SRBG creates jobs for local people

One of the most important international contractors in China, Sichuan Road & Bridge (Group) Co. Ltd.(SRBG) has expanded its business in many countries in Asia and Africa in recent decades, building not only infrastructure but also friendships between these countries and China, while showcasing the strength of Chinese contracting enterprises.

Located in southwest China, SRBG is a state-owned enterprise formed in 1998 by the Sichuan Road & Bridge Engineering Corp. and its affiliated companies, all of which were established in the early 1950s. It boasted 1.5 billion yuan ($240 million) in registered funds. The company mainly engages in road and bridge construction, investment in roads and bridges, hydropower development, real estate development, mineral development and securities investment. It has more than 50 wholly owned or holding subsidiaries and branches staffed by over 18,000 employees, and collects annual operation revenues of 50 billion yuan ($8 billion).

Over five decades, SRBG has built more than 15,000 km of roads, 5,000 km of which are high-grade roads, over 1,000 large bridges, as well as tunnels, airports, docks and dams.

Early beginnings

The enterprise's experience on China's highly-competitive domestic market helped lay a foundation for its international success. Since 1979, SRBG has worked on more than 110 overseas engineering projects; the total contract value of these projects amount to over $300 million.

According to Wang Chuanfu, Assistant General Manager at SRBG, the company first got involved in overseas engineering projects as part of China's foreign aid to other countries. Today, the company's construction projects are mainly based in Eritrea, Tanzania, Cambodia and the United Arab Emirates, with annual turnover totaling $20 million.

"The foreign aid projects paved the road for us to enter the world stage," said Wang. "Without these opportunities to show our abilities, African countries would not be aware of the capabilities of Chinese contracting companies."

Good reputation

In 1993, the then Chinese Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade (now the Ministry of Commerce) authorized SRBG to take on commercial contracts for foreign engineering projects. The market in Eritrea, a young country founded that same year, became the site of SRBG's first foray into the international market. This posed many new challenges and risks for the company.

At that time, dozens of internationally recognized companies from the Middle East, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region were all bidding on Eritrean projects, but SRBG emerged as the front-runner. "To compete with them, we focus on nothing but improving our proposal and working hard," said Wang.

This strategy has earned SRBG a great reputation and more business opportunities in Eritrea. To date, the company has been contracted to work on six engineering projects, including building roads and refurbishing hospitals and schools. The Eritrean president praised SRBG's tireless efforts, and invited the company to take on more projects.