by Ir. Dr. Tony Chan, Managing Director of Opus International (M) Berhad
For more than three decades, Opus Consultants has been involved in delivering value with our partners in developing national strategic assets such as highways, road, and rail networks. Our valuable services in managing projects such as the North-South Expressway and Cyberjaya has given us a lot of pride, working with our clients to spur economic growth and shape the country’s modern landscape.
As Malaysia’s leading engineering and asset management consultant, the economy and how it performs has a massive bearing on our business. To power our sustainability, Opus Consultants builds its resilience through the strength of our people. The fair share of learnings we have experienced in the market throughout the years has at numerous times allowed us to transform at certain points of our history. The cyclical nature of the industries and sectors we operate in has demanded us to always remain agile and responsive to identify opportunities and create more value. This is to ensure our business is sustainable to withstand economic uncertainties.
With a large pool of engineers within Opus Consultants who possess the right qualifications, knowledge, and experience in various disciplines, we are always hungry to seize opportunities in the market, at any period and under any circumstance. The ability and vision of our people, as well as the zest to transform and adapt with market conditions has seen us continue to win new contracts. Our strategy at the start of 2020 was to identify ways to address market expectations; this was on top of our efforts to improve operational excellence, and with these clear directions, I would say we have done reasonably well despite the challenging operating environment.
Our current involvement in mega projects such as the Sarawak Coastal & Trunk Roads Project and ongoing commitments to key clients in highways and road maintenance continue to be on track. They will spur economic growth, as well as produce world class infrastructure. We have the proven technical capabilities which has underpinned our position as a major player in the Malaysian infrastructure development scene. Since our involvement with the iconic Penang bridge in 2014, we are now contracted to deliver 6 more cable-stayed bridges through our project in Sarawak, with the longest spanning across 450 metres – almost twice the span length of the Penang cable-stayed bridge.
In our current phase of transformation, we see ourselves as a ‘technology integrator’ for projects – providing engineering talent and skills, the best available technology and world class project management services to clients and partners. In the ecosystem which we are in, banding together with strong players helps to lessen the burden for us to acquire certain capabilities, and forming these alliances are crucial to offer our clients a convincing proposition to deliver with distinction.
Our growing presence in Sarawak has been a welcoming experience where we have created huge employment opportunities, which in turn has generated much awareness and affinity for the Opus Consultants brand. We see Sarawak, Sabah and Kalimantan as key prospects for Opus Consultants to remain sustainable for the future. Our team is indeed excited to create more value for the local economy through working with our local partners and authorities to produce capable engineers and a strong, future-ready workforce.
As part of the UEM Edgenta group of companies, we are strongly aligned with the corporate vision of ‘Edgenta of the Future 2025’ which was made public in March this year. The strategy is predicated on making us the leading technology solutions company in the infrastructure space. Together, Opus Consultants will leverage on state-of-the-art technologies to integrate and apply in future projects, giving us added value to offer our clients. Digital Solutioning will also be part of our efforts, allowing us to pivot beyond business-as-usual into green fields and experiment with the ‘next big things’, something which I am personally excited about. Harnessing our experience in engineering and asset management consultancy, we have also embarked on green and sustainable business initiatives to support global sustainability efforts and net zero carbon initiatives.
Without a doubt, we need a new perspective to grow in the new normal. As we look ahead, we are privileged to continue our nation building journey in Malaysia, and I am very much looking forward to sharing more insights from Opus Consultants in the near future, so do watch this space.
