A NEW piling venture was set up in Bahrain last year with the aim of raising the bar in terms of quality, speed and safety through offering a value-added service. The firm, Global Building Foundation Company (GBF), combines the vast business expertise in the Gulf of the well-diversified AJM Kooheji Group of Bahrain and the extensive experience in the piling and construction field of India’s Valecha Engineering.

GBF – whose services will be promoted at AJM Kooheji’s stand at The Big 5 in Dubai this month – says it offers its clients efficient pile designs to ensure that the client optimises on his investment. 
“We have saved as much as 25 per cent of the cost of piling for the client through providing a complimentary value engineering service, where in-house pile design is produced within the parameters of codal specifications,” claims Mohammed Kooheji, director (special projects) at AJM Kooheji. “We have a competitive advantage based on 50 years of experience in the field of Valecha Engineering.”
“I am pleased to state that whatever projects GBF has taken on, it has completed ahead of schedule. In all the projects we have handled to date, we have taken less than 80 per cent of the time allocated for piling works,” he adds.
The Kooheji Group, which has been in operation for more than 100 years, has diversified into various fields in the past few years and has adopted a new strategy for growth. Its partner in GBF, Valecha Engineering, is an ISO 9001:2000-accredited company listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange, with a proven track record in the field of infrastructural civil engineering projects. Established in 1957, the company has carried out several projects including airports, highways, roads, bridges, flyovers, piling and foundation engineering works, tunnels, canals dams, water reservoirs, multi-storey towers and industrial structures. Valecha Engineering is a leading piling company in India today, having established a niche in foundation engineering with a fleet of hydraulic piling rigs and hydraulic diaphragm walling equipment.
GBF has been able to propel itself forward through a commitment to speed, quality and safety, according to Mukund Joshi, chief operating officer of GBF.
“Completing projects on schedule while ensuring the highest safety and quality standards on site is the top priority of the company,” says Joshi. “GBF is committed to a ‘safety first’ approach through which regular training programmes conducted by industry experts keep our workers abreast of safety techniques and secures an accident-free environment.”
“We attribute our success primarily to our ‘human’ asset. A committed and talented team form the core of the company,” he adds.
With a staff strength of 200 people in the Gulf, the group can undertake foundation and sheet piling work using state-of-the-art hydraulic drilling rigs and vibro hammers from Europe, says Joshi.
This advanced technology and a skilled workforce has supported the company in executing some high quality projects in Bahrain, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Among the projects it has completed on the fast track was the 26-storey R M Kooheji Tower in Juffair, which was completed in a record 42 days this year, he says.
The company’s work on the project has earned praise from Ishaq Kooheji, president and chief executive, RMK Group. “The piling works on RMK Tower at Juffair were executed by Global Foundation in a professional manner. We are happy with the quality and site management demonstrated by the company on this project,” he says.
Other clients have also expressed satisfaction with the performance of GBF on their projects.
“Meritas Management is happy with the speed and professionalism of piling works carried out for our clients by Global Foundation during the execution of two prestigious projects on Amwaj Islands, The Business Park and Abbas Villa. We wish them all the best in their future endeavours in Bahrain,” says Chris Woodrow, contracts director of Meritas Management, the developer.
Another project recently completed by GBF is the 23-storey Ajyaal Residence in Juffair. “GBF executed the piling works at Ajyaal Residence project well before schedule completion date. We hope that GBF continues with the same level of dedication in their future projects in Bahrain,” says Ahmed Yousif Ghuloom Abbas Ali, managing director of Al Dahiya Construction and Real Estate, the developer on the project.
Meanwhile, Omar Saleh, chief executive of Modern Architects, the consultant on the 21-storey Juffair Star, says: “We are very happy with the work Global Foundation did on our Juffair Star project. We shall strongly recommend the firm to other projects.” Piling work on the project in Juffair was completed in April this year.
Another consultant Dheya Towfiqi, executive director of Dheya Towfiqi Engineering Consultancy Bureau, says: “We were satisfied with the speed and site management of Global Foundation during the execution of piling works at our commercial building project at Tubli. We wish them all the best for their future works in Bahrain.”
GBF is currently working on a commercial building for Gulf Market International in Tubli.
In Dubai, the company’s sister concern Valecha Gulf Contract-ing has also executed piling works at the International City, and at Jumeirah Lake Towers.
Commenting on plans for further growth in the region, Kooheji says: “We are now looking at setting up another office in the Gulf in the near future.”