:Offsite precast construction technology offers clear advantages, asAurobindo Realty and Infrastructure realised at their project in Telangana. But,a reliable partner makes the journey worth the while!
Aurobindo Realty and Infrastructure, thedaughter company of Aurobindo Pharmaceutical Corporation, founded four yearsago, had envisaged construction projects for the next 10 years and beyond. Withthe up-beat prospects in the market, the company faced daunting challenges.
“In Indian construction, there are a couple ofbig challenges. One is the availability of the skill set of manpower, and thesecond is attrition of the skilled manpower. So, any project which is more than,say, a year of construction duration, you need to intake five to six times ofthe actual manpower requirement,” says Aurobindo’s CEO, Ravindra Kumar VJ.
Technologyis the solution for big volume construction
Considering the volume of projects which AurobindoRealty had to construct, traditional methods of construction are clearly notthe way to go. New technology and solutions are needed.
Among different options, offsite precastconstruction technology has clear advantages. It can enable faster projectexecution twice the speed of traditional construction, and over 50 per centreduction in labour requirements.
In addition, precast concrete also offers manyenvironmental benefits when compared with cast-in-situ construction method. Itcan help buildings to meet the increasingly important LEED (Leadership inEnergy and Environmental Design) criteria.
When evaluating potential precast technologysuppliers, Aurobindo Realty management appreciated the fact that Elematic doesnot only offer reliable state-of-the-art plants with wide range of referencesacross India but also has a comprehensive support – from feasibility study toplant planning and design, to the final turnkey installation of the plant andafter-sales services.
“I should say that on the techno-commercialgrounds, we shortlisted Elematic, and we went ahead with them,” says Kumar VJ.
Aurobindo’s precast factory is situated on aland area of 21 Acres, 40 kilometres from Hyderabad city in Sanga Reddydistrict. In building this world-class precast factory, Aurobindo Realty optedfor a turnkey installation of the plant where Elematic’s project team startedwith factory layout plan, structural design engineering support, to thesupervision of casting of the foundations, the machinery installation, to thefinal handover of all machinery and production training.
Theforce of nature
When the project started, it was India’s monsoonseason. The rain seemed endless and the factory site was situated in a far-flungarea, which made even arranging small things during installation seem a herculeantask.
Extensive knowledge in building precast factoryand rich local experience about the conditions in India are the fundamentalsfor the project team to foresee possible future problems and know when to bepatient and how to handle those situations successfully. “So, once the rainstarted, we planned all the activities. We laid out the schedule, discussedwith the Aurobindo’s project team and different agencies what should be donefirst, what should be the priority post-monsoons, and we worked out a workflowchart, and followed accordingly,” says Shriniwas Potdar, Project Head, ElematicIndia.
India is known to be a country faced with highseismic activity, and the structural design in seismic areas is more complex anddemanding than for ordinary buildings. In building Aurobindo’s precast factory,the foundation was the most critical and time taking activity. One dedicatedperson from Elematic’s team was supervising the civil foundation, and anexecution team for the fabrication and installation of the structure to ensurethe success of the project completion.
“We know all the parameters in building therequired precast factory. We know all the limits and conditions in India, and whatis the tolerance level. So, we install all the structures accordingly, and thenwe also supervise all the civil work. All these kinds of support were given tothe client right from the start till the completion of the project,” explainsPotdar.
Newcomercan feel at ease when accompanied with an expert
Building a precast factory is not an independentactivity. A lot of things are going on simultaneously. Coordinating with variousagencies and getting materials on the right time, hence, is very critical.
Aurobindo Realty might be new to theconstruction industry, but their management and staff team have good knowledgeabout the precast technology and are willing to learn and apply their learningin the field. When teamed up with experts who have built dozens of precastfactory from scratch in various locations in India and know precast factory andtechnology inside out, a successful outcome of the project is not in question.
With a high priority project – the Galaxy officebuilding – to deliver, Aurobindo wanted to partially start the plant to produceprecast elements needed for it. Clear communication ensured a goodunderstanding of the requirements and what would be needed first. A start-upplan was then made accordingly to ensure all the activities go hand in hand.
“There were many meetings during and before theproject's finalization to ensure clear communication between us. Aurobindo’sproject team has been taking care of the challenges very well and provided us withgreat support,” comments Potdar.
According to Aurobindo’s requirement, the beamand column line was made operational first to produce the precast elementsneeded for the Galaxy project while the rest of the plant was still underconstruction.
“The team was very supportive and able to makeneeded adjustments along the way. It's not that easy!” comments Allwyn RonaldFernandes, Head of Precast Plant, Aurobindo Realty and Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd.
In March 2019, the factory was in full operationwith automation in place. All installations and material delivery was deliveredaccording to schedule.
By the middle of 2020, the 105 metre Galaxybuilding made history to be the tallest office building built with precasttechnology in India. This year, Aurobindo is set to complete another iconiclandmark in Hyderabad – a 25-floor IT building by the name Orbit.
Aurobindo has expressed its happiness with the cooperationthat they got from Elematic and the precast products produced in the factory,which they have even offered in writing. “It was a wonderful partnershipbetween the Elematic team and Aurobindo Realty team, which made it possible,”says Shridhar Rao, Sales Head, Elematic India.
“In Indian construction, there are a couple ofbig challenges. One is the availability of the skill set of manpower, and thesecond is attrition of the skilled manpower. So, any project which is more than,say, a year of construction duration, you need to intake five to six times ofthe actual manpower requirement.”
“There were many meetings during and before theproject's finalization to ensure clear communication between us. Aurobindo’sproject team has been taking care of the challenges very well and provided uswith great support.”
“It was a wonderful partnership between theElematic team and Aurobindo Realty team, which made it possible.”
Whatto look for when choosing pre-fabrication?
“I would advise anyone entering the business tosee the current and future plan, in which segment they are going to be strongand, then, accordingly select the machinery of that particular segment. Then,they should be able to see the return from the investment they have made,” saysKumar VJ.
Establishing a precast factory is not about thecost. Rather, it is about having a right partner, which is crucial in ensuringthe project’s success. The impact of this decision will remain for many decadesand it shows in cash flows that far surpass the initial capital outlay thatthey paid for the equipment.
“We would suggest to the prospective newcomersto the precast industry to select their technology partner with much care andscrutiny. The team should understand the precast technology and understand thesituation in India,” says Rao.
