CM Open Day - a constructive affair

"You are the precious future of the construction industry. The eminent role that you play will go a long way in conserving Mother Earth!" At the heels of the electrifying words by the President of the Chartered Institute of Building Malaysia (CIOBM), Dr Yeow Yeon Foo, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause. Such vivid was the reception at the auditorium that chaired the overtly successful Construction Management (CM) Open Day, an annual affair anchored by the Department of Construction Management of the Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology (FEGT) at UTAR Perak campus on 20 October 2012.

Dr. Yeow, whose stellar repertoire boasts of 30 years' experience and expertise in the construction industry, delivered an intriguing talk titled "Lean Construction - A Construction Project Management Process for Sustainability".  His rousing delivery, along with his unorthodox views, enlightened the bewildered audience about the obstacles plaguing the actively evolving industry.

His audience comprised mainly Foundation, Construction Management, and Environmental Engineering students who are in ardent fervour of rendering construction their future vocation.

"The word 'lean' means maximising customer value and minimising waste. To create greater customer value with fewer resources is possible. A lean organisation understands this concept and focuses on key processes to continuously increase customer value. The ultimate goal is to offer perfect value to customers through a perfect value creation process that has zero waste," expounded Dr. Yeow with conviction. He urged the audience to embrace the 4Rs principle in waste management, which are, recycle, reduce, reuse and regeneration in their everyday lives. "A popular misconception is that lean is suited only for manufacturing," he accentuated.

The rostrum also featured two impeccable speakers from the event's corporate sponsors, Ajiya Berhad and Wellguard System. The students were given a succinct glimpse into the core business practices of these two industry giants.

The icing on the cake was the inaugural presentation of CIOB Queen Elizabeth Jubilee Award to Liew Keng Soon and Best Final Year Project (FYP) Award to Lo Jun Haw respectively. Liew, a second year CM student, pocketed a whopping 500 Sterling Pounds and became the first UTAR student to be presented with the award. He enthused, "I am in cloud nine. This fete came unexpected as Math is not my forte. It will spur me to work harder." Liow's senior, Lo, also emerged RM200 richer when his distinctive FYP titled "The Effects of Different Burning Temperature of Rice Husk Ash in Concrete" was hailed as the best among its cohort. Lo thanked his mentor Dr. Doh Shu Ing for fuelling this cutting-edge masterpiece that has unleashed his creativity and aptitude for research.

This year's CM Open Day was organised in collaboration with CIOBM and supported by UTAR Built Environment Society.

Bee-line: Students queuing up at the registration booth.

Attentive: Students tuning in to the talk by Dr. Yeow.

Standing Proud: Liew (second from left) posing with his mock cheque while looking on are (fourth from left) General Manager of CIOB Audrey Chen, Dr. Yeow, Head of CM Department Ar. Tan Seong Yeow and members of the organising committee. 

Conscientious: Representatives from Ajiya Berhad checking out a model at the CM workshop.