Steel and cement sectors to benefit from infrastructure push

September 29-October 05, 2014 1
An MMR, Braj Binani Group Publication Volume 3 Issue No 39 September 29-October 05, 2014 Price: Rs 100
‘Centre, states should join forces
to attract investment’: Modi
Steel to go up on back
of infra projects: Sail
L-R: CS Verma, Chairman, Sail; Firdose Vandrevala, Executive VC, Essar Steel; Sajjan Jindal,
CMD, JSW Steel Ltd; Rakesh Singh, Steel Secretary; Vishnu Deo Sai, Minister of State for Steel;
Ajay Shriram, President-CII and Chairman, DCM Shriram Ltd; and Naveen Jindal, Chairman,
Jindal Steel Power Ltd, among others at a steel event in New Delhi.
The Government of India’s focus on
accelerating growth in manufacturing
and infrastructure through development
of smart cities, ports, power plants,
development of industrial corridors
and revival of Special Economic Zones
(Sezs) would boost steel demand
substantially, results of which will be
seen in the near future itself, according
to Chairman of the Steel Authority of
India Ltd (Sail), CS Verma.
Elaborating on the company’s
vision at its annual general meeting,
he said, “Sail is finalizing its Vision
2025 document, which will steer the
company to increase its production
capacity of Hot Metal to 50 million tons,
along with related/enabling business
activities.”
Implementing the Vision 2025
would entail an investment of about
Rs 1,50,000 crore in addition to the
investment made in the current phase
of expansion.
Sail has been making an average
expenditure of more than Rs 10,000
crore each year for the past five
years and it plans to make a capital
expenditure of Rs 9,000 crore on
modernization and expansion during
the financial year 2014-15 as well.
In his address to shareholders
Verma informed that facilities of about
Rs 26,000 crore have already been
operationalized and further explained
that cumulatively, orders for Rs 62,778
crore have been placed under the
current modernization and expansion
plan of Sail. The expenditure till
Roadblocks to fulfi ll
highway building plan
National highway delayed for various reasons 2013
UP
Bihar
Assam
Jharkhand
13
18
20
22
0 5 10 15 20 25
Source: Ministry of Transport
ghway projects
The road transport sector in India
is undergoing a transformational
period and the Narendra Modi-led
National Democratic Alliance
(NDA) has been presented with the
opportunity to handle this rugged
transformation, which encompasses
numerous hurdles that have been
plaguing this sector now as well as
in the past.
In the past few years during
the tenure of the UPA government,
the Ministry of Road Transport
Highways had targeted to build
roads at a rate of 20 km per day.
But the realistic picture throughout
2009-2013 was dismal as the average
length of national highways built was
just under 8 km.
The key issue that has been
strangulating this promising sector
is attributed to land acquisition,
followed by cutthroat competition
and costlier loans from banks due to
weak economic growth. Considering
these hurdles that stand in the way
of progress, the new government
has set the per day target at 25 km
until 2016, post which the bar will be
raised to 30 km.
Although rating agencies like Crisil
have projected the realistic figure at
approximately 11 km for the period
between 2013-17, there is a lot of
optimism from the authorities. The
recent Union Budget allocation of INR
37,880 crore towards the highways
and road sector will surely expedite
the transformation of this sector
during the 2014-18 period of the Modi
government.
Development of states is important
and these have to work together with
the Centre to attract investment,
according to Prime Minister Narendra
Modi who stressed on ensuring
smoother state-Centre relations for
facilitating business at the launch of
his ‘Make in India’ campaign.
The ease of doing business,
focussing on PPPs (public private
partnerships), and harnessing the
potential of ‘Democracy, Demography
and Demand’, were the key focus of
PM’s speech.
The campaign aims to put India
prominently on global manufacturing
map and, in turn, facilitate inflow of
new technology and capital, while
creating millions of jobs.
“We must stress on two FDIs
-- First Develop India and Foreign
Direct Investment. For Indians FDI
is a responsibility; it means to First
Develop India; for global investors
FDI is an opportunity in the form
of Foreign Direct Investment,” he
explained.
Focusing on job creation through
growth of the manufacturing sector,
Modi said, “We need to enhance
purchasing power of Indians. We
need to create jobs to move from
poor to middle-class bracket. Treat
India as not just a market. See
every Indian as an opportunity to
increase their purchasing power,”
Modi emphasised.
“We have to change economic
dynamics; we have to improve
manufacturing in a fashion that
benefits the poor. This is a cycle,
move poor people towards being a
part of the middle-class,” he added.
“Manufacturing boost will create
jobs, increase purchasing power,
thereby creating a larger market for
manufacturers,” he noted,
The industry body Ficci, in its
document on ‘Make in India’ unveiled
to coincide with the official launch
of the campaign, said, “The ‘Make
in India’ campaign can become
the trigger in transforming Indian
manufacturing, with its share in
GDP languishing at 15-16 per cent
for several years. Given the need to
create a million non-farm jobs every
month, manufacturing would have to
grow at 12-14 per cent annually.”
The Ficci document states that
India is unarguably an attractive
investment destination given its rich
demographics that feed into the
intrinsic demand and supply elements
of businesses. The potential however
has remained mostly untapped for
want of a truly enabling environment
required for businesses to flourish.
The Ficci document emphasized
that the focus must now be on:
Improving business environment
through ease of doing business and
an encouraging fiscal framework;
enabling manufacturing set-up by
providing conducive eco-system that
supports factor advantage, nurtures
innovation and strengthens inter-linkages
with other industries and
institutions; and attracting greater
capital through further liberalisation
of foreign direct investment in key
sectors.
Ajay S Shriram, CII President,
welcomed the launch of the
campaign, calling it a new deal for
India’s manufacturing sector. He said,
“The idea that security of investment
and consistency in policies are most
important for developing trust of
investors. The assurance given by
the Prime Minister that the Centre and
states will work as a team is important
for industry. His emphasis on self-certification
will go a long way in
reducing difficulties for businesses.”
“Another new idea in the PM’s
speech was that India is ideally placed
to Look East and Link West. This will
help products manufactured in India
to enter the global value chain. Digital
India should lead to much better
governance that will help the country
improve its rank in the Ease of Doing
Business.”
Further to the campaign, Sunil
Mathur, CEO, Siemens India,
remarked, “ Indians and India are
renowned for innovation. We start with
an idea and then work backwards to
develop state-of-the-art manufacturing
facilities. This enables us to do things
quicker and better than anyone else.”
Additionally, being a young country,
we have immense raw talent which
can be tapped and developed into a
skilled workforce.”
Anniversary Special
(Contd. on pg 15)
August 2014 has been more than Rs
55,000 crore. Meanwhile, at a recent
‘Steel Summit 2014’ organized by the
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII),
Minister of State for Steel, Vishnu Deo
Sai announced that a new steel policy
is on the anvil to facilitate the steel
industry in increasing production to
300 mtpa by 2025, up from the present
81.2 mtpa.
The new policy is likely to focus
on capacity addition and address
issues related to raw material security,
environment challenges and land
acquisition. Steel Secretary Rakesh
Singh said that the government’s effort
to increase the share of manufacturing
in GDP from 16 per cent to 25 per
cent put great responsibility on the
steel sector.

IN PERSON September 29-October 05, 2014 3
‘East and Central Africa
the next growth drivers’
In the second half of the financial
year, execution of infrastructure and
real estate projects are expected to
start. How do you see this bringing
relief to the cement industry?
Firstly, the demand for cement is
driven by infrastructure spend, which
contributes to more than 40 per cent
of the demand in India. In addition,
there are other factors like easing of
financials, mortgages and availability
of funds that drive businesses, housing
and supporting industries which drive
demand.
In the past 6-7 years, India has
gone through a pretty rough time
and there’s a lot of catching up to
be done.
What we are hearing from the
new government, its policies and
the way things are moving forward, I
see that a major catch-up and faster
development.
For the cement industry, as infra
projects get implemented, I foresee a
minimum of 25-30 per cent increase in
the demand. When this happens, the
price of cement too would improve.
This will bring substantial relief to the
industry.
What is the capacity utilisation
rate of cement manufacturers at
present? How do you see its impact
on prices going further?
Most of cement makers today are
operating at about 65-70 per cent
capacity.
Going further as capacity utilisation
rises, price in the market too will
increase since cement availability will
become lesser. It’s a supply-demand
situation as the demand increases the
supply will contract, which will lead to
better prices.
However, in India there is very less
per capita utilisation of cement as
compared to global average. How
do you see it improving?
When you look at infrastructure in
Europe, or other Far East countries
-- like if you compare Malaysia, Hong
Kong, cities like Beijing, with major
towns in India it is observed that our
infrastructure is way behind and has
yet to catch up.
So in emerging markets or countries
in developing world, I can literally
see doubling of per capita cement
consumption. This doubling can only
come through infrastructure spend
which depends on the government
decisions.
The government has to partner
most of these initiatives and through
PPPs (Public Private Partnerships) it
is heading in the right direction. I feel
that from the current low per capita
consumption of 100-120 kgs, it should
double -- if that doubles then the
demand will double, which will lead to
100 per cent capacity utilisation.
So to keep up the pace, do you have
any plans for capacity expansion?
We have our plans. We recently
took over a plant in Gujarat and are
looking at another one in other part of
India. However, our focus will of course
remain Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Our vision is to double our capacity
by 2020, which is not far away now.
About 80 per cent of it will be in
India and the rest will be in overseas
market.
What do you expect from the
government at Central and State
level?
At Central level, of course we
need the budget spend and the will
“The paradigm shift has been from looking at our industry as competition to
partners. So, rather than try and compete with everybody within the industry,
we are saying let us partner, let us try and drive economies of scale to reduce
our cost,” says Joey Ghose, Managing Director, Binani Cement Ltd in an
interview with Paresh Parmar. Excerpts:
these projects rests in the hands of
state governments that should look
into speedy execution and approvals
as there’s a lot of bureaucracy and
red tapism involved in the acquisition
of land and control of land reserves.
In terms of other challenges, input
costs like fuel have gone up. Are
you passing on the price rise to
end-users or are you absorbing
it?
All industries for the past 2-3
years, mostly, have absorbed this
increase because the market just
cannot afford these increases.
Cement is a very capital-intensive
industry as each company spends
around $200-400 million to put up
a plant and they have to fund this,
they have to service their loans. The
industry cannot continue to absorb
these costs.
We all know the cost of
transportation will rise as inflation is
relatively high in India. So costs will
rise, which will have to be passed on
to customers. There is no way out,
this is basic economics.
Some developers’ associations are
demanding reduction in cement
rates. Your comment please.
It is wrong to fix prices and form
a cartel. However, economics prevail,
it’s an issue of supply and demand.
When demand exceeds supply prices
will go up.
down. However, we cannot drive their
cost down, because inflation impacts
every employee. So at the end of the
day economics will prevail.
This is botton line: Just as India
grows, the price of cement will go up;
however, it will not go up abnormally,
unless there is an acute shortage
whereby imports will come in.
We are surrounded by countries
with excess capacities like Vietnam,
Indonesia, Pakistan, Iran, etc.
Once imports start coming in then
again price correction takes place. I
do not feel there will be an abnormal
price increase, but the industry has to
sustain itself. We have a 330 million-ton
capacity in India. This industry
needs to sustain itself. There are
small companies struggling to keep
up with latest tech due to lack of
investments.
In today’s age we have to be
very careful and conscious about
environment.
Ideally, if there is a technology that
can reduce emissions, one should
embrace that technology. However,
if we don’t have capital to invest in it,
then you continue producing a not-so-
clean-product which is bad for
industry and is bad for mankind.
So it is only in the interest of
everybody that price goes up to a
sustainable level, where all industries
could reinvest into their industry
to modernise it, so that we have
lesser emissions, cleaner working
environment, which is good for
everybody -- employees, customers,
the whole world.
So what measures have you
undertaken at BCL plant?
BCL is one of the most environment-friendly
cement plants in India
and globally. It has its benchmark
globally.
We have the lowest emissions, we
harvest rainwater, we recycle water, we
have waste heat recovery system, so
wastage is kept to a minimum.
However, not all companies
can afford this. We are a sizeable
company; we have reinvested and
have continuously upgraded our
plants, so we are in a good shape. Not
everybody has been able to do it.
Coming back to the inputs in the
making of cement, you just tied
up with Pakistan-based lucky
cement…
One of our major inputs is coal.
At the moment we are importing our
coal from South Africa. It is always
beneficial to partner with people, to
create economies of scale.
So we are partnering with Lucky
cement and others globally to enable
us to bring much bigger vessels --
about 120 thousand vessels which we
will share. We will tranship between a
couple of companies. This is one way
of reducing cost.
Freight cost is a significant portion
of the cost of coal. So if we can reduce
this by partnering with a couple of
our suppliers it will be beneficial to
everybody.
So the paradigm shift has been
from looking at our industry as
competition to partners. So, rather
than try and compete with everybody
within the industry, we are saying let us
partner, let us try and drive economies
of scale to reduce our cost. This is the
first initiative and we will do more of
these on gypsum, fly ash, slag, etc.
We have been importing a lot of slag
from Japan and we are trying to do
this to partly reduce the cost.
Any plans for product
diversification?
We are using fly ash at the moment
to make PPC cement. In our other
international business like in Dubai,
we make various products, since that
market is slightly diversified. We make
4-5 types of cement, slag cement, fly
ash, limestone, etc. In UAE we have
ventured into white cement. So various
products in that part of the world.
So what are your further business
strategies going to be?
For India, we are focussing on our
core market. I feel that we spread
ourselves too thin. It’s all going
back to supply and demand. I am
optimistic that with the change in
market dynamics, the demand from
our core markets like Rajasthan and
Gujarat will be higher and we do not
need to spread ourselves further.
For me, the idea is to focus on these
core markets and on our services
within these markets ie, our logistics
turnaround time will become much
quicker; our dealers will be given
much more focus; we’ll consolidate
our dealers, give them more tools
to do business and give them more
visibility.
So it’ll be a focussed branding:
both brand marketing and trade
marketing to support our distribution
channels within our core market. With
to develop the country by providing
adequate infrastructure.
The infrastructure does not exist
throughout the north, south, east, and
west, which is limiting growth and the
ability of rural areas to become more
urbanised.
Roads, railways, electricity, water
are all are linked to cement demand.
The Central government should have
the will and budget to implement
these projects -- that’s what we need
from them.
The state government on the
other hand, needs to share that
vision and track the direction and
budget as provided by the Central
government.
So the flow of implementation of
Secondly, it’s your input cost
vis-à-vis your selling price. If your
input cost is going up at a certain
percentage a month, your output,
your costs, selling price will go up.
I am not saying that prices should
be standard across India. India is
a vast country, so different costs
prevail -- it’s all about location. But
every cement company has to pass
on its costs.
As an industry we are becoming
more and more cost-efficient and
focussing on cost-reduction. However,
there is a limit you cannot go beyond.
It is a very heavy, energy-intensive
business. We can drive our energy
cost down, we can drive our labour
cost down, we can drive our numbers
this, I believe we can enhance our
loyalty and brand value.
We have an extremely strong
brand, which is a global brand.
However, we haven’t leveraged it
enough. So the focus now will be to
leverage the brand value not only in
India but globally.
In India, service is imperative and
we are going to focus on this for the
next 3-5 years to stand out as the
best service provider and to partner
with our major customers and major
dealers; and provide exceptional
service to infrastructure projects
where we supply cement, which will
make us a unique player.
We have to understand that we
are not a mass producer. We are a
boutique cement company confining
ourselves to just a couple of states
and we want to be the best in these
two states.
So the focus will be on core markets,
branding, services; developing
dealership network, so that we stand
out from the rest and come up as
supplier of choice.
How are you looking at your
overseas operations?
We have 3 million ton clinker
capacity in the Northeast of China.
China unlike many parts of the world
is a very fragmented market. So you
have different cultures and business
practices within China. We are
focussing on our core market, which
is the Northeast China.
We have adequate clinker capacity;
however, we are now building our
cement capacity. Just recently, we
have commissioned 1 million ton
grinding unit and we are in talks of
acquiring further 2 million ton. So the
growth in China will come through
cement capacity – some of it organic,
some of it through acquisition.
In the UAE, we are doing a 2 million
ton of business. We are setting up a
green field plant in Fujairah which is 2.5
million ton. This capacity will be used
to service East and Central Africa.
So through the UAE we are
expanding in Africa. We already have
a strong market in Tanzania, we are
expanding in Mozambique and going
further inland into Eastern and Central
Africa.
We believe as a company that the
future is in Africa.
India is our home country, we are an
Indian company, so of course 100 per
cent focus remains in India. However,
for the overseas growth of Binani
Cement, East and Central Africa is
where the growth will come from.
What is going to be your short- and
medium-term outlook?
I feel that the short-term is going to
see some corrections. We are going
to see the capacities going up, we are
going to see the demand going up.
However, prices won’t go up
significantly because there is still a
headroom for 30 per cent of unutilised
capacity. For the next 6 to 12 months
I see all the players ramping up their
utilisation, leading to a marginal
increase in price which should sustain
all the players.
In the longer term, I see additional
capacities coming on that will lead to
the requirement of investment.
In two years’ time I foresee a 20-
30 per cent rise in the selling price of
cement. This will be primarily driven
by two factors. One, the demand will
overtake the supply, so the prices
will naturally increase; secondly,
either there will be need for imports
or additional capacity. Both will result
in a higher demand for capital which
will mean the demand for cash, which
will lead to the increase in prices. So
I foresee medium-term at sustainable
price levels, not much increase, may
be 5-7 per cent. But 18 months down
the line I foresee a 20-25 per cent rise
in prices by which time the demand
should be higher than the supply.

INFRASTRUCTURE September 29-October 05, 2014 4
‘Massive investment in infra and construction
will witness dynamic growth in CE industry’
How do you analyze the global
bearing market for construction
equipment? What can be done to
enhance productivity and reduce
downtime of equipment?
Construction and mining
equipment cover a variety of machinery
that perform various heavy load
functions under harsh conditions.
Construction operators worldwide
are under constant pressure to get
the equipment to maintain high
productivity and low downtime.
In turn, equipment manufacturers
are under pressure to produce
products with better performance
and functionality while complying
with emission regulations. For
manufacturers, extending service
intervals and cutting total cost of
ownership are critical success
factors.
In addition, at the machine level,
manufacturers need to manage power
more effectively besides having a fast,
safe and efficient assembly process
to drive productivity, cut total costs
and strengthen competitiveness.
Backed by unmatched rotating
m a c h i n e r y e x p e r t i s e , d e e p
construction machinery application
experience, unique mix of products,
tools and technologies and a global
footprint, SKF has been helping OEMs
meet these requirements with highly
reliable, fit-for-function solutions to
meet challenges.
Our unique competence for power
density improvement includes the use
of advanced simulation tools to help
us develop solutions with optimal
balance between weight/size and
energy output. From maintenance-free
products to customized,
integrated units, SKF solutions can
help OEMs develop greener, low to
no-maintenance products.
What would be the total size of Indian
bearing market for construction
equipment and SKF solution with
its market share?
The global rolling bearing market
size in 2013 in volume was relatively
unchanged year¬-over-year and
remains at SEK 320 and 330 billion.
The industrial original equipment
bearing markets accounted for almost
40 per cent of world demand and
included manufacturers of light
and heavy industrial machines and
equipment, as well as aerospace, the
off-¬highway and railway vehicles.
Asia’s share of the world bearing
market was relatively unchanged and
accounted for almost 50 per cent
compared with less than 30 per cent
10 years ago. The Indian bearing
market accounts for less than 5 per
cent of the world bearing market
which is estimated to be around 70
billion INR.
Which are key drivers to boost
construction equipment demand
in the next five years?
As far as demand for construction
equipment is concerned, India is
the world’s seventh largest country
by area and the second biggest by
population, and is one of the most
dynamically growing construction
equipment markets.
Construction comprises the
second-largest sector within Indian
economy. The construction equipment
market in India is expected to witness
dynamic growth in the near future
due to the massive investment in
the infrastructure and construction
industry from both public and private
enterprises.
Bernard Tauveron, Global Segment Manager, Construction Defense,
Business Development New Market Offering programmes, SKF India
Ltd, declares that renewed focus in mega infrastructure projects in sectors
like roads, ports, power plants, railways will drive demand for construction
equipment, in this interaction with Pramod Shinde. Excerpts:
One can expect renewed focus
and attention in time to come towards
mega infrastructure projects in sectors
like roads, ports, power plans and
amongst others, which will drive
demand for construction equipment.
However, some challenges such
as scarcity of land for infrastructure
development, delay in project
clearances, and availability of
infrastructure debt funds hinder
growth of the market. With right efforts
taken to tackle these challenges along
with a favourable policy environment,
we can foresee boost in construction
equipment demand in the next five
years.
Can you elaborate more about how
SKF solution helps construction
equipment to perform better under
heavy load and harsh condition?
SKF is geared up to cater to the
demands of construction segment
right from design stage to service
requirements of end-users.
By combining our global technical
knowledge together with understanding
of local customer demands, we help
customers overcome their specific
challenges based on our Lifecycle
Management approach. SKF Lifecycle
Management is our proven approach
to optimizing equipment design
and operation over its entire service
lifecycle.
Backed by deep construction
vehicle application experience and a
wide range of products and solutions,
SKF is able to deliver fully integrated,
optimized solutions. We provide
complete solutions by way of bearings,
sealing solutions, central lubrication
systems, condition monitoring and
design engineering for the off-highway,
construction machinery.
SKF has a broad range of bearings
types like standard tapered roller
bearings, cylindrical roller bearings,
spherical roller bearings, plain
bearings, slewing bearings. Also, we
have world-class unique offerings like
Y-bearings for agricultural applications;
SKF Explorer class spherical roller
bearings and application-specific
sensorized bearings; all of which
ensure reliability and energy-efficiency
to OEMs and end-users alike.
Our comprehensive range of
sealing solutions for off-highway
machines ranging from application
in engine and transmission, chassis
and suspensions, drivelines
to undercarriages and hydraulic
cylinders, help our customers to
reduce weight, noise and simplify
installation.
By integrating mechanical,
e l e c t r o n i c a n d i n f o r m a t i o n
technologies, we help customers
to design smart products through
mechatronics that provide high
reliability in harsh environments
and reduce maintenance cost. SKF
also provides an extensive range
of customized lubrication systems
which optimize efficiency, reduce
maintenance and enhance reliability.
Thus, from perfectly adapted,
customized solutions to proven
off-the-shelf products, SKF delivers
solutions that are enabling next-generation
performance benefits
for construction equipment like
reduced fuel consumption, reduced
environmental impact, increased
equipment service intervals,
improved machine health and asset
management, improved ergonomics
and operator comfort.
Which key variants of construction
equipment get optimum support
from SKF product to increase their
reliability?
Through our deep construction
vehicle application experience, wide
range of products and solutions,
we have successfully partnered
many of the world’s top equipment
manufacturers with our fully integrated
and optimized solutions that deliver
high performance output.
We provide optimum support and
customized solutions to the whole
range of construction equipment
like crawler excavators, road rollers,
dump trucks, backhoe loaders, wheel
loaders, tele handlers as well as
tunnel boring machines.
SKF product solutions help optimize
the asset lifecycle of equipment
used in construction sectors…
please elaborate
Industrial operations everywhere
understand that effective management
of assets throughout their lifecycle
can deliver significant value and
reduce total cost of ownership. SKF
has been at the heart of machinery
since 1907. Our history of providing
bearings, seals, lubrication, linear
motion, actuation and mechatronics
solutions for OEMs in every major
industry along with construction gives
us a unique depth and breadth of
knowledge of the assets.
SKF Lifecycle Management is
a proven approach for maximizing
productivity while minimizing total cost
of ownership for machinery over every
stage, from specification and design
to operation and maintenance.
From specification, design
and development, through to
manufacturing and testing, we work
with OEMs in the construction industry
to solve application challenges
and deliver world-class solutions
that optimize performance of the
equipment.
We close the SKF Lifecycle
Management loop when we channel
our ‘end-user’ knowledge back
into specification phase of next-generation
equipment. Technologies,
such as condition monitoring, can
be designed into new OEM assets or
retrofitted, constantly improving and
providing differentiation in competitive
markets, adding value, and extending
the possibilities for aftermarket
services and enhanced machinery
maintenance.
At every stage of the asset lifecycle,
SKF products, advanced services and
solutions help our customers improve
productivity, reduce maintenance
costs, improve energy and resource
efficiency, and optimize designs for
long service life and reliability. This
ultimately helps customers to be
more successful, sustainable and
profitable.
Close cooperation with equipment
manufacturers and end-users has
given SKF a unique understanding of
the industry demands. Today, we are
leveraging this knowledge to provide
value at every stage of an asset’s
lifecycle.
SKF Lifecycle Management is
our proven approach to optimizing
equipment design and operation
over its entire service lifecycle. SKF
is geared up to cater to the demands
of construction segment right from
design stage to service requirements
of end-users; by leveraging on its
strengths of GTCI and Solution Factory
in India,along with global expertise
and proven solutions based on SKF
Lifecycle Management approach.
W h a t a r e t h e i m p o r t a n t
characteristics of SKF product
applications in powertrain chassis,
work tools and attachment and
engines, etc?
SKF offers a wide range of
products and solutions for different
applications in the construction
industry. Each product and solution
is specifically designed to meet the
challenges of the industry.
By design, construction equipment
powertrains and chassis components
must provide maximum power density
and incur minimum power losses
– even as they operate in harsh
environments and endure heavy
loads.
To be cost-effective, these
applications require low-maintenance,
high-productivity capabilities that
maximize operator comfort and safety.
We can meet these demands with a
wide range of high-performance,
maintenance-free solutions that
combine bearing, seal, lubrication
and sensor competencies.
We offer a complete line of
standard and custom solutions
designed for harsh environments and
high performance. Our applications
are maintenance-free and facilitate
downsizing which enable cost
effectiveness. Backed by our in-depth
application knowledge SKF can help
OEMs cut product maintenance costs
and assembly times
Construction work tools and
attachments endure direct and
constant exposure to the harshest
operating conditions on any job
site. To ensure productive, cost-effective
operation, end-users
need attachments with minimum
maintenance and maximum service
life.
To help deliver such products
profitably, OEMs need more robust,
integrated, pre-assembled solutions.
Our solutions for work tools and
attachments help drive performance
and reliability in the field. Our
integrated solutions also help simplify
assembly and cut warranty claims
and costs.
To help address these trends
cost-effectively, we have developed
a variety of innovative solutions,
including sensorized units, ready-to-
install multifunctional sealing
solutions, and high quality engine
seals. Along with meeting environment
goals, SKF engine solutions are
enhancing performance and durability
of construction equipment while
cutting total costs.
How do you perceive the biggest
benefits in terms of cost, energy,
minimum maintenance through
SKF product application?
For construction equipment
manufacturers, extending service
intervals and cutting ownership
costs are valuable market and
environmental advantages. Optimizing
product functionality in the face
of new environmental regulations
is challenging, but necessary for
success, wherein SKF serves as a
technology partner.
SKF draws from our deep
construction application experience
and our unique mix of products, tools
and technologies. Working closely
with our customer team, we help
manufacturers reduce or eliminate
the need for maintenance in many
applications.
From maintenance-free products
to customized, integrated units, SKF
solutions help customers develop
greener, low- to no-maintenance
products and cut total lifecycle
operating costs. Ultimately, integrated
and pre-assembled SKF solutions
help drive productivity and profitability
for end-users.
At machine level, manufacturers
are working on ways to manage power
more effectively and reduce parasitic
losses. SKF has been helping OEMs
meet these requirements with highly
reliable, fit-for-function solutions.
Our unique competence for power
density improvement includes the use
of advanced simulation tools to help
us develop solutions with optimal
balance between weight/size and
energy output. Thus, SKF knowledge
is helping OEMs and end-users both
for value optimization.

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Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Building, Netaji Subhash Road, Mumbai 400 002.
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CIN Number: L29130MH1961PLC011980
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Management

CHEMICALS September 29-October 05, 2014 6
Challenges and opportunities in
construction chemicals market
With the growing
investment in
construction that India
is seeing, opportunities
for the construction
chemicals industry to
grow row are tremendous
tremendou
Today is the age of fast track
construction in India. Many major
construction works have been
conceived of and built over the past
few years in India and the use of
construction chemicals has been a
vital part of these projects.
The construction of both residential/
commercial and infrastructural projects
has seen an immense spurt. Keeping
this growth in perspective, much
more quality, speed, economy and
durability is demanded of construction.
These qualities can only be achieved
by efficient use of construction
chemicals.
Even though the economy
does seem like it is slowing down,
construction continues on. Billions
are being invested on upcoming
construction projects. This keeps the
construction chemical industry growth
drive in a positive perspective.
Key role to play
Essentially, construction chemicals
are the link between the chemical
industry and the construction industry.
By applying chemistry, we facilitate
solutions for the construction industry.
We play a vital role in improving
concrete, waterproofing and protecting
its durability and also rehabilitating
concrete, when it is distressed. So all
in all, as far as concrete construction
goes, construction chemicals will
always have a key role to play.
As per most recent studies, the
market size of the construction
chemicals industry is roughly pegged
at Rs 3,500 crore, and it has potential
to grow to Rs 5,000 crore over the next
few years if we, as the industry, promote
ourselves professionally and increases
the level of awareness within the
construction industry. The construction
industry should be convinced that
usage of construction chemicals is a
benefit and not undue cost.
Positive trend
For the past five years the growth
rate for the industry is roughly 17
per cent CAGR, based on available
figures. The projected growth rate for
this sector could be CAGR of over 20
per cent, in the near future.
The growth was affected due to the
recessionary slump but now the trend
is positive. Based on available data and
various sources, the major segments
of the construction chemicals industry
and the percentages they garner over
total sales can be seen in the table.
Segment of % of Total
CC Industry Approx. Sales
Admixtures 40%
Flooring 15%
Waterproofing 15%
Repair 10%
Tiling, Sealants and Others 20%
The growth in the construction
industry, combined with increasing
demand for faster and safer
construction, will propel the growth for
our construction chemicals industry.
To aid this endeavor, top construction
chemicals companies in India joined
in to form a strong apex body of the
Construction Chemicals Manufacturing
Association (CCMA).
Voice of the industry
The key objectives for our
association will be to promote growth
of the construction chemicals industry
by raising awareness and quality
standards and to be a representative
body for communicating with
government, chambers of commerce
regulatory bodies and other forums,
local and international.
Many raw material suppliers to the
Samir Surlaker, President CCMA
standardization and transparency.
It is with this view that the industry
has come together to spread the
awareness. From humble beginnings
of the CCMA, today we have over
40 members who have an interest
in creating a larger awareness of
the industry, our technology and
application potential.
We are firmly on track to take this
initiative to the next level, training
programmes would be held all
over India for applicators because
application is a very important aspect
of the very success of waterproofing
and repair systems.
Lastly we plan to establish just and
equitable standards and principles in
construction chemicals manufacture,
trade and commerce and regulate
conduct and practice of construction
chemicals trade and manufacture.
With our brand of C3 seminars
(held in Mumbai and New Delhi), we
focused on the cause of technical
awareness. The participants were end-users,
specifiers, government decision
makers, etc.
These seminars also focus on
problems faced by decision-makers
to specify and use these products
with confidence. International
speakers were invited who could
instill confidence in our local civil
engineering fraternity about benefits
of usage of construction chemicals.
The success of our seminar series
is a good indication that the interest
in correct usage of construction
chemicals is fast gaining ground due
to the benefits in speed, durability and
lifecycle costs it provides
Bringing awareness
Furthering the cause for technical
development, a handbook is planned
on the correct usage of construction
chemicals in collaboration with the
Indian Concrete Institute. Attempts are
already on way to introduce technical
topics in the academic syllabi.
Training programmes are in
advance stages of design. These
roving seminars will be taken to rural
areas as well as engineering colleges.
Another initiative is to open up local
chapters all over India. A further idea
was to get a marking on construction
chemicals to increase confidence of
the end-user.
Flagging off the initiative to bring
this awareness to smaller cities, the
CCMA flagged off its first regional
seminar titled C3R at Rajkot, Gujarat,
on August 9, 2013 and followed it
up with similar C3R programmes at
Nagpur and Bhubaneshwar. The theme
of the seminars was ‘Methods and
Practices on the use of Construction
Chemicals’. This initiative will be
furthered to other cities such as Jaipur
in coming months.
In a very short amount of time BIS
has agreed that the CCMA will be
on key IS Code committees to take
viewpoint of expert CCMA members
in the formulation of codes. With
this holistic approach, the industry
and awareness about is confident of
growing.
Tremendous opportunities
With the growing investment in
construction that India is seeing, the
opportunities for the construction
chemicals industry to grow are
tremendous. Due to efforts of the
CCMA, and our member companies,
the awareness about construction
chemicals and their correct usage is
also growing.
industry, local as well as transnational
companies, have already joined or
are actively considering joining the
association in the capacity of associate
members. With this development, the
CCMA is slowly but surely becoming
the voice of the construction chemicals
industry.
With the holistic approach the
CCMA is planning, the industry is
confident of growing from present
revenue to about Rs 5,000 crore in next
few years. This is absolutely possible
considering the large gap in demand
and supply.
With the focus on durability,
sustainability, Green practices and
mitigating lifecycle cost of buildings
and infrastructure, construction
chemicals can play an important role in
overall development of construction.
Limited growth
The construction chemicals
industry, though present for over 30
years in India, has seen limited growth.
Even today, with rising awareness of
the industry, it is still being dubbed as
a sunrise industry. One positive aspect
is that with the rising awareness, the
industry is poised to grow.
In a nutshell, the key challenges to
the growth of the industry are:
*Low awareness about the correct
usage of construction chemicals
and their incorporation into general
construction.
*Standardization of products and
systems is a concern, end-users
cannot discern or compare systems.
*Specifications for use of
construction chemicals is still
‘prescriptive’. Over time we need
to move to ‘performance’-based
specifications.
*The fragmented nature of the
industry, with a large number of players
in the unorganized sector.
Firmly on track
The long-term objective of the
CCMA in general is to address these
challenges. One of the key objectives
is to increase awareness in end-users
about the correct usage of
construction chemicals.
We believe this will help us increase
the treatment ratio of construction
chemicals in construction. Another
objective of the CCMA is to create
trust in end-users by creating
(Contd. on pg 16)

which can fall into the three main
criteria which are explained below.
Speed
Walplast offers products like
ready mix machine plaster, tile
adhesives, machine Gyp+ ie
machine gypsum plaster, which are
changing the definitions of process
time and generating large savings.
We challenge the traditional process
time of plastering by offering a
machine for automatic mixing
spraying plaster in less than half
the time.
We also offer both machine
grade and hand mix ready to use
plasters (grey and super white).
The tile adhesive range offered by
Walplast is also improving speed
in application, thanks to anti-sag
properties and polymer modification
of tile adhesives which enable faster
work along with excellent bonding
and great finishing.
Waste Reduction
Sand purchased locally has a large
amount of impurities and oversize
materials. Separation and disposal
becomes an expense task. Walplast
provides cleaned heat treated sand,
separated by multi-sieving, weighed
automatically as per formulation
ensuring compactness of plaster for
water tightness.
COMPANY PROFILE
Walplast: It’s all about
3 winning solutions
We all want to win and continuously
try to win in all walks of life. But it is a
tough job because all our competitors
are also continuously trying the same
and it is only getting more difficult with
time. As said by Shiv Khera, winners
don’t do different things, but they do
things differently. We at Walplast take
this message rather seriously and
continuously keep taking efforts to
ensure that our customers win.
The building industry is currently
undergoing a lot of stress. Most of the
pockets are witnessing more supply
and lesser demand. In other areas
demands are like hot air balloons with
nothing concrete to crack the deal.
Besides the economics, the industry
is also susceptible to many pressures
like loan rates, additions of service
tax, Vat, etc where the ultimate buyers
are re-thinking and it is weakening the
overall buying temperament.
Competition is increasing and so is
transparency of information because
of the multiple free online portals.
Buyers actually can surf the net, view
properties, actual photos, layouts
and get a feel by watching the walk-through
video.
Strong family-driven emotional
newspaper advertising and soft
payment schemes for buyers are
actually hurting the cash flow of
builders. Land owners are aware of
the current rates and are holding up
till a good price is offered.
There are tough times ahead and
the belts need to be tightened. But
just reducing the cost will not help
because the buyer with high general
knowledge is demanding more value
for money. Buying a dream home
has and is always be on the wish list
of every citizen of India who has just
entered the market.
The young buyers are demanding
smart features in their home added
with latest technology. This actually
settles down to better homes at lesser
price and fizzing out the profitability
of the project.
Walplast Products Pvt Ltd offers
a classic solution towards increasing
value of the product without burning
holes in the pockets of both parties.
The concept can be explained as
follows:
Speed
Cost
Profits
Wastage
Asthetics
Discount
Increasing speed of work leads
to lesser labour time and therefore
reducing cost, enhancing the cash
flow. Cutting of wastage delivers
directly to the bottom line. Aesthetical
beauty replaces discounts and sells
property on merit without the need to
offer any extra freebies.
Purchasing is not about buying
products which are lowest in cost, but
it is about buying the latest technology
products and staying ahead of
competition by creating strong
value preposition for customers.
Though it is the sales marketing
department which is responsible for
selling, we believe that it is actually
all departments including purchase,
quality, planning, etc which build the
product and make the job efficient for
the sales team.
At Walplast, continuous efforts are
being taken to fine tune our products
Mandar Chitre, Vice President,
Walplast Products Pvt Ltd.
(Contd. on pg 8)

INFRASTRUCTURE September 29-October 05, 2014 8
‘We contribute solutions that save
energy, resources and reduce waste’
Mott MacDonald is a diverse
£1.2 billion global management,
engineering and development
consultancy. It is one of the world’s
largest employee-owned companies
with nearly 16,000 staff, with 180
offices in nearly 50 countries and
projects in 140.
The company is engaged in public
and private sector development
across a broad range of sectors
including transport, buildings, power,
oil and gas, international development,
urban development, industry, water,
environment, education, health and
communications.
For over 40 years, Mott MacDonald
has been helping shape much of
India’s transport infrastructure, from
airports and metros to ports and
transport planning. The consultancy
has been providing comprehensive
multidisciplinary planning and design
engineering on the high profile Delhi
Metro project for over a decade.
It is also designing and supervising
construction of new metros in
Bengaluru, Chennai, Gurgaon,
Hyderabad, Jaipur and Kolkata, as well
as acting as safety advisor on Mumbai
Metro. Employing 1200 people in nine
offices, Mott MacDonald also operates
in the industry, water, environment,
education and health sectors.
The consultancy is tackling the
water and sanitation needs of Mumbai,
the world’s fifth most populous city
and is also working with the Indian
government to identify strengths and
weaknesses in the national school
system to improve education for 200
million children.
Commenting on her appointment,
King said, “India is a significant market
for Mott MacDonald and through the
broad range of services we offer we’re
perfectly placed to support public and
private organizations on the country’s
most significant projects.”
King is a chartered engineer, fellow
of the Institution of Civil Engineers and
joined Mott MacDonald over 30 years
ago. Most recently she managed the
consultancy’s integrated transport
division, which is about connecting
local and international communities
through multi-modal transport and
economic regeneration.
Prior to this, she was director of
Mott MacDonald’s highways division,
which offers design, environmental,
acoustic and pavement engineering
services, as well as public-private
partnerships advisory expertise.
Earlier in her career she worked
in the area of structural durability
and repair for multiple clients on
operations, critical maintenance,
repair and strengthening strategies.
Mott MacDonald is a world-renowned
consultant in the global
market place. For Asian countries,
particularly the Indian market, what
are your business plans?
Asian economies are expected
to be amongst the strongest in the
world over the next few years. Mott
MacDonald has a wide network of
established offices across Asia and is
therefore well placed to support this
growing economy with our wide range
of skills in infrastructure, management
and advisory.
In India, we are perfectly placed
to support Mr Modi’s plans for the
country to become a manufacturing
hub thanks to our well-established
work in the industrial sector. Increased
investment in India will also create
opportunities for us to grow our
advisory and project management
businesses.
Additionally, we will continue to
support our global business through
our successful resource centres in
the region, thus creating opportunities
for local staff to work on iconic
international projects.
The company is instrumental
in shaping India’s transport
infrastructure, from airports and
Metros to ports and transport
planning. Tell us about the projects
initiated, completed in India.
In India there are currently metro
projects being implemented in nine
cities – Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata,
Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Jaipur,
Gurgaon and Kochin. Mott MacDonald
has a role in all of these.
We’ve been involved in Delhi Metro
for over 10 years. We’re now working
on phase-3, acting as detailed design
consultant for contract CC34, which is
part of the Janakpuri West to Kalindi
Kunj corridor.
This includes construction
of underground metro stations at
Janakpuri West, Dabri Mor and
Dashrath Puri, as well as interchanges
with existing elevated metro stations.
In addition, we are detailed designer
for the Lal Qila, Kashmere Gate and
Jama Masjid underground metro
stations.
These appointments follow on from
our award-winning role on almost
40% of Delhi Metro’s second phase,
which included 20 underground and
21 elevated stations, connecting
terminals and viaducts.
We also worked on the underground
section of 27 km Airport Metro Express
Line (AMEL) connecting central Delhi
via the New Delhi railway station with
Indira Gandhi International Airport,
consisting of both underground (45
per cent) and elevated sections via
four intermediate stations.
Mott MacDonald has provided
detailed design for Bengaluru
Metro, comprising two electrified
corridors totalling 38 km with both
elevated and underground sections
-– where we’ve tackled technical
risks presented by poor ground
conditions with one Indian-first and
one world-first tunnelling solution.
We’re also providing detailed design
for five underground stations, including
Majestic interchange station.
In Kolkata we provided detailed
design services for the structural
components of the viaduct and six
elevated stations – Salt Lake Stadium,
Bengal Chemical, City Centre, Central
Park, Karunamoyee and Salt Lake
Sector V.
We are detailed civil and structural
design engineer for ten elevated metro
stations on Chennai Metro. We are also
detailed design consultant for three
underground metro stations – Nehru
Park, Kilpauk Medical College and
Pachaippa’s College – and associated
tunnels. In addition, Mott MacDonald
was recently appointed detailed
design consultant for packages four,
five and six under a re-tender.
Mott MacDonald is reviewing safety
assurance for three systems – rolling
stock, signaling, power and traction
– on Mumbai Metro. On Hyderabad
Metro, Mott MacDonald is providing
architectural, structural and public
health design services for three
interchange stations at Ameerpet,
Parade Grounds and the Mahatma
Gandhi Bus Station.
We are also providing the design
for three other stations located at
Panjagutta, Hi-Tech City, and Jubilee
Hills Checkpost. Mott MacDonald
has assisted during the Jaipur Metro
bid process, preparing technical
documents and reviewing existing
work.
Meanwhile in Gurgaon we are
providing detailed civil and structural
design, including architectural and
mechanical, electric and public health
services, for five elevated metro
stations – DLF phase-1, Sushant Lok,
AIT Chowk, Sector 53-54 Crossing and
Sector 55-56 Crossing.
In the railways sector Mott
MacDonald acted as design review
consultant on the Mumbai Monorail,
providing technical guidance and
identifying all civil and engineering
design and construction issues for
the substructures, guide way beams,
stations and monorail corridor depot.
Mott MacDonald is project
management consultant for the
Sustainable Urban Transport Project
in a role spanning five demonstration
cities – Naya Raipur, Mysore, Indore,
Pimpri-Chinchwad and Pune.
We are building the institutional
strength of urban transport
organisations and providing
procurement and technical support,
covering design reviews, traffic
engineering, safety audits and network
analysis. Projects include integrated
land use planning, bus rapid transit,
cycling and pedestrian transport
schemes.
Our aviation team was lead
technical advisor on the upgrade to
Indira Gandhi International Airport,
delivering Asia’s longest runway and
new terminal complex. We provided
master planning, concept and
preliminary designs, environmental
impact management and traffic
forecasting for the 30 year life of the
concession.
Mott MacDonald also developed
the landside master plan and
provided infrastructure planning for
the modernisation of Chhatrapati
Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai
and designed the Pakyong Airport in
the Indian Himalayas. Pakyong Airport
involved the construction of the world’s
tallest reinforced solid walls.
Your work comes from national
and local governments, public
and private utilities, industrial and
commercial companies, investors,
developers, banks and financial
institutions. How do you prioritize
on each?
It is important for us to maintain
a very broad range of clients and to
work on projects at all stages. This
could be helping a client develop a
business case through to managing
the maintenance and operation of
facilities.
This approach allows us to maintain
a comprehensive understanding of the
sectors we operate in, which gives our
clients comfort in the knowledge that,
by working with Mott MacDonald, they
receive best industry practice. We are
driven to help our clients develop the
best sustainable solutions to achieve
their business objectives.
How challenging is it for you to
advice on planning for large, medium
and small industrial infrastructure
projects?
Industry is the foundation of Mott
MacDonald’s Indian business and we
have been planning and designing
industrial infrastructure in India for nearly
50 years. Our clients include some of
the world’s largest corporations,
including Glenmark, AstraZeneca,
Bunge, Laxness and Shell. Projects
on which we’re providing engineering
and project management span the
pharmaceuticals and biotechnology,
textiles, chemicals, rubber, metals,
food, automotive and petrochemicals
sectors. We are contributing solutions
that save energy and resources and
reduce waste.
What is your observation on
Indian construction practices?
Through what means they can be
upgraded?
Mott MacDonald is one of the
founding members of the Consultants’
Health and Safety Forum, which has
a worldwide remit and works to raise
standards and advance best practice.
Through this, we strive to improve
health and safety management on
Indian construction sites to make the
industry a safer place to work.
The west is increasingly adopting
the practice of off-site manufacture
and assembly, which has been proven
to improve safety as well as save
money, construction time and carbon.
Mott MacDonald is keen to introduce
such practices to India on the right
projects.
What is your view on the upcoming
infrastructure developments in the
country?
India has a large, rapidly growing
population with increasing urbanisation,
so effective transport links will be a vital
facilitator to continuing economic and
social development, both within and
between cities.
Indian authorities in each city
should be developing transportation
masterplan that will enable transport
provision to be planned into the
future in such a way that will support
sustainable development.
Liz King, MD, Mott MacDonald Consultancy, South-East Asia shares with
Remona Divekar the company’s plan for India’s infrastructure from airport
and metros to ports and transport planning in its multiple construction
projects, such as new Metros across Bengaluru, Chennai, Gurgaon,
Hyderabad, Jaipur and Kolkata. Excerpts:
Polymers are added which
gives work ability and generates
negligible wastage due to reduction
in rebounding losses. Masterplast,
another product developed by
Walplast is a plaster additive.
This product creates magic in
application of manual plastering
by giving workability, comfort to
applicator by minimizing wastage and
giving a great working mix.
Aesthetical enrichment
Walplast offers one of the top
qualities of wall putty. Whiteness
and surface finish of the putty can
substantially enhance the effect
of paints. Scratch-X texture gives
excellent finish and protects the
surface. Limeplast does not need
any additives and is widely used in
many markets.
Applicators have been creating
different patterns and have got a great
product to enhance their artistic skills.
Walplast also makes colour putty
which has two applications. It can be
used in garages, parking lots, etc,
where expensive paint need not be
used for finishing.
In high-value apartments, where
expensive paints are used, colour
putty is an excellent solution which
does not spoil the looks in case of
scratches, because the putty below
the paint is colored and not white.
The company
Walplast, was established in
2004 by our founder CMD Ashok
Mehta. In just a decade, Walplast
has become a well-known brand in
the construction segment and is an
ISO certified Indian-multinational
having manufacturing facilities at
six strategic locations (Maharastra,
Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh
Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu).
Each factory is equipped with
state-of-the-art RD laboratories
which comply with international
standards. Our products qualify to
parameters specified by Singapore
housing board and also the European
and American standards. We are
currently exporting to countries like
UAE, Africa, Singapore, Europe,
Nepal, etc.
Walplast products are keen to help
the construction industries all over the
world by giving them speed, waste
reduction and aesthetic enhancement.
At Walplast, it is all about wining with
these three solutions and staying
ahead of time.
Walplast...
(Contd. from pg 7)

REAL ESTATE September 29-October 05, 2014 10
Housing and high
urban growth
India would require
about 11 crore housing
units on a pan-India
basis by 2022
Ministry of Rural Development and the
Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty
Alleviation, it is estimated that almost
a quarter of Indian households lack
adequate housing facility.
Housing in India varies significantly
and can reflect the socio-economic
mix of its vast population. In the last
decade, there has been tremendous
growth in the country’s housing sector,
along with demographic changes, rise
in income, growth in the number of
nuclear families, and urbanisation.
Several issues such as the absence
of an effective policy framework
for Economically Weaker Section
(EWS) and Lower Income Group (LIG)
housing, which is compounded with
rising land cost, spiralling construction
costs, and inadequate availability and
reach of micro-finance measures.
Affordable construction
Every developer goes through a
long gestation period of six to eight
years of housing projects, accentuated
by multiple approvals to be obtained
from multiple authorities in a two to
three years time frame.
On the contrary, developers wish
to participate in large scale affordable
housing construction provided
government takes pro active steps.
Currently and in past the government
is taking piece meal actions, which
will not help the sector much. There
are reports on record of government
appointed committee on affordable
housing. Now government needs to
act.
Major concerns are: lack of
coordination between Central and
state ministries, regulatory reforms
with a view to substantially increase
the housing development capacity
with respect to construction capability,
labour availability, construction
material, and housing affordability.
Inadequate long-term funding
across the project life cycle
necessitating multiple rounds of
funding for the same project has
increased the cost of capital and time.
Further, the funding is not available
for acquiring of land from banking
sources. Rationalize multiple fees and
taxes across project a stage which
inflates construction cost by 30 to 35
per cent.
High rate of migration from rural
areas is stressing the limited urban
infrastructure; sub-optimal usage of
urban land (low FAR/FSI) has resulted
in raising the cost per unit of built-up
area.
Grant infra status
It’s high time that government
should grant infrastructure status to
the real estate and affordable housing
sector, as housing development
involves undertaking large scale
urban infrastructure development
projects. It involves purchasing of land
and developing it for the purpose of
construction of houses, multi-storied
buildings, and creation of physical and
social infrastructure. Hence, housing
development has dramatic similarities
to the infrastructure sector.
PPP projects can play an important
role in bridging the gap between the
housing need and supply as they can
be instrumental in attracting private
capital for financially viable affordable
housing projects. The PPP framework
can be effectively used to address
some issues in housing development
such as land availability, approval
delays, funding, and affordability
by the poor.
Simplify structural and procedural
frameworks. This could help expedite
decision-making and reduce lengthy
procedures of introducing reforms.
However, despite 74th Amendment
in the Constitution of India, directing
states to delegate powers to ULBs,
several states have not taken the
necessary steps.
A push to decentralise decision-making
is required from central
government which can be done
by either persuasion or offering
incentives to willing states. These
measures can be done by using
various housing and urban
infrastructure programmes such
as Rajeev Awas Yojna (RAY); Indira
Awas Yojna (IAY) and Jawaharlal
Nehru National Urban Renewal
Mission (JNNURM).
Streamline approval
process
Streamline the approval process
by introducing single window
clearance mechanism backed by
technology. The current approval
mechanism in many states is a
complex process, as on an average a
developer requires 30 to 40 different
approvals from central; state; and
ULBs.
Further, multiple factors add
to the existing complex process
leading to uncertainties and delay
in building approvals. It is estimated
that it takes about two to three years
to obtain necessary approvals which
increases housing development cost
by 20 to 30 per cent.
The delay is primarily due to
factors such as duplicity due to
overlapping regulatory jurisdiction
of various authorities, lack of
institutional clarity which is open to
individual interpretation, involvement
of multiple departments, weak
allocation of responsibilities and
accountability, etc.
I am very optimistic. With
Narendra Modi as Prime Minister, I
hope the governance will be smart
and economy will grow double digit.
I see exponential growth in the real
estate sector. Something which India
has never seen yet.
BAUCHEMIE
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The real estate sector is of strategic
economic importance to India, as it
is the second largest employment
generator after agriculture and
contributes about six per cent to
India’s GDP.
The sector with its backward and
forward linkages to 250 ancillary
industries has the potential to generate
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and provide a quantum jump to the
Indian economy. Accelerating the
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The success of such
a city depends on
its residents and
entrepreneurs becoming
implementation new
technologies
Across the world, the stride of
migration from rural urban areas is
increasing. By 2050, about 70 per
cent of the population will be living
in cities, and India is no exception.
India will need about 500 new cities
IT as principal infra
The announcement of ‘100 smart
cities’ falls in line with this vision. A
‘smart city’ is an urban region that is
highly advanced in terms of overall
infrastructure, sustainable real estate,
communications and market viability.
It is a city with information technology
as its principal infrastructure and the
very basis for providing essential
services to its residents. There
are many technological platforms
involved, including but not limited to
automated sensor networks and data
centres.
Though this may sound futuristic,
it is now likely to become a reality as
the ‘smart cities’ movement unfolds
in India. A smart city offers a superior
way of life to its denizens, and one
wherein economic development and
activity is sustainable and rationally
incremental by virtue of being based
on success-oriented market drivers
such as supply and demand. They
literally benefit everybody, including
denizens, businesses, the government
and moreover the environment.
Concept origin
The concept of smart cities
originated at the time when the entire
world was facing one of the worst
economic crises. In 2008, IBM began
work on a ‘smarter cities’ concept as
part of its Smarter Planet initiative.
By the beginning of 2009,
the concept had captivated the
imagination of various nations across
the globe. Countries like South Korea,
the United Arab Emirates and China
began to invest heavily into research
and the formation of smart cities.
Today, there are a number of
excellent precedents that India can
emulate for its own smart cities
programme:
• Smart City Vienna in Austria;
Aarhus Smart City in Denmark;
Amsterdam Smart City; Cairo Smart
Village in Egypt; Dubai Smart City and
Dubai Internet City in the UAE.
• Smart City Lyon in France;
Smart City Málaga in Spain; Malta
Smart City; The Songdo International
Business District near Seoul, South
Korea; Yokohama Smart City in Japan;
Verona Smart City in Italy.
Indian smart cities
In India, the proposed smart cities
include Kochi in Kerala, Ahmedabad in
Gujarat, Aurangabad in Maharashtra,
Manesar in Delhi NCR, Khushkera in
Rajasthan, Krishnapatnam in Andhra
Pradesh, Ponneri in Tamil Nadu and
Tumkur in Karnataka.
Many of these cities will include
special investment regions or special
economic zones with modified
regulations and tax structures aimed
at making is easier and more attractive
for foreign companies to invest in
them.
This is an essential factor for
success for smart cities in India,
because much of the funding for
these projects will have to come from
private developers and from abroad.
The smart city concept is not without
challenges, especially in a country
like India.
For instance, the success of such
a city depends on its residents,
entrepreneurs and visitors to the city
becoming actively involved in energy
saving and implementation of new
technologies. There are many ways
to make residential, commercial and
public spaces sustainable by ways of
technology, but a high percentage of
the total energy use is still in the hands
of end users and their behaviour. Also,
there is the time factor – such cities
can potentially take anything between
20-30 years to build.
Anuj Puri
Chairman CII
Real Estate
Summit 2014
and Chairman
Country Head,
JLL India
INFRASTRUCTURE
to accommodate the rapid influx of
population into its urban regions.
Interestingly, urbanization in India
has for the longest time been viewed
as a byproduct of failed regional
planning.
Though this is inevitable, and
will only change when the benefits
of urbanization overtake the costs
involved, it is an opportunity for
achieving faster growth. With
increasing urbanization and the load
on the land in rural areas, the Indian
government has now realized the
need for cities that can cope with the
inherent challenges of urban living
and also be magnets for investment to
catalyse the local economies.

Low-cost urban housing
– a reality check
Some major factors
would play a pivotal role
in making affordable
housing successful in
India
In its rawest definition, it refers to
housing units that are affordable by
that section of society whose income is
below the median income a household
should have.
According to a lot of data available
in the public domain suggests that
urban population will increase manifold
in years to come. Presently, 54 per cent
of global population resides in urban
areas, which is expected to increase to
66 per cent by the year 2050.
The situation in India is as
follows:
*Estimated shortage of 26.53
million units
*8.2 Million households in 640
cities living in slums
*Cities like Mumbai have added
on average 6,700 units a year in the
past 30 years
On developers’ side, the
following points should be taken into
consideration:
*Lack of urban land
*Regulatory Hurdles
*Rising costs of construction
*Lack of ‘real’ skilled labour
From buyers’ side, the following
points need consideration:
*Lack of availability of home
finance
*Delivery time
With a majority government now
at the Centre, and its long term goal
to provide housing for all by 2022
to a major section of society, and
also its emphasis on transparency in
regulatory procedures and interest in
skill development are all positive steps
towards affordable housing.
The Reserve Bank of India’s
announcement of a raft of measures
will encourage bank lending to this
segment. The RBI has said that in
addition to small value loans, home
loans to individuals up to Rs 50
lakh (for houses of value up to Rs
65 lakh) in etros and loans up to Rs
40 lakh (home value Rs 50 lakh) in
other centres will be considered as
affordable housing.
Extending these loans will entitle
banks to float infrastructure bonds up
to seven years. Money raised under
these bonds will not be subject to
reserve requirements such as cash
reserve ratio (CRR) and statutory
liquidity ratio (SLR). Eligible bonds
will also get exemption in calculating
priority sector lending targets.
Another positive for affordable
housing is the slew of new construction
technologies being adapted in India.
There are a lot of technology options
available for various elements of
building construction, leading to cost
effectiveness at the same time, but not
affecting performance characteristics
expected from a decent housing
project.
One of the projects worth
mentioning is a slum rehabilitation
project by Omkar realtors at Bhoiwada,
Mumbai. Constructed by LT, it uses
a precast technology and it’s the
first such 23-storey building in India.
There are a lot of other technologies
like aluminium shuttering, precast wall
partitions, concrete hollow blocks,
readymix mortars, exterior textures,
etc to speed up construction activity
and achieve project completion in
at least 40 per cent less time – thus
achieving a lot in cost savings and
delivery time.
All these factors would play a major
role in motivating all parties involved in
making affordable housing successful
in India and hence make affordable
and acceptable housing a reality for
the vast majority of low income group
of people.
Maulik
Tolat
Synapse,
INDICON
REAL ESTATE

‘A conscious architect would not
blindly add to carbon footprint’
Tell us about your early beginnings
as a student of architecture and
as a practicing young architect.
Which was the first project you
undertook?
After I graduated from the Centre
for Environmental Planning
Technology University (CEPT), an
academic institution in Ahmedabad
in 1997, I worked for four years with
architects like Ashok Lall in Delhi and
Georg Leuzinger and Sudhakar Pai in
Bengaluru.
In 2002 I started practising on
my own. My first project had already
started when I was working with Georg
Leuzinger under whom I cultivated my
love of construction and detailing. It
was design of residence-cum-studio
unit for a renowned artist couple
Sheela Gowda and Christoph Storz
What’s the total number of projects
you undertook in the past 10 years?
Would you like to highlight a few,
such as 1 Shanthi Road Gallery and
a couple of others?
During the past 12 years we have
successfully executed about 50
Architect Meeta Jain has been
independently practicing as an
architect designer in Bengaluru
since 2002. She designed the award
winning 1 Shanti Road Gallery,
and is the founder of MapBee,
a collaborative interdisciplinary
practice driven to envision and
facilitate making of mobile structures
and spaces addressing diverse
needs and purposes.
“The question of global warming is
a very complex and critical one as
it is linked strongly to environmental
preservation,” says Meeta Jain in
this interview with Dilip Phansalkar.
Excerpts:
projects, largely consisting of full-fledged
residences and interiors,
living communities, corporate office
interiors, and small art institutions.
Through a parallel practice of ours
called MapBee, which is driven to
work for ‘spaces for change,’ we have
worked on collaborative projects with
artists, citizens groups, educational
groups, etc to create new space
models.
What are your high-priority
considerations when selecting
building materials and colour
schemes for your projects?
We work with natural materials to
maximum, seeking to express each
one’s true character. The colour
scheme largely comes out of natural
colour of materials. And when it does
come to painting walls, a tendency
for more and more muted and earthy
palette with a few bright highlights as
per the specific need, governs our
work.
Why is aluminium gaining more
popularity over steel as preferred
building material?
Aluminium is a high performance
material. It’s very strong for its weight
and is gaining popularity primarily
because of its maintenance-free
character. For this reason mainly
it could be used for large external
openings, where wood sometimes
looks expensive and hard to
maintain.
In economies like India where reuse
industry is vibrant, aluminium has a
resale value too. However, it should be
used with great awareness as it’s not
a sustainable material in long run and
its current trend of using it for extensive
cladding buildings is pointless.
How critical is it to understand local
construction techniques which
enable to deliver a robust final
product?
Good knowledge of local
construction techniques is not only a
gesture towards contributing to local
economies, but also a cheaper and
sustainable way of working.
A building is always a ‘public
face’ too and hence it owes this to a
place when it’s able to reflect back
something of the land it belongs to.
A truly innovative architect would
be constantly be on the lookout for
local building techniques, and finding
unique ways to integrate them in one’s
work, making a building rooted to a
context.
Adopting this approach is
more critical than ever, as we see
characterlessness growing rapidly in
our urban environments.
To create a sense of living, Green
network and built environment
should be integrated into one. What
is your observation?
Design of cities and its experience
largely lies in its street edges, that is,
primarily the pavement. A pavement
is a microcosm on its own, fulfilling
its unique function like enabling
pedestrians, cycling tracks, vendors,
benches and most importantly trees.
Thus, the minimum width of a
footpath is a critical issue and has
to be such that it enables all of these
elements to find space harmoniously
and support a healthy pedestrian life
as well as its maintenance. This and
this alone can save our cities, other
than sufficient number of inclusive
public spaces.
How important is the relationship
of the built to landscape in the
design?
Infinitely important!
The concept of frameless structural
glazing (Spider facades) is
increasingly being adopted in
modern-day building structures.
Would you like to comment on the
trend?
Spider clamp is essentially
a well=engineered component to
support large frameless fixed glass
surfaces. Again, its use has to make
sense with the amount of glass one
should use.
How does architecture influences all
aspects of built environment?
Other than function of providing
shelter and shade, architecture has
the power to create new culture or
revive a dying one suited to a specific
need. Generically speaking, it has a
great power over human psychology
and can play a big inspirational role
in forming positive energy spaces.
By the manner it happens it can
create the right dynamics/mood for
people to connect and come together
effectively.
Lumion 3D software is increasingly
becoming popular among architects
the world over. What relevance does
it have for architects in India?
Any effective tool of visualization
(like Lumion) can be used by a space
designer to project ideas successfully
and suitably before execution.
ARCHITECTURE
(Contd. on pg 20)

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Also, the most recent act of
clearing stalled infrastructure projects
worth of INR 1, 00,000 crore by
the Ministry of Road Transport
Highways is a sign of things to come
for this sector.
Some of the key investments
already announced by the government
are the INR 20,000-crore worth
2-laning and 4-laning of national
highways in Jammu Kashmir, major
infrastructure investments of INR
15,000 crore in North-East states;
as well as upcoming investments in
regions like Uttarakhand, West Bengal,
Assam, etc.
Respite for private builders
The PPP model which was
introduced by the UPA government
saw mixed results in the road and
highway construction sector as many
highway projects have been stalled
owing to poor or almost nil interest
shown by the private players.
Since 2012-2013, nearly 20 projects
of the National Highway Authority of
India (NHAI) remained unattractive
to builders and couldn’t find a single
interested party. Furthermore, the
NHAI was able to award just 123 km
in 2012 out of its target of 2000 km
through the PPP model.
The build-operate-transfer (BoT)
method under the PPP framework,
which was the standard execution
approach for national highway
projects, became non-viable and
hence authorities have announced a
switch to the engineering, procurement
and construction (EPC) route for the
next two years.
The shift to EPC contracts has
spread a lot of optimism into the cash-strained
contractors’ landscape as this
helps them improve their order books
as well as their revenues. The EPC
model will rejuvenate the sector in a
couple of years and the BoT method
can be reintroduced later, as the latter
is less of a strain on government
finances.
New funding set up for
construction loans
Owing to the weak financial
condition of infrastructure firms,
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley recently
announced that all large banks will be
encouraged to adopt a ‘5/25 structure’
for financing infrastructure projects,
wherein banks can provide extension
of 25-year loans in comparison to a
tenure of 15 years now, and refinance
them every five years.
Also, the RBI has been supportive
to the plight of private firms by
announcing that banks can issue
long-term infra bonds with a minimum
maturity of seven years and no cap
on the amount, that is exempted from
mandatory reserve and priority sector
lending requirements.
Two major hurdles
Apart from poor participation of
private builders and high interest
rates for construction loans, two other
major hurdles that regularly affect
highway projects are land acquisition,
environment and forest clearance
delays as well as underpricing of
projects.
As of now, efforts towards
removing related environment and
land acquisition hurdles for 189
projects worth INR 1.8 trillion are
underway though progress is quite
slow. Also, the government is striving
towards acquiring four-fifth of the
required land for a national highway
project before awarding the same.
The highways department faces
the issue of project underpricing
quite frequently as the total project
cost (TPC) is around 20-30 per cent
lesser than the actual estimated
costs. But every time a project is
terminated, there is a termination cost
which gets linked to the TPC, thereby
making bidding highly unattractive
for buyers.
Also lately, project bidding attracts
just three to four buyers as compared
to nearly 20 interested parties two
years back. Lastly, an issue that
deters the interest of road builders
towards taking up new projects is
the disputes that arise between
themselves and the NHAI.
The present 3-member arbitration
panel is slow to pass conflict
resolution and settlement claims
are despatched at a very slow pace
which can take more than a year in
few cases.
Help India achieve true
potential
The above hurdles cannot
be removed overnight and the
government will act according to its
interests and finances as much as
private companies do so in India. The
UPA government set the ball rolling
when it came to policy promises in
infrastructure as they initiated their
tenure on a platform made strong by
a good growth-enabled economy in
their previous period.
Although the UPA’s efforts were
not completely commendable and
the road building sector had to deal
with issues, there was still some
light at the end of the tunnel for this
sector. Lately, when the incremental
initiatives and promises might be
heartwarming to hear, PM Narendra
Modi, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari
and his team need to filter out
major inefficiencies, and help India
achieve its true potential in building
roads which has so far looked very
promising on paper than in reality.
Only time will tell us the true
impact of the efforts and promises on
this sector that has been announced
by Modi-led NDA which is considered
to be full of potential.
Raj Manohar S
Pillai
Lead Analyst, Capital
Construction, Beroe
Consulting (I) Pvt Ltd
Roadblocks
(contd. from pg 1)
Silica fume imparts a range of important benefits to
concrete and make it more durable.
Surendra
Sharma
Deputy General
Manager
(Construction WDP),
Elkem South Asia
Pvt Ltd

Steel and cement sectors to benefit from infrastructure push

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