for edible oil and it would not be subjected to the same economic cycles as construction. I
think those of us who favoured entering the plantation business have been proven right time
and again in the past few recessions.
Indeed, the IJMs plantation division lifted the groups financial performance with its
stellar performance in the aftermath of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. It did so again when
the 2008 global economic eroded group profit margins.
Sabah is the last frontier of plantation agriculture. Ong recalls, When IJM Plantations Sdn
Bhd was formed, I was appointed as the director in charge of the subsidiary, to nurture the
fledgling company. I was assisted by Thye Fook Keong,
who was my alternate director in the subsidiary. We
had no experience, and recruited plantation expert KP
Lim as a consultant and advisor and Velayuthan Tan as
the project manager. I credit them for the good work
they put in making our first plantation a success.
When IJM braved into this unchartered territory
in 1985, it was watched with amusement by some
quarters. When I arrived to start work as a manager
in our first estate, the timber guys laughed, recalls
Velayuthan Tan. The Sandakan region is the stronghold
of the timber industry and bred many timber tycoons.
A Boustead visiting agent wished him a cautionary,
Good luck to you! because the land was considered a
goner by locals and the industry.
The strapping 31-year old Velayuthan, known as
Vela, was determined to have the last laugh. In the
pioneering spirit of frontiersmen, he set out to convert
the desolate 10,000-acre abandoned cocoa plantation
and degraded forest into a successful business for IJM
that had appointed him as its first estate manager. He
started as a one-man show at the estate belonging to
Desa Talisai Sdn Bhd (DTSB), a 50:50 joint venture
The abandoned cocoa plantation in Desa Talisai that was transformed into a
profitable oil palm plantation, now into the second planting cycle.
between IJM and Koperasi Pembangunan Desa in

219

1985

2013

220

THE IJM STORY

PLANTATIONS: VIVE LA DIFFRENCE

Sabah (KPD Rural Development Corporation) established

in 1985. As land owner, KPDs stake was the land, while IJMs
#1: Must love nature.
equity was in the development of the plantation.
#2: Must learn to live in isolation, and draw strength from that.
When the Klang Valley lad landed in Sandakan in 1986, he
#3: Must be proactive, initiating things or doing it yourself, because
was given a 4-wheel drive as transportation and RM80,000
often there is no one else to turn to.
as start-up expenses. With plantation consultant Lim Kian
Velayuthan Tan, managing director of IJM Plantations
Peng (aka KP Lim) as the company-appointed advisor, Vela
swung into action, digging deep into his 6-year experience in
Multipurpose Plantations in Pahang Tenggara. He cultivated
a strong relationship with suppliers to make things happen,
from Kian Hiung the chemical and hardware store owner
who extended credit when we could not pay the bills during
hard times in 1989 to 1991 to Han Siew King, an agronomist
and turnkey contractor. Han was more than a contractor. He
taught me so much about agronomy that I did not need to turn
to others. His free service was enough, recalls Vela.
The microclimate in this part of Sandakan, with its rolling
hills is well-suited for oil palm. CPO prices hovered around
RM700 to RM800 per ton then, considered good; today it
averages RM2,500 per ton. Remnants of timber on the estate
Meliau Estate in Sandakan, Sabah
were used for staff housing, and the first bungalow doubled as an office.
In the first two years, KP Lim would touch base with me every now and then to see how
I was progressing. It was a tough and lonely life, cut away from civilisation as we know it. On
a good day, it took four to five hours on the road to reach Sandakan, 54 km away. It was a dirt
track, now sealed, but still tends to become rutted because of heavy rain and traffic. There
were living adjustments to be made, but since I grew up in a village in Sungai Renggam, near
Shah Alam, without electricity and water from a well, the absence of basic utilities was not an
issue for me.

3 must-haves for every estate staff

In the second year, Vela began to hire staff, with an imaginative

recruitment campaign that positioned IJM as the choice employer.

Time and time again, IJM has proven that it truly cares
He achieved a considerable measure of success, and engaged
for its people. In 1988, my wife was pregnant, and the road was cut
Sabahans as permanent staff, and Indonesian migrant labour as
off by floods. Vela visited her, and arranged for a helicopter to airlift
plantation workers. Senior management positions were allocated
to experienced planters from West Malaysia, mainly Indians and
my wife, together with a nurse, to Sandakan and onward to
Malays who arrived here as a part of the Transmigration Fund
Kuala Lumpur.
Board that encouraged resettlement in Sabah.
Thomas Kunjumman, IJMPs long serving staff, hired as
My first staff was Maruthia, the chief clerk who stood by me
an assistant manager in 1986 and currently plantation controller.
through thick and thin. We had highly motivated men willing to
put in long hours. To keep up morale, we provided good housing,
and 24-hour electricity, a novelty in rural Sabah then.
Some of the early pioneers of IJM Plantations who were involved in the opening of estates
in Sandakan and Sugut include Kunjumman Thomas, Siah Heng San and Ng Chung Yin; later,
as the plantation division grew, the palm oil mills had the service of Veloo Karupayah and
others. The R&D programme and facility was spearheaded by Christopher Richard Donough
while the agri-services department had Francis Chai Min Fah and subsequently PK Venugopal,
now country director of IJM Indonesia. Other pioneering personnel included Gunasaker
Ponnusamy, Nagarajan Thangaraju and Alan Khoo Choom Kwong.
Pioneering staff lived in temporary accommodation, near a water source, and were
deployed in cutting roads, clearing the bush, and planting legumes to prevent soil erosion. New planting with leguminous cover crop
Legumes also provide nitrogen fixation that result in greener and healthier trees, and help
retain soil moisture, explains Vela. We started planting with germinated oil palm DxP seeds
from research stations from the Peninsular in our nursery. It takes about eight to 12 months
for seeds to grow into seedlings ready for field planting.

ife Cycle of an a Oil Palm

The oil palm has a 25-year life span, but after

about 13 years, yields begin to plateau, and
then decline. To arrest falling output, aging
palms are felled and replanting occurs. It takes
about another three years before the new trees
can be harvested. There is a temptation not to
replant when CPO prices are high, says Joseph
Tek. While it may be profitable in the short
term, in the longer term it results in tracts of
aging trees with low yields.

Our Sabah plantations are into the second

cycle, with replanting occurring at the rate of
encirca 5% of the area every year; replanting
began when the trees had peaked at about 20
years of age. IJMs Indonesian operations will
keep up the momentum of production during
the replanting period in Sabah. Given the size
of the estates, modernised operations and the
zealous pursuit of high yields, we expect higher
outputs from them.

221

Legume cover crops established immediately after

land clearing minimises soil loss

Oil palm plantations with their perennial green

cover and closed canopy are efficient carbon
sinks, mitigating carbon dioxide emissions.

Superior quality oil palm DxP seeds developed by IJMs research centre.

222

THE IJM STORY

Planting occurred in four phases, with the first 2,000 acres completed in 1987. Another
2,000 acres was planted by 1988 and 4,000 in 1989-90; by 1991, planting on the 10,000- acre
Desa Talisai plantation was completed. Once planting was done, we devote ourselves to
rigorous maintenance.
At the end of Phase 2, I remember a visit by Sabah chief minister Joseph Pairin Kitigan,
accompanied by officers from our joint venture partner KPD. They were shown around by DTSB
chairman, the late Felix Golingi, who challenged the visitors with: If you see a blade of lalang
in our plantation, we will give RM10 per blade. We had planted 4,000 acres then, and it reflected
the confidence the chairman had in IJM. We were known to be sticklers for thoroughness.
1990: Sabah chief minister Joseph Pairin Kitigan
Phase 2 of the planting matured in 24 months and delivered a record yield of 6.25 tons per
(far left) pays a visit to Desa Talisai estate.
acre in the first year of harvesting, something few in the industry had achieved. Says Vela,
Standard maturity then was 36 months after planting, but 24 months is do-able. It was a
source of pride for IJM since it had turned a wasteland into a profitable plantation. Detractors
were silenced.
1992 was a watershed year. The plantation division delivered its maiden profit, five
years after the first planting, considered an accomplishment in the industry. Since then,
the division has never been in the red. That year, DTSB invested in a palm oil mill in the
estate to serve in-house needs and external customers. The groups plantation land bank
was expanded with the acquisition of Sijas Plantations Sdn Bhd that owned 1,011 hectares of
land near Desa Talisai estate.
Over the next few years, IJM aggressively expanded its acreage, and its workforce grew in
tandem.
By 1996, it had more than 24,000 acres, mainly in the Sandakan region, and a workforce
During floods, this innovative cable system is used
in excess of 1,000. The performance of upstream operations hinges largely on the price of
to transfer fresh fruit bunches from the fields to a
collection point across the river.
crude palm oil over which IJM has no control since it is determined by market forces. On
its part, IJM pursued a strategy of high yields to
enjoy good margins when CPO prices were high,
and still deliver profits when CPO prices were
down. For its milling business, the focus was on
maximum extraction, which earned the division
the PORLA Certificate of Merit for achieving
excellent rates of extraction at the Desa Talisai
palm oil mill in 1995 and 1997, a benchmark of
milling efficiency in Sabah.
The rigorous attention to high yields and
productivity resulted in record profits in 1997,
the year the Asian Financial Crisis brought the
construction industry down on its knees. The
plantation division rallied to become the highest
pre-tax contributor in 1997 and again in 1998
riding on the back of high CPO prices and the
In the remote Sugut region, landing crafts ply the river, transporting plantation supplies and
devalued ringgit. If anything, this performance
palm produce.

PLANTATIONS: VIVE LA DIFFRENCE

vindicated IJMs decision to enter a business in Sabah that few

dared to tread.
For Vela, the moment of personal recognition came in 1989,
when he was invited to address the Incorporated Society of
Planters where he spoke on yield potential. It was an unofficial
induction into the exclusive planters club. In 2010, he received the
Lifetime Achievement Award from the Malaysian Oil Scientists
and Technologists Association (MOSTA) for his contributions to
the industry.
Vela proved to be a dark horse amidst the IJM pantheon of
professionals. The high school graduate gained the recognition
of the IJM leadership as an astute and tough trailblazer, wellqualified to lead a division. He had built the division from
scratch, established systems and procedures, and nurtured a
team of planters and workers with single-minded focus: for
IJM Plantations to become one of the best managed oil palm
plantation companies in Malaysia.
The division rolled with the punches, continuing to deliver
profits year after year. With its good track record, IJM deemed
the time was right to list the wholly owned subsidiary to keep
up the momentum of growth and expansion. On 2 July 2003,
the division was listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange
(now Bursa Malaysia) as IJM Plantations Berhad, following
the acquisition of the listing status of Rahman Hydraulic Tin
Berhad, incorporated in 1907 as a limited liability company.
The plantation assets were injected into Rahman Hydraulic Tin
en-route to listing.
The listing exercise, which involved the acquisition of shares
of minority shareholders in subsidiaries and distribution of IJMP
shares to the shareholders of IJM diluted IJMs investment from
100% to 49.4%. Yet, even as an associate company, IJM Plantations
contributed a higher revenue of RM152.38 million and pre-tax
profits of RM34.85 million, representing increases of 16.70% and
17.11% respectively. The IJM Annual Report 2003 attributed the
good performance in both operating revenue and profitability to
higher commodity prices and increased production. It also paid
tribute to the great pride taken by the division to incorporate
the basic tenets of sound environmental management and
responsibility to its business activities.

223

An oil palm with fruits in different stages of maturity.

IJM Plantations head office in Sandakan

2008 Board of Directors of IJM Plantations: Seated, left to right: Velayuthan

Tan (managing director), Wong See Wah (chairman) and Ling Ah Hong;
Standing, left to right: Khoo Khee Ming, Krishnan Tan Boon Seng, Oh Chong
Peng. M Ramachandran, Goh Chye Koon, Joseph Tek Choon Yee and Jeremie
Ting Keng Fui (secretary)

INDONESIA: IJMS NEW GROWTH FRONTIER

Indonesia is the new growth frontier of IJM Plantations, which has a substantial
plantation land bank in Kalimantan and Sumatra, gentle rolling hills that are
ideal for high yield crops. The rigorous planting regimen pursued in the past
few years resulted in 93% of oil palms that were three years old or less as at
end-March 2012. Another 4% were between four and seven years old while
the balance of 3% was more than eight years old. This age profile prompted an
Amsearch Report (17 April 2013) to note that IJM Plantations is expected to
benefit from more areas coming into maturity in Indonesia in the coming few
years. It had a Buy option for IJM Plantations stocks.

The sizeable expansion into
Indonesia and replanting programme in
Sabah are part of our strategy for longer
term growth and continuity of the business.
Expansion into Indonesia has progressed
very well, and within five years we have
more than doubled our planted area. We
have the first palm oil mill operating and
constructing a second one. Significant
plantation housing and infrastructure have
also been established. There are more than
4,000 people working for us.

Yields from the Indonesia palms are expected to be higher than those in Sabah
because of the availability of labour, the hands-on approach of experienced
IJM staff who are directly supervising the establishment of new estates, and
usage of IJMs in-house R&D planting materials. In 2012, the first palm oil mill
began operations. IJM is expected to realise significant contributions from its
Indonesia operations from 2015.

Source: The Star, 15 August, 2006

A nursery in PT Prima Alumga, Lampung, Sumatra.

In the next few year, our focus will shift

from cultivation to crop production. The
shift is needed to enable us to realise the
objective of expansion, that is, profitability.
Wong See Wah, chairman of IJM Plantations

First year planting in Manubar Estate

2009: Maiden planting (tanaman perdana) in Permata Estate by Velayuthan

Tan (third from right).

First nursery established in Binai Estate.

First palm oil mill under construction in IPS.

IPS mill that began operations in October 2012.

226

THE IJM STORY

PLANTATIONS: VIVE LA DIFFRENCE

PLANTATION OPERATIONS
PLANTATION
Malaysia
1 Minat Teguh Estate
2 Sijas Estate
3 Desa Talisai South Estate
4 Desa Talisai North Estate
5 Meliau Estate
6 Sungai Sabang Estate
7 Berakan Maju Estate
8 Excellent Challenger I Estate
9 Excellent Challenger II Estate
10 Rakanan Jaya South Estate
11 Rakanan Jaya North Estate
PROCESSING
1 IJMEO Kernel Crushing Plant
2 Minat Teguh Palm Oil Mill
3 Desa Talisai Palm Oil Mill
4 Sabang Palm Oil Mill I
5 Sabang Palm Oil Mill II
6 IPS Palm Oil Mill

Indonesia
12 Sajau Estate
13 Binai Estate
14 Pertama Estate
15 Belidan Estate
16 Manubar Estate
17 Kaliorang Estate
18 Mengenai Estate
19 Alumga Estate

11
5 10
9 8 7
4 3
6

Kota Kinabalu

Beluran

Telupid

2
4 3 3

1
1

2 1

SABAH

Sandakan

Lahad Datu

Tawau
SERVICES
1 Wisma IJM Plantations
2 Quality, Training and
Research Centre
3 Sugut Training Centre

Tarakan
Tanjung Selor

12

13

EAST
KALIMANTAN

Sangatta
Palembang
19

SUMATRA
Lampung

Samarinda

17

18

14 15

16

The call of the wild beckoned Vela once again in 2005,

when IJM gave him the mandate to repeat history in
a new theatre of action: the wilds of Kalimantan and
Sumatra. Older and wiser, he set out to tame the jungle
into systematic, well-run estates that are second
to none. He handed over the reins of IJMs Sabah
plantations to researcher Joseph Tek Choon Yee, a first
class honours botany graduate who had specialised
in oil palm breeding and agronomy. Tek recalls Velas
hand-over messages:
Safeguard quality in all that we do;
Promote sports to harness the character of people;
Velayuthan Tan
Nurture the family spirit.
Tek describes taking over from Vela as the most thought-provoking moment of his career.
Vela is a risk taker and an entrepreneur while I am a systems person, who concentrates on
putting things in place. Fortunately, Vela had laid a firm foundation with his pioneering and
development work, and it was time for me to build on this with what I know best.
Tek was hired by Vela in September 2004 as a research controller to manage the Quality,
Training and Research Centre (QTRC) located in Sijas estate. The centre and the IJM oil
palm breeding programme had been established earlier by Christopher Donough. Tek was
put in charge of research, seed production and training.
Tek describes QTRC as a notable R&D investment given the size of the IJM land bank.
He had previously been an agronomist
and plant breeder who later headed an
aeroponics and landscaping business
entity for Sime Darby before joining
the Malaysian Palm Oil Association as
the R&D Manager. It was a rapid rise
up the management ladder for the
young lad with a MPhil from Cambridge
University. Tek was quickly promoted
to general manager plantations in 2008
and then chief operating officer in 2009,
shadowing Vela. At the age of 44, he
became the youngest CEO and managing
director of a listed plantation company
in Malaysia. To render steadfast support,
another senior executive Purushothaman
Kumaran also joined the group in 2004
as financial controller, was appointed
Controlled pollination for seed production.
the chief financial officer and executive

First planting of IJMs own planting material in

Excellent Challenger I Estate in 2003.

227

228

THE IJM STORY

PLANTATIONS: VIVE LA DIFFRENCE

To date, only about 10% of the palm is being
commercially utilised, mainly for crude palm oil and crude
palm kernel oil. There is still plenty of value left in the rest
of the 90% biomass.
Joseph Tek Choon Yee,
CEO / managing director of IJM Plantations Berhad

director in 2010. Purushothaman brought his vast

working experience with the Unilever Group, where
he had served in various finance and commercial
capacities in Malaysia, England and Indonesia. Prior
to that, Ling Ah Hong, who joined IJM from 1999 to
2005 as group general manager and later as executive
director, had also contributed his vast experience to
the growth of IJM Plantations.
Tek is raised in the tradition of continuous
learning that typifies Generation X, while Vela
belongs to the baby boomer generation of defiance
and dare. The traits and outlook of these generations
are invaluable at IJM Plantations, where pioneering
operations in Indonesia harnessed the strengths of
Vela, with scientist Tek in the drivers seat in Sabah,
steering the estates into their second cycle of growth.
In Teks second year, IJM Plantations delivered a
record performance, with revenue growing by 22%
to RM538.26 million and pre-tax profits registering
a remarkable growth of 75% to RM196.01 million. It
showed that he was the right man, at the right place,
at the right time.

Recycled bridge
IJM built a Bailey bridge across the Sugut River to reduce
travelling time and distances for crop delivery to the mill
between North and South regions of the six estates in the
area Excellent Challenger 1, Excellent Challenger 2, Rakan
Jaya North, Rakan Jaya South, Sabang and Berchan Maju.
The portable, pre-fabricated truss bridge is reportedly
built using metal from four dismantled Bailey bridges from
Scandinavia.

Teks mission is to establish IJM Plantations as a high yield operation. He uses the analogy of
a three-legged stool of interdependence to elaborate this. The three legs are the estates, mills
and service providers. He sought to maximise synergies between well-managed estates and
well-operated mills to achieve maximum output of fresh fruit bunches, crude palm oil and palm
kernel. The service providers, primarily research, was the third leg of the stool, that provided
essential support to all other levels to achieve high yield at every turn. In Teks mind, estates and
mills are the production houses and breadwinners, while the service providers continuously
render support. Tek started exploring and introducing mechanisation. The focus now is on
innovation. We will pursue with mechanisation wherever we can, he says.
To engender the staff and management loyalty and support, Tek
passionately promotes the 5Cs of operational excellence: Crop and oil
quality, Condition of fields and mills, Cost-effectiveness of operations,
Controls and compliance, and Corporate Social Responsibility. Like Vela,
he personally engages with staff to embed 5Cs into the IJM Plantations
It is estimated that for every RM1 earned in the oil palm estate,
work culture, making regular visits to meet employees in the 11 estates
40% is deducted for a variety of state and government tariffs:
in the Sandakan and Sugut regions, and the four mills (each region had
Corporate tax is 25%
two mills).
Sabah sales tax is 7.5%
Profitability is largely dependent on the price and volume of CPO
Windfall Tax is 7.5% for a CPO price that is above the
threshold of RM3,000 /ton
produced, and productivity is measured by oil yield derived from fresh

Palm oil cess of RM15/ton for CPO and kernel oil that is
fruit bunches (FFB) from the estates and oil extraction achieved by the
payable to the Malaysian Palm Oil Board
mills. IJM had achieved an oil yield extraction rate that exceeds the industry
Industry players view it as the heaviest taxation structure
norm. The Malaysian average is about 4 mt/hectare, while the IJM average
for any industry in Malaysia, a situation aggravated when
is 5 mt/hectare. Set against the weighted palm age profile of around 12 to 14
competing with farmers in USA and Europe who are highly
years old, in Teks first year, oil yield was 5.1 mt in 2011, and in 2012, it rose to
subsidised. It is not a level playing field for commercial
commodity cultivation in Malaysia, say sources.
5.4 mt. and in 2013, it hit 5.5 mt. Teks aspiration is to hit six tons.

ariffs Prior to Profit

Bio-compost using empty fruit bunches that

become organic mulch. The compost also helps
in soil and water conservation. This is a part of
the zero waste management programme at
palm oil mills.

IJM invests in research & development to improve yield and agronomy practices.

229

230

THE IJM STORY

AFTER THE HARVEST...

Fresh fruit bunches on a ramp waiting to be

loaded and sent to mill for processing.

Desa Talisai Mill, first mill in the first estate, where palm oil is extracted from fresh fruit bunches.

Minat Teguh Palm Oil Mill.

Minat Teguh Estate office.

One of two palm oil mills in Sugut (Sabang I and II).

Palm oil storage tanks in Sugut Jetty.

He also concentrates on expanding the oil palm breeding programme and upgrading
the research facility, one of few owned by a mid-size planter in Malaysia. The oil palm seed
production unit in QTRC, established in collaboration with the Malaysian Palm Oil Board,
was accredited with the SIRIM MS157:2005 certification. The unit selects parental mother and
father palms from genetic blocks for certification by SIRIM and subsequent commercial oil
palm seed production. In the early days, IJM used to source its commercial oil palm planting
materials from other research stations. Today, it has its own seed production unit, which sent
consignments of germinated seeds for planting in its Indonesian estates.
Based in Sijas Estate, Sandakan, QTRC has a sub-station in Sugut. Apart from seed
breeding and production, it also provides agronomic and technical advisory services to
the estates, from fertiliser recommendations to pest management. QTRC technical staff
regularly conduct quality checks on crops received
in the palm oil mills, estate field audits, pest and
disease census and soil-foliar sampling for analysis.
They also train staff and executives on estate
Posters of IJM Plantations holistic
approach based on the tagline Nurturing
management and agronomy.

he four interlocking circles of action

Sustainability appear on the walls of offices

four interlocking circles that determine
immediate and long term success. They are:
Productivity & Innovations for operational
excellence, Care for the Environment with
green practices, Returning to the Community
with its CSR initiatives, and Investor in People
to bring out the best in people employed by
the company.

Saved from extinction: the ancient seraya is a part of 100 Acre Wood, a conservation area in
Sugut, Sabah.

Tucked away in the splendid isolation of Sugut is IJM

Plantations 100 Acre Wood, the name coined by Tek
for a conservation area that he likens to the magical
locale created by the imagination of author AA Milne
in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The IJM
version is far from fictional. It is a real rainforest
wonderland of towering dipterocarps, with herbs,
pitcher plants, medicinal species and other types of
flora and fauna thriving below expansive canopies.
100 Acre Wood epitomises IJM Plantations efforts in
conservation and sustainability.
We plant only on land designated for agriculture,
says Vela. However, when we find parcels not suitable
for planting, we set them aside as forest reserves. IJM
has a relatively high percentage of forest reserves in
its estates. One of them is 100 Acre Wood in Sugut
that also serves as a showcase for learning about the
rainforest.
An ancient seraya, wide in girth and wise in
years, stands tall, saved from extinction by IJM
Plantations that chose to preserve it for posterity.
This tree is the soul of 100 Acre Wood, says Tek.
High in conservation value, given the biodiversity

of flora and fauna here, 100 Acre Wood

is priceless land sited on a ridge. If we
are profit-driven, we would have planted
here. This is a part of our environmental
stewardship, and we have chosen to keep
the rainforest here as a piece of paradise
for future generations. I would love to
welcome stakeholders including boy
scouts and girl guides to come here and
commune with Mother Nature at its best
IJMs preferred choice for biological pest
in this rainforest nook. 100 Acre Wood is
management involves breeding predatory insects
to prey on pests; this reduces dependency on
encircled by mangrove thickets that are
chemical pesticides.
home to more than 100 species of birds.
Like Vela, Tek encourages and promotes
engagement with relevant stakeholders. Familiarisation trips are regularly organised for
journalists, researchers, analysts, NGOs and other stakeholders as forums to strengthen
dialogue and exchange of views on sustainability.
There is also a research sub-station for integrated pest management that involves
biological controls to eliminate insects that threaten oil palm trees. IJM introduced biological
control of pests, and till this day we breed predatory species that prey on pests, says Vela.
There is also an insectarium, arboretum, herbarium here for cadet planters to learn about the
rainforest, and familiarise themselves with global concerns about the environment so that
they will manage estates without impinging on the habitat of forest dwellers.
Environmental stewardship became a priority following growing agitation from the green
lobby following forest fires in Borneo attributed to El Nino, the harbinger of global warming.
In 2002, IJM marshalled ad hoc initiatives into a definitive environmental management
framework that spelt out green practices to be adopted in IJM estates and mills. They
included environmentally friendly practices such as soil and water conservation, mill waste
management, integrated pest management, soil conditioning and enrichment and zeroburning techniques for replanting and new plantings. Empty fruit bunches were composted,
in combination with effluent released from mills, and the end-result used to enhance soil
conditions and nutrient uptake in the fields.
The shortage of labour continues to remain a cause for concern, despite mechanisation.
Oil palm estates are labour intensive since machinery cannot be used in all terrains. It is
difficult to use machines to harvest the fruit, and the job is time consuming. Harvesting, frond
pruning, loose fruit collection and in-field crop evacuation are labour intensive, says Tek.
IJM has 4,000 plantation workers, an average of one worker for every seven to eight hectares.
One of the biggest obstacles to attracting and retaining plantation workers is the fate of
their dependents. They are mainly Indonesian migrants who arrive, accompanied by their

Cassia cobanensis is cultivated to sustain

beneficial insects used in biological
pest control.

Top and above: Stakeholder engagement, when

IJM Plantation briefs invited guests on estate
operations, performance and new developments.

234

THE IJM STORY

wives and children. When the children are old enough

to go to school, they cannot be enrolled in Malaysian
schools. Education is the universal birthright of every
child, and in 1989, IJM set up a kindergarten for them,
the first of its kind in a Sabah estate. There is also the
Project Humana 120 that involved building a primary
school for more than 100 students in Desa Talisai. IJM
engaged the services of non government organisation
Borneo Child Aid to secure teachers who could use
the Indonesian syllabus and teach the children on
the estate. In 2013, two more Humana schools were
established in Sugut estates.
A cultural centre has been built in Sugut for staff to
remain connected to their own heritage. This building
A school for children of
is made entirely out of bamboo, and does not have a
foreign plantation workers
single nail a traditional construction method in the Malay archipelago. The centre is the
in South Estate, Desa Talisai.
venue of festivals and other culturally defining celebrations to forge social and cultural ties
among the community that is living away from home.
Sport is used to bridge the gap between migrant workers and Malaysian staff, says Vela,
a keen sportsman. Playing sport together is a great leveller, and it also it brings out innate
qualities such as leadership, discipline, and team play. IJM Plantations once had the strongest
football team in Sandakan, but the focus now is on rugby, which IJMP promotes throughout
Sabah as part a part of its CSR initiative. I was the president of the Rugby Union in Sabah, and
today, five assistant managers are state players. One is an ex-national.
It is important for the top management to meet field staff, and not remain in their
corporate offices in our head office in Sandakan. In this business, you need to turun padang to
make workers feel closer.
There is increasing emphasis on team-building, and
IJM Plantations has another inventive approach to it. Each
Long an upstream specialist, IJM Plantations took tentative steps
operating unit be it an estate or mill is designated as a centre
overseas in 2008 when it entered into a joint venture with Godrej
of excellence with a special focus such as for buffalo breeding,
Agrovet Limited and Gokarna Oil Palm Limited. This was a part of the
divisions expansion plans in India, and would involve purchasing oil
fish breeding, poultry rearing, vegetable and tree cultivation,
palm fresh fruit bunches and milling in the states of Goa and Karnataka.
landscaping and heritage preservation. Tek says, These
The plan was aborted in 2011 because there was not enough critical
centres of excellence require estate staff, many of them cut off
mass to support it. Another reason is timing the division chose
from the town, to exchange groceries, knowledge and personal
to concentrate on the expansion of its Indonesia footprint to take
experiences with each other. It keeps them connected, brings
advantage of the rally in CPO prices.
them closer and shows their independence. On the estate itself,
Another project terminated in 2010 was the 2006 joint venture
with CTI Biofuels, Malaysia, LLC (CTIBM) of USA to own, build and
managers work shoulder to shoulder with staff of different
operate a biodiesel plant in Sandakan. IJM held a 60% equity interest
ranks to grow vegetables or raise ducks. This helps foster the
in the company. Again, the reason was to concentrate resources on
team spirit. Our goal is the make IJMP the best place to work
expansion into Indonesia, IJM Plantations new growth frontier.
in Sabah.

hange of Focus

PLANTATIONS: VIVE LA DIFFRENCE

R
Cadet planters from Malaysia and Indonesia attend on-the-job training as
well as classroom lessons.

There has been a discernible shift in demographics, with Sabahans

outstripping Peninsular Malaysians at executive level. They account
for 95% of the 500 executive staff, with many of them running estate
operations or being managers or persons in charge of mills. Vela
always wanted to build up Sabahans for management positions,
says Thomas Kunjamman, the assistant manager when Vela was the
estate manager in the 1980s. Vela introduced the buddy system to
nurture high calibre estate managers.
Senior staff mentored upcoming talent, and the results have
been good. Sundang Jaafar, the manager of Rakanan Jaya North,
the largest estate in IJMP, is a Vela protg. So is Putun Diman, the
manager of Desa Talisai North and Jefflis Janis, the person in-charge
of Berakan Maju, who was trained by pioneering managers such as
Thomas Kunjumman, Ng Chung Yin, Siah Heng San and Gunasaker
Ponnusamy.
One thing stands out among the new young breed of estate and
mill managers: they are all sportsmen, with a love of the outdoors.
Estate and mill persons-in-charge, Lee Wei Ming and Ardyaffendy
bin Mohd Ariffin are both rugby stars, and high achievers at work.
Ardys mill has the reputation of delivering the best oil extraction
in the company, well above the national average. Assistant manager
Jesford Majalap from Rakanan Jaya North estate, an accredited diver,
is a team-member of the High Performers of 2011 recognised for
producing fresh fruit bunches with yields of 31.2 mt/hectare in his
plantation, a record in Sugut. This record was broken again in 2012
when Rakanan Jaya North achieved 33.7 mt/hectare in its 9,000 acre
estate. These athletic young men have a deep appreciation of nature,

235

oad to Rugby

We touched lives of youths in Sabah through sport, especially

rugby that is a part of our initiative. We started from ground zero,
something I am accustomed to, by reviving the sport in Sabah.
We took over the Sabah Rugby Union that was on the verge of
deregistration, and turned it around in four years.
IJMP made rugby big in Sabah, where we started by
introducing the sport to four schools. Today, rugby is the sport
of choice in more than 70 schools, primary and secondary. Girls
are also playing the sport. We also reached out to correctional
institutions such as the Henry Gurney School because I felt
strongly that as a team sport, rugby would inculcate discipline that
is important in ones personal life.
We dont only coach them on the sport but also to apply the
principles associated with it to life discipline, hard work and team
play. We conduct coaching clinics, 10-day residential camps where
the players stay in dormitories in our estate. There are also weekend
clinics to brush up on the finer points of the game.
From nothing, the IJMP rugby team became champions in
24 months. From nothing, an IJMP-coached school became the
state champion in four years. Our relationship does not end on
the sports field. When players wish to pursue their education, we
assist in finding places in universities where they can continue
playing rugby. Velayuthan Tan
In 2009, Velayuthan Tan was honoured as Tokoh Sukan Sabah
by the state government. The Rugby Union that he heads plans to
set up a Sports College in Sabah, in a twinning arrangement with
universities in New Zealand and Australia, both international rugby
sporting nations.
IJM Plantations Spearheads Rugby Development In Sabah, as reported in IJM
News November 2002

IJMs first estate

Desa Talisai, now
into its second
planting cycle.

in its cultivated best as well as in its pristine state. They are seduced
by the greenery that surrounds them and regular regimen of estate
life, akin to regular sports training. Those who work in Sugut, which is
more isolated than the estates in Sandakan, have little communication
with the outside world. Here, mobile phone usage is a balancing act
on a wobbly lookout ladder, and Internet access is poor. The trappings
of modern youth are absent, but these young men have made a
conscientious decision to choose a less complicated life, away from
the pressures and impositions of corporate life. In the mould of estate
men of yore, they are weekend husbands, leaning on their wives to
raise their children single-handed.
There is also a discernible shift in the employment profile of
Indonesians on IJMPs payroll. It is no longer restricted to labourers
but now includes expatriate planters, hand-picked from Indonesian
universities to attend IJMPs cadetship programme at the QTRC and
training centre in Sugut, accommodated in a dormitory in the remote
100 Acre Wood, where they are given a foretaste of estate life before
assuming executive duties in IJMPs Indonesian estates.
Plantation manager Murugan Munusamy sums up the dilemma
estate men frequently face. I joined IJM in 1988 and worked in estates,
both in Sandakan and Sugut. My family lived with me until the children
started school, and we were together on weekends and holidays.
My children have grown up and want me to retire and join them in
Peninsular Malaysia. I am torn because I have grown to love life in
Sabah, where I own a house in the remote town of Meliau, surrounded
by greenery, just like in an estate.
Estate life is relatively free of crime, unlike city life. When I read
the newspapers, I become alarmed at the killing, robberies and
shooting occurring in the city. It is peaceful in the estate, with plenty
of fresh air, the sound of birds chirping and time for yourself. Most of
us rise with the sun for the 5.30 am muster, and there is a lot of walking
in the estate. Daily life is a routine, but it calls for attention to detail.
There are a lot of things you can learn from estate life. When
clearing the jungle for planting in Sugut, I began to find out how to
build roads, terrace the land, and identify good wood when felling logs
for housing. Along the way, I discovered things I never knew I could do.
There are sacrifices such as limited family time, and little contact
with the outside world. In emergencies, we can use the telephone in
the managers office. Cut off, estate staff become a close-knit family,
who look out for each other. It is the kind of workplace that is hard to
find nowadays.

17

Western Access
Tollway, Buenos
Aires, Argentina
main toll plaza at
Ituzaingo

INFRASTRUCTURE
Assets that can be Monetised

he infrastructure division grew out of the international ventures division

when it became obvious that the latter was an asset class in its own right,
with recurrent revenue generation capabilities and investments that could

be monetised. The division posted its first substantial profit in 1997, and the
profit trend continued. The initial contributions could not have come at a

better time. The group was recovering from the after effects of the 1997 Asian

Financial Crisis that took its toll on the construction, property and industry
divisions. Jobs were scarce, revenues were down and debt collection was a

nightmare. It was time to monetise some of the international infrastructure

assets, and they did not let IJM down.

IJMs international thrust began very early in its history, adopted to counter the negative
impact of the 1985 global economic recession that ravaged Malaysia. The group was then
two years old, and preparing to list on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange to fund expansion
plans. There was a lack of liquidity and a lack of jobs in Malaysia. In the face of hardship
in the home market, the founding partners of IJM opted to take its construction business
overseas. They were familiar with developed economies, and the group strategy of
geographical diversification took IJM to Australia, United Kingdom, the USA, Singapore and
Hong Kong. A few jobs gave some relief to the construction division, but by and large, IJM
made headway more as an investor rather than a contractor, especially in the West they
needed money, not expertise.
A discernible shift occurred in the 1990s, when prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad
vigorously promoted South-South cooperation, encouraging Malaysian companies to enter
developing countries. IJM heeded the call, and ventured into emerging markets such as China,
Vietnam, Namibia, Chile, and Argentina. There were hits and misses, with the biggest strides
made in China, Vietnam and Argentina.
On an investment mode, IJM entered the China market when few international players did.
The first major infrastructure investment occurred in 1994, when IJM took up a 37.5% equity

THE IJM STORY

Yangzhong Changjiang Bridge in

China was sold in the aftermath of the
1997 Asian Financial Crisis to meet
the rising cost of foreign borrowings
caused by the ringgit peg.

INFRASTRUCTURE: ASSETS THAT CAN BE MONETISED

interest in the Wuxi Nenda Co-Generation Company Ltd that had a 50 year concession to build,
operate and maintain a co-generation plant in the County of Wuxi in the Jiangsu Province of
China. In early 1996, IJM took up a 25.5% stake in the Zhongma Yangzhong Changjiang Bridge
Corporation Limited that had the concession for toll collection, management, operation and
maintenance of Yangzhong Changjiang Bridge for a period of 25 years. IJM Annual Report 1996
states: Toll collections on the bridge had commenced and toll income to the present day has
surpassed expectations.
Also in 1996, IJM became a shareholder of Guangdong Province Expressway Development
Co Ltd, when it took up a 20% equity interest in the company that was a prospective
candidate to be listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. The Guangdong Province Expressway
Development Company is a BuildOperate-Transfer concessionaire that
owned two tolled expressways, one
operating and the other to be built, and
a bridge.
IJM sold these assets in the aftermath
of the Asian Financial Crisis to reduce
foreign currency debt, and later to fund
expansion plans. IJMs third managing
director, Krishnan Tan, who was in
the pioneering team spearheading
international investments, explains,
Chinese concessions needed continuous
reinvestment due to strong growth
and the funding structure of these
companies was based on shareholder
contributions. There was no bank debt,
and this imposed a burden on our own
financial resources since our funding strategy to finance investments was based on a 70:30
ratio of non recourse debt to equity, with IJM relying on the debt market to also fund its
30% equity. The infrastructure debt market in China then was almost non-existent and it
was hard to raise funds externally. Due to this and the pressures of the Asian Financial Crisis,
we decided to exit China, and concentrate in the rising India, where the capital market was
mature by comparison. Proceeds from our Chinese investments were used to pre-pay foreign
borrowings as well as to plough into future investments, especially in India.
IJM cashed out its 37.5% equity in Wuxi Co-Generation Plant in 1998 and 25.5% equity in
Yangzhong Changjiang Bridge in 2006. The Guangdong Province Expressway Development
Ltd shareholding was sold in stages, and IJM continued to rake in attractive dividends from
the investment over the next few years. In 2001, it cashed out 12.5% of its equity, and the
remaining equity was eventually sold in 2008, marking IJMs departure from China. The
Guangdong Expressway Development Ltd investment disposal resulted in a profit of over

241

Western Access Tollway in Buenos Aires, another infrastructure investment that brought respite during hard times. Still in the IJM stable, it has been a steady
revenue contributor.

RM240 million, and was described by second managing director Goh Chye
Keat as the most profitable international venture in IJM history. IJM had
entered China early and exited when the field was getting crowded. It
was a calculated risk that had served the company well.
IJM entered Argentina about the same time as China and the route
was somewhat similar. In 1996, IJM took up 24.5% equity in Grupo
Concessionario del Oeste SA (GCO) that had the concession to build, own
and operate 55.45 kilometres of the Western Access Tollway in Buenos
Aires. When GCO was en-route to public listing in 1998, IJM had placed
5.96 million shares for initial public offering in July 1999. The USD11.8
million encashment became GCOs maiden profit contribution of RM14.5
million to the group.
The ability to monetise infrastructure investments represents a major catalyst for the
growth of this privatisation model. Tan says, In the early years of privatisation, companies
could get in but had difficulty cashing out of BOT concessions. Privatised infrastructure
incurred a heavy debt burden during construction, and the gestation period, especially for

tollways, was often long. The plus side of this equation is that the concession companys debt
was often non recourse, with little or no risk involved to shareholders beyond their equity
investment. The down side was that there was no flexibility the owners of the concession

Source: The Star, 20 July 1999

240

242

THE IJM STORY

The privatised Binh An Water Supply Project in Ho

Chi Minh City is the first Build-Operate-Transfer
clean water supply project signed between the
Vietnamese and Malaysian governments. IJM is
the investor and builder of the project that began
in 1995.

Guangzhou-Foshan Expressway (above) is one of

many toll highways operated by the Guangdong
Provincial Expressway Development Co Ltd. IJM
divested its shares in the public listed company for
a profit of more than RM240 million.

INFRASTRUCTURE: ASSETS THAT CAN BE MONETISED

company could not easily exit their shares

at will. This equation changed with the
development of the private equity market
as well as the opening of public listing
opportunities for these investments that
enabled owners of concessionaires to
encash their investments any time before
the end of the concession period.
Concessions thus became a distinct
asset class, with the potential to generate
recurrent income during operations,
which appealed to long term investors
such as pension funds. They were also
assets that could be listed. To better
exploit the potential of this business
and accord the attention it required, the
international ventures division was renamed as the infrastructure division in 1999. It began
with five infrastructure assets two toll highway concessions in China, one toll highway in
Argentina, one water treatment plant in Vietnam and one power plant in India. Except in
Vietnam and India where IJM was involved in construction as well, the rest were investments.
Fourteen years later, IJMs infrastructure portfolio consists of 13 BOT concessions nine
toll highway concessions (three in Malaysia, five in India, one in Argentina), two ports in
Malaysia (Kuantan Port and Kemaman Port), a water treatment plant in Vietnam and a power
plant in India.
IJM has always pursued BOT infrastructure concessions. Tan explains, For IJM, infrastructure
investments had twin benefits the Build mode filled the construction order book while the
Operate mode gave steady returns on the investment as well as capital gains when sold.
Build-Operate-Transfer concessions are the emerging worlds solution to owning modern
infrastructure, without causing an undue strain on the public purse. Once, infrastructure
such as transportation roads, ports and airports and utilities such as electricity, water
and sanitation were considered public amenities to be provided by the government. But
the high cost of infrastructure construction imposed an undue burden of public coffers, and
governments around the world chose to privatise these national assets. It is a worldwide
trend that took off in the early 1980s, and Malaysia was one of the earliest nations in the world
to embrace the concept.
Typically, the government appoints a private company, which can fund infrastructure
construction with its own equity contributions and long term borrowings (soft loans from
the government and grants are sometimes provided as viability gap funding). In return, the
private company is awarded the concession to operate the infrastructure for a fixed period of

243

time. Construction, financing and other related costs are recovered during operations, with
charges for usage. Since BOT involve strategic public assets built for the benefit of the public,
concessionaires seldom have the liberty to set the tariff this falls within the jurisdiction of
the government, the ultimate owner of the infrastructure. Toll and utility charges are political
hot potatoes, and given their universal usage can become electoral issues when not properly
managed. As such, governments tend to tread on eggshells when determining tariffs for these
public amenities.
One thing is clear, the privatisation of infrastructure is here to stay, especially in emerging
economies where they account for an increasing proportion of development expenditure.
IJM read the cards well, and bid for Build-Operate-Transfer concessions, both in Malaysia
and overseas. Its first award was a 16-year concession in 1994 for the design, construction,
financing and management of the Komplex Kementerian Kerja Raya Public Works Building
Complex, the first privatised government building in the country. The concession was a
success and has ended, and the building was transferred back to the government in 2012.
Regrettably, IJM failed in its bids for big ticket infrastructure concessions in Malaysia,
frequently selectively awarded to bumiputera companies to increase their participation in
the economy and others. Disappointed for not making much headway in Malaysia, it went
on an acquisitions trail for BOT investments overseas. Apart
from China and Argentina, it met with a measure of success in
Vietnam and India.
In 1996, IJM entered Vietnam, by taking up a 36.0% equity
interest in a BOT water project in Ho Chi Minh City through the

Toll roads operate on the principle of choice they are
Binh An Water Corporation Limited. In 1997, IJM made its debut
the alternative to toll-free roads. Frequently, toll-free roads are
in India, as an investor and contractor in the 60:40 joint venture
older, single lane roads that are congested. Road users have the
partnership in Gautami Power Limited that had the concession to
option of paying tolls for convenience and time savings.
operate a 360 MW power plant in the state of Andra Pradesh. It
Neoh Soon Hiong, director of Besraya and New Pantai Expressway
took some time to take off, giving IJM first hand experience of the
rocky road to privatisation in the newly liberalised India.

244

THE IJM STORY

Sikandra Toll Plaza in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

INFRASTRUCTURE: ASSETS THAT CAN BE MONETISED

The company was not discouraged because it saw possibilities in India as it had done
earlier in China. In 2001, IJM won its first BOT highway project in India, when it invested in
31.9% in Swarna Tollway Pte Ltd, which was awarded a 30-year concession for two highways
in Andra Pradesh. This investment heralded IJMs entry as a pioneering toll road investorcontractor in India, for the construction of the NH5 and NH9, a total of 156 km. Construction
was completed by 2003, positioning IJM
as a builder of quality infrastructure,
completed on time and within budget.
Tolling of the highways began in 2004.
Infrastructure (toll) general manager
James Wong Tet Foh says, IJMs
strength was that it is a construction
supermarket that could control the
entire building chain. We also had
strong backing from banks and internal
reserves. This removed construction
risks that frequently delay the take-off
of toll highways. After construction, the
infrastructure becomes an asset for us
to manage. And we had the professional
expertise for toll operations.
The first decade of 2000 was the
turning point for the infrastructure division. It started on a high, with IJM gaining ground as
a sought-after BOT concessionaire in India, and the company quickly expanded its footprint
across the subcontinent. By 2002, it had two 100% owned toll highway projects under its
belt the Rewa-Jaisinghnagar-Shahdol-Amarkantak Road and the Satna-Maihar-Parasi
More-Umaria toll highways, both in Madya Pradesh. In his Review of Operations, Annual
Report 2002, group managing director Krishnan Tan stated: It is envisaged that the heavy
spending on infrastructural development in India, particularly on roads, would provide a
good opportunity to expand our activities and anchor our presence in this vast country.
Three other BOT concessions followed the wholly owned Jaipur Mahua Tollway, 50%
owned Trichy Tollway and 33%-owned Second Vivekananda Bridge Tollway Company. By
2007, IJM had five toll highways and one power plant in India.
As expected, revenues took time to trickle in and the division slipped into the red between
2004/5 and 2007. The groups India hand, Tan, explains: In India, we started from scratch,
using foreign borrowings to finance our equity interest while construction was funded by non
recourse local borrowings, unlike in the past when we used internal funds. It takes time to see
returns on a toll road investment. As a guide, privatised highways see the lowest revenue and
highest debt cost at the start of the concession period. Profitability generally sets in about five
to seven years after opening for tolling. Toll highways in India are relatively new and incur
higher interest rates compared to Malaysia, and public acceptance also takes longer.

In his Review of Operations in the 2007 Annual Report, Tan sums up the anticipated
poor performance of the infrastructure division, attributing it to interest cost incurred on
offshore borrowings to finance the groups equity investments in toll concessions in India,
some of which were still under construction and low initial traffic volume in the groups
operating concessions. These concessions are currently in their third year of operations and
with improving traffic volumes and mandatory toll rate increases, better performance levels
are expected from them in the coming years.
Still, India was not off the IJM radar. In 2008, the group invested in another highway, the
50%-owned Chilkaluripet-Vijayawada Tollway for 82 kilometres in Andra Pradesh. Meanwhile,
an opportunity arose to encash one of its investments following its completion. IJM sold its
stake in the Second Vivekananda Bridge in Kolkata for a profit of RM65 million. It was in the
second year of operations and anticipated to make operating losses for the next 6 years. It
was a good sale that helped lift and expose the present value potential of the infrastructure
divisions assets.
The biggest shot in the arm for the division came with the strategic acquisition of Road
Builder (M) Holdings Berhad (RBH). After years of languishing in a BOT concession drought
in Malaysia, the division struck big in 2007, when it inherited four infrastructure assets that
forever changed the complexion of the infrastructure division, until then ruled by foreign
assets. With this inheritance, the infrastructure division bounced back with a vengeance to
post an impressive pre-tax profit of RM88.60 million in 2008.
All RBH assets were injected into the IJM Group and their financial performance reflected
in the 2008 accounts. The new additions two toll highways and two ports were potential
money spinners that gave the infrastructure division the big break it sorely needed. It
consisted of one profitable wholly owned highway the 16-km Besraya Highway that had a

Besraya Highway in Kuala Lumpur

245

Trichy Tollway in Tamil Nadu was divested in 2012.

New Pantai Expressway in Kuala Lumpur

IJM has the

management and
operational expertise
for toll highways. Picture
shows the New Pantai
Expressway Central
Monitoring Station.

248

THE IJM STORY

37-year concession and was operating for 10 years. It came with almost no debt, says Tan. The
other was the 20-km New Pantai Expressway with a 35 year concession. It had been operating
for five years and the inflexion point had yet to be reached, according to Tan. Both highways
were located in the Klang Valley, where road users were accustomed to toll highways and
the prospects of growing traffic volume were promising. The Besraya alignment is currently
being extended to connect it to the Middle Ring Road at Pandan Indah, an extra 13 km, to
improve connectivity on the Eastern side of the Klang Valley.
Besraya and New Pantai Expressway director Neoh Soon Hiong, previously from Road
Builder, says that when IJM took over these tollways, both faced stiff competition from
alternative toll free roads, and traffic was below targeted projections. IJM proposed the
removal of the Salak South toll plaza and the Kampung Medan toll plaza for Besraya and New
Pantai Expressway. The abolition of tolls for local road users and reduction of toll charges for
long haul motorists accelerated traffic growth for both highways
and placed them on better financial footing.

The view that ports dont make money is wrong. The port
Neoh says, As paid alternatives to non-toll roads, toll highways
have to ensure that they are well maintained and user friendly.
business is a 24/7 industry. Those days, capital expenditure was
We have to ensure that they are safer and remain the more costhuge and it was borne by the government. The industry was heavily
effective and convenient choice at all times.
unionised, and processes took longer. When staff performed well,
Curiously, IJMs prolonged bad spell for domestic concessions
it was difficult to reward them because salaries were tied to the
had ended the previous year, before the entry of RBHs assets. In
government remuneration structure. Privatisation addressed these
its quest for infrastructure investments, IJM spotted a couple of
issues, and we can now literally run a tight ship and be profitable.
concession companies in distress in 2007. It took over the 50%
Profitability depends of capturing traffic plying this route; it is very
equity interest of the ailing shareholder of Lebuhraya Kajangmuch a volume game.
Seremban Sdn Bhd, which had the concession for the 48km new
highway linking Kajang to Seremban for a period of 33 years. IJMs
Wong Soon Fah, first managing director of IJM infrastructure division (ports)
construction division swung into action to complete building the
highway, previously mired in financial problems. In 2008, the
eponymous LEKAS commenced tolling.
Source: The Star, 10 December 2007
Similar circumstances led to another investment, this time
the financially-strapped West Coast Expressway concessionaire.
The 240-km expressway is the alternative to the popular and
increasingly congested North-South Highway. At the time
of writing, a new concession agreement for the West Coast
Expressway had been signed and construction had yet to
commence. When it does, it will be a boon to the construction
divisions order book. Contribution to the infrastructure divisions
profit centre will take some years. The West Coast Expressway
concession is for 50 years, with a conditional extension of another
10 years. This is a new generation agreement with an equitable
mechanism for upside sharing with the government.

INFRASTRUCTURE: ASSETS THAT CAN BE MONETISED

uantan Port: the Dark Horse

Malaysias second prime minister Tun Abdul

Razak Hussein envisaged a port in his home
state of Pahang, and it led to the construction
of Kuantan Port in 1976. It was difficult to get
ships to call on Kuantan Port, recalls Wong Soon
Fah, the first managing director of Infrastructure
(Ports). Kuantan Ports primary cargo was palm
oil and timber, and this was controlled by
Singapore traders, who would buy from Malaysia
and repackage the products and sell them

as Made-in-Singapore goods. Worse, during

our marketing rounds, we found that traders
were bad-mouthing Kuantan Port. We had to
use other tactics to lure ships, and convinced
ship-owners from Korea and Japan to come to
Kuantan because our warehouses were cheaper.
Slowly, we won them over.
Initially designed to handle general cargo,
Kuantan today manages newer shipping
trends and cargo packaging, from break

249

bulk to palletisation, unitisation, dry bulk,

containerisation and liquid handling. It has
dedicated facilities for liquid chemical products
and container handling operations. Currently,
10 types of container shipping services are
provided by seven liner operators. For the
chemical trade, major tanker operators such
as Stolt Nielsen, MISC, Odfjell Tankers call at
Kuantan Port regularly.

IJM became a port operator in 2007, with the multipurpose Kuantan Port and the industrial
port of Kemaman, both located in the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. With this, IJM
Group enlarged its Malaysian footprint from Penang in the North to Johor in the south,
the East Coast, Sarawak and Sabah. The group now had a strategic presence in every key
development zone of Malaysia.
IJM was lucky to have picked up Kuantan Port at this juncture. The aging Kuantan
Port had taken centre-stage in the vigorous industrialisation of the East Coast economic
corridor, branded as East Coast Economic Region (ECER), which began in 2006.
Located at the edge of the Pacific Rim and within the ECER Special Economic Zone,
Kuantan Port is being envisioned by the government as the Gateway of the East, for
international trade with the markets of ASEAN and the Far East, particularly China,
which became Malaysias largest trading partner in 2011, with cargo volumes growing
Kuantan Ports second managing
exponentially since then. Kuantan Port offers the shortest, quickest and most direct route director Ho Phea Keat.
between Peninsular Malaysia and the ports of South China, compared to any other port
in Malaysia. It is also being positioned as transshipment centre for the redistribution of
manufactured goods, particularly in ASEAN, China, Japan and West Coast USA.
IJM is expanding Kuantan Port into a megaport, and embarked on the construction of a
Source: Nanyang Siang Pau, 6 February, 2013
new deep water terminal to accommodate panamax and super
panamax vessels. Cargo volumes are forecast to surge with
the rapid industrialisation of ECER and fast-growing bilateral
trade with China. In February 2013, IJM signed a Memorandum
of Understanding with the Guangxi Beibu International Port
Group (GBIPG) of China, which operates four ports in southwest
China, that will take up a 40% equity interest in the Kuantan
Port concession.
Kuantan Port has some 500 staff, many of them seasoned
players in the port industry. It is headed by managing director Ho
2013: IJMs managing director Teh Kean Ming exchanging documents with
Phea Keat who recalls the growth of Kuantan Port since it began
Ye Shixiang, president of Guangxi Beibu International Port Group, after the
MOU signing ceremony.
operations in 1984: It was a modest start, with cargo volumes of

250

THE IJM STORY

INFRASTRUCTURE: ASSETS THAT CAN BE MONETISED

less than one million tonnes per annum, says the port
veteran. Kuantan Port started by handling five types
of cargo latex, timber, iron ore, manganese and later
palm oil. When rubber and timber became sunset
industries in Malaysia, the port began to concentrate
on liquid chemicals, especially petrochemicals
following the oil & gas boom in Malaysia in the 1990s.
In 1998, Kuantan Port was privatised to Road
Builder Holdings Berhad. By then, several oil & gas
majors had established bases in the East Coast,
attracted by the availability of oil & gas, palm oil,
minerals and other raw materials. Land was, and still
is, relatively cheap here and there is a pool of skilled
labour. Our hinterland includes customers such as BHP
Amoco, BASF Petronas, MTBE, Eastman Chemicals.
Hazmat handling became Kuantan Ports niche, and we
gained international recognition for this.
The 2000s was a relatively quiet decade, and things started picking up
in 2010, when we noticed a sharp rise in exports to China, especially iron
ore. Since privatisation 12 years ago, Kuantan Port has expanded from the
original four wharves and two berths to a total of 20 wharves and seven
berths in 2010 to meet rising demand.
Port revenue comes from cargo handling (40%), ship revenue
piloting, dockage and port dues (35%), lease of land for industries
and support facilities (20%) and ancillary facilities fire-fighting,

PROPOSED KUANTAN PORT NEW DEEP WATER TERMINAL

Kuantan Port is being positioned as Malaysias Gateway to

the East and expanded to accommodate panamax and super
panamax vessels.

An oil rig berthed at Kuantan Port, which is located in the oil, gas
and petrochemical belt of Peninsular Malaysia.

251

fork-lifting and security (5%). Revenues were steady for much of the 2000s until the
launch of ECER in 2006.
Today, Kuantan Port handles about 15 million tonnes of cargo annually. The industrialisation
of ECER represents the next boom for the port. In 2012, ECER exceeded its investment target
of RM10 billion, by recording RM12 billion investments that year. Many of them are for exportoriented industries, which require port facilities.
The prospects are bright for Kuantan megaport, which will become more containerbased when the expansion is completed in 2015, says Ho. It will then have the capacity to
handle cargo volumes of between 60-80 million tonnes per annum, and the new deep water
terminal will be able to accommodate panamax and super panamax vessels.
Since 2008, the infrastructure division has made respectable gains, and its contributions to
the groups coffers have helped offset shrinking profit margins suffered by the construction
division. In 2009, it delivered a PBT of RM27 million, 5% of the groups profits, and its
contribution climbed steeply to RM128 million (18% of Group PBT) in 2011 before slipping
to RM86 million (11% of group PBT) in 2012 due to the addition of new and immature Indian
concessions that were in the loss making stage. While the bulk of profits come from mature
Malaysian concessions, foreign assets in Argentina, Vietnam and India make regular, albeit
modest, contributions.
The biggest setback for foreign assets is US-denominated borrowings and foreign
exchange fluctuations that tend to devalue their contributions to the group from time to
time. However, over time, their impact has been positive. Still, IJM had made substantial
profits from BOT concessions, especially from construction, recurrent income and the
occasional disposal of assets.

The early years of aggressive sales and marketing

to promote Kuantan Ports unique selling points,
especially its resource-rich hinterland.

The prospects are bright

for Kuantan Port, especially
with the growth of
bilateral trade between
Malaysia and China.

252

THE IJM STORY

THE IJM STORY

Conclusion

Daring ideas are like

chessmen moved forward.
They may be beaten,
but they may start a winning game.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

JM began as a daring dream of a group of civil engineers who were ahead of their
time. The formative years were full of hardship, sacrifices, even despair. But these determined
men never gave up hope, and remained committed to realising their dream of building a
professional group of companies that were equals to well-capitalised foreign construction
players who had made inroads into Malaysias construction industry.
IJM now celebrates 30 years of a winning game, with a footprint that has grown across the
world. It has delivered one sterling performance after another, and gained recognition as a
reputable Malaysian brand with a string of awards. There have been setbacks and mistakes,
but they pale in the brightness of achievements.
The IJM of today owes much to its founders, who bequeathed upon the company the
fundamental principles of a sustainable business: the culture of good governance, quest for
excellence and the philosophy of a shared destiny.
For them, business must be conducted in a fair and ethical manner. Only then will the
company be there for the long haul. In their relationship with staff, suppliers, subcontractors
and other third parties they emphasised transparency, integrity and accountability. These
values have become embedded into the IJM work and business culture. Faithful adherence
to these practices have propelled the rise and rise of IJM, a company with the reputation for
taking the road not taken, emerging more refreshed and energised by the decision.
The founders were hands-on managers who led by example. They pursued excellence
so that IJM could stand out and be counted in the increasingly competitive and crowded
construction business. Excellence was more than systems and procedures. It was a state of
mind, and the culture of excellence has permeated across all levels of staff, and strengthened
the core of the company.
People will always remain the lifeline of IJM, and the founders in their wisdom practised
the concept of a shared destiny. It has a simple, potent message. It urges staff to remain
steadfast and committed to the company goals because when the company prospers, so
will they. And when the going gets tough, sacrifices will have to be made by everyone. IJM is
blessed that its workforce has risen to the many challenges thrown at it, and the company
emerged stronger each time.
Now, as IJM stands on the threshold of another new decade, a new generation of leaders
have embarked on their journey to drive the company forward. They have inherited a
company with good genes. It is also well-capitalised, and has an enviable track record and
strong order books. The prospects are bright, but nothing can be taken for granted. As with
any journey, there are likely be obstacles, sometimes beyond ones control. It is now the turn
of IJMs second generation to seek solutions. The baton has been passed. And the next leg of
the race is theirs to run.

253

 New people need to take

the baton and run the next leg.
Krishnan Tan
Source: The Star, 12 June 2009

256

THE IJM STORY

INDEX

INDEX
A
Abdul Halim 6, 137, 141, 143, 159
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi 94, 167
Abu Dhabi 3, 97, 98, 167, 179
Adam Eleod 89
AEON Bandaraya Melaka 196
affordable 55, 56, 73, 96, 151, 181, 187, 189, 193, 201
affordable housing 55, 56, 73, 96, 151, 181, 187, 201
Africa 71, 73
agri-services 221
Ahmad Azizuddin 6, 24, 28, 47, 50, 82, 141, 142, 156
Alan Khoo Choom Kwong 221
Alor Setar 20, 23
Ampersand @ Kia Peng 201
Amsearch Report 224
Anand Sharma 128
Andra Pradesh 3, 90, 91, 92, 94, 95, 97, 190, 243,
244, 245
Andra Pradesh Housing Board 95, 97
annual dinner 112, 113
Annual Quality and Safety Award 166
Anthony Horden 51
APMC cement plant 20, 22
arboretum 233
Argentina 2, 71, 73, 76, 85, 88, 89, 90, 113, 118, 153,
238, 239, 241, 242, 243, 251
Asian Development Bank 35, 73
Asian Financial Crisis 47, 72, 75, 85, 88, 91, 99, 117,
123, 124, 164, 184, 206, 209, 219, 222, 239, 240
assets 21, 35, 37, 44, 61, 88, 94, 97, 98, 99, 104, 108,
109, 123, 126, 128, 187, 196, 205, 223, 239, 240, 242,
243, 245, 248, 251
Australia 3, 25, 36, 37, 48, 49, 50, 51, 69, 70, 75, 88,
190, 209, 235, 239
authorised capital 24, 27
Avillion Hotel 51, 190
Avillion Resort Hotel 176

Bahrain 3, 97, 167, 168

Balanced Scorecard 134
Bandar Rimbayu 201, 202
Bandar Sri Pinang 186
Bangalore 95, 174, 179, 212
Bangladesh 3, 25, 51, 167
Batu Lancang 56, 185, 187
Bayan Lepas 181

Besraya 105, 106, 108, 243, 245, 248

Big, Strong and Caring 4, 24, 47, 82
Binai Estate 224, 226
Binh An 87, 242, 243
Binh An Water Treatment Plant 87
Bintulu 21, 23, 53
Bintulu Development Authority 23, 53
Bio-compost 228
biological pest management 233
board of directors 29, 35, 40, 49, 80, 103, 120, 126,
170
Boey Tak Kong 6, 108
Borneo Child Aid 234
BOT 69, 71, 73, 89, 92, 241, 242, 243, 244, 245, 251
Brij Mohan Reddy 90
Buenos Aires 2, 73, 76, 238, 241
Build-Operate-Transfer 66, 87, 169, 240, 242, 243
Bukit Jambul 65, 67, 69, 70, 189, 197
Bukit Raja Industrial Park 65, 67
Bukit Tengah 209
Bulungan 217
bumiputeras 15, 61, 164, 170
Bursa Malaysia 24, 41, 105, 115, 127, 167, 198, 199, 223
Butterworth Outer Ring Road 171

cadetship 237
Cambodia 186, 215
Canada 210
Central Monitoring Station 246
centre of excellence 234
Changchun 99
Chay Kwok Thong 24, 39, 41, 49, 80, 82, 121, 146,
147, 156, 157, 168
Chee Wan Yee 82, 150, 151, 157, 168
Chennai 91, 94, 212
Chennai Bypass Highway 94
Chen Yu Land 47, 56
Chile 2, 71, 73, 239
China 3, 32, 36, 71, 73, 88, 89, 90, 91, 99, 107, 118, 128,
139, 151, 167, 201, 211, 213, 215, 239, 240, 241, 242,
243, 244, 249, 250, 251
Choo Choon Yeow 82, 121, 125, 146, 147, 157, 158, 168
Choong Chin Liang 12
Christopher Richard Donough 221
Chua Hock Chin 103, 105, 107
Chye Hin Construction 12, 40

Chye Hin 13

CIDB 83, 91, 170

COBRA 127
Cofreth 54
Colmar Tropicale 177
Combined Old Boys Rugby Association 127
Commonwealth Games Village 63, 206
Computerisation 45
concession agreements 128
concessionaire 63, 72, 73, 99, 118, 240, 244, 248
Connaught Bridge Power Station 22, 48
conservation 232, 233
Construction Industry Development Board 83,
91, 169, 170
Conway Place 190
CPO 220, 222, 229, 234
Crendon 51, 53
crude palm kernel oil 228

David Frederick Wilson 152, 155, 159

David Wilson 108, 136, 153
Deepak Dasgupta 90
Delhi 3, 92, 93, 94, 95, 136, 179
Delhi Metro 92, 136, 179
Department of Drainage & Irrigation 12, 13
Desa Talisai 47, 58, 59, 69, 218, 219, 222, 226, 230,
234, 235, 236
Desa Talisai Sdn Bhd 58, 219
devaluation 85, 123, 206
dipterocarps 232
diversification 35, 46, 50, 55, 69, 70, 88, 120, 127,
170, 215, 239
Double tracking rail 64
DS Rao 90
DTSB 219, 222
Dubai 3, 97, 167, 179
Durabon 211, 212
DxP seeds 221

earnings 27, 67, 78, 83, 97, 104, 114, 123, 125, 127, 139,
174, 196
East Coast Economic Region 249
ECER 249, 250, 251
Economic Transformation Plan 98, 215
Economic Transformation Programme 117
Econstates 108, 109
education 9, 15, 69, 70, 81, 117, 137, 153, 170, 187, 235

Emirates Catering Centre 97, 100

Employee Provident Fund 117, 171
encashment 241
environmental stewardship 233
EPF 117
Er Ah Huat 189
ETP 117
Excellence through Quality 4, 67, 81, 82
executive director 38, 40, 41, 83, 142, 143, 147, 148,
151, 154, 155, 170, 171, 227, 228

Federal Highway 21, 23

Felix Golingi 218, 222
FFB 229
FIPB 95, 96
First Silicon semiconductor 177
Florida 51, 75, 190
Forbes 15, 41
Foreign Investment Promotion Board 95
Fortune Tower 97, 179
Francis Chai Min Fah 221
fresh fruit bunches 222, 229, 230, 234, 235

Gautami 90, 91, 243

Gautami power plant 90
Gayatri Construction 91
GBIPG 249
Generation X 136, 137, 138, 228
Generation Y 137
George Soros 99
Georgetown 181, 187, 196
Glass Reinforced Cement 54
Gleneagles Hospital 64
Godrej Agrovet 98, 234
Godrej Gokarna 98
Goh Chye Keat 5, 6, 10, 14, 24, 27, 29, 33, 35, 36, 41,
49, 51, 59, 63, 70, 71, 73, 78, 79, 81, 82, 121, 125, 127,
130, 136, 144, 145, 156, 158, 170, 208, 241
Goh Chye Koon 6, 47, 82, 91, 113, 121, 125, 129, 133,
146, 148, 158, 163, 166, 168, 169, 173, 200, 223
Goh Nan Kioh 6, 24, 30, 31, 32, 80, 157
Gold Coast 3, 190
Golden Gate University 47, 151
goodwill write-off 114
governance 38, 44, 46, 81, 86, 99, 123, 127, 129, 140,
143, 174, 253
GPED 99, 128
Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur 178
Greater Singapore Bunkering Hub 215
Grupo Concessionario del Oeste SA 88, 241
Guangdong 3, 73, 88, 99, 213, 240, 242
Guangdong Province Expressway Development
Co Ltd 240
Guangdong Province Expressway Development
Ltd 240

Guangdong Provincial Expressway Development

73, 88, 99, 242
Guangxi Beibu International Port Group 249
Guangzhou-Foshan Expressway 73, 242
Gulf States 97, 100, 107
Gunasaker Ponnusamy 221, 235

Haji Murad 152, 153, 157

Han Siew King 220
Harbour Trade Centre 185
Harry Khor Kiem Teoh 125, 207, 209, 210
Henry Gurney School 235
herbarium 233
Hexacon 41, 51
High Performance Culture 137, 138, 139, 155
Ho Chi Minh City 3, 71, 242, 243
Hong Kong 3, 25, 32, 46, 51, 85, 99, 167, 239
Ho Phea Keat 6, 108, 249
Horden Tower 51, 74, 88, 190
Hume Industries 115, 206, 207
Hyderabad 91, 95, 96, 97, 190, 211, 212

ICP 21, 27, 37, 38, 53, 54, 67, 97, 98, 99, 115, 123, 128,
129, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215.
SeeIndustrial Concrete Products Sdn Bhd
IGB 13, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27, 29, 31, 32, 34, 35, 38,
41, 44, 45, 47, 56, 80, 109, 121, 131, 132, 142, 155, 171,
188, 189, 191, 210
IJM-Degremont 47
IJM Engineering & Construction 24, 27, 45, 59, 142
IJMI 91, 92, 95, 96, 97, 98
IJM India Infrastructure Limited 91
IJM Land 36, 99, 108, 109, 116, 127, 139, 154, 155, 187,
191, 196, 198, 199, 200, 201, 202
IJMP 115, 218, 221, 223, 234, 235, 237
IJM Plantations 36, 98, 115, 123, 126, 129, 139, 197,
217, 219, 220, 221, 223, 224, 225, 226, 228, 229, 232,
234, 235
IJM Plantations Berhad 115, 123, 223, 228
IJM Properties 56, 116, 134, 135, 136, 186, 187, 188,
193, 197, 198, 199, 200
incentive 40, 48, 170
India 3, 71, 84, 89, 90, 91, 92, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 107,
112, 113, 116, 118, 124, 127, 128, 136, 139, 143, 148,
149, 153, 155, 167, 173, 174, 179, 190, 211, 212, 234,
240, 242, 243, 244, 245, 251
Indian partner 91
Indonesia 3, 85, 98, 128, 139, 143, 186, 215, 216, 217,
221, 224, 225, 226, 228, 234, 235
Industrial Concrete Products Berhad 115, 123, 208
Industrial Concrete Products Sdn Bhd 21, 27, 37,
53, 67, 207
infrastructure asset 128
infrastructure division 92, 113, 239, 242, 244, 245,
248, 251

257

insectarium 233
integrated pest management 233
integration 34, 35, 44, 53, 78, 109, 112, 114, 117, 126,
131, 136, 154, 155, 169
international ventures division 88, 239, 242
investment 15, 31, 41, 56, 58, 59, 71, 75, 78, 82, 83, 86,
87, 88, 89, 92, 98, 99, 104, 105, 107, 114, 126, 127,
130, 138, 186, 197, 223, 227, 239, 240, 241, 242, 244,
248, 251
Ipoh 12, 13, 19, 21, 23, 24, 26, 31, 37, 56, 65, 179, 206
Ipoh Garden Sdn Bhd 13
Ipoh Railway Station 179
IPS 225, 226
Iskandar Malaysia 104, 188, 208, 215
Islamabad 3, 211, 212
Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia extension 171
ISO 9002 75, 81, 82, 204, 205

Jabatan Kerja Raya 12, 45, 151, 170

Jaipur Mahua Tollway 94, 174, 244
Jalan Ipoh Overpass 23
Jalan Mesjid Negeri Flyover 52
Jalan Udini 181
James Wong Tet Foh 92, 244
Jasmine Towers 65
Jawi 215
JDSB 181
Jelutong Development Sdn Bhd 181
Jelutong Expressway 178, 181, 184, 185, 186, 187, 198
Jeremie Ting Keng Fui 82, 108, 208, 223
Jiangmen 99, 128, 211, 213
JKR 12, 37, 45, 151, 208
JMD Development 51
Johor 21, 69, 109, 116, 121, 173, 179, 189, 199, 200, 205,
215, 249
Joseph Pairin Kitigan 222
Joseph Tek 126, 220, 223, 227, 228
JP Morgan 97
Jurutama 10, 11, 15, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27, 29, 31, 34,
35, 36, 37, 38, 40, 41, 44, 45, 46, 47, 53, 56, 78, 80,
109, 147, 151, 165, 185, 187, 206, 208, 209, 210
Jurutama Sdn Bhd 10, 11, 15, 21, 185

Kalimantan 217, 224, 227

Kamad Quarry 54
Karachi Expressway 112
Karnataka 3, 94, 190, 234
Kemaman 20, 22, 105, 147, 242, 249
Kemaman Port 20, 22, 242
Khoo Chew Meng 82, 150, 151, 157, 158, 168
Khoo Khee Ming 223
Khor Kiem Teoh 6, 125, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210
Kian Hiung 220

258

THE IJM STORY

Klang 14, 20, 21, 22, 42, 54, 59, 60, 65, 67, 69, 112, 117,
135, 174, 177, 189, 191, 193, 199, 200, 205, 211, 215,
220, 248
Klang Valley 20, 21, 42, 54, 59, 60, 67, 69, 112, 117,
135, 174, 189, 191, 193, 199, 200, 205, 220, 248
KL International Airport 63, 66, 72, 169, 206
KL Mass Rapid Transit 117
KLSE 72, 85, 86, 87, 99, 125, 167, 206
KL-Seremban Toll Expressway 47, 177
KL Stock Exchange 24, 27
Koay Poon Hock 168
Koh Boon Chor 5, 6, 10, 13, 24, 28, 35, 39, 40, 44, 45,
47, 48, 49, 78, 80, 121, 144, 145, 156, 157
Kolej Antarabangsa 69, 70
Kolkata 245
Komplex Kementerian Kerja Raya 243
Komtar 181, 185
Koon Yew Yin 6, 10, 12, 13, 14, 21, 24, 28, 35, 39, 40,
80, 121, 156, 157
Koperasi Pembangunan Desa 58, 219, 220
KPD 58, 59, 218, 220, 222
KP Lim 57, 59, 219, 220
Krishnan Tan 5, 6, 24, 30, 32, 35, 36, 38, 51, 58, 70,
82, 83, 85, 87, 89, 90, 91, 92, 97, 98, 99, 103, 104,
107, 109, 113, 117, 118, 120, 121, 125, 126, 127, 128,
129, 130, 136, 137, 140, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 153,
155, 172, 184, 185, 198, 199, 208, 210, 218, 223, 240,
244, 254
KRP 205
Kuala Lumpur 9, 11, 13, 14, 20, 21, 23, 47, 52, 56, 60,
63, 64, 65, 67, 68, 69, 71, 72, 85, 91, 99, 106, 112,
115, 117, 131, 133, 136, 164, 170, 175, 176, 178, 179,
181, 187, 189, 193, 200, 206, 209, 210, 212, 221, 223,
239, 245
Kuala Lumpur City Centre 170
Kuala Lumpur Monorail 179
Kuala Terengganu Water Supply Plant 22
Kuang Rock Products 205
Kuantan 105, 108, 129, 139, 242, 249, 250, 251
Kuantan Port 105, 108, 129, 139, 242, 249, 250, 251
Kuching 20, 65, 177
Kukatpally 96, 190
Kumpulan Europlus 118
Kumpulan Perangsang 121
Kunjumman Thomas 221
Kutai Timur 217

labour 217, 218, 221, 224, 233, 250

Labu 204
Laman Baiduri 194
Laman Granview 193
Lampung 217, 225
land bank 56, 69, 109, 113, 128, 139, 185, 187, 191, 199,
222, 224, 227
Lee Chun Fai 108
Lee Teck Yuen 6, 108, 152, 154, 159

INDEX

Legumes 221
LEKAS 118, 248
Le Morne Beach Resort Hotel 64
Leong Yew Kuen 126
Liew Chee Khong 90
Liew Hau Seng 90, 168
Light Point 180, 201
Lim Chong Hin 11
Lim Choong Kong 6, 10, 13, 14, 20, 21, 24, 27, 29, 33,
34, 35, 36, 44, 47, 49, 57, 80, 121, 146, 147, 156, 208
Lim Goh Tong 11
Lim Yong Keat 6, 10, 11, 14, 24, 27, 33, 37, 38, 80, 82,
121, 129, 156, 157, 207, 208, 209
Lincoln Lodge 52
Linear 201
Ling Ah Hong 223, 228
liquidity 27, 87, 173, 207, 239
logo 59, 199, 207
London 2, 10, 13, 186, 201
Loo Ah Hooi 206
Look East policy 18
Low Yat 11
Loy Boon Chen 99, 168
Lumut Naval Dockyard 20, 22

M&A 19, 21, 24, 103, 108, 117, 154, 206

Madya Pradesh 3, 94, 244
Maharashtra 3, 94
Mahathir Mohamad 18, 53, 61, 69, 73, 85, 94, 131,
142, 163, 184, 239
Mah Teck Oon 125, 208
Malaysia Incorporated 61, 62
Malaysian Rock Products 115, 116, 204, 205, 212
Malaysia Rugby Union 83
Malaysia South-South Corporation 71
Mani 168
Manjit Singh 95, 97
Manmohan Singh 89, 90
Manubar Estate 225, 226
Maraputra 24, 142
Marcello Santurio 89
Marina Square in Al Reem Island 179
market capitalisation 29, 63, 81, 107, 109, 126, 200
Mark of Excellence 94
MASSCORP 71
Master Builders Association Malaysia 18, 169
Mauritius 3, 64, 71, 91
media 75, 103, 104, 116, 126, 127
medium cost 56, 185, 186, 187, 189
megaport 139, 249, 251
Melbourne 3, 75
Meliau 220, 226, 237
Menara CIMB 134, 136, 178
Menara IJM Land 196

merger 19, 20, 24, 26, 27, 28, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38,
40, 44, 45, 78, 103, 104, 107, 108, 109, 112, 113, 114,
115, 117, 121, 126, 154, 199, 200, 210
merger & acquisition 19, 103
Metro East 186
Micasa Hotel Apartments 64
Middle East 97, 98, 124, 148, 153, 155, 167
Mid Valley Megamall 63, 131, 132, 164
mill waste management 233
Minat Teguh 226, 230
Ministry of Works 69, 153, 171
Mitsui 21, 27, 208, 209
Mitsui Construction Co. of Japan 21
MMC 105, 142, 171
Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak 98, 117, 128
Mohd Tahir 24, 156
MPH building 52
M Ramachandran 223
MRCB 117
MRP 205, 211
Muda Irrigation Project 13, 14, 15, 20
Mudajaya 10, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29,
31, 32, 34, 35, 38, 40, 41, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 70, 72,
80, 109, 142, 147, 149, 151, 165
Mudajaya Construction Sdn Bhd 10, 13, 72
Mulpha 72
Mumbai 90, 91, 94, 212
Mumbai-Pune Expressway 90, 91
Municipal Corporation of Delhi 93
Murugan Munusamy 237
Myanmar 64, 71, 186, 210, 215

Nagarajan Thangaraju 221

Namibia 2, 71, 239
Nasruddin bin Bahari 108
National Cancer Institute 112
National Heart Centre 65
National Mosque 11
National Science Centre 178
National Theatre 176
Negara Nurseries 56
Negara Properties 121
Negeri Sembilan 109, 110, 116, 176, 200, 204, 205
Neoh Soon Hiong 6, 108, 243, 248
NEP 164
New Economic Policy 13, 15, 27, 62, 124, 164, 170
New Pantai Expressway 105, 112, 243, 245, 246, 248
New World Hotel 64
Ng Aik Pang 168
Ng Chin Meng 90, 91, 148
Ng Chung Yin 218, 221, 235
NKVE 59
non recourse debt 240
North Klang Straits Industrial Estate 14, 21
North Klang Valley Expressway 42, 59, 60
North South Expressway 59, 172

North-South Highway 63, 66, 72, 155, 206, 248

nursery 218, 221, 224, 225
Nurturing Sustainability 232
Nusa Duta 188, 199
Nusajaya 72

Oh Chong Peng 6, 103, 152, 153, 154, 158, 223

oil yield 229
Ong Ka Chuan 199
Ong Teng Cheng 168
Ong Yeng Tian 6, 14, 24, 27, 36, 58, 80, 121, 156, 208,
218, 219
Ooi Poay Lum 6, 82, 125, 132, 135, 150, 151, 157, 158,
165, 168, 185, 187, 197
Orchid Park 190
order book 51, 63, 91, 98, 104, 107, 109, 112, 125, 128,
139, 167, 173, 174, 210, 242, 248
Orlando 2, 51, 75, 190
OSW Properties 75, 88, 190

Pahang 11, 19, 20, 105, 116, 151, 173, 177, 220, 249
Pahang-Selangor Raw Water Transfer Tunnel 173
paid up capital 24, 27, 38, 40
Pakistan 3, 25, 51, 112, 167, 211, 212
palm oil mill 69, 218, 222, 224, 225
Palm Oil Registration and Licensing Authority 69
Pankaj Agrawal 90, 91
Pan Pacific Resort Pulau Pangkor 176
Pantai Puteri Hospital 65
Parliament House 11
PATI 72
pay cuts 14, 47, 89, 123
Paynter Dixon 51
PBT 79, 88, 114, 213, 251
Peak magazine 127
Penang 9, 19, 21, 23, 36, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 65, 67, 69,
70, 135, 136, 170, 171, 178, 180, 181, 182, 184, 185,
186, 187, 188, 189, 191, 193, 196, 197, 198, 200, 201,
209, 214, 215, 249
Penang Bridge 19, 181, 185, 214
Penang Development Corporation 56, 69, 185, 197
Penang International Education and Technology
Centre 69, 70, 197
Penang State Government 181
Peninsular Gas Utilisation Export Terminal 22
Perak 14, 22, 54, 56, 65, 69, 139, 142, 176
Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor 14
Permata Estate 224
Permodalan Nasional Berhad 19, 171
Petaling Jaya 6, 23, 26, 27, 32, 64, 65, 127, 135, 191,
192, 193
Petaling Jaya-Bangsar Linkage 64
Philippines 71, 85
PJ8 192

PKNS. SeePerbadanan Kemajuan Negeri

Selangor
PK Poh 189
PK Venugopal 221
plantations 32, 36, 37, 57, 59, 69, 88, 98, 115, 120, 124,
125, 126, 142, 154, 169, 217, 219, 220, 227
Plaza Pekeliling 21
Port Klang Power Station Phase II 177
Port revenue 250
Prai Power Station Phase 3 27, 208
prefabricated housing 187
Prestige Shantiniketan 95, 174, 179
prime minister 8, 9, 15, 18, 21, 53, 61, 69, 71, 73, 85,
89, 94, 98, 128, 131, 136, 142, 163, 165, 166, 167, 184,
239, 249
privatisation 55, 56, 59, 61, 62, 66, 71, 73, 83, 91, 92,
126, 128, 164, 181, 185, 187, 189, 241, 243, 250
Prominent Player Award 83, 127
property development 13, 25, 31, 32, 35, 36, 37, 51,
53, 55, 56, 57, 75, 95, 98, 107, 109, 112, 135, 139, 181,
185, 187, 188, 200
property division 56, 109, 113, 116, 128, 132, 133, 134,
135, 136, 151, 155, 184, 185, 186, 189, 191, 198
PSC piles 206, 209, 210, 213
public flotation 24, 27, 46, 50, 87, 115, 123
Public Works Department 10, 12, 143, 170
Pucung Building Products 47, 53
Pune 90, 91, 94
Purushothaman Kumaran 126, 227
Putrajaya 63, 66, 87, 106, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167,
169, 178
Putrajaya Hospital 87, 178
Putrajaya International Convention Centre 162,
163, 164, 166, 167
PWD. SeePublic Works Department

QTRC 227, 232, 237

Quality, Training and Research Centre 226, 227
quarry 37, 47, 97, 126, 204, 205, 212
quarrying and manufacturing 53, 55, 62, 67, 69,
123, 205
quarrying & manufacturing 6, 53, 67, 82, 207

Rahman Hydraulic Tin Berhad 115, 223

Raintree Park 96, 97, 190
Rajasthan 3, 94, 174, 244
Rakan Sukan 83
Ramaraju 90
Ray Cheah 189
Raymond Tan 108
RBH 103, 104, 105, 107, 108, 109, 112, 113, 114, 116, 167,
172, 245, 248
RB Land 108, 109, 113, 116, 136, 155, 198, 199, 200
RC Sinha 90
R&D 58, 217, 221, 224, 227

259

ready mixed 37, 97, 98, 205, 211, 212

ready mixed concrete 37, 97, 205, 211
recurrent income 242, 251
Remuneration 139, 153, 154
Renaissance Hotel 64
replanting 220, 225, 233
research & development centre 215
Riana Green 67, 134, 135, 191
Richard Fong 168
risk management 27, 88, 124, 126, 129, 219
Riverside Condominium 177
Road Builder 98, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 112, 113,
123, 126, 127, 136, 154, 155, 167, 198, 245, 248, 250
rugby 127, 234, 235
Rugby Union 83, 234, 235

S2 Heights 198
Sabah 19, 25, 27, 36, 41, 47, 57, 58, 69, 189, 197, 200,
216, 217, 218, 219, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 227,
228, 229, 232, 234, 235, 237, 249
San Bernardo 73
Sandakan 47, 58, 69, 189, 197, 219, 220, 221, 222, 223,
229, 232, 234, 237
Sanjay Agrawal 90, 91
Santiago 2, 73
Santubong Bridge 65
Sarawak 21, 23, 53, 65, 69, 151, 177, 189, 200, 205, 249
Satyam Construction 91
Scaffold Master 211
scholarships 41, 82
Schroders Report 75
second planting cycle 219, 236
Second Vivekananda Bridge 128, 244, 245
Selangor 6, 14, 21, 22, 23, 48, 52, 54, 55, 56, 57, 65,
116, 121, 139, 173, 177, 189, 193, 194, 196, 199, 215
Senai Aeromall Terminal 179
Senai Airport 173
Senior Management Dialogue 79, 113, 122, 129
Sentosa Cove 135, 136
seraya 232
Seremban 47, 64, 110, 113, 118, 128, 177, 198, 199, 248
Seremban 2 110, 113, 198, 199
shared destiny 89, 123, 139, 253
share price 27, 63, 81, 82, 97, 104, 114, 138, 142
Sharidal Complex 26, 27, 32, 34
Shell 21
Shenzhen 73, 99, 240
Shenzhen Stock Exchange 73, 99, 240
Siah Heng San 218, 221, 235
Sierra Vista 189
Sijas 222, 226, 227, 232
Sim Quan Seng 82, 125, 150, 151, 157, 205
Singapore 3, 13, 15, 20, 41, 50, 51, 52, 64, 71, 72, 74, 85,
135, 136, 167, 169, 177, 178, 210, 215, 239, 249
Soam Heng Choon 6, 108, 113, 154, 159, 191, 198, 199,
200

260

THE IJM STORY

soil conditioning 233

Solidstate 24
Soo Heng Chin 150, 151, 158, 168
Soon Tat Construction 13, 14
Soo Sik Sang 163, 166, 168
South Fork 51, 190
Sri Pangkor 67, 191
Sri York 191
S Samy Vellu 81, 128
SStwo Mall 193, 199
stakeholders 149, 233
St Georges Building Society 48, 49
Strategic Business Plan 79, 80
Strong Mixed Concrete 97, 211
Styrobilt 54
Subang 11, 21, 57, 59, 112, 194, 199
Subang International Airport 11, 21, 57
Subang Jaya 112, 194, 199
Subbarami Reddy 90
Sugut 216, 221, 222, 226, 229, 230, 232, 234, 235, 237
Sumatra 217, 224, 225, 227
Sungai Perai 21, 23
Sungai Sabang Estate 216, 226
Suriamas Service Apartments 121
sustainability 29, 46, 59, 81, 124, 139, 165, 232, 233
Swarna Tollway 92, 244
Sydney 3, 31, 48, 49, 51, 69, 70, 74, 75, 190

Taman Brown 53, 55

Taman Melawati 52, 57
Taman Tun Sardon 187
Taman Utama 189, 197
Tamil Nadu 3, 94, 245
Tampines Avenue 64
Tan Boon Gark 189
Tan Boon Seng 5, 6, 24, 30, 32, 108, 120, 144, 145,
146, 147, 156, 208, 218, 223
Tan Chin Nam 11, 13, 32
Tan Gim Foo 6, 146, 149, 158, 163, 165, 166, 167, 168,
169, 173
Tan Sin Leong 6, 41, 70, 82, 146, 147, 157, 165, 168,
169, 174

tariffs 229, 243

Technical College 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 19, 29, 34, 35, 37,
40, 151
Teh Kean Ming 5, 6, 91, 108, 113, 125, 129, 130, 135,
136, 144, 145, 146, 148, 149, 158, 184, 186, 196, 197,
199, 200
Teluk Intan District Hospital 176
Teng Chong Meng 168
Tengku Ahmad Rithaudeen bin Tengku Ismail 6,
108
Terengganu 20, 22, 41, 54, 147
Terengganu hydroelectric saddle dam 41
Tesco 136, 186, 196
The Binjai 170
The Light 135, 180, 182, 187, 198, 201
The Lumiere 178
Thye Fook Keong 219
Tiararibu 72
Tokoh Sukan Sabah 235
tolled expressways 240
Toll highways 244
Torsco 67, 87, 164, 166, 205, 206, 207
Tower Bridge 186
track record 15, 19, 20, 32, 40, 45, 48, 51, 66, 72, 73,
78, 82, 114, 118, 130, 133, 143, 164, 205, 223, 253
transparency 81, 253
Trichy Tollway 128, 244, 245
Troika KLCC 175
Tropicana Golf & Country Club House 65
Tunku Abdul Rahman 8, 9, 15

UEM 59, 72
Ulbon 54
United Asbestos Cement 14, 37, 208
United Engineers Malaysia Berhad 59
University of Malaya 9, 11
Upper Pierce Dam 20
USA 25, 47, 50, 151, 190, 210, 229, 234, 239, 249

valuation 21, 27, 31, 34, 35, 38, 44, 210

Vela 59, 218, 219, 220, 221, 222, 223, 227, 228, 229, 232,
233, 234, 235
Velayuthan Tan 59, 126, 129, 218, 219, 220, 223, 224,
227, 235
Veloo Karupayah 221
Vietnam 3, 71, 87, 90, 113, 143, 151, 167, 201, 210, 239,
242, 243, 251
Vision 2020 15, 61
Vocational Institute 52

Wan Abdul Rahman 6, 141, 142, 158, 167, 170

water conservation 233
We Deliver 4, 127, 139, 167
We make good better 198, 201
West Bengal 3, 94
West Coast Expressway 112, 117, 118, 139, 174, 248
Western Access Tollway 73, 76, 238, 241
Wimpey Construction 13
Wisma IJM 6, 26, 27, 32, 34, 47, 208, 226
Wong See Wah 6, 223, 225
Wong Soon Fah 6, 108, 129, 248, 249
working capital 14, 62, 86, 87, 91, 98, 104, 112
World Bank 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 35, 51, 73, 89, 209
World Square 49, 75, 190
Wuxi 3, 71, 88, 99, 240
Wuxi Co-Generation plant 99
Wuxi Nenda Co-Generation Company Ltd 240

Yahya bin Yaacob 6, 152, 153, 158, 170

Yangon 3, 64
Yangzhong 3, 88, 99, 240
Yangzhong Changjiang Bridge 88, 240
Yap Lim Sen 6, 10, 12, 19, 24, 28, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 38,
40, 80, 121, 126, 131, 142, 156, 157, 170, 172, 188, 189

Zelan 105, 142, 171

zero-burning 233
Zhongma Yangzhong Changjiang Bridge
Corporation Limited 240

ISBN 978-967-12002-0-9

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