An artist's impression of the stunning overall development of the 152-acre The Light Waterfront Penang, an integrated waterfront living, that is moving from bold vision to becoming a magnificent reality.

STARTING out 30 years ago as a merger between three medium- sized local construction companies, IJM Corp Bhd quickly became one of Malaysia's leading conglomerates with five main divisions. With early beginnings as contractors, it was only natural that a progression into something more upstream was made. Thus, with the foray of the corporation into property development, IJM Land was born.

Achieving a reputation as one of Malaysia's premier property developers meant that IJM Land continually strives to be a progressive organisation that delivers the highest standards of performance in all their ventures. Their vision echoes that: To be an internationally recognised developer of repute and step out of the boundaries of Malaysia. IJM Land has indeed set a lofty goal that will be the guiding light for them to reach greater heights.

Waterside Residence, sited on a four-acre piece of land in The Light Waterfront, boasts one of the most enviable locations with a view of the sea.

Even with the property market slowing down this year, IJM Land has remained positive and is always looking for ways to create value for customers and stakeholders with cutting edge ideas. The DNA for all of their products has been a simple yet crucial one: design with the customer in mind. For years, they have been getting feedback from their existing homebuyers so that they can find out what it takes to create future beautiful masterplans that are able to attract people from all walks of life.

IJM Land Bhd 12 managing director Edward Chong Sin
Kiat.

"There are pockets of opportunity where we can see a strong demand for our products, even with a sluggish market. We managed to see where the interest was and focus on that so as to take the opportunity to strengthen and improve ourselves and our processes.

"Being relevant in this day and age is important, so we make sure we commit passionately to excel at all we do, constantly striving to push the limits and surpass standards of excellence," enthuses IJM Land Bhd managing director Edward Chong Sin Kiat.

The company's vast portfolio includes townships, sustainable developments, iconic water community, luxury homes, landed and high-rise residences, offices and commercial properties in many states. Some of the upcoming developments which the public can look forward to include Waterside Residence in The Light Waterfront development, located in an enviable site next to the first Penang Bridge. Another one is Austin Duta at Mount Austin, Johor Baru. Comprising a total of 183 units of two-storey terraced homes in the first phase, Austin Duta is a 250-acre project that will be completed over a total of 12 phases.

Keeping in line with their vision, IJM Land has not only been continually developing their signature projects in Malaysia, but is also making their presence felt on a global level. They are building on their momentum by undertaking projects in the United Kingdom, Vietnam and China.

The first phase of Austin Duta consists of two-storey terrace houses, sited in an enclave enveloped in lush greenery.

"We have multiple projects currently developed or are being developed, in locations throughout Malaysia. As our customers are at the heart of everything we do, we consider the value proposition to customers when selecting the location for development, such as the accessibility and connectivity.

"Each location chosen has its appeal which will cater to a particular segment of the population, and we also look at whether the area is established or not. What the people look for in any project is different, but we create homes that are able to fulfil as many needs and demands as possible," Chong explains.

This has been a year which the company learnt how to adjust its strategies to be in line with the current market conditions. In 2016, however,
the company is gearing towards seizing opportunities to refocus and look at new ways to innovate and get better results in product development. The company aims to enhance its capability to provide the best customer experience, by constantly delivering at the right time with the highest quality.

An artist's impression of
the stately main entrance to Austin Duta, with the signature two yellow feathers from the lovebirds species making a home here, symbolising that paradise is found.

In lieu of current labour productivity, rising costs and quality issues, IJM Land is already considering to embark on utilising a technique of construction called Industrialised Building System (IBS) in its future projects. Embarking on this uncommon approach will definitely put IJM Land at the forefront of the property development industry as not many developers have the same advantage of being a conglomerate that has divisions which deal with both building materials and property development. IJM Land is in a prime position to deploy and benefit from this technique on a larger scale.

This award-winning company doesn't believe in putting in so many add-ons to each project over the years, thereby causing the prices to continually rise. Instead, it believes in scaling back and looking realistically at the creation of products that contain just the essential necessities of the homebuyers. This sustainable practice is what gives IJM Land its cutting edge and ability to continually build thriving communities that are well into the future.