MALAYSIA`S EVERSENDAI FEELS ON TOP OF THE WORLD WITH BURJ DUBAI

By Muin Abdul Majid

DUBAI, Dec 28 (Bernama) -- The soon-to-open Burj Dubai is entering the
record book as the world's tallest building and sharing this honour, is
Malaysian structural steel construction firm, Eversendai Corporation.

According to group managing director A.K. Nathan, the final 260m of
the soaring tower was an all-steel structure, and Eversendai had the privilege
of putting it up successfully.

"In fact, we're the first company in the world to have worked above 700m.No
one in the world has worked above this height," he told Bernama here.

Previous reports have mentioned that the Burj Dubai is over 800m tall with
more than 160 floors.

Its developer Emaar Properties is keeping mum though about the actual height
of the gleaming tower, amid statements that its spire can be seen 95km away.

The Burj Dubai is to be inaugurated on Jan 4 next year by United Arab
Emirates (UAE) vice-president and prime minister, and ruler of Dubai, Sheikh
Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Nathan said Eversendai also carried out structural steelworks on other
parts of the Burj Dubai.

Alluding to the last 260m of the super-tall building, Nathan said it was a
highly complex structure needing precise design, fabrication and contruction
processes.

"And we've done everything to the full satisfaction of our client without
any kind of accident," he said proudly.

Nathan also said Eversendai had good working relations with the tower's main
contractor, Samsung Corporation of South Korea.

Both companies had been involved in the construction of the Petronas Twin
Tower 2 in Kuala Lumpur.

Tracing Eversendai's history in the UAE, he said: "I first came here
in the mid-90s and our first job was the Burj Al Arab hotel, off the coast of
Dubai."

Then came a slew of other projects in the UAE, Qatar and other places worth
billions of ringgit for Eversendai.

Qatar is a particularly bright spot for Eversendai, which is currently
involved in projects such as, the new Doha international airport and the Dubai
Towers-Doha.

Nathan reckoned that to be where Eversendai is now, has not been easy.

"A company that wants to venture overseas must have developed its own
capability as well as possess a measure of financial strength.

"If you don't have these, it's very difficult to penetrate overseas
markets. I mean, asking support from the government is one thing.But the
government also has its limitations," he observed.

Ultimately, he said, it's the delivery that counts.

"If you deliver, you will develop a good reputation.It builds on, and
you can look forward to more business," Nathan explained.

He said prospective Malaysian companies eyeing a foothold in this part of
the world must also be able to understand the work culture.

"People need to understand it, fit in and work hard. Only then you'll be
able to shine. If a person doesn't understand this, then it's going to be
difficult," he noted.

As far as Eversendai is concerned, Nathan reckons that his firm has
established "a very good reputation" and was flying high the Malaysian flag.

"We've been able to win jobs because a lot of our clients value what we
contribute. So, they always come back with repeat orders," he added.

-- BERNAMA