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In the world of major industrial projects, smaller players can often get overlooked. Multinational engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) firms may be well equipped to handle vast developments, but their scale can make them an expensive proposition for plant owners looking to carry out more modest capital improvements.
It was this gap in the market that Lincoln Joseph identified firsthand during his many years working in construction and project management, inspiring him to launch Encore Engineering in 2013.
“When they do these capex improvements, it may be a US$5 million dollar, US$10 million kind of job, which they don’t want to engage their EPCM companies to carry out,” he tells The CEO Magazine.
“If they engage these kind of companies, the cost will be very high because they will add some margin as they are all multinational companies. So, I thought to myself, why don’t we target these people?”
“When we work with a client, we tell them exactly what the problem is and how we can solve it.”
With extensive construction experience and an established network of clients behind him, he decided to turn that opportunity into a business.
“My main focus was to start with the direct plant owners that who had expansion plans in the area of US$10 to US$12 million dollars – a smaller kind of expansion,” Joseph says.
Although his vision had driven the creation of the business, it wasn’t until 2021 that he started to work on it full time, having put a team in place while he continued his employment with CH2M Hill and Exyte.
First and foremost, Joseph wanted to help people. His aspiration was to create a business that could genuinely solve problems for its clients, while giving his team the freedom to pursue solutions that might be off-limits within the confines of a large multinational.
That freedom has become an important point of difference for the company, allowing it to take a pragmatic and transparent approach to each challenge.
“Nowadays, when we work with a client, we tell them exactly what the problem is and how we can solve it,” he explains. “If we cannot solve it, then we tell them that we cannot solve it. This is our plus point.”
It’s an approach that has paid off, particularly over the past five years as Encore Engineering has grown into the EPCM player that Joseph originally envisaged.
“I can say that over the last five years, our growth was so good,” he reveals.
Now, almost 13 years into its journey, the company has established its position in the market, forged strong relationships with trusted contractors and business partners such as Enercon Engineering, while setting a clear direction for what comes next.
With these solid foundations now firmly in place, Joseph is now looking ahead to the company’s next three-to-five years – a period he expects to be defined by three key pillars.
“The mission is our capability expansion,” he says.
Having established itself in the market for projects of around US$10 million, the next step is to move further into the middle market, initially strengthening its position in Singapore before looking further afield amid a phase of regional growth.
“We want to grow, but we also want to expand our local capabilities.”
The Middle East is one market already on the radar, while India’s rapid development is also creating opportunities, particularly in sectors such as semiconductors and pharmaceuticals.
“We still plan to explore opportunities. India is so under potential now because a lot of semiconductors are coming in, pharmaceuticals also,” he says. “Regionally, we want to grow, but we also want to expand our local capabilities.”
But Joseph insists that such growth cannot come at the expense of the quality of its relationships. Indeed, operational excellence forms the third pillar of his vision, with Encore Engineering deliberately prioritizing enduring partnerships over amassing a vast client base.
“We need to maintain our trust with the client. We need to make sure that we are trustworthy guys,” he stresses. “We don’t have many clients, but they are repeat clients.”
That trust is demonstrated when clients turn to the company not simply for major projects, but when they have a problem that needs solving. And it is these interactions that underpin the company’s reputation.
“We need to maintain that trust,” Joseph says. “That’s why our motto is: Efficient solutions with professional excellence.”
His vision is shared by the 150 members of his team. Finding the right people, however, remains a challenge in an industry characterized by long hours, tight timelines and demanding working conditions.
“In this industry, you need to work long hours under the hot sun,” he admits. “But if you pay the right salary, then you will get the right people.”
“Consistency is critical.”
Once on board, Joseph’s leadership philosophy revolves around three principles: clarity, consistency and trust.
“As a leader, I have a very clear vision,” he says. “Equally, consistency is critical. Once you lose your consistency, you lose your client.”
Meanwhile, trust gives employees the confidence to acknowledge mistakes rather than hide them.
“Humans make mistakes,” he says. “But we shouldn’t repeat them.”
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