When Mr Robert Lim joined Island Concrete Private Limited (ICPL) as a clerical clerk in 1970, he did not expect to still be part of the company more than five decades later. Starting at age 19, he rose through the ranks to become Plant Manager at the Sungei Kadut facility. His journey reflects a lifelong dedication to learning, perseverance, and pride in his craft.

Robert Lim, 74, clearly remembers joining Island Concrete on 1 August 1970 as a clerical clerk. He was 19 years old. It was the same year that the company was founded. But he soon discovered that his talents were better utilised in the plant.

With the opportunities provided by the company, Robert learnt the ropes from scratch. After being promoted to Plant Supervisor, he left briefly and rejoined in 1991. Today, he serves as the Plant Manager at Island Concrete’s Sungei Kadut batching plant.

As a Plant Manager, Robert’s daily responsibilities range from checking material stock and plant machinery to ensuring smooth operations and timely fulfilment of orders. From time to time, he visits worksites to oversee and resolve emerging issues.

He is a firm believer in hard work and showing up every day. “A good day for me is when what we produce meets stringent quality standards—and also achieves the targeted output.”

Having enjoyed a long and fulfilling career at Island Concrete, Robert not only appreciates the many opportunities and empowerment the company has provided, but also how the job enabled him to take part in many notable projects including, iconic buildings dotting the Singapore central business district skyline like OCBC Centre and Republic Plaza, the first HDB project using ready-mixed cement, Tanjong Pagar Plaza, and one of the best airports in the world, Singapore Changi Airport.

“Can you imagine, less than 50 years ago, we were just building Changi Airport Terminal 1. There wasn’t any cement batching plant then; we had to do the batching onsite. Today, we are building Terminal 5, and much of the work is done offsite and automated.”

But among all his achievements, the one he values most is raising three children—now all graduates—despite having little formal education himself. As the family’s main breadwinner, he attributes this possibility to Island Concrete.

Island Concrete’s Sungei Kadut batching plant is slated for relocation and consolidation with its Jurong Port facilities this year. Robert intends to step down when the time comes.