Satish Parakh, MD, Ashoka Buildcon
Opportunities
The Indian Infrastructure sector at the current stage is full of opportunities. The Government is coming up with many projects like greenfield expressways (Delhi-Vadodara-Mumbai), Bharatmala projects, six laning of existing four-lane roads and so on. However, there are challenges in land acquisition, financial closure for HAM projects, etc.
Execution Methodologies
At Ashoka Buildcon, we are always setting trends and pioneering new technologies. We are at the forefront of innovative construction techniques like using ponds for embankment construction; using RAP for highway construction; and constructing the Plate Girder Bridge over river Roopnarayan.
Our in-house research facility Ashoka Highway Research Center is NABL accredited and dedicated to exploring alternative/superior materials, methodologies and technology for highway constructions. Similarly, for enhancing the execution skills of our staff, we have our own Ashoka Training Institute, which has developed sector-specific training capsules to train freshers and refresh the skill sets of our engineering and managerial staff.
By using the digital platform and software for construction, we have become paperless for our MIS and have developed in-house software for road progress monitoring, quality management, contract management, traffic and highway safety, and drone and imagery software for surveying. Last year, we also went live on SAP from legacy ERP software. For execution of projects, we have highly advanced equipment and plants in our fleet, many of which are specialized, and we keep on adding new equipment as per project requirements.
Artificial Intelligence & IoT
AI and IoT are the buzzwords these days in all industries around the globe; however, the construction industry is much behind in implementation. But the change is at our doorstep and we must accept that AI and IoT are highly applicable in production and in many other construction-related activities, and will play a significant role in the coming years.
Automated data collection and data analysis improves several aspects of engineering and construction management for productivity assessment, safety management at jobsites, idle time reduction of equipment, predictive maintenance, project risk analysis, decision-making, and in optimizing construction costs. The data can be utilized for the entire life cycle of a project from planning to risk assessment, from designing to cost estimates, from quality control to transportation, construction management to delay mappings, for calculation of losses and contract management, etc.
Order Book
Our order book as on Q3 FY 18-19 is ₹9537 crores. We are looking for opportunities in Railways, Metros, Smart Highways and in Smart City projects.
