The constant rise in demand for progressive civil engineering solutions are shaping the future of infrastructure. Expresses VIKRAMJIET ROY, the Managing Director of Maccaferri in India and the Regional CEO of the ISEAP (India, South-East Asia & Pacific) Region, Officine Maccaferri Group in an interview with EPC World.
In brief, could you comment on the existent scenario of the infrastructure industry in India?
India's vast infrastructure needs are well known and expanding all the time. The infrastructure sector includes power, bridges, dams, roads, urban infrastructure development and more. It is a crucial driver for the Indian economy and has significantly evolved over the last two and a half decades. The sector is highly responsible for propelling India's overall development and enjoys intense focus from the Government for initiating policies that would ensure the country's time-bound creation of world-class infrastructure. This also presents enormous opportunities making India one of the world's most attractive markets for companies in the infrastructure business.
As per the industry reports shared by Mordor Intelligence, the infrastructure sector is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7 per cent by 2026. The immense push given to the sector by the Government in the Union Budget announced this year was expected to create new employment opportunities, boost demand and revive consumption. In addition, new projects have been included in the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) as well. But, with the second wave of the pandemic hitting India stronger than the first one, the economic growth momentum is expected to take more time to gain traction.
The ongoing pandemic has raised numerous uncertainties before the sector. Considering this, is there a need to rethink upon the execution modules in infra projects to be in sync with the norms of 'New Normal'?
With the pandemic impacting India heavily once again in 2021, the infrastructure industry has been faced with critical challenges that include employee safety, rise in material costs and liquidity pressures. However, the industry has revealed an impressive level of resilience and acceptance to change under these circumstances.
The positive shifts brought about by the pandemic that would need adaptability towards include:
- Leverage on digitization to enhance most of the aspects of the construction workflow
- Increased focus on safety and regulations
- Sustainable infrastructure and environmentally friendly solutions being preferred by more and more customers
The proactive role of policymakers will also play a crucial role to support and adapt the country's ambitious infrastructure plans to the New Normal. Expediting the process of project approvals would help fast track many ambitious government and private projects. Besides capital resource allocation, it would be important to introduce pan-India policies in the sector for standardization as inter-departmental disparities tend to hinder the progress of the projects significantly and a universal policy is required for the smoother execution of projects and tenders. Strict enforcement of timely completion of physical infrastructure projects would make way for more such projects being undertaken. The creation of an institutional structure for the financing of infrastructure could provide long-term funding, serve as a platform for attracting private capital, and bring innovative financing methods to help accelerate infrastructure development.
In your opinion how crucial are the technological tools and real-time platforms to scale up the momentum?
The shift towards advanced technology and increased awareness about eco-friendly products has created a new perspective and acceptance amongst the end-users. The constant rise in demand for progressive civil engineering solutions are shaping the future of infrastructure. The infrastructure industry is undergoing a paradigm shift and is evolving towards advanced products and solutions that are sustainable and can maximize the opportunity to: re-use site-won materials, integrate into the natural environment, reduce site waste and drive down the carbon footprint to enable safe and efficient operations
According to the UN, by 2050 the world's population will be 9.7 billion. The global infrastructure industry must look to smarter, more efficient ways to design and build not just as a means to keep up with global demand but to help create structures that are smarter and more resilient too. Building Information Modelling (BIM) not only allows design and construction teams to work more efficiently, but it allows them to capture the data they create during the process to benefit operations and maintenance activities. This is why BIM mandates are increasing across the globe. Using BIM gives you greater visibility, better decision-making, more sustainable options and cost-savings on infrastructure projects. The benefits of BIM are through connecting teams, workflows and data across the entire project lifecycle—from design and engineering to construction and operations—to realize better ways of working and better outcomes.
Throw some light upon your growth agenda and where do you see the industry headed towards?
India's growth projection for infrastructure is expected to grow year on year for the next decade. At present, there is a lack of sustainable solutions for building physical infrastructure with speed, economy and scale. With this unsolved challenge in mind, our core purpose is to be the Sherpa on the imagination-to-implementation journey to make our nation a leader in sustainable infrastructure solutions with the objective of building an India with world-class infrastructure that leads the world into a sustainable and safer future.
We understand the dynamism of the Indian infrastructure industry and are moving to offer better and more cost-effective solutions and technology that dwell with the Indian landscape. Our recently launched smart device 'HELLOMAC' is one of our unique products developed to monitor rockfall protection in India's hilly and mining areas. Ensuring safety, reliability and accuracy, this easy to install disk shaped alert system provides real time protection against risks thus safeguarding lives, infrastructures and buildings protected by any kind of rockfall barriers and drapery systems. It is installed on the rockfall protection and sends timely alerts not only when a rockfall event occurs but also on the status of the rockfall protection.
To meet the challenges of the future, we have a very strong asset to rely on: 140 years of documented history. Maccaferri solutions provide environmental, social and economic benefits mitigating natural and anthropogenic hazards, respecting the environment, enhancing people safety and improving their lives.
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