Episode 106: The Goldmine in the Desert
The French company, which had been acting tough with a “take it or leave it” attitude, was taken aback by the sudden turn of events.
“Boss, I heard Daese Construction has secured a large quarry for aggregates.”
“What nonsense is that? Secured aggregates? There’s no other quarry around here, right?”
“That… I also find it puzzling.”
“Damn it!”
In their state of panic, OTH immediately requested a meeting with Daese Construction. François, the site manager for OTH in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, was a plump white man. When he arrived at the construction site, Lee Chang-jin offered him a seat.
“Well, well, Director François, what brings you to our site in person?”
“Haha, I was busy with a business trip to OTH headquarters last time, so it was hard to find time. I think there was some misunderstanding. Anyway, Mr. Lee, thank you for meeting with me.”
“Yes. Well, to be honest, I’m not exactly thrilled. I’m curious why you suddenly decided to visit, especially since you’ve been hard to meet despite our requests for a meeting. What changed your mind?”
François, feeling awkward at Lee Chang-jin’s pointed remarks, forced a smile.
“Haha, Mr. Lee, why such harsh words… We are all just trying to make money. I came to discuss the aggregate supply proposal you previously offered to our company.”
“Wasn’t the negotiation already broken off? We will manage on our own, so why don’t you supply the aggregates to somewhere else that needs them more?”
“Haha. It’s not that simple. To develop a quarry, you’ll need a batching plant and crushing equipment. Considering fixed and logistics costs, wouldn’t it be cheaper to use local equipment?”
“Well, that might be true, but I don’t want to get entangled with your side over such matters.”
Sweating profusely, François forced a smile at Lee Chang-jin’s intimidating words. Wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, he made an excuse.
“Haha. Why be so emotional? We are willing to transfer all our facilities at the quarry for a bargain price of $200,000. Anyway, developing the quarry would incur costs. Reusing our equipment would be more beneficial in many ways.”
“That seems too expensive. I’d buy it for $50,000.”
“Haha, that’s too low. We spent over $1,000,000 on the equipment.”
“That’s your issue. You can keep maintaining it at a cost or dismantle it and ship it back to your country.”
In reality, OTH had developed the quarry in Dammam but had not secured construction contracts for three years, resulting in idle equipment and a dedicated maintenance team costing them about $3,000 in fixed costs per day.
Lee Chang-jin, aware of these facts, knew that his counterpart couldn’t hold out for long.
“Mr. Lee, we apologize for our previous misjudgment and rudeness. Please reconsider.”
At François’s persistent persuasion, Lee Chang-jin replied generously.
“If that’s the case, how about $100,000 in total? That includes all the equipment for the batching plant and the crushers. Oh, and transfer the ready-mix concrete trucks and dump trucks to us as well.”
“That… that’s a bit…”
“Why, can’t you do it? Then let’s end this here…”
“No, no! Let’s sign, let’s sign!”
As Lee Chang-jin moved to leave, François hurriedly grabbed him. With orders from their headquarters to withdraw, François had to quickly wrap things up.
After signing the deal, the defeated French team left, prompting Gu Chang-dong to display a triumphant expression.
“Serves those French guys right. Feels sweet.”
“Haha, they must be feeling bitter. I didn’t expect them to sell it so cheaply after standing firm.”
“They had no other choice. Dismantling and restoring the site would have cost them a lot. Selling it cheaply was still more profitable than scrapping it. Start working on the belt conveyor and the mixer for the crushers. Director Seo, compile a list of the transferred equipment and facilities from OTH before Manager Yoon arrives. Gu, set up the repair center.”
“Yes, sir. Where should we set up the repair center?”
“Find a suitable spot within the batching plant. Make sure to leave space for the 20-ton overhead crane arriving from Seoul.”
Shortly after, Manager Yoon Jung-pil’s equipment team arrived with selected workers.
The arrived technicians underwent medical check-ups and were assigned to four-person rooms equipped with lockers and office supplies.
Before starting the construction, a strategic meeting was held to review the construction sequence. Although the transferred dump and ready-mix trucks needed maintenance due to disuse, the rest of the equipment was usable after replacing wires and shock absorbers. Once the equipment repairs were sufficiently completed, Lee Chang-jin asked Advisor Hong during a meeting.
“Is the construction preparation complete?”
“Yes, roughly. After finishing the excavation, we’ll first build temporary vehicle roads, followed by water storage tanks and restrooms in each section.”
“Good. This area sometimes has severe sandstorms, so use coarse crushed stone for the road construction.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Is there anything else you need?”
“We could use shading nets, plastic films, curing agents, hydration heat monitors, and self-hygrometers for concrete pouring.”
“Don’t worry about that. We’ve already shipped heat-resistant concrete materials from Korea. Ah, Advisor Kim, is the tunnel formwork ready?”
“Yes, we are assembling it unit by unit. We are reviewing the step-by-step process through a mock-up experiment. Work will start as soon as the load stability test is completed.”
“Great. Keep the concrete pouring height below 3 meters. The manual suggests that pouring at a height of 4 meters increases concrete lateral pressure, making it difficult to secure structural stability. Ensure there are no quality issues during the construction process.”
“Understood.”
The tunnel form, a recently popular construction method, used steel molds that could be reused, reducing construction costs.
Once the preparation was complete, the workers on-site began their tasks collectively.
“Everyone, move quickly!”
Under Director Seo’s command, the workers began the concrete curing work. The concrete produced at the ready-mix plant was covered with shading nets before pouring.
Using this method required constant availability of welding machines and equipment for processing and repairing parts for formwork maintenance.
Thus, Lee Chang-jin frequently checked the camp day and night, inspecting any potential issues with the workers’ accommodation and working conditions.
By the time the excavation of the housing complex was completed, the construction design ‘For con’ drawing was ready. Examining the finished design, Lee Chang-jin called Director Seo.
“There seems to be a problem with the design.”
“Huh? What do you mean? We found no issues during our review.”
Director Seo looked puzzled.
Advisor Hong In-young, who was also present, defended Director Seo.
“The client has reviewed it multiple times before construction, and both the supervisor and inspector double-checked it. There shouldn’t be any issues with the design.”
Lee Chang-jin smiled lightly at their words.
“You misunderstood me. I’m not talking about technical issues. I’m referring to the lack of consideration for local customs.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Didn’t we learn about this during cultural training? In the Islamic world, people perform prayers facing Mecca five times a day. If there’s a restroom in the direction of Mecca, which devout Muslim would want to live in this house?”
“Ah, I see.”
Advisor Hong sighed in relief. If they had started construction without considering this, they might have set a bad precedent from the very first project. Lee Chang-jin continued with a smile.
“Also, the living room or guest reception area should be near the entrance. The same goes for elevators. Consult with locals regarding cultural taboos and verify everything. Revise the design drawings before pouring the base concrete.”
“Understood. We will hurry.”
After being rejected once, Director Seo and Advisor Hong paid more attention to cultural aspects. Two months into the main construction after completing the excavation, Lee Chang-jin, who had been exposed to the desert sun, had tanned skin. Advisor Hong chuckled at his appearance.
“You don’t have to come out every day, Mr. Lee. You arrive earlier than the workers, and it makes us feel conscious. Haha…”
“As the president, I need to set an example. Are there any issues with the progress?”
“There seems to be no delay. In fact, it’s progressing quite rapidly.”
Thanks to the active use of the tunnel formwork, the construction was proceeding quickly.
As he inspected the site, Lee Chang-jin inquired about the working conditions.
“Are there any complaints from the workers?”
“Most are satisfied. But many are complaining about the food, especially the lack of kimchi. They haven’t seen vegetables here, let alone kimchi, and that’s their biggest complaint.”
“Hmm… Kimchi, you say?”
Overseas construction projects required not only technical skills but also strong project management abilities. Providing quality meals to workers was crucial, especially in a place like Saudi Arabia where there was no alcohol or entertainment, making meals the main source of comfort.
The biggest issue was the lack of vegetables. Being in a desert region, vegetables were as precious as gold. As a last resort, they bought canned vegetables from Campbell’s in the U.S. to make soup, but the workers, unable to bear the greasiness, clamored for kimchi.
“Ma’am, do you think we’re pigs? How can you serve this slop?”
“My stomach is churning. Do you think I came to the Middle East to eat this junk?”
Some workers even threw their soup bowls and lay down in their quarters, claiming they were too hungry to work. This news reached Lee Chang-jin’s ears.
“Hmm. So the issue is the lack of kimchi. What do other companies like Ohsung Group do?”
“They face similar complaints, but they don’t have a solution. Occasionally, they make water kimchi with cabbage.”
“Then is there no way to transport kimchi from Korea?”
Advisor Hong shook his head.
“It’s difficult. By the time it arrives in Saudi Arabia, it has already gone bad. After 35 days of crossing the equator, the fermented kimchi turns into almost vinegar. We looked into military supply canned kimchi exported to Vietnam, but it’s expensive and of poor quality. There are frequent cases of kimchi exploding or rotting during transport, making customs clearance challenging.”
“Hmm, I see. I’ll look for alternatives.”
Searching for local suppliers was futile; cabbage and radishes were nowhere to be found, and the only vegetable resembling kimchi was a cabbage called gabes. But even that was exorbitantly priced.
Lee Chang-jin was shocked at the price he saw in the market.
“300 riyals for half a cabbage? That’s almost 60,000 won! How can cabbage be so expensive?”
“Even at that price, it’s hard to find. They sell it in halves by weight, and it’s priced like ginseng in our country.”
“Wow… unbelievable.”
Considering that the average annual salary for Korean workers sent abroad was only 4 million won, the exorbitant price was staggering.
However, an idea struck Lee Chang-jin in the next moment.
“If vegetables are this expensive, why not grow them in the desert?”
- To be continued in Episode 107 -
