René Breithaupt, Commercial Director, Zublin Strabag • Interview

Zublin Strabag was quick to ensure that its workforce remained engaged during the pandemic, guaranteeing continued profitability despite challenging times.

How did you tackle the unexpected effects of the pandemic, and where is your business at the moment?

The pandemic changed our life and business very drastically in March 2020, and we made measurements and changes early on. We first established a dedicated team to identify and adapt to the possible upcoming and sudden new regulations. We took other pandemics from the past into consideration and felt that social distancing and wearing masks was necessary, and even before the authorities implemented guidelines and regulations we made arrangements and changed the concept of the office and our staff and labor accommodation to provide more space. Every company for audit purposes has an integrated management system (IMS) system. We are quite lean on this so we were able to create, change, and communicate internal procedures quickly. Our IMS system includes an emergency response plan for the sudden closure of companies, and we enhanced this and invited our partners (banks, subcontractors, and vendors) and employees to be more flexible. We created a procedure so that the company could be managed totally remotely without major interruption in basic administration. Communication with team members was key to give them confidence. We tried to communicate with our employees the latest regulations, measurements, feedback, and updates from the government to give them confidence. In general it was quite an interesting experience for me and management as well, and fortunately we had no major problems. Even financially, 2020 was not that bad compared to some of our competitors or other companies that closed down. We are fairly healthy, and that is due to solid management and teamwork.

What were the main factors that ensured your resiliency?

The team is the main factor. We were all in the same boat, and everyone understood that they had to be flexible. We did not let them down and protected them as much as possible. It is a team effort between the management and the employees themselves. The other big trigger was the IT system. Suddenly, everyone had to change, and there were large sums of money pushed into the market for IT systems and new communication platforms.

How would you assess the organization’s attitude toward sustainability?

For us, sustainability is extremely important to be a part of the development of the country. We have an internal target to increase the output of our projects related to water and waste treatment. We have already delivered many projects in such an environment. From 2014 to 2018, we worked on sewer lines in Abu Dhabi, which involved the enhancement of the sewer system in Abu Dhabi. We did all the tunneling works and connections, and now we are part of the Hatta Power Plant project. In the future, we are looking at the market in Dubai, which is looking to enhance its storm water and sewer systems. We are just waiting for the tenders. This will enhance our reputation, and it is also an honor for us to develop and shape the country with our company and knowledge.

From a technological perspective, are you a different company today as opposed to a year ago?

In general, no. Having the IT system of an international contractor, we adopted this to the whole group regionally early on. Where we are working at the moment is to enhance this, building an information modeling system. The other thing we are focusing on at the moment is working on a LEAN construction models to be more efficient. During the pandemic, we experienced a great deal of disruption on projects for different reasons, and with the LEAN concept it means one can be more efficient than before.

How do you see the technology disruption element in your industry despite the pandemic?

It depends on the project and the bill of quantities in the end. In the last year, what was quite good, for example, was that the government increased its multimedia platforms such as online visa applications, and it updated the court system. We have introduced new tools as well for example new security software for the office or an online solution for receiving, executing, and filing commercial documents from partners, vendors, and subcontractors. This will protect our employees and partners as well.