Leadership is a set of qualities in which a person can influence people on a broader level and have the desire to lead from the front. While going towards 2024, many leaders are influencing people to reach their full potential by learning new skills and utilizing them on the ground level. Business leadership is no different, it’s just the goals that are different and more business-oriented. Business leaders dare to make decisions, aim for goals, and provide pathways to the company’s employees.
Nobuo Shigemitsu (CEO of S&techs Companies) is rejuvenating his industry by offering a wide range of services to clients with enduring teammates who have endless passion for work. He is a hands-on professional working with local delivery teams to ensure the success of the project throughout the region.
Leading the Direction
Having graduated from the University of Hong Kong, Nubuo is a Japanese-qualified registered architect who has been working in leadership positions with construction companies for the last 35 years. A fluent speaker of Mandarin, Chinese, and English languages, he is skilled in construction management. Before founding S&techs Companies and handling the responsibilities as CEO, he had a successful career with Shumzu Corporation in Hong Kong.
Today, he works seamlessly with every location of S&techs Companies and communicates with its local staff, clients, consultants, sub-contractors, and local government officials. Nobuo Shigemitsu leads the direction of the organization by working effortlessly with its executive management group. His key achievements include the growth of S&techs Companies, from a small start-up in Hong Kong with 10 staff members to 10 offices and over 300 employees across the APAC Region today.
Being in charge of the interior fit-out division of a large Japanese organization in Hong Kong, Nobuo Shigemitsu and his team were approached by the US Headquartered Main Contractor/ Construction Manager, StructureTone. The organization was supposed to provide fit-out services for its international clients in Hong Kong. In 2002, Nobuo Shigemitsu joined forces with StructureTone to establish S&techs Companies. Following the successful joint delivery of several projects, and recognizing the need for a quality & cost-driven Main Contractor/ Construction Manager, S&techs Companies provides construction services to multinational clients in Hong Kong.
Navigating On-Board Challenges
Today, S&techs Companies has grown to become one of the foremost contractors, specializing in interior fit-out, refurbishment, and out-of-the-ground construction projects on a lump-sum management, design & build basis. The organization has completed multiple projects in commercial, banking and finance, legal, retail, hotel and hospitality, education, and manufacturing sectors. It offers multi-location services throughout the whole APAC region. It consists of a full team of construction management/site supervisory, technical services, design & engineering, cost management, and health & safety professionals.
The team is willing to take any on-board challenge posed by senior management. The organization is truly proud of its dedicated staff that has stepped out to challenge the completed projects in diverse locations with great enthusiasm. The leadership team realizes that its greatest asset is its staff which boosts the growth of the organization. Nobuo Shigemitsu believes in the quote of Steve Jobs: “Incredible things in the business world are never made by a single person but by a team”
Core Values
- To stand firm on the pledge and deliver what has been promised.
- To understand the needs of customers and provide innovative solutions.
- To provide perspective to employees which can help them look beyond the work environment.
- To respect local culture while maintaining its characteristics and standards.
- To improve the safety and welfare of employees, customers, and communities.
Development of Local Client Base
The major challenges faced by start-up companies are getting new businesses and merchandising the company in the market. The knock-on effect, of course, is revenue and profit. Simultaneously, S&techs Companies was able to sustain a consistent stream of business in Hong Kong by establishing a local clientele and utilizing StructureTone’s support and assignments with multinational clients. Nobuo Shigemitsu was aware of the existing huge opportunity in the Southern China Region especially with the Japanese Manufacturing Clients. To provide design and build services to manufacturing and industrial clients looking to construct their production facilities in the Southern China Region, he decided to open a second office in Shenzhen in 2003.
With his business partner and COO, Mike Kavanagh, Nubuo shares a vision of serving his clients throughout the APAC region and enhancing its service offerings consistently through new technologies. While working extensively in all aspects of the region, S&techs Companies has expertise in identifying the opportunities based upon which it decides the future course of action. Nubuo elaborates on this with an example, “ I know that a number of our Clients are looking at setting up and/or expanding in several South East Asia locations. My team will utilize our Singapore office as a strategic location to service our Clients and will set up offices in other locations as the opportunities arise.”
Client-Centric Services
S&techs Companies focuses on providing professional construction management and main contracting services through a variety of contractual arrangements. Its services include traditional main contracting on a lump sum basis, design, and build, open book construction management at risk, construction management consulting, or a combination of being flexible to clients’ requirements.
Services offered by S&techs Companies differ from local competitors and are unique in the region:
- Offering an APAC Regional coverage as a main contractor/construction manager.
- Being considered a non-confrontational collaborative team member together with the client and the professional team.
- Providing in-house technical services right from tendering & estimating through to project close-out.
- Offering cost management and value engineering services to ensure clients’ budgets are achieved without impeding the designer’s required aesthetic look.
- The organization’s willingness to find a way to cater to client’s requirements no matter the location.
At the forefront of project development for various clients and actively engaged from the inception of concepts, the individual is acutely attuned to the repercussions of the post-COVID work environment. Recognizing prevalent shifts, clients have acknowledged the potential reduction in spatial requirements, leading to a concerted effort to reconfigure existing facilities. Moreover, the impact of online purchasing has become apparent, prompting discussions and an increasing emphasis on exploring alternative uses for office buildings in downtown areas. Within the industrial manufacturing sector, a discernible trend involves expansion into multiple Southeast Asia locations, including but not limited to Vietnam and the Philippines.
The Client is the King
The workforce is essential to an organization’s growth, and the team of S&techs Companies is its fundamental component. The team confronts clients and consultants as well as its subcontractors and vendors daily. The enthusiasm, professionalism, competence, and reliability of every team member encourage clients to work with the organization again and again. More than 70% of its clients are returning customers. With 220 employees, S&techs Companies provides committed professional service. Its directors and executives work directly with clients and consultants to ensure the project is completed successfully.
“Our Philosophy the client is the king, is truly reflected in our Executive and Staff attitude on each project and we endeavor to develop our clients for life with this attitude towards our services.”
Nubuo Shigemitsu
Wealth of Experiences
As innovation is the key to business growth, Nubuo has set up a sister company called REMOC Inc. to fully focus on innovative technology including “SMART SITE”
AI monitoring with a huge emphasis on health, safety, and quality management. As a construction service provider, S&techs Companies has a wealth of experience in Hong Kong, Mainland China, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Through its Alliance Partnerships, the organization provides these services in the Philippines, South Korea, and India. Its finely honed professional approach is based on a core group of services. Offering a wide range of design and construction services, S&techs Companies performs each job with focus and dedication. The construction services of the organization are second to none in the industry, as noted by its satisfied clients whose repeat assignments represent approximately 80% of the annual work of S&techs Companies.
Utilizing comprehensive in-house capabilities and state-of-the-art systems, S&techs Companies provides a full range of expert services to assist clients from the earliest project stages through closeout and commissioning. The organization is flexible to best meet its requirements and objectives and thus packages its services into the delivery method that is optimal to meet project goals, schedule, and budget.
S&techs Companies is flexible to contract under any format the client might prefer including:
- Construction Management at Risk
- Main Contracting
- Design & Build
- Construction Management Consulting
Construction Planning Assistance
- Site Selection Services: S&techs Companies will assist clients in the site selection process by investigating local infrastructure, land use conditions, and local laws and regulations.
- Basic Planning: S&techs Companies will provide basic planning regarding the preliminary design/layout proposal, cost estimate, and preliminary schedule.
- Design Development: S&techs Companies refine the cost estimate and prepare the master schedule to develop the design.
- Local Government Submission: S&techs Companies prepares and submits a design development package and necessary forms for government submissions. It attends official meetings with local government representatives.
S&techs Companies offers initial budgeting services that utilize an extensive database of costs to assist clients in determining their expenditure equipment. As the design and engineering are progressing, S&techs Companies will refine the budget estimate accordingly. The organization engages in extensive value engineering and works closely with the team to bring the design and cost back in line.
