Cedar Capital Group Tokyo: Asphalt as Perpetual Pavement

Have you ever been to developed countries like Tokyo, Japan and Singapore and noticed how smooth their roads are? Yes, I might seem to be a lunatic but in this industry, you can’t help but notice little things that makes this industry what it is, even the pavement. What good pavement there is when it is not asphalt?

In Cedar Capital Group’s estimate, more than 90% of all roads nowadays have been asphalted.

According to a good friend of ours, Merriam Dictionary, asphalt is known as Bitumen and is a sticky, black and vicious liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. In addition to being smooth, durable, safe, and quiet, asphalt is the most versatile pavement material. Pavement structures can be designed to handle any load, from passenger cars to heavy trucks. Surface mixes can be customized to absorb noise, to reduce splash and spray during rainstorms, and even to help treat rain water.

Most pavements nowadays are perpetual pavement.

Perpetual pavement main concept is for it to last, last and last in a very very very very long time, hence, the name. Perpetual Pavement combines the well-documented smoothness and safety advantages of asphalt with an advanced, multi-layer paving design process that with routine maintenance extends the useful life of a roadway.

Perpetual pavement ranges from the thinnest and thickest asphalt. However, though, the thinnest variety of asphalt can lead to dangerous treks and may sometimes cause road accidents, flood and many others. Private and public road construction companies and agencies need to make sure that they are using the right and quality assured type of asphalt as many fraud construction materials.

The pavement design begins with a strong, yet flexible bottom layer that resists tensile strain caused by traffic, and thus stops cracks from forming in the bottom of the pavement.

A Perpetual Pavement provides a durable, safe, smooth, long-lasting roadway without expensive, time-consuming, traffic-disrupting reconstruction or major repair.

When scheduled surface restoration is performed, Perpetual Pavements can be maintained easily and cost-effectively without removing the road structure for reconstruction, saving time and money while keeping motorists happy.

Asphalt is even recyclable, providing further cost savings and environmental benefits. United States of America saves $1.6 billion in recycling asphalt every year.

Asphalt has a proven safety record as a driving surface, offering stronger visual contrast with center stripes and other markings. Additional advantages can include reduced noise, reduced splash and spray, and greater skid resistance.

Many motorists have complaints on the traditional road construction that is why many construction companies and agencies in many countries prefer to put asphalt in road construction. With the use of Perpetual Pavement, workers would even have to waste time maintaining cracked roads and could focus more on building new ones.

The use of perpetual pavement doesn’t stop engineers in concocting another method in improving road construction through the use of asphalt.

The Importance of Building Services Engineer

Have you ever wondered why there are so many people in a construction site? And how come there seems to be more people in control with so many functions when they only have to build a single building? Shouldn’t it only be the leader and the workers?

Well, we might as well change our perception on that since Cedar Capital Group is about to introduce to you one of the most important occupation in a construction site: the Building Services Engineer.

Building services engineers are responsible for the design, installation, operation and monitoring of the mechanical, electrical and public health systems required for the safe, comfortable and environmentally friendly operation of modern buildings. The term for the same occupation may vary depending on the country. In United States of America, these individuals are called architectural engineers which have been adapted by different construction companies around the world. In Tokyo, Japan and Singapore, the role is called building services engineer, of course in their own languages respectively.

The scope of this job is wide. Building services engineering comprises mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and plumbing or public health (MEP) engineering, all of which are further sub-divided into the following:

• Communication lines, telephones and IT networks (ICT)
• Energy supply – gas, electricity and renewable sources
• Escalators and lifts
• Fire detection and protection
• Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)
• Lightning protection
• Low voltage (LV) systems, distribution boards and switchgear
• Natural lighting and artificial lighting, and building facades
• Security and alarm systems
• Ventilation and refrigeration
• Water, drainage and plumbing

Building services engineers influence the architecture of a building and play a significant role on the sustainability and energy demand of a building. Within building services engineering, new roles are emerging. Building services engineers play a significant role in combating climate change. As such, a typical building services engineer has a wide-ranging career path:

• Design: designing layouts and requirements for building services for residential or commercial developments.
• Construction: supervising the construction of the building services, commissioning systems and ongoing maintenance and operation of services.
• Environmental: developing new energy saving methods for construction, designing new and improved energy conservation systems for buildings.
• Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC): specializing in the design, development, construction and operation of HVAC systems.
• Electrical technology: specializing in the design and development of electrical systems required for safe and energy sustaining operation of buildings and ensures that they are not using fraud materials for the safety of a project.

Construction Industry Continues to Entice Foreign Investors

According to the Asia Construction Outlook 2014 survey, the prospect for both the size and the growth of Asian Construction market remains positive with 92% respondents in agreement. It is expected that the market will continue growing healthier for 50% for the remainder of the year.

The survey results in AECOM 2014 indicates that Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand stand out as countries which respondents expect to become increasingly attractive to foreign suppliers of construction service. However, comparing to the 2014 survey results with those from the 2013 survey indicate that respondent’s views have become more pessimistic regarding long-term market attractiveness in Singapore and India.

Driven by the high quality standards, Japan with its capital Tokyo in particular holds foreign interest in the past decades. The country, along with Singapore is ready to compete to international market growth maintaining the stable increase in growth and development.

Multinationals have been increasing their footprint in Asia for years as they have moved from selling into the region to also investing here. Asian companies are also being competitive threats outside the region as well, as they set their site on the global dominance.

It is never easy to set foot into a developing nation. Aside from the competition that may arise against local businesses, there are also competitors among fellow foreigners, causing a lot of issues unresolved but being one of the most disciplined countries in Asia, Japan has been growing well and fast. Tokyo has been a target of local trade and business establishments since a lot of foreign investors have seen potential in business and technology in the city.

On the other hand, in the sudden increase of companies with the same industry, project managers and the public have become keen and aware as to which company to trust. An established company such as Cedar Capital Group which is based in Singapore and sells and leases capital equipment with agents in Tokyo, Japan and Seoul, South Korea has already secured its place in the industry. Above all, the government continues to implement arduous process and strict policies to maintain only legit and licensed companies to operate. This being given, contractors should rest assured be secured in their field.

Cedar Capital Group Tokyo: Getting ahead of your competition

In the fast pace of today’s generation, a lot has changed. What was once a simple and well-minded lifestyle where everybody is concerned on their own survival became the complicated world where people are always concerned of what others are doing and making it a point to gain an advantage.

Like any other business, cedar capital group, a company which sells and leases high-end capital construction equipment in Singapore has also felt the challenge. In response, we have also expanded our business not only in the country we are at but also in neighboring cities, Tokyo, Japan and Seoul, South Korea by hiring some agents in those areas. It is somehow our pride to say that we have, in a sense earned a competitive edge from others.

Same goes to construction companies which, for decades, compete for the top ranks as the demand for this work has been stricter. Here are some of the ways to step up from others:

1. Expand your strengths to a higher level

Scrutinize and review the projects in which your company excels. Look for other types of jobs that would benefit from those same strengths. Home remodeling is soaring in most areas. In some regions, healthcare construction is up over 200 percent. Get on at least three new bid lists that are not in your comfort zone.

2. Don’t stop finding new clients

Don’t be too picky. Home improvement stores partner with lots of independent contractors—get on their lists. Look at your crew—if they have special skills, leverage them by bidding for something new.

3. A Little More Risk, A Little More Reward

Don’t just settle in your comfort zone. Opportunities are everywhere—you just have to go after them. Why not find a great deal on some real estate and fix it up? You can rent it. You can flip it. It all adds to your bottom line and company growth.

4. Engage Employees in Revenue Generation and Cost Reduction

Set achievable revenue and cost-reduction targets. Be honest with your team about where you are and where you need to be. Ask for their help. Incent them by allowing them to share in the returns. Your people have good ideas. Make it a regular habit to bring everyone together to share them.

5. Explore New Technologies

The world is now run by technology and if you don’t do the same, you will definitely be left behind. There are lots and lots of software that you can use for your own business that can well-organize and well-manage your data and files and model building more easily than by manually doing it. Much more, you might impress more potential customers when you are offering technology-based outputs. Find out how automation and organization can bring new intelligence to your proposals and bids.

Cedar Capital Group Tokyo: Nature and Construction

In our years in the infrastructure and construction years, even when we are only selling and leasing capital equipment, Cedar Capital Group has heard a lot on how buildings and construction can ruin the environment. Well, we cannot deny this fact especially since it’s not always safe on our line of our work. We create technological advancement in Seoul South Korea, develop skyscrapers in Tokyo, Japan and more or less have contributed on global warming. Nevertheless, we are still responsible for meeting the requirements of federal, state, and local environmental regulations.

Pre-Construction

Even before the start of the construction, during the bidding and the plans and preparations, you already have a construction responsibility. If you do not assign responsibility for environmental compliance before you start the project, your project may be put into jeopardy.

We plan, review and get necessary permits to operate. A good construction sites shows a lot of placards and follows safety measures. Anyone can see that.

During Construction
No matter how thoroughly you prepare for a construction project, you may still encounter unexpected situations requiring environmental knowledge and understanding. Be prepared of unplanned event and make sure you have a contingency plan for that.

Environmental protections:

• Water pollution: As a result of construction, the soil is displaced from its original location which can possibly cause environmental problems in the future. Runoff can occur during storms which can possibly transfer harmful pollutants through the soil to rivers, lakes, wetlands, and coastal waters.
• Endangered species: If endangered species have been found on the construction site, the site must be shut down for some time. The construction site must be shut down for as long as it takes for authorities to make a decision on the situation. Once the situation has been assessed, the contractor makes the appropriate accommodations to not disturb the species.
• Vegetation: There may often be particular trees or other vegetation that must be protected on the job site. This may require fences or security tape to warn builders that they must not be harmed.
• Wetlands: The contractor must make accommodations so that erosion and water flow are not affected by construction. Any liquid spills must be maintained due to contaminants that may enter the wetland.
• Historical or cultural artifacts: Artifacts may include arrowheads, pottery shards, and bones. All work comes to a halt if any artifacts are found and will not resume until they can be properly examined and removed from the area.

Technology and Construction Goes Hand In Hand

In every aspect of life right now, technology has been incorporated. Since then, in each and every cranny of developing nations, it would be impossible not to see modernization and the use of computers. In America, the existence has been from late 19th century as well as in Europe. In Asia, developing cities like Tokyo, Japan, Singapore and China has been in the trend. Same goes for the construction and infrastructure industry. Even manual labor has been evolving to the use of machineries and computer.

Even when the construction industry has been adamant to change, builders are now beginning to be dragged into the 21st century by the need to collaborate more closely with their more IT-savvy colleagues, the architects and engineers responsible for the ideas behind their work. Even us, Cedar Capital Group, a company which expertise includes selling and leasing capital equipment has to take advantage of technology for the distribution of our products and the expansion of our business.

Laptops are gradually making an appearance alongside the hard hats of the building site. Is this just keeping with the evolving times or are there any other issues that drive the industry to modernization?

Reducing risk

One of the major factors for this change is that it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain profit margins on building projects. Mindful of high-profile project delivery delays, many commercial or public sector clients have introduced financial penalty clauses in case deadlines are missed. And on top of that, there are skill shortages combined with increased competition for land.

Yet often, profits are eaten away by practical issues – delays in receiving drawings, use of outdated data, inaccuracies caused by human error. In some cases of global projects, it is easier to use the latest in technology to bring help from abroad.

As a result, the whole of the architecture, engineering and construction industry is looking for ways to reduce risk and maintain its bottom line. On a day-to-day level it is also struggling with the need to communicate and review project drawings and share proliferating number of associated documents that are usually too large to send by e-mail.

Available on-demand

Communication with subcontractors is vastly improved, becoming more instantaneous, reliable and trackable. Integration with design software means builders can easily update and publish drawings and make them available to their subcontractors, resulting in a largely paperless process. The need to share with contractors who do not use Cad is addressed by the use of DWF files, which enable sharing and viewing of 2D and 3D files without their native programs. Systems and software are also installed to prevent scams to hack on the ongoing project.

Cedar Capital Group Tokyo: Training for New Hires

Asia is hoem of developing nations, with lots of countries in their best efforts to keep up with technology. One of the industries that is booming at the turn of the decade is construction and infrastructures. A demand for growth and expansion has been gaining tons of buildings and projects that boost each business.

Cedar Capital Group is one of the companies that thrive with the fast growth of the industry. We sell and rent capital equipment to the world’s most expensive city, Singapore and to its neighboring developing countries with our agents in Tokyo, Japan and Seoul, South Korea. Through these demands, new operators are needed, jobs are opened for thousands of hopeful citizens who need work. However, though with new employees comes a learning curve that can negatively affect your productivity and uptime. These tips may help you in training your eager new hires for the job to come.

Train new operators on Walkaround inspections.
Walkaround inspections are designed to reveal a variety of small issues that can be fixed before they turn into bigger, more expensive complaints. Plus, they help familiarize new operators with your equipment and work tools before they get inside the cab. Concerned about time? Standardized checklists or inspection apps help speed up the process.

Encourage all operators to read the manual.
While the idea of “reading the instructions” is likely to make many operators smile, the fact is equipment manuals include vital information about routine maintenance, operating procedures and safety. Better to spend time reading upfront than waste time addressing problems down the road.

Use your best operators to train new operators.
Experience is the best teacher. If inexperienced operators learn the best operating techniques the first time, they won’t have to unlearn bad habits later. Let your experienced operators do the training on your equipment. It’s a great way for new employees to learn about the company and build camaraderie among coworkers.

Make operator training part of your culture.
Training doesn’t have to take a lot of time to be effective—and it’s not just for new employees, either. Take a few minutes at the beginning of a job or shift to highlight new machine features, maintenance information, safety issues or the best techniques for the task at hand. Job sites are complex. You can help simplify and clarify by reminding workers about important.

Cedar Capital Group Tokyo: Getting ahead of your competition

In the fast pace of today’s generation, a lot has changed. What was once a simple and well-minded lifestyle where everybody is concerned on their own survival became the complicated world where people are always concerned of what others are doing and making it a point to gain an advantage.

Like any other business, cedar capital group, a company which sells and leases high-end capital construction equipment in Singapore has also felt the challenge. In response, we have also expanded our business not only in the country we are at but also in neighboring cities, Tokyo, Japan and Seoul, South Korea by hiring some agents in those areas. It is somehow our pride to say that we have, in a sense earned a competitive edge from others.

Same goes to construction companies which, for decades, compete for the top ranks as the demand for this work has been stricter. Here are some of the ways to step up from others:

1. Expand your strengths to a higher level

Scrutinize and review the projects in which your company excels. Look for other types of jobs that would benefit from those same strengths. Home remodeling is soaring in most areas. In some regions, healthcare construction is up over 200 percent. Get on at least three new bid lists that are not in your comfort zone.

2. Don’t stop finding new clients
Don’t be too picky. Home improvement stores partner with lots of independent contractors—get on their lists. Look at your crew—if they have special skills, leverage them by bidding for something new.

3. A Little More Risk, A Little More Reward
Don’t just settle in your comfort zone. Opportunities are everywhere—you just have to go after them. Why not find a great deal on some real estate and fix it up? You can rent it. You can flip it. It all adds to your bottom line and company growth.

4. Engage Employees in Revenue Generation and Cost Reduction
Set achievable revenue and cost-reduction targets. Be honest with your team about where you are and where you need to be. Ask for their help. Incent them by allowing them to share in the returns. Your people have good ideas. Make it a regular habit to bring everyone together to share them.

5. Explore New Technologies
The world is now run by technology and if you don’t do the same, you will definitely be left behind. There are lots and lots of software that you can use for your own business that can well-organize and well-manage your data and files and model building more easily than by manually doing it. Much more, you might impress more potential customers when you are offering technology-based outputs. Find out how automation and organization can bring new intelligence to your proposals and bids.

Construction tasks: General Contractors

In years in business, Cedar Construction Company has dealt with angry clients and demanding engineers. That made us think: if we, a company who merely sells and leases capital equipment with a scope of only Singapore, Seoul, South Korea and Tokyo, Japan has experienced irate and annoyance in dealing with unsatisfied customers, how much do people who work in the construction site themselves?

One of the jobs that are most likely to face disappointment and greater challenges in the workplace is the general contractor. Whenever people are planning to build or construct something, a general contractor is the first one on everybody’s list. General contractors are the “big picture” thinkers. They work with you through the entire project, from the idea phase to the finished product. They are considered one of the big three (the other two are: designers/engineers/architects and owners).

There are two types of general contractor: either employed by the construction company or one who is a freelance contractor. With his responsibility for the overall coordination of the project, most companies prefer referrals of general contractors.

His primary responsibilities are:

• Assess the project specification or the data which are referred to as bid, proposal or tender documents
• In the case of renovations, an ocular inspection or site visit is required to get a better understanding of the project.
• Depending on the project delivery method, the contractor will submit a fixed price proposal or bid, cost plus price or an estimate. The general contractor considers the cost of home office overhead, general conditions, materials and equipment as well as the cost of labor to provide the owner with a price for the project.

As we have earlier mentioned, general contractors are mostly referred which means that only the highly contractors are hired. They often start out as construction workers while gaining work experience, they learn about different aspects of construction, including masonry, carpentry, framing, and plumbing. Aspiring general contractors communicate with subcontractors and may learn the management skills they need to run their own company.

Experience in the construction industry as well as references from customers, business partners, or former employers are demanded. Some jurisdictions require candidates to provide proof of financing to own their own general contracting firm.

In the case of freelances, general contractors often run their own business. They hire subcontractors to complete specialized construction work and may manage a team of plumbers, electricians, builders, carpenters and other specialists. General contractors build their business by networking with potential clients, buying basic construction tools, and ensuring that their subcontractors complete high-quality work. General contractors don’t usually complete much construction work themselves, but they need to be familiar with construction techniques so they can manage workers effectively.

Cedar Capital Group Tokyo: Safety from Heavy Equipment

Before starting your business, of course, you have to make sure you are into the safety department before and during the process. For the construction of your business office to the later years of your business, there will always be risks involved. In such times, you have to learn how to insure your own investment.

Actually, most of the accidents happen in the construction sites so, it is very essential to take serious steps and maintain the safety with the site. We at Cedar Capital Group have known this, being in the industry for years. As we have been renting and selling capital equipment across Singapore and with our agents in Tokyo, Japan and Seoul, South Korea, we have been witnessing a lot of accounts related to our own products. As you have to work with heavy equipment, so it is really important that you should give your full attention to the safety and security. If you fail to concentrate on the site, then it you may find yourself in some unexpected danger.

But what do you do to prevent these accidents?

1. Equipment Adjustment

You should not use a piece of equipment because it can cause accidents. So, before using equipment, you have to check out and review whether it can be adjusted or not. Equipment has different parts and it is very important to give full attention to every part of the machine. You should try to give special attention to the rotating and moving parts of the machine. As those parts are the most important so they can cause huge accidents, therefore, it is good to take special care on the moving parts.

2. It is not with the cost.
As the equipment is very expensive, so you should also verify it before buying. If there is any kind of damage then try to fix it. With damaged parts you cannot work in the construction site. It can increase the chances of risks. Damaged parts are always very risky as it can bring unexpected danger in the site. As you are running a construction site with a number of workers so you have to take their responsibility also.

3. Maintainance
It is very important to maintain the machine properly. Without a proper maintenance equipment can be damaged and cause huge accidents. Thereby, it is best to maintain your machine every day to avoid such accidents.