TANZANIA - Building Prosperity
Yapi Merkezi Construction Company Devoted to making a difference
Connecting Lives And Building Happiness In Tanzania At 535 kilometres, Yapi Merkezi Construction Company is breaking ground with one of their largest contract railway projects to date, and they are ensuring that they build Tanzania’s transportation sector and communities along the way. With his father founding the company fifty-four This iconic project of railway line is also fully years ago, Erdem Arioglu was born into the electrified and equipped with the European company and has worked in every department, Railway Transportation Management System while going to high school in Istanbul, from (ERTMS) level-2 signalling system, which is the serving tea and making photocopies as a young safety standard of Europe. This system allows boy, from document translation to later working for remote control of trains from a central hub in project development and finance, all the way in order to ensure ongoing safety. Another to proudly assuming one of the highest positions distinguishing quality of the line is that it is of the company. He holds a Bachelor’s degree continuously welded, with no space between (Istanbul Technical University) and master’s the rails. This guarantees that operation and degree in Civil Engineering (UC Berkeley, USA) maintenance costs are low and the travel with an emphasis in construction management. experience is more comfortable for the Now as the Vice Chairman, Arioglu handles passangers. Arioglu explains, “Railways that all of the execution and operations in Africa, “We are training have spaces between the connections of the rail as well as other parts of the world. Under his wear down more quickly and require more thousands of often strategic management in Project Development, maintenance, more often.” These properties Yapi Merkezi began international ventures Tanzanians on make the line cheaper to operate and Arioglu that led them to Africa. “In Tanzania, we heard tells us that “all of these characteristics are the job site. about His Excellency President Magufuli’s much better than anything that has been built vision and we showed interest to the tender of this part of Africa.” Currently out in While the turnkey railway line. The administration, extending 535 kilometres is impressive having evaluated our experience, accepted us. of the 10,000 in itself, the versatile terrain of Tanzania can They gave us the contract for the first phase construction challenges on a project employees of present and the official project start date was May of this size, but Yapi Merkezi has tactics that 2017.” This project is the largest contract that on-time project delivery: “Dynamic Yapi Merkezi, guarantees Yapi Merkezi has ever undertaken, consisting Planning.” Arioglu credits his father with over 8,500 are implementing innovative solutions to ensure of two lots awarded to Yapi Merkezi a railway line stretching an impressive 535 kilometres. “My father, who is the founding partner Tanzanians.” success. “I don’t think any other company has done, a of the company, is a very good structure and railway project of this size as a single company Erdem Arioglu, design engineer who established a very strong without a partner,” he says. engineering culture in the company. When we This project is not only exceptional in size, Vice Chairman, have a project, we identify the construction but also different from all other railways in and techniques that are most Yapi Merkezi technologies Sub-Saharan and East Africa. With the capability suitable for achieving the timing of the project. of reaching a speed of 160 kilometres per Then we implement those techniques. If there hour for passenger trains, the line is faster are any inefficiencies over the time of the than any other that has been built in the region in the past. project, we try to keep the deadline fixed and try to find In addition to its high speed for passenger trains, the line is alternative solutions within the project timeline. We must also designed as a heavy haul freight line with an axle load complete the project within the agreed timeframe by changing of 35 tonnes, which is currently greater than any line in and adapting construction methodologies. This has been the Tanzania and the region thus far. strength of the company. It is the strength that makes us 32 | FORBES AFRICA JULY 2019