A prolific portfolio
With a diverse range of projects under its belt and many more on the horizon, Turkish construction company Ant Yapi is making a name for itself, both in its native country and in Russia. Now, it is seeking to diversify and expand still furtherÔÇöwithout compromising on quality.
The city of Istanbul in Turkey has long been known as the City on Seven Hills, thanks to its historic peninsula areaÔÇöthe original cityÔÇöwhich was built on seven low hills that border the saltwater Bosphorus and the freshwater Golden Horn. Also frequently referred to as the City of Two Continents, due to its unique position straddling Europe and Asia, the city boasts a vibrant and beautiful location, and is undoubtedly viewed as a picturesque opportunity for any construction company.
Being built in the fashionable Sisli area, one of the cityÔÇÖs most historic districts lying north of the Golden Horn, is what construction company Ant Yapi calls the ÔÇÿeighth hillÔÇÖ of the cityÔÇöthe Anthill residences, due for completion in August 2010. With a 170,000 square metre construction area, the project consists of two towers, each with 54 floors and boasting every modern convenience a resident could possibly envisage. There will be caf├®s, restaurants, meeting rooms and sun terraces, as well as a fitness centre offering both indoor and outdoor swimming pools, squash courts, an indoor ski run, steam bath and sauna. Services will include room service, car rental, pet care and 24-hour healthcare. The buildingÔÇÖs flexible and modular structure also enables prospective buyers to customise their chosen apartment space according to their needs.
Ant Yapi is also working on a unique coastal houses project, Port Ala├ºati, which consists of 16 apartments and 27 houses. The 15,000 square metre site is situated on the ├çesme Peninsula on TurkeyÔÇÖs eastern coast, 70 kilometres from Izmir and stretching to the Ala├ºati Gulf. The region, which is home to protected ancient rock formations, is both a popular tourist destination and the favoured retreat of many second-property owners.
Ant Yapi has been careful to consider any potential problems well ahead of time. Despite its waterside location, water shortages to domestic residences are commonplace here, so the company has installed water storage facilities to address the issue. There is also a water purification provision on site to ensure that the relevant environmental requirements are met; in addition, electricity generators have been set up, ready to supply power if needed.
With its new headquarters in the ├£mraniye district, on the Asian side of Istanbul, Ant Yapi, which started life in the 1990s, currently has 500 employees in Turkey but a massive 4,000 in RussiaÔÇöa testament to its success in that region. Having previously concentrated on projects located in Turkey, in recent years the company has started to expand abroad, with particular success in Russia and Ukraine, where it currently has fourteen projects underway, as well as a string already under its belt.
One of these is the iconic Federation Tower, RussiaÔÇÖs tallest skyscraper, situated in the capital city of Moscow. Under development by Mirax Construction and owned by the Mirax Group, the building consists of two towers linked by bridgesÔÇöAnt Yapi being awarded the contract to build the 62-storey, 795 foot-high west tower. Construction began in 2006 and was finished in 2009. Completion of the overall structure is estimated to be in 2010 or 2011, at which point it will become EuropeÔÇÖs tallest building. Part of RussiaÔÇÖs International Business Centre, the towers house offices and hotel accommodation, as well as caf├®s and restaurants.
Other current projects in Russia and Ukraine include shopping malls, business centres, housing projects and multi-storey garages; previous successes in the region include hotels, schools and amusement centres, among others.
The company has been growing by around 30 per cent each year, thanks to the number of new projects it has taken on. Turnover last year was approximately $425 million (Ôé¼293 million), and it has no intention of slowing down. Its vision is to continue building on its growth thus far and to become one of the leading companies in the construction sector. With the luxurious Anthill residences already on its books, it may come as no surprise to learn that the company is actively seeking to diversify its expertise, and one possible area being considered is hotel management. It currently has several feasibility studies underway to assess this aim.
The company also has its own extensive machinery and equipment park, worth an estimated $35 million, which comprises heavy construction equipment, concrete dispatching equipment, prefabrication equipment, formworks, light construction equipment, surveying equipment and a fleet of vehicles.
Ant Yapi puts great emphasis on being able to offer the most appropriate solutions to its clients and treating them as business partners. ItÔÇÖs a strategy that must be paying off; work comes to the firm via word of mouth and recommendations from previous customers, with very little required in the way of external advertising. The company prides itself on completing its projects on time and on budget, without the need to sacrifice quality.
Its ability to do this largely depends on the supply chain. Using IT to shorten the procurement process, the focus for Ant Yapi is to get materials on-site on a just-in-time basis, via a seamless flow of information and materials that encounters no interruption. Co-ordinating multiple projects between different locations is always going to be a challenge, but the company has found that using varying modules from a single platform for every element of the business processÔÇöincluding purchasing, logistics and warehousing, planning, subcontracting and human resourcesÔÇövastly increases efficiency. It is now developing the system still further, with its ultimate goal of achieving operational excellence in mind at all times.
But effective systems are only ever half the story. Ant Yapi recognises the importance of having the best possible personnel both on-site and in its offices, and as such, every summer term it offers apprenticeships to students from universities and vocational colleges. If, after graduating, the student wishes to work for Ant Yapi, they are then recruited by the company, offering them an unrivalled opportunity to work on major projects with a highly experienced construction team. New recruits are also given a chance to work in different departments in order to fast-track their development if appropriate.
With such a prolific portfolio of projects already to its name and more underway, Ant Yapi looks set to maintain its fast pace of diversification and expansion in some of the worldÔÇÖs most exciting locations.
