Chen Le and Thailand's Rama III project

Despite strict overseas pandemic controls and his family's concerns, Chen Le chose to go to Thailand to work on the Rama III project in 2020. This was the company's first project using the "short-line matching method" for assembling bridge segments, marking a significant breakthrough for Chinese companies in the Thai municipal elevated bridge sector.

The tender drawings provided only rough outlines, requiring the team to tackle detailed designs independently and pass rigorous reviews by Thai consulting engineers.

As a member of the bidding technical team, Chen upon arrival faced delays in the approval of pile location drawings. The complexity of underground utilities posed a challenge, as the consulting engineer demanded "open excavation to locate pipes", but with the rainy season approaching, there was a risk of pit collapse. Chen proposed a new solution using steel bars to mark pipelines’ locations and created "3D pipeline perspective drawings" to gain engineer’s approval. Two weeks later, the first batch of pile location drawings was approved.

The project's most challenging section required bridge construction over a 12-lane expressway, with a nightly six-hour construction. Chen led his team to local Thai projects to learn and master bridge erection techniques, overcoming various difficulties. In the most perilous instance, during the pouring of the first Y-shaped pier cap beam, a sudden downpour occurred. Chen climbed a 20-meter-high scaffold in the rain to direct workers in draining water, ensuring the quality of the project.

In early 2022, the Russia-Ukraine conflict caused material prices to soar. Chen and his team optimized designs to cut costs, saving over 5 million yuan ($702,500) in total. Their new method earned praise from the client.

Thanks to the excellent reputation of the Rama III project, China Harbour Engineering Co was also able to complete the M82 highway project. Chen has trained seven technical experts, applied for 17 patents, developed four provincial construction methods, and wrote the "short-line matching method" into the company's standard manual.