The Middle East, a region rich in history and culture, is one of the dream destinations while planning holidays for everyone. This metropolis garners such an elevated attraction, in large part because of its most iconic and sophisticated infrastructure done by the leading construction companies.
Construction companies have played a vital role in developing some of the best defining projects in the region. UAE is the hub for innovation and growth in the middle east and it is blessed with the Middle East’s second-largest economy.
The construction industry of UAE is one of the largest industries in the world and it has turned the UAE into one of the best and fast-growing regions in the world.
One major player in this region is City Diamond Contracting, a leading player in construction space in middle eastern architecture.
City Diamond, founded in the year 1999, with over 30 years of excellence in the UAE construction sector, has grown vertically to provide their customers with a platform where their project needs can be fulfilled. It has executed magnanimous construction projects all over the UAE.
In an exclusive interview with Insights Success, Mr Deepak Arora, Chairman & CEO, along with Mr Raghav Arora and Mr Abhinav Arora, shed light on the company’s journey, the current industry scenario, and their vision for the company’s future.
Below is an excerpt from that interview:
Please brief our audience about your company, its distinct services, and how it is currently positioned as the leading player in the Middle Eastern architecture and construction space.
City Diamond Contracting has been in the UAE Construction Sector for over 30 years. Our company has grown vertically to provide our customers with a platform wherein their project needs can be fulfilled.
We provide ‘Design & Build’ as well as EPC on various construction projects in the UAE. Our main keys to success are the following:
- Caring for our people, employees, supply chain, and the environment we work in.
- Providing a construction service that takes the client from site selection through to commissioning and maintenance of the project.
- Working and training our group of employees to the latest requirements in the industry.
- Being actively involved (as management) in all site projects to keep projects on schedule. We support our project teams from resource allocation to providing sufficient cash flow to allow project success.
- Strict financial discipline by keeping liabilities to a minimum.
- Continuous improvement on our internal processes as well as maintaining open minds and exposure to the latest design and construction technologies.
Tell us more about services that your company offers and how are these impacting the industry and your clients?
We offer:
- Design and Build Projects
- EPC Projects
- Project Finance & Build to Suit.
Being an experienced leader, share your opinion on the impact of adopting technologies such as AI on the architecture space and what more could be expected in the future?
We believe technology is going to continuously change the way we work and improve efficiency on our project delivery. We currently use BIM to design and anticipate any construction issues at sites.
We have further started our digitization journey by adopting software to carry out simple processes and keep communication on one platform throughout our internal teams as well as our supply chain.
We expect AI to change the process of design and detailing drastically over the coming decade. The technology is just in its infancy and is only going to get smarter and improve the way we work. It will assist all our design abilities and allow us to push boundaries and achieve forms that might not have been possible in the past.
Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, what initial challenges did your company face, and how did you drive the company to sustain operations while ensuring the safety of your employees at the same time?
Initially, like the world, the COVID-19 virus was so known, we all were trying to get a grip on it. But slowly one day at a time, we were able to manage the situation and keep our business running. We must congratulate and really appreciate the leadership of the UAE in keeping us safe as a community and providing rapid response to the coronavirus. We are also one of the first few countries in the world to have such a high vaccination rate.
As management through the pandemic, we first ensured we followed protocol laid out by the Government. Reduced capacities in our worker transportation, sanitized our labour camps, workplaces, site establishments, etc. We further enabled our employees to work from home where possible. Further communication to our workers was made to keep them safe and in the best health possible to overcome the pandemic.
We further organized isolation floors in our camps to keep positive cases away from the remaining workforce. Providing them with Vitamin C, Zinc, and medication prescribed by our doctors. We did have some challenging days, but we are happy we got through them.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the architecture space?
Our advice would be to continue to push boundaries and express yourself through the medium of design.
How do you envision scaling your company’s operations and offerings in 2022?
We are very bullish on the construction sector for the year 2021-22. We will continue to improve our services and look to expand further in neighbouring emirates as well as the region. There is a great buzz in Dubai currently with the Real Estate market and this will further be fired by the tremendous success and response to the EXPO 2020 by the world.
About the leader
- Mr Deepak Arora (Chairman & CEO) – Mr Deepak moved to the UAE in 1976 and has developed the business from the ground up. He has been a visionary in the construction sector and continuously improved his skill and established strong relationships to build for the best and largest organizations in the world.
- Mr Raghav Arora – Mr Raghav has been in the business for over 15 years and is leading the design side of the business. He has developed over 50 projects in the Villa, the industrial sector as well as the commercial sector. He is instrumental in the design of the new Hindu Temple being built in Dubai.
- Mr Abhinav Arora – Mr Abhinav is overseeing the operations and has executed major projects in the UAE in the industrial, commercial, and educational sectors. He has led the organization in the delivery of the Major EXPO projects as well as 100,000 square meter E-commerce Fulfilment facilities for major global E-commerce players.
Exhibiting excellence
Our position as one of the leading Design & Build Contractors are in the following sectors:
- Industrial & Logistics – We have been working in Jebel Ali Freezone for major multinationals such as P&G, Compaq, Volvo, Black & Decker to name a few. In the recent few years, we have worked for leading clients such as Kibsons, Dubai South EZ Dubai, DNATA.
- EXPO Pavilions – We have built the India Pavilion, Emirates Airline Pavilion and the ENOC Petrol Station of the Future.
- Luxury Villa and Residential Sector – We have built over 120 luxury homes in Emirates Hills, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Hills. This sector continues to grow as major investors from the world are relocating to Dubai as it is an attractive business location.
