Soilbuild Construction makes a comeback

[SINGAPORE] The pandemic years of 2020 to 2022 were challenging years for Soilbuild Construction. Revenue and profits slumped as construction activity – and the world – came to a halt.

It was during those dark days when group chief executive officer Lim Han Ren joined the company. “I would say it was like a baptism of fire,” he quipped. He was not an engineer by training, and the learning curve was steep.

But what Lim had was a fresh pair of eyes. His experience in private equity helped him identify new opportunities, as well as ways to strengthen Soilbuild’s brand and differentiate itself from competitors.

More specifically, he said, that meant honing in on digitalisation and sustainability to streamline work processes and win more contracts.

For example, he worked with his team to use building information modelling software to create detailed 3D video renderings of projects they were bidding for. These fly-through videos show not only an aerial view of the potential development, but also a close-up view of its interior and surroundings.