Bond Interiors is a family-run and owned fit-out company that has been offering full turnkey solutions to the MENA region since 1986. As the company has grown and developed it has found a leading edge in the market by providing a rich portfolio of in-house trades.
“A lot of our competitors will have their own joinery services, some will offer metalwork as well, but we have glass, we have signage, we have everything in-house. No other company can offer the range we can,” says Steve Kiernan, Bond Interiors’ CEO.
It is an offering that has been born out of necessity, but that necessity has led Bond Interiors to be one the most reliable and well-resourced construction partners in the industry.
“On occasions where our supply chain has let us down, we have started an in-house business to fill that gap,” Kiernan tells us. “So, for instance, in 2008 and 2009 we were doing a lot of work in the retail construction sector and signage companies let us down. So, we started our own signage division. Not long after that a hotel construction job asked if we could supply their signage and we picked up the whole package and soon our signage division expanded into an entity on its own.”
As well as its in-house signage division, Bond Interiors has seen its glass division grow from strength to strength, and its metalwork division continues to expand. In each case, the division has been established to serve a particular sector of Bond’s client base, but quickly finds new markets elsewhere.
Where other fit-out companies accentuate their specialisations, Bond Interiors has made a virtue of its versatility.
“We do not specialise, so our diversity and agility give us an advantage,” Kiernan emphasises. “Where a lot of companies concentrate on one area, we do everything from high-end villas and apartments to airport work and high-end retail. We work in healthcare, hospitality, and office fit-out. Just this year we have also started working in the modular construction sector as well.”
Moving with the Times
This agility and diversity have proved to be essential given just how volatile the market has been over the last few years. Dubai’s construction market has been challenging in the post-Covid period, and Bond Interiors’ success depends on the in-house skillset it maintains.
“Our advantage is that we can move to a different region or a different market sector to keep revenue coming in during challenging periods,” Kiernan points out. “As a family business, we are not driven by profit alone. We sell ourselves based on the quality and on-time delivery we provide. Our goal is not to expand our profit margin but to keep the Bond family and its talent pool together. We have never sacrificed our people to make some extra profit.”
The fact that Bond Interiors is so fiercely protective of its own people is just one of the factors that has led to word-of-mouth becoming such a strong recruiting tool for the company. That positive and secure working environment, combined with the sheer ambition of the projects it is positioned to take on in the Middle East, make the company an appealing prospect for potential recruits. The big challenge, Kiernan shares, is not necessarily finding people with the right skills, but the right attitude to fit into Bond’s melting pot culture.
“In the Middle East, we have some of the biggest construction projects in the world. But you have to understand the nature of living here,” Kiernan insists. “Everyone is an ex-pat. Your workforce is predominantly Indian when it comes to manual work, with a huge Filipino workforce. You also have Egyptians, Lebanese, and Palestinians working here. It is something you cannot teach. You have to learn for yourself, making mistakes and trying to understand the different cultures here.”
The challenge, Kiernan tells us, is getting those cultures to work together. This is where bringing in people familiar with the region is helpful. To work well, it is important to understand the differences in attitude and culture across the workforce.
“We have three kinds of time,” Kiernan explains. “In English time 10 am means 10 am. In Indian time 10 am means some time today. In Arabic time 10 am means possibly 10 am the next day. With our English staff, people are used to being ruled by that clock and if other people are not there can be offence and annoyance, but it is just a cultural difference. You need to teach those nuances while bringing in people with new ideas and new skill sets.”
Bond Interiors’ existing skillset is already impressive. The firm is the biggest fit-out contractor in the region, employing 2,500 direct workers across a location that is home to some of the most exciting construction projects taking place right now.
“Everyone recognises that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is going to be a big part of our revenue for the next ten years,” Kiernan says. “We are currently looking at modular construction, just finishing our first modular project for one of the big giga projects in Saudi. We will be looking at more work in that sector. I like the idea of doing that work on our doorstep. We are constructing a hotel two, three, four and five modules at a time, then stitching them together on the island where the hotel will be located. We are looking at Saudi, but also Dubai. We do a lot of work in airports, and that will be key going forward, as will luxury villas and apartments. There has been a massive increase in construction in that market over the last 12 to 18 months. The economy is doing well.”
