1. Cover Story
INDIA’S MEGA PROJECTS
Over 117 storeys, 1,450 ft
tall tower to come up in
Upper Worli. Created by New
York based architects and
structural consultants - Pei
Cobb Freed & Partners and
Leslie E. Robertson
Associates, Lodha's World
One is slated to be the tallest
residential tower in the
world. Remona Divekar
unearths few intersting facts
Indian in character. World One will come
to represent India's quest for excellence in
the economic and cultural arenas. At the
forefront of this economic progress in its
commercial capital - Mumbai, India's
gateway to the world. World economies
have been typically marked by iconic
structures. Be it the Empire State Building
which symbolised America's might in the
early 1930s, to more recently the Petronas
Twin Towers and Shanghai World
Financial Center representing the rise of
Asia. With World One, Lodha will give
Mumbai, its well deserved icon. World
have this coveted certification, indicating
a high level of environmental care in its
construction and operations. The key
environmental sustainability features
include:
100 percent water recycling and rain
water harvesting - reducing water
consumption by upto 50 percent over a
conventional building.
Use of VRV air-conditioning and solar
energy for common area lighting and
water heating - reducing electricity
consumption by upto 40%.
Waste segregation and recycling.
ICON IN THE MAKING
E
very global city is made memorable
by its architectural landmarks. Be it
the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Opera
House in Sydney or the Empire State
Building in New York, these vibrant forms
reflect the passion and culture of the city
they are located in. Lodha developers have
strived hard to ensure that their current
development not only gains from
Mumbai's energy but also gives back high
quality public spaces to the city. In
partnership with the globe's finest
architects, designers and engineers, we
seek to bring to Mumbai, a landmark
which will exemplify the spirit of Mumbai
- to always soar higher through hard work
and passion. The form of the building is a
tribute to Mumbai’s location on the coast
and its textile heritage. The developers
have consciously tried to create a building
fabric which is global in its appeal but
26
September – October 2010
One will be located at Lodha Place, a
landmark development on a 17 acre site.
The mixed-use development will include
3 residential towers, a high-end shopping
avenue and a world-class office building.
At over 1,450 ft tall, the tower will be
the tallest residential development in the
world and taller than some of the most
iconic global landmarks including:
Sears Tower, Chicago (442 mt).
Jin Mao Building, Shanghai (421 mt).
Empire State Building, New York (381
mt).
The final height and number of floors,
shall be finalised closer to the completion
of the tower.
Features:
World One will be the tallest residential
tower in the world. It shall be one of the
only 100+ storey buildings in the world to
▲ Construction & Architecture Magazine
One of the landmark features of this
iconic development with be an exclusive
observatory called '1000' - located at a
height of 1000 feet above the city. This
open-to-air observatory will allow
residents to enjoy fabulous views of
the city and the Arabian Sea - it is
estimated that a person can see as
far away as 60 kms from the
building from this height. One of
the key features of the project is
the high-end clubhouse and spa,
spread over 3 levels and 20,000 sq
ft, which is expected to be
managed by one of the world's
leading spa operators. In
addition, the site will have over
2,00,000 sq ft (5 acres) of
landscaped areas for the
residents, including a special
80,000 sq ft. Sports Club at a
height of 175 ft above ground.
The project is expected to
provide its residents with the
finest in luxury living. Leading
luxury brands from across the
globe are expected to be
involved in the project:

2. Cover Story
Cover Story
INDIA’S MEGA PROJECTS
INDIA’S MEGA PROJECTS
Behind the scenes:
Lodha Developers has partnered with
some of the world's foremost names to
bring World One to life. Pei Cobb Freed
& Partners (founded as I.M. Pei &
Partners) is renowned for projects whose
iconic skyline or streetscape presence is
equally balanced with a concern for the
quality of public space they engender as
well as a deep commitment to the craft
of building. Responsible for landmark
global projects such as the 492 m
Shanghai World Financial Center in
China, Leslie E. Robertson Associates
(LERA) is a consulting engineering firm
providing structural engineering design
services for architects, developers,
contractors and owners.
safety, including fully automated fire
detection and sprinkling systems,
dedicated pressurised fire staircases and
high-speed fire lifts.
Landmark features :
World One is expected to be Rs 2,000
crores (approx US$ 440 million). Some
landmark features includes exclusive
observatory called ‘1000’ - located at a
height of 1000 ft above the city. This
open-to-air observatory will allow
residents to enjoy view of the city and the
Arabian Sea - it is estimated that a person
can see as far away as 60 km from the
building from this height. World One will
include about 300
exclusive homes,
including 3 and 4
bedroom world
residences, lavish
world villas with
their own private
pools
and
a
limited number of
upper-luxurious
duplex
world
mansions. Thanks
to the unique
curved form of the
building,
the
residents
will
enjoy spectacular
360° views of the entire
city, including the Bandra
Worli Sealink, the race course and
the Arabian Sea. World One shall be
rated as GOLD LEED certified building
by the Green Building Council. It shall be
one of the only 100+ storey buildings in
the world to have this coveted
Some key benefits of living in
a super high-rise:
Lower temperature: It is like living on
a hill station - The drop in temperature
(DALR) is approximately constant at
9.78 °C/km (5.37 °F/1000 ft, or about
3°C/1,000 ft) viz. The temperature at
the top of World One will be almost
4.5°C lower than the ground
temperature in the area.
Lesser noise from outside: There is
reduction in noise in buildings as we move
up and the building and the variation
noise is also less as compared to the lower
floors. A difference of 30 floors reduces
the maximum experienced noise by 30
percent.
Cleaner air: A steady concentration
decrease with increasing height of the
concentration of automotive-related
pollutants, such as of PM10 airborne
particulate, and of CO occurs in the
immediate neighboring of the tower
building. A decrease in concentration of
particulates by 10 milligrams increases life
by 0.61 years for a 7 year old child. With
the availability of cleaner air in upper
floors, reduction of 20 percent in lung
capacity can be avoided.
28
September – October 2010
Safety at World One:
There is an automatic fire detection
system in place to prevent a fire mishap.
An advanced sprinkler system douses any
fire breakout before it can spread. In case
of a fire, there is a bank of fire elevators
that are equipped to get the residents to
the ground in under a minute. There is
also specific fire stair case for the purpose.
Additionally, in case of complete power
failure during a fire, there is a provision
for refuge floors where residents may take
refuge until the fire abates.
certification, indicating a high level of
environmental care in its construction and
operations.
Structural excellence:
Construction is expected to be carried
out by one of the world's top civil
engineering firms - those in the fray
include
▲ Construction & Architecture Magazine
Samsung Constructions (the constructors
of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai), L&T
(India's pre-eminent civil engineering
firm) and Grocon (Australia’s leading
high-rise construction company).
Best-in-class technology will be used for
the construction of this tower, including
high-capacity concrete pumps with ability
to pump to heights over 450 m and highcapacity construction hoists, with a speed
of up to 2 m/sec (6.5 feet/sec) to move
men and materials will be used for the
construction of this tower.
Reflecting
a
nocompromise approach
to safety, World One
is been designed to
manage the effect of
wind and seismic
movements. Highstrength
concrete
makes up the tower’s
super-structure, which is
supported by large reinforced
concrete mats and piles. The
structure has been designed as a
‘Mega Structure’ to optimise the
building design - the very first time
that this technology has been
used in India. Special
measures have been
taken to ensure the
highest levels of fire
Fact sheet:
World One has been granted an FSI of
3.7.
The mixed-use development will
include 3 residential towers, a high-end
shopping avenue and a world-class
30
September – October 2010
▲ Construction & Architecture Magazine
office building.
100 percent water recycling and rain
water harvesting - reducing water
consumption by upto 50 percent over a
conventional building.
Use of VRV air-conditioning and solar
energy for common area lighting and
water heating - reducing electricity
consumption by up to 40 percent.
300 exclusive homes, including 3 and 4
bedroom world residences, lavish world
villas with their own private pools and a
limited number of uber-luxurious
duplex world mansions.
In addition, the site will have over
2,00,000 sq ft (5 acres) of landscaped
areas for the residents, including a
special 80,000 sq ft sports club at a
height of 175 ft above ground.
Kitchens- Bulthaup (Germany)
Bath fittings - Antonio Lupi (Italy),
Dornbracht (Germany), Gessi (Italy),
Villeroy & Boch (Germany/France)
Elevators - Mitsubishi (Japan), Otis
(USA).
Flooring - Imported Italian marbles.
This iconic tower is expected to
consume over:
2,50,000 cubic mt of concrete.
V35,000 mt tonnes of steel rebar
40,000 sq m of glass .
14 million man hours.
18 elevators travelling at upto 8 m/sec
(over 25 ft/sec, more than 2½
storey's/sec.
Study of Traffic Noise bevels at Various
Heights of a 39-Storey BuildingNorman L. Meyerson.
3Fine-Particulate air pollution and Life
Expectancy in the United States- C.
Arden Pope, Majid Ezzat and Douglas
W. Dockery.
Finally:
The construction is scheduled to be
completed by 2014. The total investment is
expected to be Rs 2,000 crores (approx US$
440 million). These residences are expected
to be priced at Rs 7.50 crores onwards
(USD 1.5 million+).The building’s height,
unique cloverleaf configuration, the
unobstructed panoramic views from each
residence, and overall luxury and services
will make World One unquestionably the
country's most coveted address.

3. realty talk
realty talk
projects under its belt, mainly in Mumbai
and its suburbs.
The group has concentrated on playing a
key role in offering a diverse range of
projects in upper mid-income and midIncome. Why just this segment? What
other wide range of features does it offer
for qualitative and affordable living?
We see immense demand and growth from
the upper mid-income and mid-income
segments. Also soaring land prices and little
help from the government makes it very
difficult to cater to other segments of
society. We provide amenities clubhouse,
gymnasium, indoor games and community
hall in most of our projects. We also offer
power backup to every apartment in areas
such as Mira-Road, Dahisar, Kalwa, Kalyan
and Dombivili. In a bid to contribute
beyond the conventional and defined
domain for the betterment of the
community in Mumbai and bridge the gap
in the current real estate residential offering
by promoting spiritual harmony, the
Sanghvi Group, while offering luxury
living at an optimal value have also been
committed in creating places of spiritual
worship. The group has built a series of
temples which are adjoining or in close
proximity to their residential projects.
LUXURY, LIFESTYLE
AND COMFORT
W
Shailesh Sanghvi, Director,
Sanghvi Group of Companies
speaks to Remona Divekar
on the group and the projects
54
September – October 2010
ith a clear focus, Sanghavi
Group offers a combination of
luxury, lifestyle and comfort
with aesthetically designed private terrace
and garden flats with natural landscapes,
panoramic view from the apartment.
Founded in 1983, the Group has played a
key role in offering diverse range of
projects in both the residential and
commercial space just concentrating on
developing properties for upper midincome and mid-income groups thus
offering a wide range of features for
qualitative and affordable living.
Tell us about diverse rang e of projects
▲ Construction & Architecture Magazine
your company has developed in
residential and commercial space?
The Sanghvi Group has established an
immense level of credibility in the field of
real estate, developing well designed
projects of commendable quality. The
company has created a wide variety of
projects, utilising an innovative range of
architectural styles. The residential
complexes are built in the size from
10,000 sq ft to 3,50,000 sq ft, which
include homes of size ranging from 325 to
3,000 sq ft per condominium. The
facilities provided at these residential
complexes are amongst the best in the
industry. The company has over 30
Tell us about the land bank status? Give
us estimation on each segment based on
your projects developed and those which
are in the development process? What is
the group's status in the development of
the projects undertaken?
To keep a pace with the renewed thrust
in the real estate in Mumbai, Sanghvi
Group has a strategic corporate plan to
generate returns in tune of Rs 1,500 crore
by launching a mix of qualitative
residential and commercial properties
across the city over the next one year. The
group's immediate plans 26 lakh sq ft of
land has been earmarked for the
development of the ten new projects in
the metropolis. The Group has
strategically procured a land bank of
prime real estate in the areas of Worli,
Lower Parel, Byculla, Dahisar, Mazgaon,
Ghatkopar, Kalwa, Dombivili and Kalyan
to ensure that consumers are offered best
connectivity
to
roads,
railways,
56
September – October 2010
over the next decade and attract foreign
investment worth $30 billion, with a
number of IT parks and residential
townships being constructed across India.
Your take on future trends expected?
We expected a rapid growth of
infrastructure in the suburbs, so that
commuting from distant places is easier,
faster and less cumbersome also. High rises,
new business parks and efficient rail
network will change the face of India in the
years to come. Most of the future projects
will be developed based on the PPP model
since the government has a huge land bank
which could potentially be developed to
meet residential and commercial need. The
commercial
establishments
entertainment hubs.
and
Do you agree with the fact that niche
market for luxurious residential and
commercial spaces have been created in
the city largely due to demand from
NRIs? What your take on this statement?
Yes, there is a significant demand
coming from NRIs since they travel a lot
and want the same experience in India
too. However, there is a growing demand
from the affluent class in India. The
demand is typically comes from
entrepreneurs, CEOs and senior
professionals are looking for homes in
India. As the job market is steadily
growing up, developers have realised there
will be a rise in demand for homes in the
luxury segment. Many developers have
tapped this and are now offering luxury
boutique homes to the niche segment.
Property prices in the national capital
region (NCR) have increased by up to 54
percent during the first three month of
this year due to higher demand.
What is the status of other metro cities
like Mumbai?
In Mumbai we speculate a rise in
demand post Monsoon. Also there is a
possibility that prices may rise by 12-14%
in fourth quarter of the year, owing to
market demand and various government
and financial policies.
The real estate sector is anticipated to
grow at the rate of 30 percent annually
▲ Construction & Architecture Magazine
government and the real estate sector are
becoming
increasingly
aware
of
environmental issues and to need to
preserve it. Projects of the future will
certainly be environment friendly.
The real-estate sector is one of the largest
employers in the country, and has
backward and forward linkages with
about 250 industries, such as cement,
brick, steel, building material and many
others. What will be the impact on them
in future if there is again dwindling
conditions in the country's economy?
The real estate is the second biggest
contributor to the GDP of the country.
Many ancillary industries like cement,
brick, steel etc are dependent on real estate
for their revenue. A rise in price of raw
material will certainly affect the price of
the end product.

4. special feature
special feature
PRE-FAB/ROOFING AND CLADDING
PRE-FAB/ROOFING AND CLADDING
Setting an industry
benchmark
Fabricated sections, colour coated steel which has strength
and easy formability, has made it possible to achieve dreams
of attractive building for both industry and the public at
large shares Mahendra Pingle, Head - Technical Marketing
(Building Products and Distribution), Tata BlueScope Steel
with Remona Divekar
What is the current scenario of this
industry? How has it progressed over the
years?
The roofing and wall cladding industry
of Zinc-Aluminum coated sheets has
gained healthy market share in Q1 FY'11
over Q1 FY'10 and we believe that the
overall growth will be approximately 25
percent. This may be attributed to its
superior performance over other intermaterial product such as galvanised and
PPGI (pre-painted galvanised iron) and
the overall growth in industrial and infra
sector projects. We have observed that the
market demand is now; more skewed
towards the colour coated products than
the bare unpainted metallic coated steel.
This is due to its appeal, on account of
better aesthetics and the 'prestige factor'
associated with it.
Over the year how has been the
company's journey to the top?
In the roofing and walling applications,
Tata BlueScope Steel has the highest
market share due to its augmented
product offering of quality product and
60
September – October 2010
services. The company, now, has a strong
customer base and has bagged many
repeat orders. Over the years we have
introduced innovative products in the
market, which include - LYSAGHT
SMARTDEK® structural decking system
used for composite slab construction,
STYLWALL® system - an alternative to
Aluminum Composite Panel for facade
▲ Construction & Architecture Magazine
application,PEB-Lite™/
SMARTBUILD® - light-weight preengineered buildings for small shed
applications for SSI, community centre,
porta cabin, affordable housing solutions
etc. In the near future, we will be
introducing more innovative products in
our market offer which will help
architects, structural engineers and
consultants to design architectural
building with green star rating.
According to you how is the Indian
roofing industry undergone changes and
growing
number
of
industrial
applications? Your opinion?
The roofing market has progressed from
existing roofing materials such as asbestos,
clay tile, cement tile, aluminum, GC and
is progressively moving towards Zn-Al
products. The Zinc-Aluminum coated
steel roofing and wall cladding is getting
preferred over the others in Industrial
applications due to a wide array of
benefits they offer to the customer, such as
long life, architectural design flexibility,
speed of construction and its aesthetics.
This metal roofing and wall cladding
industry, we believe has more than 50 roll
forming companies, which supply metal
coated steel products and every year there
is an entry of 5-10 more companies. This
will help to increase the usage of steel in
construction but important aspects like
people safety, quality of product and its
installation needs to be improved upon.
What are the world class technologies
available in the Indian market for this
industry? If yes what are they and how
well are they received in Indian market?
In roofing and wall cladding industry,
recently high tensile fabric material,
copper cladding, zinc- titanium cladding
etc is been introduced in particular
applications. The zinc- aluminum coated
steel cladding, however, is the best option
as it gels with all type buildings and is
easily available at competitive prices. This
also decreases construction time and
provides long life to the building. A well
known brand in Roofing and Walling
industry is LYSAGHT®, which is more
than 140 years old and is manufactured
from world-class ZINCALUME® steel or
COLORBOND® steel. Also, it is a
Green product.
Roofing is the critical area in the
building envelope. In the current times
have the builders/developers and the
consumers realised the importance to
have efficient technology and materials.
Have they taken it more than a visual
element? What is the progress ratio?
In any buildings, an important
conventional steel buildings (e.g.
warehouse as factory shed) due to less
usage of steel, achieved by optimisation of
the structure design as per the site location
and building usage. Clear span is costlier
than a multi-span building. PEBs is early
possession, saves overall cost of building
by enabling early start of production or
occupation. If one considers the life cycle
cost, the PEB structure is cheaper than
any other building. Fabricated sections,
colour coated steel which has strength and
easy formability, has made it possible to
achieve dreams of attractive building for
both industry and the public at large.
component is the roofing and wall
cladding which provides the visual fascia
of the building and keeps the valuable
machinery and workforce in a
comfortable and safe environment. In
addition to this, nowadays, companies are
well aware that better quality claddings
help in acquiring a LEED certification, as
they affect the solar reflective index (SRI)
value which decides the thermal efficiency
of a building. Besides this, claddings, such
as those made from ZINCALUME® steel
and COLROBOND® steel, which have
no hazardous ingredients in their paint
system, have long life, are recyclable and
re-useable, help facilitate LEED
62
September – October 2010
certification. The usage of green product
in building sector has shown positive signs
and is going to increase in the near future
as everyone, now, understands the
importance of the green products other
than just the visual element to conserve
and use environment friendly products.
Depending on the structure how does it
impact the cost factor? Are there any cost
effective solutions available? Any new
materials available today for the
structures to look attractive?
The building cost depends on the type
of building you require. As we all know,
PEB, as a concept is well accepted over the
▲ Construction & Architecture Magazine
What role does a climatic or
environmental conditions play to sustain
the durability for any structure? Do you
have to face any shortcomings? How do
you overcome them?
Proximity to sea, industrial activity in &
around, and geographical conditions affects
the performance of any building made of
any material. ZINCALUME® steel and
COLORBOND® steel are quite capable to
withstand the different environment
conditions over galvanised steel.
What do you think is the future of
industry? Do you think any
breakthrough trends are desperately
needed for a normal growth curve?
The future of the roofing and wall
Cladding industry seems to be bright,
given the upswing in usage of steel and
also, given that the steelmanufacturing
capacity is set to increase in the near
future. More awareness and removal of
some misconceptions about steel
buildings in general is the need of the
hour. Usage of more flat steel in
residential application will give a big boost
to the industry.

5. special feature
special feature
CONSTRUCTION AND MINING EQUIPMENT
CONSTRUCTION AND MINING EQUIPMENT
awarded to Jaypee Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd
and the (main) sub-contractors for the
project are C & C Infrastructure P Ltd
and M/S Oriental structural engineering.
Slated for completion by March 2011, the
length of the Yamuna Expressway will be
165.5 km and a width of 15.7 m. The
expressway is a six-lane project, which can
be extended to 8 lanes. There will be 3
main toll plazas on the expressway, 7 toll
plazas on the interchange loop and 35
underpasses, in all. The expressway will
further have one major bridge, 42 minor
bridges and one rail-over-bridge. The
project has been broadly classified into
three packages – C1 (0-56 km), C2 (56108 km) and C3 (110- 165 km). The
construction equipment for this
formidable project was supplied by
UNDERSTANDING THE GROWTH
POTENTIAL OF THE COUNTRY
Construction Equipment
manufacturers would need to
focus on customising their
products to suit the Indian
market says, Anand
Sundaresan - MD – Schwing
Setter India Pvt Ltd speaking
to Remona Divekar
growth and development of the real estate
sector. Previously, the concreting
tequipment sector was a highly
fragmented one with many proprietary
concerns and unorganised sectors.
However, with the entry of organised
players / MNCs like us, the sector has seen
a lot of streamlining and development.
Also, it is important for the manufacturers
to understand what customers look for, in
their equipment, and identify how these
features can be incorporated in the
machines. Being 100 percent subsidiary of
the German parent, it helps us bring this
technology into India and to customise
this based on the needs of our customers
here. All activities undertaken by our
parent company will revolve around the
theme Go Green.
What revolutionary changes and
developments has your company
implemented in the Indian market? How
was it before you ventured?
Schwing Stetter India was started in the
year 1999 with a keen understanding of
the potential the country offered. India
saw an incredible burst of construction
activity, with a number of government
infrastructure projects, as well as the
Share your insight on the Yamuna
Expressway. Share with us the
challenging aspect of constructing that
highway? How did you go about making
that express way road?
The
Yamuna
Expressway,
commissioned in 2001 by the State
Government of Uttar Pradesh, is a six-lane
expressway, which will connect Delhi and
Agra, via Mathura. The project was
76
September – October 2010
▲ Construction & Architecture Magazine
Schwing Stetter India Pvt. Ltd, India’s
leading RMC-equipment manufacturer.
Having understood the scale of the
project, SSIPL recommended to Jaypee
Infrastructure, the equipment range that
had to be used, which would be ideal to
produce concrete for the Expressway
project. Currently, in terms of project
status, 22 km of road have been paved in
C1; earth work is in progress for C2 and
55 km of road have been laid on both
sides, in C3. This being a Greenfield
Project, moving of men, machinery and
material at the middle of nowhere is a big
task. Similarly, there are many bridges
and converts throughout the length which
costs stoppage and shifting of the paving
equipments. It has hurdles because it not
only calls for dismantling and reassembling the huge paving equipments
used on this project, but also causes delay.
What kinds of equipments were used and
in what stages of development? What
were the challenges involved? How were
they overcome?
The Yamuna Expressway, a six-lane
project which will connect Delhi and
Agra. It is broadly being implemented in
three phases. The equipment that we have
used for the construction are
Batching plant - H6N: 10 units.
Batching plant - CP30: 7 units.
Batching plant - CP18: 1 unit.
Concrete pump - BP350: 5 units.
Boom Pump - S36: 1 unit.
Transit Mixer: 39 units. Three batching
plants at Dankaur and Jewar have
produced approx 26,000 cubic mt and
70,000 cubic mt of concrete
respectively.
The equipment rental market is not
yet fully developed but in India there are
still a number of companies who are
entering into this business encouraged by
the low interest regime. Your take.
Yes, the rental equipment market in
India is yet to evolve. In India it is only
about 7-8 percent, as compared to
anywhere between 50 and 70 percent in
some countries. We understand that in
UK 70 percent of the equipments are
deployed on rental basis. A robust rental
market enables reduction in investments
in projects by outsourcing the equipment
requirement (including spares and
services) and improving capacity
utilization of equipment. We are seeing an
increased number of organised equipment
banks gaining a strong foothold in the
rental business. However, a large part of
the market continues to be served by small
fleet owners, who have less than 10
machines each. Lack of synchronisation
of interstate tax policies largely prevent
the evolution of a more evolved and
organised system. However, with the
government proposing many significant
infrastructure projects, we foresee that the
demand for rental equipment will grow.
What is the current status of this
industry in India especially at the times
of economic crises? What new products
are you planning for the Indian market
in near future?
The Indian construction equipment
industry was estimated at US $ 7 – 7.5
billion at the end of fiscal 2009-2010 and
is expected to grow to a size of US $ 1213 billion by 2015. Overall, the Indian
MCE industry has a volume of about
45,000 units per annum, at an estimated
turnover of about US$ 2.6 – 3.1 billion.
78
September – October 2010
The Indian construction equipment
industry was estimated at US$ 7 – 7.5
billion at the end of fiscal 2009-2010.
One of the sectors most affected by the
recession was the CE sector, which saw a
sharp 15-30 percent drop across product
segments. While the Government
infrastructure projects continued to keep
the demand in the sector alive, projects
commissioned by the private enterprises
suffered due to lack of funds. However,
the sector started picking up again from
the end of 2009 and the sector has posted
a growth of 10.1 percent in the Index of
Industrial Production (IIP) for the period
Feb – April, 2010. Demand from the real
estate sector is yet to pick up. Some of the
key growth drivers in India were strong
around in the last few months, driven by
increased infrastructure activity and finance
availability. With large investments being
planned in the infrastructure sector over
the next few years, the CE industry is likely
to grow at a healthy rate. Some of the large
projects include the target of constructing
20 km per day, set by the Ministry of Road
Transport and Highways, implying more
than 35,000 km between 2008-09 and
2013-14. The Eleventh Plan commission
estimates that over US $ 155 billion will be
spent on infrastructure investments,
towards development of roads, bridges,
railways, ports and airports. Since
inception in December 2005 and until
December 2009, 515 projects across 31
States at a cost of Rs 580 billion have been
economic development, government and
private investments in infrastructure, large
government projects like road building,
high commodity prices (supporting
mining activity) and growing levels of
mechanisation. Our company is dealing
only with concreting equipments.
Therefore, our focus will be only on
introducing newer products in this
segment depending upon the local
requirements and developments that are
taking place. We may also add a few
products which are ancillary to the
concreting equipments.
sanctioned for urban infrastructure
development under the Jawaharlal
Nehru
Urban
Renewal
Mission
(JNNURM). Besides this, the Special
Accelerated
Road
Development
Programme in the North-eastern Region
(SARDP-NE) envisages two / four-laning
of about 5,184 km of National Highways
and two-laning / improvement of about
4,756 km of State roads. R&D is likely to
assume a lot more importance in the
coming
years,
encouraging
the
manufacturers to align their expenditure in
this area to customer expectations.
Construction equipment manufacturers
would need to focus on customising their
products to suit the Indian market, setting
up an effective after-sales network and
training of manpower.
How do you see this industry progressing
in coming years? What are the future
plans of the company?
The industry has seen a significant turn-
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