Company Overview
History: Founded in 1993, TACON has evolved from its humble beginnings into a prominent construction company in Africa. With a steadfast commitment to quality and customer satisfaction, TACON has continuously expanded its capabilities and services. Our journey from a small local contractor to a leading regional powerhouse is marked by our dedication to excellence and innovation.
Mission: To become the most preferred engineering and construction company, delivering innovative and high-quality solutions that exceed client expectations.
Vision: To hold a top position among African contractors, renowned for excellence in engineering and construction services.
Core Values:
- Commitment to Quality and Innovation: We strive to deliver superior quality and innovative solutions in every project we undertake.
- Client Satisfaction: Our clients are at the heart of everything we do. We aim to exceed their expectations through our dedication and expertise.
- Integrity and Ethical Practices: We uphold the highest standards of integrity and ethical behavior in all our operations.
- Social Responsibility and Community Development: We are committed to contributing positively to the communities we serve.
- Environmental Sustainability: We prioritize sustainable practices to protect and preserve the environment.
Countries of Operations: TACON PLC Sarl is a premier African construction contractor specializing in the development of infrastructure and buildings across East and West Africa. Our extensive operations span several countries, including Ethiopia, South Sudan, Guinea, and Senegal, where we deliver high-quality, innovative construction solutions tailored to the unique needs of each region.
Strategic Partnerships: TACON collaborates with global industry leaders to enhance its capabilities and deliver world-class projects. These strategic alliances enable us to integrate advanced technologies and methodologies into our operations, ensuring optimal outcomes for our clients.
Leadership Team: Our leadership team is composed of experienced professionals dedicated to driving the company’s strategic vision and operational excellence. They bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to ensure the successful execution of our projects, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
Awards & Recognitions: Over the years, TACON has received numerous awards for its excellence in construction and engineering. These accolades reflect our dedication to quality, innovation, and client satisfaction, and they motivate us to continue raising the bar in the industry.
From a humble beginning as a building contractor, TACON PLC Sarl remains a springboard to help a growing number of companies to flourish steadily over the years. By achieving success, TACON has demonstrably strengthened its project management capabilities. This accomplishment has also empowered them to expand their operations and influence into West African nations, marking a significant step forward.
For more than three decades and half, our businesses have been established on the solid bedrock provided by a passion for setting new standards in particular. Our top priority has been providing comprehensive solutions and we aim to achieve unparalleled customer satisfaction in all our undertakings. Our continued growth has been sustained by the successful diversification efforts we made towards different segments.
TACON plays key role for the group’s service segment to span into a fully-fledged railway and road construction works, real estate developer, Pre-Engineered Building (PEB) solution and specialized aluminum and glazing works provider, while we are also representing globally reputable high-tech brands concurrently engaging in electromechanical and product support services. Besides operating pharmaceutical drug formulations plant, the group is also active in the entertainment and child amusement industries.
A grade-one architect and engineering design company also forms an integral part of the corporate portfolios. In recent years, our companies achieved an excellent performance in terms of establishing international cooperation. The opportunities to engage in Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) contracts as well as Plant Design, Build, Operate and Transfer (DBOT) exercises are additional milestones of our achievements.
These historic efforts are made as a result of our relentless quest to meet the stakeholders’ changing demand for quality service and timely delivery of projects. The requirement to demonstrate our institutional effectiveness through attaining the financial, internal process and learning and growth goals has become a permanent feature of our success story. The dedication and commitment of our employees have enabled us to maintain a pattern of uninterrupted growth and to build up a strong team capable of completing projects on-time.
Looking to the future, we are focused on becoming a truly diversified multinational corporation that embraces regional markets and technological advancements. We shall seize opportunities through engaging in the design and construction of mega infrastructure development projects and entrench our position through lean manufacturing techniques to prefabricate multi-story whole building solutions. Our commitment to care for our people, continue to instil creative management, establish a culture that rewards talent and pursue win-win partnerships that benefit all is not only the right thing to engage in – it is the best thing to do to secure our future. Sincerely
Built on a Solid Reputation
TACON PLC Sarl has been providing infrastructure development and construction services to the public, business and industrial sectors for more than two decades and half.
The synergy that the company accumulates since its humble beginning in 1993 allows TACON to win numerous contracts whose landmark performances herald capability to deliver differentiated services in a seamless manner transcending national boundaries.
Today, the company undertakes construction of a dozen projects whose contract value surpasses 50 billion ETB, employs over 10,000 people and has its business empire further extends to African countries.
The service segment of TACON has grown from building construction to the provision of a full line infrastructure development including industrial and recreational facilities, road and railway, airport terminal and fields, water supply, a specialist pile excavation services. Success also allows TACON P.L.C. too instantaneously to grow into one of the leading, efficient and reputable class 1 General Contractor firm.
Construction contractor whose two decades of operational history has been remarked by glamorous heydays of growth and expansion.
Being the first ever local construction company to qualify for ISO (International Standardization Organization) 9001:2000 certifications, TACON also takes hold of the industry’s top position in meeting stringent technical qualification requirements, is credited for introducing innovative project management techniques and sets itself exemplary in discharging Corporate Social Responsibilities (CRSs).
Leading the Way
TACON has become one of the leading customer focused Ethiopian construction contractors whose quest for providing quality civil engineering solutions allows the company to gain reputation both locally and abroad.
Besides the honor to pick-up the Ethiopian Quality Award (EQA) for its outstanding performance and commitment to promote quality in the construction sector a year ago, TACON was named the “Best Contractor” by the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) government. TACON had also received a Platinum level recognition from H. E. Mr. Meles Zenawi, the late Prime Minister of Ethiopia, for supporting the construction of the iconic “Great Renaissance Dam” in particular.
The invitation of the Government of the Somaliland Republic to undertake the construction of the Berbera International Airport reflects the fruits that the multiple business contacts TACON has established to enhance its presence on a global scale.
The Pacesetter
TACON envisages to maintain the forefront position in the regional construction market. The company operates with the mission of providing differentiated infrastructure development and civil engineering construction services that create value and satisfaction to its clients.
The leadership of TACON is always anxious to play an active role in the on‐going efforts of bringing about prosperity through innovatively engaging in a portfolio of multi-faceted undertakings. The company also seeks to become customer focused, hi-tech oriented, flexible, innovative, and honest with clients and consulting engineers, while exerting efforts to minimize the inconveniences that can accompany any of its construction projects.
Guiding Principles
Core values that govern the company’s business operation and its employees include accountability, collaboration, diversity, innovation, integrity and valuing people. TACON’s philosophy remains focused on delivering safe, quality and timely projects in the most productive and efficient manner possible. To this end, the company develops a sustainable growth strategy that consists of providing unique construction service offerings, expanding into new infrastructure development services and geographic areas, further specializing in high-rise building and industrial plants while maintaining performance and competitiveness of existing businesses.
Developing and maintaining solid partnership with clients and partners, attracting and retaining qualified and experienced workforce, continuously upgrading project management and office administration practices, reengineering internal processes etc. are also among the principal elements of the company’s strategy.
A New Era of Modern Construction
TACON, using its technologies and knowledge accumulated through the infrastructure development and construction sectors, is involved in a wide range of businesses that contribute to enhancing the quality of life.
Being the first ever local construction company to qualify for ISO (International Standardization Organization) 9001:2000 certification, TACON also takes hold of the industry’s top position in meeting stringent technical qualification requirements, is credited for introducing innovative project management techniques and sets itself exemplary in discharging Corporate Social Responsibilities (CRSs).
Not only is the demonstrated capability to meet stringent requirements for undertaking sophisticated projects, TACON is on the verge of delivering the nation’s second voluminous earthwork that forms part of the giant ever industrial plant currently under construction in Oromia Regional State in a record time of less than three months.
Setting New Project Delivery Standards
The engagement of strategic partners such as YBEL Industrial P.L.C., Edna Hi-Tech Solutions P.L.C., Yutaf Aluminium P.L.C., Edna Construction Consultancy P.L.C. and others helps TACON to operate as a fully-fledged and vertically integrated company preferentially treated by most clients and partners as a one-stop-shop service provider.
The management of TACON is proud of the company’s history and appreciates its loyal clients who have made the businesses’ passage from a small single crew firm to the professional construction team of thousands qualified personnel, with a fully integrated communication and project management systems.
Although as one of the main industry players, the company has the largest share of the construction market in Ethiopia, management still strives to diversify the service offerings to different sectors.
Driving the Momentum
TACON is credited for the local construction industry’s certification for International Standardization Organization (ISO) qualification, an organization setting international standards. The company also takes hold of the sector’s top position in meeting stringent bidding technical qualification requirements and is credited for introducing innovative construction and project management techniques.
Importantly, the obsession leadership of TACON with performance and speed has been translated in to impressive financial results, with annual revenue increasing 1,170% over the past 7 years maintaining an average growth rate of 106%. This implies enormous increases in efficiency and staff performance.
Cross-Country Operations
At a regional level, TACON was also able to outperform transnational contractors thereby won the interest of prospective partners such as the Somaliland Republic and the Kuwaiti Fund executives who made their mind to award the construction of the Berbera International Airport in the neighboring country.
TACON prides itself to securing the Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) Contract for Bor – Pibor – Okello – Pochalla – Boma (350 km) and Pochalla – Akobo – Waat – Ayod and Akobo – Ajungmir (400km) to Bitumen Standard Road Projects to be executed for a contract value of $3,383,691,542.77 (USD three billion three hundred eighty three million six hundred ninety one thousand five hundred forty two and seventy seventh only) in the Republic of South Sudan (RSS).
Furthermore, TACON has been awarded by the government of the Republic of Guinea to design and build the Professor Alpha Conde Military Hospital for $150,500,000 (USD one hundred fifty million five hundred only) in Conakry.
The works contract is anticipated to be signed in the month of September 2020. Both foreign projects have their financing secured from His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Bin Abdul-Aziz Bin Al-Saud’s International Group that is currently working to demonstrate Proof of Fund to the respective project implementers.
The company has also become a prime choice of the governments of the regional countries such as the Puntland Republic, whose President paid an official visit to the TAF Group and the Republic of Rwanda to meet its ever growing building construction needs.
Globally reputed construction contractors and specialist building solution providers such as Pinnacle and the Beta-Tech Group further went on establishing a strategic alliance thereby further boosting the company’s image on an international scale.
Operational Excellence
The leadership of TACON believes that the best work is done and goals are reached when individuals operate within the organization in consultative, cross-functional teams.
The job of executives and managers is to promote collaboration inside and outside their teams and provide the right strategies, structures and systems to make these teams as efficient and effective as possible.
To achieve our goals, TACON must have sound and repeatable business processes that account for internal and external risks. Our proprietary information technology leverages the collective knowledge of our employees, and raises the standard of customer satisfaction.
Solid Partnership Base
Due to intense business competition in the global arena, the management of TACON realizes that the group of companies the company needs to increase its strategic competitiveness. Hence, on top of the continuous efforts exerted to sustain relationships with existing and potential clients, consulting engineers and architects, suppliers, sub-contractors, financial institutes and insurance companies, establishing strategic alliance remains the top agenda items in particular.
With the view of taking advantage of future e-business opportunities, the leadership is seeking mutually benefitting ventures as well. Practical examples include the capability to attract the attention and build confidence in the executives of China State Construction and Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), which is the global leader international general contractor and the engagement made with Pinnacles USA, a reputable firm and world leading provider of light gauge steel framing technology and cellular light weight concrete.
Organizational Alignment And Leadership
TACON has been flexibly organized with a structure reliant on a process system based division of responsibilities in order to run an efficient and diversified enterprise. The company is fairly departmentalized and main operational and support sectors are appointed at Deputy Chief Executive Officer level and report directly to the CEO.
Our Engineering and Construction Operations are reorganized based on the service segment they serve and tackled a myriad of risks with projects and generated the best available solution to satisfy the client and stakeholders’ needs as well as ensure that the solution is not simply constructing what has been designed, but that the client’s requirements have been appropriately addressed and extended through engineering judgment to protect the risk.
Comprehensive Capabilities
Skill Based and Empowered
In order to maintain performance standards and empower staff, we have a ‘no blame culture,’ set benchmarks for workplace satisfaction and encourage joint-decision making. Our staff members are widely recognized for their respect and conduct towards each other, for our clients, stakeholders and the general public.
We retain staff by providing excellent remuneration, entitlements, ongoing development and real prospects for advancement within the company. TACON has always believed in rewarding well for extraordinary achievements through performance based pay and other bonuses.
The company recognizes that to excel in the provision of the range of services provided to its clients, continuous employee training and development is essential. Each employee has a dedicated training program which is continually assessed from a program of the core competencies required for construction and related services the company provides.
TACON employs a hands-on philosophy both on the job and in the office. By staffing every project with qualified and experienced professional engineers and project managers both the company and its clients can be assured their project is of the utmost importance.
Supply Chain System
In order to maintain performance standards and empower staff, we have a ‘no blame culture,’ set benchmarks for workplace satisfaction and encourage joint-decision making. Our staff members are widely recognized for their respect and conduct towards each other, for our clients, stakeholders and the general public.
We retain staff by providing excellent remuneration, entitlements, ongoing development and real prospects for advancement within the company. TACON has always believed in rewarding well for extraordinary achievements through performance based pay and other bonuses.
The company recognizes that to excel in the provision of the range of services provided to its clients, continuous employee training and development is essential. Each employee has a dedicated training program which is continually assessed from a program of the core competencies required for construction and related services the company provides.
TACON employs a hands-on philosophy both on the job and in the office. By staffing every project with qualified and experienced professional engineers and project managers both the company and its clients can be assured their project is of the utmost importance.
Equipment and Facilities
Since its establishment, the company has made significant investment into capacity enhancement projects mainly for the purchase of equipment to seamlessly serving the growing construction market. Due to such self-reliance, management is confident for the deal of success in completing a wide range of projects across border whether in new or existing markets.
Curious to be always at the forefront of new technologies, the company has allocated the bulk of its annual profits for latest earthmoving, lifting and concreting, compaction, paving and materials production (crushing), trucking, and related machineries and equipment that demonstrates the management’s commitment to deliver the most cost effective and ahead of time solutions to all of the clients through advanced technology and innovative methods.
TACON operates its own quarries, mixing plants, equipment repair and maintenance workshops as well as a large machinery and transport fleet.
Such dedicated machinery and transport equipment fleet population are among the potential competitive weapons that TACON regularly deploys to meet the infrastructure development needs of clients in a tight delivery schedule.
Corporate Citizenship
It was TACON’s founder who has pioneered some of the most important contemporary approaches including being exemplary to the local business communities in discharging Corporate Social Responsibilities (CRSs). Perhaps his most notable contribution is the unwavering commitment to sharing the companies’ profit to social causes, a behavior he has developed since he embarked on the construction business.
Contrary to most profit-oriented conventional businesspersons, the leadership of TACON does not measure the success of the company through annual turnover and the level of profit margins or bottom-lines. Business operations of the dozen Strategic Business Units (SBUs) of the TAF Group are built on the founding Chairman’s belief that focused efforts in areas of social improvement will result in measurable differences in the future of the community the companies’ are working with and the country at large.
Such areas, which form the pillars of the Group’s strategy, include environmental concern, social contributions, community development, respect for human rights, optimal work environment, fair business activities and stakeholder concerns.
The critical role that the businesses of TACON lead and play can be broadly categorized as institutional support, funding supplementary projects, community development, cash contributions and sponsorship activities.
Besides the fund allocated for discharging corporate citizenship responsibilities, establishing a dedicated foundation is factored in the strategic plan of TACON.
Exceeding Expectations
TACON’s ability to establish multiple business contacts with repeated clients such as the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE), the Metal and Engineering Corporation (METEC), the FDRE Ministry of Industry Industrial Parks Corporation, Africa Insurance S. Co., Tigray Regional State Culture and Tourism Bureau is reliant on satisfying and retaining them whose understanding and valuing of quality and functionality of the projects remain vital.
The Quality Contractor
Since its humble beginning in 1993, TACON has embarked on a journey of quality that differentiate the company in terms of the value proposition, delivery of total customer solutions and discharging corporate citizenship among others. Two decades and a half later, it became so unique that they have passion for what they do and a palpable desire to do it better. That means delivering the most advanced business solutions with a quality standard that drives innovation while excelling the expectations of our clients.
As a result, TACON including the projects, divisions and the management have been recognized repeatedly with prestigious awards bestowed by both national and international pro-quality organizations, regulatory bodies, the industry’s professional associations and the business press. Also, during the course of its business operations, the company had received numerous prizes and signs of recognition from clients, independent bodies and analysts.
The Group
TACON is a proud member of TAF Group of companies. TAF is a group of companies made up of innovative, creative and engaged people who are enthusiastic about our customers, our businesses, our families and our diverse interests.
Our scope of services extends from civil engineering design and construction to alternative building solutions and specialist sub-contracting services to attraction and entertainment, high-tech, training and logistics solutions while our companies have d continued to develop a passion for setting new standards in all of our undertakings
“Inspired by Our People”, the TAF group diligently strives to achieve the dreams and hopes of the ranging stakeholders aspiring at becoming one of the leading African multi-business conglomerates and achieving continuous growth.
Combining the Group’s in-depth sector expertise and the skills of its technology partners, who are at the cutting edge of innovation, we The Group pride ourselves in the freedom to choose and work with those partners which best match our needs and expectations.
It is this strategic combination of technology, intellectual capital, creative energy, experience, and entrepreneurial spirit that makes TAF the group companies of choice for ranging businesses with a passion for enterprise.
Our Strategic Direction
Management steers TACON through continuous measures that aim at operational effectiveness, boosting productivity, motivating employees, setting policy and demonstrating leadership in a number of other ways. To this end, with the technical assistance of Ernst and Young (E&Y), one of the leading management consultants, TACON formulated a ten-years Strategic Plan (SP) that exemplifies its proactive leadership.
The strategy plays a pivotal role towards maintaining industry leadership. To achieve the objectives embodied in the vision and mission statements of the company, the following strategies will be employed:
- Invest in human capital to improve quality and productivity of the workforce;
- Review the project management, logistics and sourcing mechanisms;
- Develop a policy framework for the ownership and management of machineries;
- Upgrade technology to improve productivity and quality;
- Align the processes and organizational structure in pursuit of differentiation;
- Maintain relationship and build image thereby creating uncontested market place;
- Reengineer operational systems applying techniques such as lean construction, benchmarking, enterprise resource planning (ERP), just-in-time (JIT), etc.;
- Break the value-cost trade-off researching and adopting benchmarked practices;
- Create a new value curve using in-house developed research, effective leadership and improved performance management system.
- Enter into strategic partnership to share risks, access technology and operate effectively.
What the Future Holds
Our experience, for the last 25 years, with international organizations and mutual cooperation with major suppliers and clients, along with a vast network of local affiliates, put us in a unique position to collaborate, introduce and integrate with global companies willing to enter the lucrative Ethiopian market.
To take advantage of the future e-business opportunities, the management of TACON embarks on collaborating with strategic potential partners that would like to join hands in a mutually benefitting venture either locally or abroad mainly in the neighboring countries as such.
To this end, the company either affirmatively replied to the call for expression of interest that a few leading construction partners made in particular. While we reach a consensus to jointly engage in a building project with China State Construction Engineering and Corporation (CSECC), we have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Turkish Beta- Tek Group as well.
Leading pre-engineered building (PEB) manufacturers including the Pinnacles USA and the Chinese Zhejiang SouthEast Space Frame Company have also chosen to team up with TACON for a potential modular industrial and high-rise building projects.
Since Ethiopia and the entire African continent besides a wealth that is staggering has been rising from centuries of backwardness whose infrastructure development needs are far from being attained through local capabilities, TACON would like to invite prospective partners to collaborate and grow together.