On Nov. 16 last year, eight employees of China Construction Seventh Engineering Division packed up their bags and embarked on a new journey. Their destination was Dubai, and their mission was to build one of the company’s overseas projects—Downtown Views II.

Dubai has high temperatures and low precipitation throughout the year, with no freshwater rivers in its territory. These are very unfavorable conditions for outdoor construction. Despite the difficulties, China Construction Seventh Engineering Division has built a solid reputation for “Built by China ” and“China quality” with diligence and dedication.

Downtown Views II is a signature project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and the level of its project management is a direct indicator of the image of Chinese contractors. In 2019, China Construction Seventh Engineering Division aims to strengthen its overseas businesses, establish a new type of overseas project management system, and make overseas businesses a pillar of the company’s brand.

In order to achieve these goals, the Downtown Views II project team has been constantly innovating and exploring new possibilities, and gradually coming up with a set of management systems that conform to the actual conditions of the project.

First, refined management was employed in the arrangements for daily construction. The Downtown Views II project team made a construction plan with detailed task information and requirements. It includes the projected completion date of each construction drawing, the entry time and sequence of various construction materials, the specifications and quantities of nails and iron wires, the types of labor subcontracted, and the working hours of workers.

Second, project optimization happened during the construction. For example, the project’s commercial and technical team changed the traditional bathroom design to a self-contained prefabricated bathroom after a comparative analysis and communication with the supervisor and the owner, which directly saved a total cost of nearly 3 million dirhams (approximately US$800,000), and reduced the construction time by three months.

Also, quality control was given priority on site. The team established a quality control checklist suitable for each process of the project to facilitate the three-level self-inspection—from the project department to the building crew, and further down to the task teams. On this basis, the construction team also actively communicated with the owner and the supervisor to come up with process acceptance criteria, and finally established a quality system with both internal self-inspection and external acceptance.

During the construction of Downtown Views II, China Construction Seventh Engineering Division has also promoted exchange between Chinese and foreign enterprises through various training and cultural activities.

In addition to completing the construction tasks stipulated in the contract, the Downtown Views II project team also encouraged its Chinese technicians to pass on their work experience and skills to foreign workers, and regularly organized training sessions for all foreign team leaders of labor service companies to learn proper construction and managing skills.

“When faced with problems in construction, we also proactively work with the labor service companies to find solutions,” said Yu Haiyang, project manager for Downtown Views II.

With the joint efforts from everyone, more than 2,000 professional woodworkers, rebar workers, welders, and aerial workers were properly trained in the span of just one year, which promoted the high-quality completion of the project.

Apart from business communications, the exchange of Chinese and foreign cultures has also created a positive atmosphere for the smooth construction of the project. For example, the Downtown Views II project team invited foreign managers and workers to participate in the celebrations of traditional Chinese festivals such as the Spring Festival, the Lantern Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, and the Mid-Autumn Festival. On Children’s Day in 2019, the project team brought in the family members of foreign managers, passed on greetings and gifts from the Chinese children, and taught them to play shuttlecocks and sandbags.

Thanks to the joint efforts of all the individuals of the team, the Downtown Views II project has lived up to the expectations and has won multiple awards. In October 2019, Zhou Yong, vice president of China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), paid a visit to the project construction site and spoke highly of the operation. He said that the project is of great significance for CSCEC to further expand the Middle East market, and helped to establish a glorious brand image of CSCEC in the overseas market.

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