Major Group Companies (Overseas)

Thai Obayashi was established in May 1974 through investments by Obayashi Corporation and local capital from Bangkok Bank and other stakeholders. The entry of Obayashi Corporation into Thailand began with the project to build the AIA (American International Assurance) building in 1964, and it has undertaken building construction projects for the office buildings and local factories of Japanese companies, as well as the construction of dams and bridges. This company was initially established in compliance with the enforcement of various laws regulating investments by foreign companies, and it has now grown into one of the leading construction companies in Thailand. Among Japanese general contractors in Thailand, it is top class in terms of both its business scale and number of employees, and it is a market leader in acquiring non-Japanese customers in particular. Its leading projects include a state guest house for the Thai royal family; ICONSIAM, the largest commercial facility in the country; Langsuan Village, a large mixed-use complex comprised of nine buildings; and the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (under construction), in which international conferences are planned to be held, etc. The company is concentrating on developing human resources in particular, opening an in-house Training Center in 2015 which it is utilizing for the development of not only its employees but also suppliers and subcontractors, as well as university students in order to develop next generation engineers. The Training Center has become the first in the construction industry to be certified as a vocational training facility by the Thai Ministry of Labour. Furthermore, the company has entered the real estate development business, and is currently developing in-house the O-NES TOWER, an office building that will be the largest leased property solely owned by the Obayashi Group (total floor area of 85,000 m2), in the center of Bangkok.

PT. Jaya Obayashi was founded in January 1972 as a joint venture with investments from Obayashi Corporation and local contractor PT. Pembangunan Jaya (abbreviated name: PT. Jaya). The entry of Obayashi Corporation into Indonesia goes back to the construction work for the Musi River Bridge, which was a reparations project by the Government of Japan (1962, order placed by the Government of Indonesia) and then the Sarinah Department Store in 1963. In 1970, political turmoil occurred in Indonesia, and the company was forced to temporarily suspend its business activities due to the resulting chaos. However, following the stabilization of the political situation, demand for construction from Japanese companies increased dramatically. The establishment of this company was tailored to this situation, and the company was inaugurated with PT. Jaya, which already had a deep relationship with Obayashi Corporation, as the partner.

The business of this company fought an uphill battle; for example, shortly after its establishment the oil shock occurred and it also suffered in the Asian currency crisis starting in 1997, but the business performance of the company steadily improved along with the recovery of Indonesia’s economy. Regarding capital aspects, the company implemented capital increases in 1973 and 1976, and in addition, 1% of the equity shares of Obayashi Corporation were transferred to PT. Jaya in May 1986 in compliance with the Indonesia’s Foreign Investment Law. Due to the approaching expiration of the 30-year period of the joint venture contract, in July 2002 Obayashi Corporation acquired the shares of this company from PT. Jaya and made it a group subsidiary of Obayashi Corporation with Obayashi Corporation holding 85% of its shares. In recent years, in addition to the Japanese market it has cultivated over many years, the company has entered global and local markets, and it is continuing to grow day by day with the aim of being a leading company in high-value-added markets in Indonesia; for example, it has received orders for multiple construction projects from one of the GAFA companies.

The company will celebrate its 50th anniversary in January 2022.

The entry of Obayashi Corporation into Taiwan began before the war, with the Taiwan Electric Power Company’s 2nd power generation in Sun Moon Lake project in 1935, and since then it has mainly undertaken public civil engineering projects. When it received an order for the Xinyi Star condominium project in 2000, it fully launched its Building Construction Business of recent years. Since about that time, it has produced a track record of large-scale projects such as the Taiwan High-Speed Rail C210 & C215 civil engineering project and the Taoyuan HSR Station buildings, the Uni-President International Tower, the Taipei City Hall Bus Terminal, and the Q-square, Taipei Bus Terminal.

Shortly after Obayashi Taiwan’s establishment in June 1990, Taiwanese government restrictions placed on foreign construction companies operating in that country limited the eligibility of Obayashi Taiwan to enter into big project contracts. However, due to the promulgation of the Construction Industry Act in 2003 and other factors, the conditions for pivoting to business by the local subsidiary were put in place, therefore in 2007 it acquired and merged with a local company and newly commenced business centered on building construction.

Starting with a Kagaya hot spring hotel in Taiwan (the Radium Kagaya International Hotel) completed in 2010, its first full-scale building construction project, the company has built a large number of condominiums and office buildings, contributing to the urban development of Taiwan. Going forward, the company will ensure further development in the Taiwan construction market, most notably the project for the Taipei Dome which is under construction.

The entry of the Obayashi Corporation into Vietnam goes back to the ODA-funded Project For The Improvement of The Facilities & Equipment of The Faculty of Agriculture, Can Tho University in 1994 and the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam construction project in 1995. Subsequently, the company received orders for projects entailing investment by Japanese companies which had entered Vietnam, and it has built up its track record in order to expand its business scope.

Previously, the establishment of local subsidiaries using foreign capital was restricted, but due to the development of laws and regulations, etc., the establishment of local subsidiaries using 100% foreign capital has become possible; furthermore, stable demand centered on Japanese companies is expected, so in July 2006 this company was established, becoming the first Japanese general contractor which is a local subsidiary in Vietnam. Since its establishment, this company has actively developed its business while promoting localization in order to improve the profitability of the Building Construction Business, and its business is performing strongly.

Going forward, the company will continue to aim for business expansion and business performance improvement along with the economic growth of Vietnam.

Since 1965, Obayashi Corporation has been operating in the construction business in Singapore via its branch office. The local subsidiary was dormant after its establishment in 1990, however in January 2014, the Building Construction operation was transferred to this local entity

The company has delivered various projects, ranging from office buildings to data centers for local and global clients. Actively utilizing digital technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), the company has established its capacity to respond to client’s needs quickly and accurately.

E.W. Howell was founded in New York State in 1981 as a contractor for the construction of luxury homes. Currently, it has offices in Manhattan and on Long Island, covers a wide region centered on the eastern United States, and has a wide range of customers including in the fields of commerce, education, government, culture, and healthcare and welfare. In addition to its long history, the company has established its position based on the high quality of its construction.

In 1989 Obayashi Corporation bought the company out and it became a group subsidiary.

The company will celebrate its 130th anniversary in 2021.

OBAYASHI USA was established in 2002 as the holding company of the United States building construction group subsidiary. This company has contributed to the expansion of the United States business of Obayashi Corporation by buying out WEBCOR in 2007, in addition to E.W. Howell and OC Real Estate, which were already under its umbrella

Along with the launch of the former North American Regional Headquarters, the company’s main headquarters was moved from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 2011.

WEBCOR is a general construction contractor which was established in 1971 and conducts its business mainly in California. In addition to a consulting division, it has concrete and interior project divisions, and its strengths are cost and construction management. In private projects, the company has a good track record in the construction of high-rise apartment buildings, and also the offices of leading IT companies such as Oracle, eBay and Facebook, and the luxury hotels including The Ritz-Carlton and Marriott. Furthermore, in public works projects as well, it has worked on projects for facilities of the California State University, facilities of the United States military, etc. It has overcome business challenges such as the rapid decline in construction demand in 2009 after the 2008 financial crisis to achieve strong growth, and has grown into one of the largest construction companies in California. For example, it recorded annual sales of 2 billion dollars from FY2017 to FY2019.

In 2007 Obayashi USA, LLC acquired the company’s shares and it became a group company. Since then, it has run a human resources exchange program with Obayashi Corporation, and exchanges of views have been held in the fields of building frame construction, site management, BIM, open innovation, etc.

Note that according to ENR, one of the leading construction industry magazines in the United States, this company was 39th in the 2020 ranking of general construction contractors, and since 2017 it has continuously secured a ranking of 43rd or better nationwide and 3rd or better in California.

Kenaidan was established in 1974. Since then, it has undertaken construction in a wide range of fields including bridge work, land development work, water supply and sewerage system installation work, and new construction and improvement work for all kinds of facilities such as offices and facilities related to benefits packages, entertainment, education, transportation, housing, and commerce. In Canada, the company has places of business in Mississauga, Ontario and Richmond, British Columbia.

The company had already been working with Obayashi Corporation as a joint venture partner when it became a subsidiary in 2011. Its strength is that the concrete and electrical facilities construction divisions can self-perform, and it can exploit competitive advantages in the management of processes and costs.

In February 2020 the company established an affiliate company, KenWave Solutions, which provides inspection services for plumbing infrastructure such as sewerage pipes, and it is aiming to diversify its earnings bases and expand its opportunities to get orders.

James E. Roberts-Obayashi was established in 1978 as a joint venture with investments by local stakeholders. Its mission was to construct residential buildings in the San Francisco region. It has achieved strong growth centered on the construction of residences for lower- and middle-income people in that region, and it is highly regarded by many customers as a midsize construction company.

In August 2013 Obayashi Corporation made an additional capital investment and the company became a group subsidiary.

Since its establishment in 1911, Kraemer has focused on developing high levels of technical competencies in bridge and road construction. The company has an excellent reputation in the United States for its attention to safety, quality, and reliability. Headquartered in the village of Plain, Wisconsin, Kraemer’s business is centered on the three markets of roads, bridges, and railroads. It has been pioneering new and innovative approaches to delivering public transportation projects, such as CM/GC contracts.

In 2014 Obayashi Corporation bought the company out and it became a group subsidiary.

JS Builders was established by local investors in 2012.

That same year, Obayashi USA, LLC invested in the company with the goal of serving the low-rise apartment complex and small commercial property markets in the suburbs of San Francisco, markets which are expected to grow over the mid- to long-term. As a member of the Obayashi Group, JS Builders has maintained a healthy rate of growth that has kept pace with the expanding markets it serves.