Always competing to win in global markets

S Paramasivan, Managing Director, Afcons.   Knowledge Service Group (KSG) is is tasked with a responsibility of identifying, codifying, sharing and leveraging vital knowledge capital that is produced within the organisation writes S Paramasivan, Managing Director, Afcons Afcons, a part of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group (SP), has made decent progress in the past decade. It

Always competing to win in global markets
S-Paramasivan-246-164

S Paramasivan,
Managing Director,
Afcons.

 

Knowledge Service Group (KSG) is is tasked with a responsibility of identifying, codifying, sharing and leveraging vital knowledge capital that is produced within the organisation writes S Paramasivan, Managing Director, Afcons

Afcons, a part of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group (SP), has made decent progress in the past decade. It has grown consistently at a CAGR of 20 per cent as on April 1, 2019. Afcons's orderbook (as on April 1) is around Rs 33,000cr of which one-third is from overseas markets. We have been able to sustain our overseas presence since our re-entry internationally in 2005. The internationalisation strategy was arrived at basis our desire to enhance the overall skillset of the organization, and, to become a true transnational player.

 

 

 

We have completed around 50 international projects over the past decade, and, it's a pleasure that all our projects have been completed on, or, ahead of schedule. Remarkably, Afcons is among the few successful Indian companies operating internationally. Our large presence in neighboring countries, the Middle East & Africa continues to open up new opportunities. In the past decade, over 20 per cent of our turnover has consistently come from overseas markets. Our international turnover crossed 30 per cent in FY 2018-19.

One of the key differentiators for Afcons has been our Knowledge Service Group (KSG). The KSG is tasked with a responsibility of identifying, codifying, sharing and leveraging vital knowledge capital that is produced within the organisation. The knowledge sharing from one project to another, from one activity to another, helps in reducing time cycles, increase productivity and avoid repetition. This is a major factor that helps us in completing our projects before time, within budget, and, with highest customer satisfaction.

Notably, Afcons is the proud winner of the coveted Most Innovative Knowledge Enterprise (MIKE) Award 2018 (after two consecutive MAKE Awards in 2016 and 2017). Only companies like NASA, Alphabet (Google), Airbus (France) have won this award before. Afcons is the first infra company globally to win the inaugural
MIKE award.

Overall, the construction industry is facing huge challenges with difficult contract conditions. Contract administration is improper with several state governments, and, some organisations in the Centre facing cash flow constraints. This is resulting in receivables getting delayed. Also, despite NITI Aayog guidelines, many Central PSUs/Metros are not releasing money as per guidelines. Further, the guarantee requirements are not rationale.  All these have stifled the revival of the construction sector.

At Afcons, we're committed to creating new benchmarks and push our limits to construct infrastructure wonders. We'll continue to focus on innovation and technology for newer breakthroughs in future.

 

 

 

 

Highlights of 2018-19

  • Successfully completed the Annaram Barrage project in record time of 24 months. This project is part of the world's largest multi-stage lift irrigation project, the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), located in Telangana. Afcons used secant piling for a barrage project for the first time in the world. The company achieved concreting of 1 lakh cum consecutively for four months.
  • Transtonnelstroy-Afcons JV adopted green concepts in design, construction and operation, which earned nine underground Metro stations in Phase I of Chennai Metro project the Platinum rating from the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). The IGBC rating was part of the Tamil Nadu government's vision of a sustainable transportation system.
  • Afcons achieved simultaneous breakthroughs of the east-bound and west-bound tunnels between Apparel Park and Kalupur Station for Ahmedabad Metro project. The tunnelling for the 2.6-km stretch was done in a span of 11 months and one month ahead of schedule.
  • Nagpur Metro achieved acclaim of fastest Metro project in India. Afcons is constructing a Metro-cum-flyover stretch over single piers as part of this project. This is a unique exercise and only the second such in the country. Afcons' design team conceptualised a Double Decker Launching Girder in-house, and the fabrication of two such equipment was done in just three months.
  • Afcons has built the first phase of India's first Multi-Modal Inland Waterways Terminal on the Ganges. The project was inaugurated by Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. A part of the Jal Marg Vikas (JMV) project on National Waterway-1 (NW-1), this 200m jetty is a stepping stone towards a robust inland waterway transport network in the country.
  • Afcons has installed the biggest bauxite plant in Guinea, which is the largest producer of bauxite ore in the world.
  • Afcons constructed one of the tallest piers in the history of Indian Railways. At 103.45m pier (including 13m of conventional built), P5 is part of Bridge 39, one of the 16 bridges being built on the Katra-Dharam section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramullah Rail Link (USBRL) Project, in Jammu & Kashmir. The pier, which is taller than the Qutub Minar, was built in 31 days.
  • Afcons won the prestigious Most Innovative Knowledge Enterprise (MIKE) Award 2018 (after two consecutive MAKE Awards in 2016 and 2017). Afcons is the first infra company in the world to win the award.
  • Seven of Afcons' projects won the prestigious British Safety Council Award last year. They are Kolkata Metro Rail Project, LEWPP T1, Katra-Dharam Bridge Project, Agra Lucknow Expressway Project, Vizhinjam International Seaport Project, Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project and Road Project in Kuwait.

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