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Topics of No.19 (September, 2023)
[Indonesia]
Jakarta Urban High Speed Rail Construction Project
The population of Jakarta has increased with Indonesia’s rapid economic development in recent years. Rising numbers of registered automobiles and motorcycles have resulted in chronic traffic congestion. The national government set about addressing that situation by embarking on the North-South Corridor Project with assistance from the Japanese government.
Surveys for the project began in 1996. Phase 1 subway construction started in August 2013. This was the first railway project in which Japanese companies received orders for the entire package, from underground and elevated civil engineering and railway system and track construction through rolling stock procurement.
The subway opened in March 2019, cutting what would be a journey of more than two hours on congested roads to just 28 minutes.
As well assisting with basic engineering and bidding and overseeing construction for Phase 2, we are also undertaking basic engineering and preparing bidding documents for the East-West Corridor. We are supervising the construction of the Jabodebek LRT Project while overseeing engineering, bid support, and construction for a project to expand the transportation capacity of the Jabodebek Railway, and bidding support and construction supervision for a new light rail transit extension project with PT Jakarta Propertindo. We will keep contributing to railroad development in Jakarta in years to come.
Many people rely on this railway, which operates from 5:30 a.m. through midnight.
[Vietnam]
Construction Project of Access Road to Lac Huyen International Port
The Hai Phong and Cai Lan ports are vital to economic activity in northern Vietnam. The combined annual container handling capacity of those facilities is just 40 million metric tons, which is insufficient to meet projected cargo demand as the economy grows. It has also proven difficult to accommodate larger container vessels, making it urgent to develop a deep-water port. These considerations resulted in the Lac Huyen International Port Construction Project. Oriental Consultants Global led the consulting joint venture for the access roads and bridge package.
The 15.6-kilometer access road includes Vietnam’s longest sea bridge, which is 5.4 kilometers long. Oriental Consultants Global’s services included engineering, bid support, and construction supervision. The project was very challenging. These challenges included deploying advanced bridge technology and extensively improving soft ground. Drawing on Japan’s outstanding construction techniques and management capabilities made it possible to complete the bridge section in just 13 months.
The port access road opened to traffic on September 2, 2017. Together with the new international port, it is helping Vietnam develop economically and become more competitive in the global market.
The 15.6-kilometer access road to Lac Huyen International Port
[Mongolia]
New Ulaanbaatar International Airport Construction Project
The first international airport in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital, originally had an international airport. Geographical challenges made it impossible to secure sufficient takeoffs and landings and ensure safety. The usability factor was thus very low. The Mongolian government accordingly decided to construct the New Ulaanbaatar International Airport with yen loans. Japanese companies took part in all aspects of this major project, from engineering through post-opening operations. Oriental Consultants Global supervised engineering and construction.
It devoted considerable attention to minimizing environmental impact by reducing the amount of soil moved into and out of the site during construction and designing facilities to reduce energy consumption. Universal design touches include signage for visually and hearing-impaired people and restrooms for wheelchair users. The terminal building enhances the experience for passengers by eliminating the need for them to move across levels.
This project was rated highly in Mongolia. Project manager Kimihiro Maeda, who worked on this initiative for many years, received the Nairamdal (Friendship) Medal, one of the highest honors that the government can bestow on foreign nationals, from the President.
The terminal has six boarding bridges and can accommodate 2 million passengers per year.
[India]
Varanasi International Cooperation and Convention Centre Construction Project
The city of Varanasi, dates back 3,000 years, making it one of the world’s oldest current cities. It developed as a religious and cultural center. UNESCO designated it a City of Music in 2015. The city has traditionally lacked a sufficient infrastructure for cultural and historical exchange initiatives. Following the India-Japan Summit Meeting in December 2015, Japan provided aid to the city of Varanasi to build the Varanasi International Cooperation and Convention Centre to symbolize friendship between the two nations.
Oriental Consultants Global managed the joint venture, was in charge of consulting services for the project. In that capacity, it provided project consultancy services that extended from research and design through construction supervision and support for theater operations and maintenance. The work ended successfully despite a temporary suspension during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Narendra Modi named the center Rudraksha to symbolize wisdom. The facility will host international conferences and cultural, artistic, and other events to foster intellectual and artistic exchanges, human resources progress, and economic development through tourism.
The center features a 1,200-seat main hall and advanced stage machinery to make it one of India’s premier venues.
[Democratic Republic of the Congo]
Urban Transportation Master Plan Development and Implementation Promotion Project
Kinshasa, the capital of the Congo, suffers from extreme population density. Years of internal conflict and political instability have resulted in inadequate development and insufficient maintenance and management of transportation infrastructure. The country has thus found it challenging to meet rising demand for capacity and efficiency.
Kinshasa’s city government responded to these challenges by formulating a vision for development through 2040 and deployed a development program through 2030 as part of its Project for Urban Transportation Master Plan. The Provincial Assembly of Kinshasa officially endorsed that plan in 2019.
In 2021, a capacity-building program was launched to help implement the plan. The government made two dashboards available to the public in May 2022 to establish an organizational structure for its execution. The dashboards are online tools to present maps, graphs, and other visual data.
This approach should make it possible to share information and foster collaboration among diverse local entities. Pilot urban development projects to improve infrastructure and public transportation endeavor to bolster the capabilities of organizations across a range of sectors. These initiatives are helping projects to progress in tangible ways based on the Urban Transportation Master Plan.
Main roads suffer from congestion as passenger buses navigate through heavy traffic. People often have to use crossroads without pedestrian signals.
[The Philippines]
Super Typhoon Yolanda Disaster Recovery and Rehabilitation Plan
Super Typhoon Yolanda struck the Philippines in November 2013. In some areas, up to 90% of houses collapsed. The number of dead or missing people reached around 8,000. The Japan International Cooperation Agency initiated emergency assistance immediately after this disaster.
It was as part of that effort that Oriental Consultants Global spearheaded an emergency recovery and reconstruction project in the heavily affected coastal areas of Leyte and Samar islands. It also provided support for building disaster-resistant communities. During that endeavor, the company collaborated with Higashi-Matsushima in Miyagi Prefecture, which suffered tremendous damage in the Great East Japan Earthquake, to share Japan’s reconstruction experience and lessons with officials in the Philippines. One collaboration goal was to help develop plans for comprehensive land-use and practical evacuation in that nation. Furthermore, in order to contribute to improve the livelihoods of residents in the affected areas in the short time, we implemented the Japanese technologies modified to the local needs and worked on developing human resources. These efforts earned high praise.
Typhoon Ruby hit the Philippines about a year after Super Typhoon Yolanda. There were happily no casualties in areas in which Oriental Consultants Global provided support. Many acknowledged the effectiveness of its disaster preparedness efforts, leading to such policy improvements as the revision of land-use planning guidelines around the nation.
Discussing reconstruction plans with local residents
Receiving Infrastructure Maintenance Project Award for Technical Support in Democratic Republic of Congo
The Japan Society of Civil Engineers announces its Infrastructure Maintenance Awards every year. The fiscal 2022 program gave a Project Award to Oriental Consultants Global for its Matadi Bridge Maintenance Planning and Maintenance Capacity Improvement Project in Democratic Republic of Congo. The award ceremony was on February 27, 2023.
The Matadi Bridge is a road and rail suspension bridge. It is the only bridge across the Congo River and is a key transportation link with Kinshasa, the capital. May 2023 marked 40 years since the completion of this structure, which has also proven indispensable for the community. During construction, Japanese personnel headed the Organization for Equipment of Banana-Kinshasa. They were stationed on-site to help transfer maintenance and management technologies. Japanese assistance ended in 1991 because of political unrest in Kinshasa. Organization for Equipment of Banana-Kinshasa workers who had picked up suspension bridge construction and maintenance technologies from Japanese engineers created and updated a database and conducted daily inspections and maintenance to safeguard the bridge.
The resumption of Japanese aid in 2012 fueled efforts to enhance the longevity of the bridge and transfer advanced maintenance and management technologies. Efforts have included deploying advanced cable anti-corrosion technology that the Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Expressway Company developed. Oriental Consultants Global will continue to support the nation’s infrastructure by emphasizing the importance of repair techniques and maintenance for existing infrastructure so it can continue to serve safely for many more years.
The Matadi Bridge crosses the Congo River.
Honored with Excellence Award in Bentley Digital Awards 2022 for Driving Digital Transformation Efforts for Metro Manila Subway Construction Project
Infrastructure engineering software company Bentley Systems sponsors the Bentley Infrastructure and Going Digital Awards program to recognize infrastructure projects that have delivered outstanding outcomes by using its software. In 2022, the Metro Manila Subway Project in which Oriental Consultants Global has been involved finished first from more than 300 entries.
Manila is the economic hub of the Philippines and home to 13 million people. Traffic congestion deteriorated amid fast economic growth and a large population. The national government set about addressing this issue by driving digital transformation initiatives in implementing major urban rail projects.
The 34-kilometer Metro Manila Subway Project is on track to completion in 2028. In supervising construction, Oriental Consultants Global is using Bentley’s project management system for design reviews, document management, and other tasks. Integrating such digital tools as building information modeling and virtual reality has contributed to overall project management digitization. This approach aims to streamline the project and ensure that it progresses safely and reliably.
Oriental Consultants Global will continue to leverage advanced digital technologies to ensure safe, secure, and efficient infrastructure development. It also aims to help nations to shrink their carbon footprints by developing railroads.
Railway research institute at Metro Manila Subway Depot in virtual reality space
Study Employing AI-Based Traffic Accident Analysis Methodology Wins Excellence Award in Infra-DX Award Program of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism established the Infra-DX Award program in 2022 to recognize outstanding data and digital technology applications in the infrastructure sector.
In 2023, Oriental Consultants received an Excellence Award in the Construction and Operations Category for its traffic accident analysis method that utilizing AI technology in R3 Tokyo National Highway Area Traffic Accident Countermeasures Study Project.
Conventional approaches to identifying potential hazards consume a lot of time and effort. This is because they rely heavily on individuals to conduct visual inspections in which accuracy is always a challenge. Harnessing AI technology makes it possible to process huge volumes of video data in just one-fifth of the time needed for visual observations. Another benefit is that basing indicators on accident data makes it possible to objectively and precisely identify hazards. Combining this approach with analyzing driver visibility and driving conditions through dashcam footage facilitates comprehensively identifying accident factors. This comprehensive setup makes it possible to fully understand entire mechanisms behind accidents and develop more effective countermeasures.
By tapping AI-based traffic accident analysis methodologies, particularly at intersections where accident numbers remain high, authorities can deploy effective accident countermeasures. We will continue to deploy this technology and engage in further development to contribute to the realization of a safe and secure transportation society.
Examples of AI-identified hazards
Receiving Infrastructure Maintenance Challenge Award for Road Stock Maintenance Technique in Tawaramoto
Oriental Consultants, the town of Tawaramoto in Nara Prefecture, and Osaka Public University jointly received the 2022 Infrastructure Maintenance Challenge Award. This prize recognizes innovative initiatives that have contributed to regional infrastructure maintenance or elevated stakeholder awareness. The award in this case was for comprehensively privatizing road stock maintenance management.
Outsourcing mandates were previously on individual bases. This resulted in such issues as ineffective communication of design concepts to contractors, project delays, inconsistent quality, and greater costs and other burdens on the client.
Tawaramoto thus took two steps to overcome these challenges. One was to deploy an early contractor involvement contract based on the town’s specifications. This meant engaging principal contractors at the design stage, thereby encouraging collaboration between the client, designers, and contractors to streamline project implementation. The second step was to comprehensively outsource everything form inspections through information management. These moves shortened construction lead times, improved quality, and made it possible to streamline operations.
Tawaramoto plans to comprehensively outsource digital technology-based pavement and roadside facility inspections and diagnostics to the private sector over five-year cycles from fiscal 2024. Oriental Consultants will keep providing robust support to municipalities finding it challenging to maintain and manage road stock, thereby helping to create social value.
Developing a System that Can Integrate 3D Modeling from Design through Construction and Maintenance Phases
In information and communication technology (ICT)-based construction for earthworks in Japan, construction contractors create three-dimensional (3D) models but do not use building and construction information modeling (BIM and CIM) at design stages. When design and construction areas differ or when such stages as construction roads are necessary, 3D models may need further refining. Those contractors may not always be able to handle such tasks, impeding efforts to cultivate undertake ICT work.
It was against that backdrop that Oriental Consultants and ATEC Co., Ltd., developed the ICT Construction Data Conversion System eMS (for Earthwork Management System), which can convert BIM and CIM models created at the design stage according to ICT construction conditions. This setup makes it possible to convert 3D models for ICT construction just by specifying construction areas according to construction sections and steps, inputting such basic settings as the slope.
For ICT construction in varying site conditions, this system enables firms to cut costs and labor and prevent human error. Using the registration function for embankment material characteristics makes it possible to transfer quality information from the construction to maintenance management stages. This centralized management approach makes it possible to draw on useful information to identify the causes of deformation after construction and undertake the proper responses. Oriental Consultants will draw on this system to employ BIM and CIM models and information in the construction stages and even in managing maintenance, thereby furthering i-construction progress.
Concluding a 10-Year Comprehensive Service Outsourcing Agreement to Manage Water Supply and Sewage Facilities in Moriya
Oriental Consultants and Chuou Sekkei Engineering Co., Ltd., joined a consortium led by Water Agency Inc., which concluded an agreement with Moriya in Ibaraki Prefecture for comprehensive service outsourcing for managing water supply and sewage facilities in that city. Water Agency oversees operations and is responsible for maintenance and inspections. Oriental Consultants and Chuou Sekkei Engineering handle consulting services, and will collaborate streamline operations.
Water and sewage facilities management outsourcing is generally for five years but is for 10 years through 2033 under this agreement. This is the longest mandate in Japan for a comprehensive outsourcing agreement including consulting services.
These services encompass operational and maintenance management, repairs, waste management, and such consultancy tasks as planning, design, and supervising construction. Managing operations efficiently across budget items makes it possible to reduce project costs. The consultancy services seek to employ subsidies and grants judiciously. Efforts to develop effective repair and stock management and asset management plans based on maintenance information apply digital technologies to make them more sophisticated and efficient.
Oriental Consultants and Chuou Sekkei Engineering will keep cultivating various public-private partnerships and help stabilize and streamline public utility facilities operations by leveraging digital process-based administrative support.
This image is for illustrative purposes.
Opening Japan’s First Roadside Station Created by Selecting Business Operator from Basic Planning Stage
March 21, 2023, saw Roadside Station Maebashijobu open the Maebashi Akagi Roadside Station in Gunma Prefecture. Opening ceremony attendees included Maebashi Mayor Ryu Yamamoto, who represented the organizers, and Masato Shimizu, the Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism. Representing the Governor of Gunma Prefecture was Nobuyuki Maniwa, Director of the Prefectural Land Development. Other dignitaries included the mayors of six neighboring municipalities and representatives of local organizations related to the facility.
This was the first instance in Japan of selecting a business operator from the basic planning stage and having that operator oversee design, construction, and operations. Yamato Inc., Oriental Consultants, and Oriental Gunma Co., Ltd., jointly established Road Station Maebashijobu as a special-purpose company that concluded a private finance initiative special business contract with Maebashi City to operate this roadside station. The facility is being developed using a business method that combines a self-supporting accounting PFI and a business method of publicly built and privately operated.
The facility seeks to deliver an unparalleled mix of shopping, dining, leisure, relaxation, and social experiences for road travelers. It features a direct sales outlet for agricultural produce, a spa, a tourist information center, and 17 shops offering food and beverages and merchandise. Road Station Maebashijobu is collaborating with store operators and farmers to leverage this facility to contribute to Maebashi’s economic development.
Panoramic view of Maebashi Akagi Roadside Station
Using Tsunami Hazard Map to Provide Training
Hachijo is a town on Hachijo-jima, a volcanic island that is almost 300 kilometers south of Tokyo that is administratively a subprefecture of Japan’s capital. The town is vulnerable to landslides and volcanic activity, as well as to earthquakes along the Nankai Trough. The town’s island location also makes it prone to tsunamis, so it urgently needs to improve its resilience. Oriental Consultants therefore created a tsunami hazard map by integrating tsunami simulation results and damage estimates for volcanic and landslide disasters into three-dimensional data for Hachijo-jima. The company used this tool to conduct training sessions for municipal employees and disaster-related organizations to address local disaster risks and develop response strategies.
Training activities included lectures to deepen understanding about national resilience, viewing videos showing tsunami, landslide, and volcano disasters, and conducting workshops to formulate risk scenarios for Hachijo. The sessions employed digital technologies to highlight particular risks to avoid, showed disaster scenarios to enhance understanding, and included discussions about specific issues.
In a post-session poll, around 90% of participants responded that it enabled them to better comprehend disaster risks. Oriental Consultants hopes that this initiative will help enhance community resilience by helping stakeholders to better understand casualties and escape route congestion while bolstering collaboration and risk communications between the authorities, residents, and businesses.
Hazard map presenting tsunami scenario for Hachijo
Davao Master Plan Development Project for Flood Control Measures in Davao City, Philippines
Davao is the largest city on the island of Mindanao in the south of the Philippines. It was long less prone to flooding because it was largely out of the path of typhoons. Climate change has affected the city in recent years, with heavy rainfalls causing the Davao River to overflow. In 2017, a powerful typhoon damaged around 23,000 households. The city has suffered from poor rainwater drainage during high tides, internal flooding, and inundation from storm surges. The Philippines government took this situation very seriously, commissioning Oriental Consultants Global to conduct three-stage flood countermeasures planning project.
For Stage 1, it conducted a foundational survey. It followed up with a Master Plan survey in Stage 2 and a Feasibility survey in Stage 3. At the Master Plan survey stage, it consulted closely with the prospective agency and relevant municipalities. The idea was to select optimal combinations of structures for the region. The final plan sought to minimize future risks. The challenge, however, was that it would be difficult to implement owing to land acquisition and relocation and other factors.
Collaborating with counterparts and carefully explaining considerations to local residents and community leaders made it possible to attain a certain understanding. Oriental Consultants Global also discussed and examined challenges facing target areas with local officials, which helped to enhance practical planning capabilities for flood control measures.
Davao River, the largest river in the region, flows through the center of the city. We also surveyed the Talomo and Matina rivers.
Using 3D Ground Models to Drive Analytical Technique Advances
In recent years, slope and embankment collapses in mountainous areas owing to heavy rainfalls have become a major societal issue. While the collapses are largely attributable to rainfall and the associated groundwater flows, those flows are complex and extensive, making it hard to conduct full analyses with limited surveys. Oriental Consultants therefore undertook three-dimensional seepage flow analyses to quantitatively understand situations.
There were initially few measurements of groundwater flows for creating analytical data, impeding efforts to reproduce on-site conditions. Oriental Consultants addressed that issue by setting accurate initial hydraulic head values based on survey results and groundwater distribution characteristics in mountainous areas. Mapping successfully extended beyond subsurface seepage flow to depict water movements after surfacing. This enabled the company to reproduce groundwater fluctuation scenarios leading to slope and embankment collapses.
At the same time, issues emerged with the time and effort needed for analysis and data organization. To address these challenges, Oriental Consultants parallelized and improved program to reduce calculation times. It also created in-house programs to simplify tasks, thus reducing time and errors. Making it easy for anyone to check and use analysis results has contributed to disaster prediction and prevention, particularly in areas prone to slope and embankment collapses.
An embankment was constructed to fill a ravine but later collapsed because of rainfall. Oriental Consultants determined that this stemmed from groundwater, but there were no records or data available from that time.
Comprehensive Sewerage and Water Facility Management Services in Moriya
Human resources, equipment, and funding are key challenges for water and sewerage utilities, particularly small and mid-sized players. Human resources challenges have included staff and technical skill shortages. Facilities maintenance has been an issue, as have been financial shortfalls. The city of Moriya also faced these three problems. To address them, it embarked on an expanded comprehensive outsourcing initiative beginning in 2023 to expand private sector discretion beyond traditional scopes.
A first move was to extend outsourcing periods from three years, to 10, which is more conducive to incorporating private sector innovations. Another decision was to add consulting services, including for planning, engineering, and construction management, to facilitate greater efficiency and automation.
In a significant reform, Oriental Consultants collaborated with partners to develop and deploy a practical cloud-based facility management system that incorporates insights from the field. This enables efficient and rapid management of facilities, daily operations, construction, and finances. It also streamlines inspections, surveys, and aggregate analysis.
Private entities took the lead in this initiative, creating a business model that can establish sustainable operational underpinnings. Oriental Consultants will use the project in Moriya as a starting point for pursuing further integration and diversification.
The Moriya Water Center receives purified water and distributes it to households.
Using UAV Green Lasers to Measure Water Areas
Surveying the conditions of offshore breakwaters for maintaining coastal protection facilities necessitated determining the geometry of and surrounding the breakwaters. Oriental Consultants accordingly conducted a survey with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with green laser devices.
For this project, Oriental Consultants surveyed several beaches in the city of Wakayama. It improved the accuracy of three-dimensional (3D) data obtained by laser irradiation from the sky by setting up several calibration points. It acquired coordinates through actual measurements. It drew on on-site measurements to create 3D data and conducted supplementary surveys as necessary. To enable comparisons with previous years, Oriental Consultants prepared longitudinal transects at similar locations.
Before conducting measurements, it planned optimal flight courses based on deliverables and pre-site surveys. With laser measurements, such issues as rough water surfaces and turbidity can increase error data. Another problem can be that lasers do not reach the seabed.
Oriental Consultants tackled these challenges by checking weather forecasts and tidal prediction fluctuations a week before taking measurements to optimize the date and time for a survey and thus ensure that it acquired accurate data.
Green laser-equipped UAVs are promising for a range of applications, including to survey protective seawall structures and seaweed beds that help purify water.
This UAV-based survey took place after carefully assessing the weather, the environs, and safety.
Leveraging Ryosui Waterworks CAD System to Expand Water Supply Business
In its core business, Oriental Consultants is striving to enhance its competitiveness by expanding the water supply operations and create new services with a water supply model employing digital processes. It accordingly embarked on initiatives to improve the expertise and practicality of the Ryosui Waterworks computer-aided design (CAD) system, which lags the capabilities of offerings from other companies. Research & Solution Co., Ltd., developed that system.
Collaborating with Group companies, Oriental Consultants gained experience in pipe engineering, drawing on the knowledge it accumulated to revamp the CAD system and make it more practical. It is also conducting proving tests of Ryosui for design consultants to expand its water supply domain.
In the city of Iruma, Saitama Prefecture, where it conducted tests, it undertook simple engineering and outsourced detailed engineering to an external consultancy.
Inputting delivered quantity calculations into a cost estimation system became quite burdensome. Oriental Consultants addressed that issue by integrating the drawing and electronically delivered outputs from contractors to streamline operations, using an Internet connection, and employing the municipality’s cost estimation system.
Waterworks face severe labor shortages because of personnel cutbacks and baby boomer retirements. They thus urgently need to streamline operations. Oriental Consultants will leverage its specialist knowledge and systematize tasks that municipalities have yet to expedite or streamline to help address the challenges of waterworks.
In Iruma, Oriental Consultants conducted proving tests encompassing remote connections through virtual clients, systems usage, and electronic delivery.
[Republic of Indonesia]
Combining Useful Systems to Build Urban Long-Distance Railroad Bridge
The Jakarta metropolitan area is home to more than 25 million people. As Indonesia’s capital, it serves as a political, economic, and social hub for the nation. The city’s growing population has increased the number of cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles on the roads. This has created chronic traffic congestion, as well as such other issues as air pollution and increases in traffic accidents. President Joko Widodo sought to address these problems president ordering a comprehensive public transportation system as a national strategic project.
In September 2015, construction started on the 44.41-kilometer Jabodebek LRT light rapid transit system. Oriental Consultants Global led the joint venture for this initiative, known as CG-JIR, overseeing engineering reviews, construction, scheduling, quality assurance, safety, and contract management.
Construction includes a series of bridges. They include the Kuningan, the world’s longest curved concrete box bridge without supporting poles, at 148 meters. This simple span continuous bridge uses lead rubber bearings on a scale never seen for a railway bridge. To maintain safety in the event of an earthquake occurring, notwithstanding the probability exceeding 50 years, the bridge combines a seismic detection and alarm system which can detect a preceding P-wave and predict the intensity of a destructive S-wave and stops trains automatically to maintain passenger safety. This was an unprecedented achievement in railway bridge construction anywhere around the world.
During the opening ceremony in August 2023, project initiator President Widodo personally thanked Eiji Yonezawa, president of Oriental Consultants Global, for contributing so much to the railroad’s successful completion.
The 44.41-kilometer-long railroad offers panoramic views of Jakarta and suburbs.
[Three Southeast Asian Countries]
Strengthening Alliances with Consulting Firms in Three Southeast Asian Countries
Oriental Consultants Global is stepping up alliances with consulting firms in Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore. In July 2022, we concluded an agreement to collaborate with HSS Engineers, a leading player in Malaysia, focusing on infrastructure projects across Southeast Asia. Oriental Consultants Global had previously worked with that firm on joint proposals and engineer deployments in the railway sector. In July 2023, Oriental Consultants Global also signed a business collaboration agreement with Silverdab in the Philippines, primarily to collaborate further in BIM and CIM in the Philippines and around Asia. That firm was the first in that country to obtain BSI Kitemark certification for BIM based on ISO 19650-1 and ISO 19650-2.
Collaboration efforts between Oriental Consultants Global and that firm have included jointly implementing building information modeling tasks in the railways business and exchanging engineers. The Philippine National Capital Region Subway Project, which both companies worked on, received an award for excellence in the Bentley Digital Awards 2022 in recognition of building information modeling achievements.
In September 2023, Oriental Consultants Global’s President Eiji Yonezawa, met Sean Chiao, CEO of Surbana Jurong Group, a leading urban, infrastructure, and management services firm. Oriental Consultants Global concluded an agreement in 2017 to collaborate with SMEC, which is part of the Surbana Jurong Group. That partnership has involved undertaking joint projects and exchanging personnel. In the recent discussions, Mr. Chiao and Mr. Yonezawa confirmed plans to reinforce ties, including by hosting thematic workshops on such topics as renewable energy and infrastructure operations and maintenance.
Oriental Consultants Global cooperates with Silverdab on infrastructure projects, primarily in the Philippines and around Asia.
Scooping Top Prize at Japan Resilience Awards for Digital Transformation Training for National Resilience Plan
Oriental Consultants and the town of Hachijo, Tokyo, won the Grand Prize in the Japan Resilience Awards 2023 for a collaborative project to provide total staff training based on Japan’s national resilience plan and digital transformation initiatives. The awards recognize outstanding contributions to national resilience in generations to come.
The award-winning project involved providing comprehensive training for all personnel and related organizations in Hachijo to enhance the effectiveness of the national resilience plan formulated in March 2022. Sessions included a lecture from Professor Emeritus Nakabayashi of Tokyo Metropolitan University, the creation of tsunami hazard map replicating tsunami simulation results with 3D data, and image training to anticipate the risks unique to Hachijo. The diverse training activities contributed to ongoing improvements in the national resilience plan and proved worthy of application at other municipalities, contributing to recognition through the award.
The Japan Resilience Award recognizes synergistic efforts between industry, academia, government, and the private sector that contribute to better national resilience. The Association for Resilience Japan established this program in 2014. Oriental Consultants has received this award five straight times since 2019 and a total of seven times.
The company will keep striving to help prevent disasters by leveraging digital transformation processes that enhance the nation’s resilience in tangible and intangible ways.
From left, Prof. Emeritus Nakabayashi of Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tomonari Yamashita, Mayor of Hachijo Town, and Takeshi Nakao, an executive officer of Oriental Consultants
Japan Society of Civil Engineers Bestows Awards on Oriental Consultants Global and Employee
On May 15, 2022, the Japan Society of Civil Engineers announced its Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award for 2022. Oriental Consultants Global was A Group-1 winner for received an award the Technology Award (II) for its Patimban Port Development Project (I) Phase 1-1 in the Republic of Indonesia. One of the company’s employees received a Continuing International Contribution Award.
Existing ports in Indonesia have experienced cargo handling capacity issues in recent years amid surging volumes associated with rapid economic growth. This led to the launch of a new port development project in Patimban in southwest Indonesia. Oriental Consultants Global drew on Japanese technology to addressing soft ground conditions and deployed eco-friendly construction techniques while shortening the construction lead time. These contributions to realizing the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategies of countries in the region earned recognition for helping advance civil engineering technology and social progress.
The Oriental Consultant Global employee recognized was Kentaro Nishizawa. He has worked on railroad projects for around 12 years, primarily in Asia. His involvements in diverse projects have extended from planning through completion. As well as engaging in planning, training, and survey implementation, he also helped exchange technologies between Japan and Indonesia in surveying existing bridges for a double track railway project between Cirebon and Kroya on the Java South Line in Indonesia. His willingness to engage in international technical exchange, such as by presenting experiences at a forum for young engineers in Japan, led to his Continuing International Contribution Award.
Panoramic view of Patimban Port
Bridge Project in Bangladesh Receives Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award at JapaCon
The Japan Construction International Award (JapaCon) honors construction projects that showcase Japan’s unique strengths and champion high-quality infrastructure. Oriental Consultants Global received the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award for its efforts to construct the Meghna-Gumti New Bridge in Kachipur, Bangladesh, and upgrade existing bridges. This was the sixth time for the company to earn such recognition.
Bangladesh suffers from chronic traffic congestion. Bridges are often washed away during floods, exacerbating this problem. This project entailed repairing and reinforcing existing bridges connecting Dhaka, the capital, with Chotgram, the nation’s second largest city and home to an important port, while constructing a new bridge. Oriental Consultants Global shortened the construction lead time by performing work in close proximity without interrupting traffic and by minimizing tasks done on site. Deploying and transferring outstanding Japanese construction technology helped enhance the durability of the bridges and reduce future bridge maintenance and management costs.
That deployment and transfer earned recognition as a significant contribution to the development of civil engineering techniques and the nation of Bangladesh, leading to the award. Oriental Consultants Global will keep supporting economic development around the world by developing high-quality, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure.
The Kachipur-Meghna-Gumti new bridge and existing bridge