Construction

The government of the Indian state of Punjab has asked for Canadian help in building a modern township near the historic city of Anandpur Sahib. The request was made to the Canadian embassy in New Delhi. A delegation led by Minister of State for Housing and Development Ranjit Singh Ballan, held talks with Canadian embassy officials on Friday to discuss matters such as infrastructure facilities, design, landscaping, and other related projected related to the proposed township, to be named Anandgarh.

Selco Homes of Sendai Japan has been named the top importer of Canadian housing for the last five years. 54% of the 1,419 Canadian homes that were exported to Japan were sold by Selco and its franchises. Selco announced that it plans to expand its sales network and build 1,000 Canadian homes in Japan this year. The selling features of the Canadian homes for Japanese home-buyers include the heat insulation and airtightness of the homes. The president of the company noted that the high quality of the imported housing meets the strict housing quality laws that are taking effect in the country.

The general manager of Canadian-based Champa International Developments Corp. announced at a seminar in Ho Chi Minh City that his company has begun preparations for a joint venture with Urban Development & Investment Co. to produce lightweight steel frames for civil construction projects in Vietnam. Champa International is one of six Canadian manufacturers of construction materials in the Vietnamese capital hoping to take advantage of cooperation opportunities there.

A Canadian-style subdivision of 15 lots has opened in Aira-cho, Kagoshima prefecture. The Maple Avenue subdivision is a joint effort of the Province of Alberta and the Kagoshima Association for the Promotion of Imported Housing, which represents 13 companies.

Recycled Solutions for Industry Inc. (RSI), an Edmonton-based chemical technologies company, announced that it has received a contract for an industrial coatings project in Shenzhen, China. The contract is with Baoding General Petroleum & Anti-Corrosion Engineering Company and is valued at US$1.5 million. The project will begin immediately and involves the application of highly protective weather resistant coatings on the exterior walls of 24 structures in the industrial section of Shenzhen. Work will be completed by mid-June.

Gulf Shores Resources, headquartered in Vancouver, is part of a consortium of energy companies that will complete construction of a pipeline to deliver natural gas from the Indonesian island of Natuna to Singapore in December 2000, three to four months ahead of schedule. Along with Gulf Shores Resources, the consortium includes Pertamina, the Indonesian state oil company, Conoco Inc. of the US, and Premier Oil of the UK. Initially transporting 150 million cubic feet of gas a day, the pipeline is expected to transport 325 million cubic feet per day by the second half of 2001.

Green Island Cement (Holdings) Ltd. a wholly owned unit of Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings Ltd., announced that it has acquired a 65% stake in Polyphalt Inc. Green Island Cement will pay C$10 million. Toronto-based Polyphalt Inc. develops polymer modified asphalt products, used in the construction, paving, and roofing industries. This is the first Canadian acquisition for Cheung Kong Infrastructure, which is a unit of Hong Kong’s largest real estate developer Cheung Kong Holdings Ltd., headed by Li Ka-Shing, who has other extensive interests in Canada.

Japanese building material supplier Okamoto International will be expanding its sales of brick panels which it manufactures via its wholly-owned subsidiary in Saskatchewan. The expansion was decided upon after the company reported satisfactory sales of the product, which are panels consisting of brick, plywood, and insulation. Okamoto, based in Kobe prefecture, estimated that there are six million buildings in Japan which could make use of the panels. As part of the expansion, the company also hopes to offer the material in a choice of colours.

AGRA Inc, a company based in Oakville, Ontario, has submitted a proposal to the government of South Korea to participate in the construction of one of two bridges linking the city of Inchon with Yongjong Island, site of the Inchon International Airport currently under construction. In a business proposal drawn up by KODA Development, a joint venture between AGRA and Inchon City, AGRA expressed its willingness to build the second Yonyuk Bridge on a build, operate, and transfer basis.

Two seminars on imported housing and materials sponsored by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) will feature Canadian speakers. At the first seminar, to be held on February 26, Robin Sinha of Natural Resources Canada will speak on the subject of imported housing. At the second, on March 6, Kimihiko Ito, a Canada-based architect of K. Ito and Associates, will discuss housing complexes and designs for senior citizens.