After 40 years of operation, the ATAL Engineering Group has a lot of cause for celebration. Advancing prosperously, the home-grown business is booming with abundant new opportunities and continues to seek the best minds in the industry to join the company.

Since its humble beginnings in 1977, the group has grown to consist of 16 successful electrical and mechanical engineering companies employing more than 2,000 staff, with impressive turnover in excess of HK$4 billion. It has seven main strands of business: building services, environmental engineering, data-centre infrastructure, intelligent & green building solutions, lifts and escalators, integrated ICT solutions, and infrastructure and healthcare engineering. 

Chairman and Founder Ir Dr Otto LT Poon has spearheaded the group’s growth to become a market leader not only in HK, Macau and mainland China, but also with a global footprint that extends to the Americas, Europe and the Middle East. He explains that while engineering expertise plays an important part in this success, the real driving factors boil down to two things: building trust with customers and developing its people.

“Over the years, our customers have trusted in us because we always deliver what we promise,” Poon says, “In any engineering contract there are bound to be unforeseen issues and situations that arise – and these we must always address – but once we make a commitment and agree to do certain things, we go all out to honour that commitment.” The cornerstone of the company is this implicit commitment to deliver. Poon talks of projects that incurred financial losses, and trying obstacles that led to delays, but in the face of everything, ATAL has never given up on a project.

“We register the implications and never see it as just an opportunity to make a profit. I believe it’s this attitude and our approach that has gained us trust from the market and our staff. It’s the biggest reason why the company has done well,” he says. The company had humble beginnings, with Poon having to mortgage his small apartment to fund its starting up. Going from importing equipment to sell in Hong Kong to helping customers deal with technical problems, and then handling all pre- and post-sales maintenance service, the company quickly grew under Poon’s tutelage and is today one of the largest all-in-one engineering solutions providers.  

But while ATAL’s success has been rooted in its commitment to deliver, Poon says it also owes its achievements to its investments in its people. With the company believing in career development from within, this is a major priority. Employees that show dedication to grow within the company are given every opportunity to blossom in their field.

“One of our missions is to nurture our future leaders, building people from all disciplines through our training schemes to unlock their potential and pursue their career pathway,” Poon says.

Each year, the company opens its doors to some 30 apprentices and 30 graduate trainees, offering them a specialised curriculum that hones their skills and qualifications. Graduate trainees go through a two- to three-year Scheme “A” Training programme that is accredited by the Hong Kong Institute of Engineers. Each trainee is assigned an engineering supervisor who provides coaching and guidance, and they undergo job rotation that ensures they get exposure to multiple disciplines and functions.

The apprenticeship programme targets students who are pursuing a diploma or higher diploma from the Vocational Training Council. Apprentices go through a three- to four-year training programme and can enrol in any relevant part-time day-release course offered by the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education.

Furthermore, ATAL provides financial support to any staff wishing to pursue a further degree or higher diploma. In fact, about 200 employees at ATAL undergo intensive training at various levels every year. The company is now looking at developing an in-house academy and hiring professors from prestigious local universities to train and develop staff.

These investments in staff training have paid off. On the one hand, it has helped develop talent for the industry; on the other, it has allowed employees to grow their careers within the company. As a result, it is not uncommon for staff to spend their entire careers at ATAL – as is the case with three directors of the company, each responsible for a separate business unit, all of whom joined ATAL in the 1980s fresh out of university.

And while education is important, Poon says that when the company hires, it is also looking for people with personality, good communication skills, the ambition to develop themselves as well as the company, and who are open to broadening their horizons.

But Poon adds that, for all the company’s various people development initiatives, the thing he likes best is that he has built trust and rapport with his staff. With his doors wide open every morning, staff can communicate directly with him regarding any thoughts or issues they have.

“If anything, the biggest achievement is trust,” he says. “Because of trust, people can work more comfortably and with more confidence, and ultimately perform better.”