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| Mitul Patel, Managing Director, Apollo Infratech Pvt. Ltd. |
India is passing through a very crucial and decisive phase as far as its current pace of infrastructure building drive is concerned. While world underwent its worst phase of the decade economically, India on the other hand is facing exactly the opposite crisis. In fact, in India, there is a problem of plenty as the size and pace of projects could threaten the development of the country, which is creaking largely due to deficient infrastructure.
Although construction companies are prepared to spend money to raise their capacities, experts say that a shortage of skilled talent and the limited ability of capital equipment suppliers to meet demand mean that skilful project management and innovative solutions will be necessary to prevent bottlenecks.
For instance, companies are now ready to spend Rs.50 to Rs.100 crore to build equipment banks. They are ready to create backup fleet in case of shortage of equipment on hire. The boom in building activities in Southeast Asia and the Gulf has not just increased the demand for building equipment but also resulted in a spurt in lease rentals and forced many companies to own equipment.
The Infrastructure companies also rethink about the building materials they use. Many companies now use ready-mix concrete rather than preparing site mix. This helps speed up production since ready-made concrete can be poured faster and in a uniform consistency. Companies have also started using prefabricated components to speed up the construction process and using lesser manual labor. The companies also want their projects to be built in a much shorter time than what it took previously.
The company like Apollo Infratech will have its hands full, at least for the next decade or so just to fulfil the requirements of infrastructure companies. Since demand-supply ratio is upturned, we will have the upper hands and we would be able to demand reasonable prices that too at our terms. That’s a real boon for the industry. But in buyers market, there is a danger of compromise in quality and that will lead to business going to foreign companies and the cascading effect of this will be further degeneration of local industry.
However, even this industry is also facing some serious challenges. Dearth of skilled labour, rising steel and fuel prices, reluctance of clients’ operators to get properly trained, inconsistency in the flow & quality of spares & OEMs and lack of professionalism on the vendor’s side, are some of the crucial problems that should be answered urgently.
Apollo Infratech Private Limited is one of India’s premier infrastructure backbone companies and it has taken a few steps already to provide international standards and global technological breakthroughs to the Indian infrastructure companies in the construction industry. Also, it has adopted certain stringent procedures, policies and systems that will address the above mentioned issues such as use of lean manufacturing tools like kanban, keizen and 5S. Its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility is situated at a sprawling site of 42,000 square meters near industrial hub of Ahmedabad on the Ahmedabad - Mehsana state highway. Apollo Infratech is equipped with the most modern and sophisticated factory setup and design development facilities to produce high quality concrete construction equipment. Besides, it also demands the same kind of professionalism, quality consciousness and constant technology upgradation from its vendors.
Results are evident from the fact that Apollo product range has added one new product every quarter. Be it Concrete Batching Plant, Transit Mixer, Concrete Pump, Concrete pavers or related concrete equipment. The products are cost effective, user-friendly and easy to maintain. Now with growing distribution & dealership network across India, all Apollo products are backed by strong after - sales services. Apart from manufacturing its own indigenous machines, Apollo also brings in world-class products from globally-renowned manufacturers to give its customers that extra edge over others. In fact, Pre-cast is fast becoming a norm in huge projects and Apollo has entered into strategic partnership with Hawkeye Pedershaab to leverage the same. However, we are expanding but on the other, we are going slow on taking fresh orders as our order book has already doubled in the last one year.
In nutshell, India is growing, infrastructure is growing, the infrastructure companies are growing and backbone companies like ours are also growing but those with vision will overcome the emerging challenges that normally confront during the course of growth, progress and boom.
Although construction companies are prepared to spend money to raise their capacities, experts say that a shortage of skilled talent and the limited ability of capital equipment suppliers to meet demand mean that skilful project management and innovative solutions will be necessary to prevent bottlenecks.
Potentials in Plenty
More infrastructure companies are responding to labor and schedule related problems by way of automating parts of the production process, which makes them less susceptible to such shortages. As a result of which and partly in response to customers’ demand for faster build-outs, the construction companies that once relied on manpower are now opting for horsepower by employing a variety of equipment, from low-end concrete mixers to pumps & transit mixers, batching plants and pre cast.For instance, companies are now ready to spend Rs.50 to Rs.100 crore to build equipment banks. They are ready to create backup fleet in case of shortage of equipment on hire. The boom in building activities in Southeast Asia and the Gulf has not just increased the demand for building equipment but also resulted in a spurt in lease rentals and forced many companies to own equipment.
The Infrastructure companies also rethink about the building materials they use. Many companies now use ready-mix concrete rather than preparing site mix. This helps speed up production since ready-made concrete can be poured faster and in a uniform consistency. Companies have also started using prefabricated components to speed up the construction process and using lesser manual labor. The companies also want their projects to be built in a much shorter time than what it took previously.
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The company like Apollo Infratech will have its hands full, at least for the next decade or so just to fulfil the requirements of infrastructure companies. Since demand-supply ratio is upturned, we will have the upper hands and we would be able to demand reasonable prices that too at our terms. That’s a real boon for the industry. But in buyers market, there is a danger of compromise in quality and that will lead to business going to foreign companies and the cascading effect of this will be further degeneration of local industry.
Challenges
At Apollo, we are also feeling the rush. Everybody wants his/her orders to be honoured within impossible deadlines. And actually that’s the reason why Apollo may be the only concrete solutions providing company to sell 50 Concrete Pumps, 100 Concrete Batching Plants and 150 Transit Mixers within a record of 24 months time from its inception.However, even this industry is also facing some serious challenges. Dearth of skilled labour, rising steel and fuel prices, reluctance of clients’ operators to get properly trained, inconsistency in the flow & quality of spares & OEMs and lack of professionalism on the vendor’s side, are some of the crucial problems that should be answered urgently.
Apollo Infratech Private Limited is one of India’s premier infrastructure backbone companies and it has taken a few steps already to provide international standards and global technological breakthroughs to the Indian infrastructure companies in the construction industry. Also, it has adopted certain stringent procedures, policies and systems that will address the above mentioned issues such as use of lean manufacturing tools like kanban, keizen and 5S. Its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility is situated at a sprawling site of 42,000 square meters near industrial hub of Ahmedabad on the Ahmedabad - Mehsana state highway. Apollo Infratech is equipped with the most modern and sophisticated factory setup and design development facilities to produce high quality concrete construction equipment. Besides, it also demands the same kind of professionalism, quality consciousness and constant technology upgradation from its vendors.
Results are evident from the fact that Apollo product range has added one new product every quarter. Be it Concrete Batching Plant, Transit Mixer, Concrete Pump, Concrete pavers or related concrete equipment. The products are cost effective, user-friendly and easy to maintain. Now with growing distribution & dealership network across India, all Apollo products are backed by strong after - sales services. Apart from manufacturing its own indigenous machines, Apollo also brings in world-class products from globally-renowned manufacturers to give its customers that extra edge over others. In fact, Pre-cast is fast becoming a norm in huge projects and Apollo has entered into strategic partnership with Hawkeye Pedershaab to leverage the same. However, we are expanding but on the other, we are going slow on taking fresh orders as our order book has already doubled in the last one year.
In nutshell, India is growing, infrastructure is growing, the infrastructure companies are growing and backbone companies like ours are also growing but those with vision will overcome the emerging challenges that normally confront during the course of growth, progress and boom.
