1.5) MD's Message
Dr Edmond Cheng
Managing Director
Urban Group
TQM helps build The Urban Quality
Real Estate Service Brands
Urban Group’s Total Quality Management (TQM) journey started with our adoption of the ISO 9001 quality assurance system. The launching of the Sm@rtUrban™ systems further enabled us to greatly improve our service efficiency and effectiveness with the advantages of modern technology. With our official launch of The Urban Premier Management Model™, Urban Group now fully implements the TQM concept, a well defined strategic development focus and infrastructure, which helps elevate our service standards for satisfactory results.
The Urban Premier Management Model™ emphasizes the combined forces generated by our “People, Process and Performance”, within which we have introduced the concepts of Property Asset Management and Human Capital Management to maintain our leading position in the Hong Kong property and facility management market. Property Asset Management is now widely recognized as a new professional subject and related studies have been conducted by universities in Hong Kong. Our concept of Human Capital Management challenges the traditional personnel management approach of Hong Kong’s property management and service industries, evolving from an internal human resources management concept towards a market-led and capital asset oriented management approach. The introduction of these two new approaches has further reinforced Urban Group’s position as the Quality Market Leader in the industry.
Whilst we fully implement TQM in our daily operations, we also value quality branding that Urban Group has established over the years. The Urban Group brand, inherited from the management services of Mei Foo Sun Chuen, is built upon the joint efforts of Urban as a company, our employees and our 1 million valued customers, together with strong guidance and support from our parent company NWS Holdings. The corporate brand of Urban Group has been widely recognized as a brand of quality and professionalism in Hong Kong.
Through years of rapid expansions, Urban has developed from a professional property management company to become a consolidated group of companies comprising 12 different brands. The services of Urban have developed from property management to property asset and facility management, project consultancy and engineering management, and large scale renovation projects in Hong Kong and the Pan Pearl River Delta areas.
“A Passion of Service and A Quality Credential” is the brand personality of Urban Group. Our substantial management experience accumulated over the years assures us that our customers’ demands cannot be satisfied by simply fulfilling the legal requirements in managing the physical aspects of the properties. To enable Urban to excel amongst fierce competition relies on establishing a quality service team, maintaining our professional services at the highest level, implementing well defined operation systems and establishing a quality brand. Hence, we always value and endeavours to protect our corporate brand so as to enhance our competitive edge over our rivals in the market. The brand promise of Urban Group is also reflected in our devotion to corporate social responsibility. As “Hong Kong’s Premier Community Manager”, Urban Group has over the last decades successfully built up a number of sustainable communities. Moreover, we have been actively participating in various social activities to contribute our efforts to helping people in need.
To align our internal staff with the business direction of Urban Group, we have annually identified a clear corporate strategic focus for the 21st Century. Year 2004/05 was our Business Promotions Year. During the year, we successfully obtained a number of new management contracts. Year 2005/06 was Urban’s Caring Hong Kong Year. Through establishing a Quality Social Service Partnership with various social organizations, we have built up a caring brand and signified our role as a responsible corporate citizen.
Year 2006/07 is our “Building Rejuvenation Year”. Property Asset Life Cycle Prolongation and Property Asset Value Maximization are our goals for the year. We have customized different large scale building improvement plans for our clients to improve the cost effectiveness and efficiency of managing their property and facility assets, and ultimately, to enhance their asset values. Year 2007/08 will be Urban’s “Olympic Year”. We will concentrate our efforts on improving management practices and staff quality development to align ourselves with the spirit of the Olympic Games.
All in all, the implementation of TQM has enabled Urban Group to make outstanding achievements in corporate development and service quality enhancement. Looking ahead, we will follow this successful direction to further develop our corporate brands and professional services into other potential areas so as to provide our cost effective services to more people in Hong Kong.