FOSHAN, China, July 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Country Garden (HK.02007), a Hong Kong-listed Fortune 500 real estate company, announced plans to position itself as a diversified technology company that creates lifestyle products for global markets. The announcement follows the release of the company's 10th Sustainability Report that discloses its vision, strategy, and practice on future sustainable development.
The company's pioneering use of AI-powered robots in property management - a rapidly-growing, but a labour-intensive business that has so far been slow in embracing new technologies - has seen Country Garden become an industry leader in both construction quality and community management.
"The use of robotics will allow Country Garden to become an industry leader. We feel it is time to take the industry to the next level, by employing the latest emerging technologies to drive forward sustainable development for the future," said Yeung Kwok Keung, Chairman of the Board of Country Garden. "The construction industry is one of the few millenia old industries. Our sustainable plan for the future will see us employ the latest technologies across the board to bring this industry up-to-date."
Driven by a mission to "create a better society with our exsistance," Country Garden has completed a blueprint to embed AI into its property management, in both customer service and back-office analysis. The company will adopt emerging technologies, such as IoT, Cloud Computing and Edge Computing for the first time across all business segments.
A holistic digital strategy for property development
In 2018, the company introduced intelligent robots for its HR campus recruitment drive, using an AI-based system to conduct online campus interviews. The human resources team was able to save time and resources by allowing AI interviewers to judge if a candidate matched the requirements of a position. Based on the candidate's oral response, facial expressions or gestures, the AI system could decide in a few minutes. In the same year, Country Garden increased the number of streaming Open Days, allowing homeowners to spectate the property development process remotely.
The success of these moves into the digital development sector has led to the conclusions of the "2018 Sustainability Report" and the decision by the company to create a holistic digital strategy for development that will impact each business segment. For property owners, the embrace will mean a roll-out of AI-powered robots capable of stair-cleaning, sweeping, weed-cutting and patrolling, and more.
With 200,000 employees, including more than 1,300 PhDs, the company is making massive investments in technology. In 2018, it invested over RMB 1.224 billion in R&D. "New technologies are vital to productivity, and the potential for smart manufacturing is enormous," Country Garden said in its 2018 Sustainability Report, showing one of reasons why the company is re-positioning itself as a diversified technology company.
A copy of Country Garden's "2018 Sustainability Report" is available for download from https://en.bgy.com.cn/csr.aspx?type=33
About Country Garden
Country Garden is a publicly listed, Fortune 500 company and diversified technology company that creates lifestyle products for global markets. Country Garden is committed to "providing affordable homes to ordinary people", and offering value to people who aspire to a better life.
For further details on Country Garden, please visit https://en.bgy.com.cn/
