Thought Leadership on Becoming Outstanding Contractors and Facilitating Smart Construction

發揮思維影響力 闡釋傑出承建商及推動智慧建築要訣

As a market leader in Hong Kong’s electrical & mechanical (E&M) engineering sector, ATAL believes that only a thriving industry will benefit society and all stakeholders concerned. The Group has always been enthusiastic about sharing its knowledge and experiences with fellow practitioners, with an aim to raise overall standards and attract more young talent to the industry.

Two ATAL senior executives were recently invited to speak at major industry forums. Ir Victor Law, Managing Director of ATAL Engineering Group, spoke at the “Construction Industry Council (CIC) Power Talk” to share his insights on what makes an outstanding contractor in the Group’s capacity as a winner of the “CIC Outstanding Contractor Award 2021”. Meanwhile, Ir Brian Cheng, Chief Executive of Building Services Engineering, was a guest speaker at the “Contractor’s Forum 2022” organised by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD), sharing his insights on the wider adoption of Multi-Trade integrated Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MiMEP) in construction projects.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to share our experiences and vision, and help make the industry stronger,” both said.

In his CIC talk, Ir Law highlighted ATAL’s achievements in four areas: innovation, professionalism, revitalisation and corporate governance. Innovation is one of ATAL’s competitive strengths and the Group has spared no efforts to drive innovation such as setting up an Innovation Department and Chairman’s Innovation Award, developing smart technologies such as MiMEP, applying digital solutions to projects, stepping up innovation training while investing part of its net profit into an Innovation Fund for ground-breaking projects. To foster professionalism, ATAL has set up a 3,500-sq-ft ATAL Training Centre, launched four tailor-made talent development programmes for executives and young engineers and 12 training modules for staff at all levels, with safety and quality as priorities.

On revitalisation of the industry’s appeal to attract young blood, Ir Law outlined ATAL’s training programmes for engineering graduates, technicians and apprentices, while organising fun activities and community service for employees’ work-life balance and taking part in industry visits and competitions to broaden staff exposure. On upholding corporate governance and integrating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) into its business, the Group has set up a Sustainability Committee to oversee sustainability, climate change mitigation and green finance strategies, while taking good care of staff well-being and participating in volunteer programmes to give back to the community.

Ir Cheng, a pioneer in MiMEP, shared his experiences in MiMEP workflow, challenges, and considerations at EMSD Contractor’s Forum. Applied together with Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA), MiMEP is a meticulous, well-sequenced process where modularised MEP systems are prefabricated, inspected and commissioned off-site before delivered to and installed on-site. MiMEP can greatly boost work efficiency, installation quality and worker safety while reducing construction waste, and is particularly relevant to Hong Kong given its ageing workforce and labour shortages.

Ir Cheng outlined four stages in MiMEP work: design and review, offsite fabrication, delivery arrangement and onsite installation. Adopting BIM analysis, DfMA, 3D printing and a platform-based approach, MEP modules are designed, standardised and reviewed. Offsite fabrication then takes place at ATAL’s MiMEP Centre in North District for production and inspection, involving a 9-step modularisation process and a quality assurance system. Fabrication in a local workshop also reduces the risk of cross-border delays. Thorough traffic analysis is then conducted before delivery to the work site. Prior to onsite installation, the team must also plan carefully for the delivery route, builder coordination, safety, installation sequence and other considerations.

A staunch advocate of MiMEP, Ir Cheng noted that currently only 15% of construction was conducted off-site in Hong Kong, with 10% improvement in project schedule. He appealed to everyone in the industry to change their mindset and embrace MiMEP.

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