Construction and Engineering Awards 2020

55 Construction & Engineering Awards 2020 BUILD BUILD Construction & Engineering Awards 2020 54 stablished in 2014, Eiken Contracting Services is a Scottish construction and refurbishment company, specialising in the commercial marketplace and boasting exceptional skills in the industrial sector. From minor works to complete renovations, Eiken takes pride in creating spaces that are beautiful and functional and always delivered on time and on budget. Eiken’s unwavering commitment to this guarantee is what has seen exceptional client retention of 98% and growing. Founder Iain du Pon began Eiken after almost a decade working for a number of companies as a contractor in maintenance and facilities management, realising the need for improvement in two primary areas. First, he wanted to prioritise the adoption of a maintenance contracting mindset, which meant taking an approach that ensured every job was done right first time. This stopped maintenance contractors having to come back and fix preventable errors further down the line. Problems and errors in construction are always likely, but Eiken is committed to a fuss-free process that ensures effectivity. The Eiken team does not just present problems for their clients; they make them aware of the issue whilst simultaneously providing a solution. This same hands-on, transparent approach applies to Eiken’s low costs, the management of their staff and their client relationships. Best Commercial Refurbishment & Construction Company - Scotland Since 2014, Eiken Contract Services has taken a new approach to delivering construction and refurbishment projects across Scotland. Founder and Owner, Iain du Pon, leads his team to create a more family-oriented business that provides a supportive, welcoming environment for staff, clients and friends of Eiken. However, the friendly nature of the organisation does not mean that it is lacking in professionalism or expertise, as we discovered when putting together our profile of Eiken. E Sep20388 The latter is Eiken’s second priority. A business can be slick and professional without being unfriendly and so Iain set out to create a more family-oriented business that enabled an effective work-life balance and contributed to a fun, welcoming workplace. The safety and wellbeing of the staff is of paramount importance and promotes an enthusiastic and invested team who pull together to accomplish even the most complex tasks. Eiken’s family philosophy encompasses clients and friends of the business, such as Eiken’s ‘adopted’ daughter, Amiee Pollard, the Scottish athlete who is doing her family and Eiken proud in competing with the Scottish karate team as she pursues future world titles. This affection extends to Eiken’s clients, who feel increasingly like friends given the high customer retention. Eiken really understands what a client looks for in a construction project and is therefore conscientious in their site assessments and project management to ensure the clients’ specifications are carried out. A multidisciplinary team, Eiken is able to integrate their knowledge to work backwards from a projected outcome and therefore set out a clear structure which facilitates budget setting in the initial stages of a project. This allows clients to make informed decisions and stay in control, resulting in satisfaction at the completion of every project. The global pandemic may have curtailed the exciting plans Eiken had at the beginning of the year, but the firm has still managed to engage in some major projects. Having recently concluded a challenging sixth-floor refurbishment of a live building on Princes Street, Edinburgh, Eiken is now undertaking the refurbishment of a retail park in Renfrew that will include four, fully refurbished units of approximately 4500m2. Meanwhile, Eiken is involved in a series of smaller works, including a project for the Paint Shed team, which will comprise of the conversion of their stores into new, click-and-collect shops as well as the creation of new store openings across Scotland and the North of England. It may still be an uncertain period for businesses such as Eiken, but the firm is not to be deterred. Thanks to the Eiken family and its devotion to creating buildings that stand the test of time, Eiken can undoubtedly look forward to many more prosperous years ahead. Contact: Iain du Pon Company: Eiken Contract Services Web Address: www.eikencs.com Best Construction Business Growth Consultancy - North America ased in Toronto, InfraBiz Inc. from the beginning have always been passionate about creating opportunities for development and providing exceptional value- added services to clients. Making the construction industry a better one on all levels has been a key goal of the firm. To start, Mario provides us with a brief overview of the company and offers more insight into its typical client base. “With an integrated services policy, InfraBiz provides strategy, market research and business development services, bonding and insurance advisory, tax and accounting services, internal audit support and external audit services, cyber security advisory and workflow optimization, among others. Operating exclusively in the infrastructure and construction markets, we focus on renewable energy, transit and transportation, resources exploration, social and city infrastructures, mobility and complex engineering projects. “Soon after the establishment of InfraBiz, in 2017 a major change occurred with the rebranding of the company. After four years of specializing in all construction matters, we were about to branch out into a new discipline, the field of business development. Since then, we have expanded our services from business development to include a full consulting and advisory portfolio. With clients from Portugal, Canada, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Sweden and Hong Kong among others, each client is different and has different needs, work procedures and business cultures. Naturally, our success is measured by the success of our clients in the North American construction market.” Operating in the construction industry can be a challenging experience, particularly when the business environment changes for so many. Moreover, as Mario goes on to explain, this is something InfraBiz have adapted to recently. “Preparing our clients for a different business environment is probably the biggest challenge we currently face. Sometimes our clients are used to doing business in a certain way and certain place but here in North America, we have Canada in which each province and territory are different, and also the United States, where in fact we have 50 different business realities. As a whole, we are particularly proud of what our team is able to do day after day, helping companies to succeed and grow in North America and become a reference in their expertise.” As competition continues to increase, InfraBiz Inc. is well placed to remain at the forefront of the industry thanks to their client approach as Mario further explains. “Naturally, we approach our clients with innovative ways to grow their business in a sustainable way. By focusing our attention on the detail, it is easy for us to transmit our ideas to our clients. Let us take an example of a construction company that wants to operate in Canada but is not present in the country and has never had contact with the Canadian reality. Typically, we would focus our attention on knowing their operation abroad, who their clients and direct competitors are and what is the differentiation factor from the competition. Then we do market research specific for their activity. With that, we create a roadmap and then we help to implement it. This means that we will be handling things like finding projects and assisting them in tender processes or even the most basic thing which is opening their subsidiary if needed. “With a team of engineers possessing more than 20 years of experience on a worldwide level, we are proud to say from day one we have not lost a client. The companies that sign a contract with us, stay with us and grow with us.” If we take a closer look at the construction sector, COVID-19 in the early stages of the pandemic severely hit not only Canada but other countries across the world. Moreover, as Mario points out, this has limited the amount of business people have been able to do. “Limitation on travels has had a big impact on the way people do business. As a result, digital transformation has become the biggest challenge for most companies as they begin to adapt to the new normal.” Finally, Mario envisions what the future holds for InfraBiz Inc. and offers more insight into one or two plans the firm have in place for the years to come. “Moving forward, we want to maintain a steady growth and change the paradigm in consulting by showing the market that a consulting company doesn’t need to be big to be amazing. Another challenge for the future will be to accommodate more infrastructure areas to our portfolio, like aerospace.” Company: InfraBiz Inc. Contact: Mario Rosado Web Address: www.infrabiz.com B Established in 2013, InfraBiz Inc. is a leading business development consultancy serving the North American market. Following their success in the Construction & Engineering Awards 2020, we got in touch with Mario Rosado to find out more. Aug20388