Earthmoving Construction Methods Vol XLVI Issue 6

XLVI

6

June 2021

40.00

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Enthusiasm is common. Endurance is rare. ― Angela Duckworth

I

JUNE 2021

t seems that we will have to bear with this pandemic for some more months. There is much consterna on regarding the lockdowns that the states have imposed. Although lockdowns are essen al to curb the further spread of the disease, businesses are not taking kindly to such measures. They want their opera ons to con nue without any more hindrances. States like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and West Bengal were under lockdown restric ons un l recently.

However, we should give credit where it is due. The authori es realized the importance of our industry to the economy and allowed inoculated workers to show up at factories and warehouses. It was indeed a huge relief.

The government showed intent to aid the industry when it announced that it would increase its capital expenditure by 26%. Now, it is me to address issues related to vaccine disbursal. Workers have to be vaccinated as soon as possible in order for them to appear at work.

We, on the other hand, are witnessing the fallout of the pandemic more severely than ever. Adver sements are disappearing from our pages. But we will not stop publishing. We will try to keep ECM alive un l our last penny runs out.

I, on behalf of my team, implore you once again not to stop adver sing.

June 2021

(5)

EQUIPMENT

ECONOMY

(6)

June 2021

ECM

June 2021

(7)

ECM

(8)

June 2021

ECM

June 2021

(9)

ECM

(10)

June 2021

ECM

(12)

June 2021

ECM

WHAT’S NEW?

ICRA: Lack of bidding discipline to result in profit margin erosion for contractors There is a high increase in competition in road sector contracts

T

he Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has provided relaxations in the eligibility criteria of bidders for HAM/EPC projects. This has, in turn, resulted in increased competitive intensity over the past few months. There has been an entry of new players in the road sector from other sectors (stadium, hospitals, hotel, smart city, warehouses/silos, oil and gas) as well as an increase in bidding eligibility for existing players. Lower state capex, muted private sector opportunities and higher opportunities in road sector has pushed more entities towards road sector.

Rajeshwar Burla, cogroup head & VP, corporate ratings, ICRA, said, “Competition in road sector is expected to

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

remain at an elevated level with more contractors fulfilling the relaxed eligibility criteria. The EPC mode continues to remain extremely competitive with many bidders quoting at a discount of as high as 30-35% to the NHAI’s base price. The BOT (HAM) has

also witnessed heightened competition resulting in average premium to NHAI cost reducing to around 15% from 25-30% earlier and even negative O&M bid in some cases. The number of

bidders has surpassed 40 participants (of which qualified were 30) for some of the EPC projects and 10-15 participants (around 5-10 earlier) for HAM projects.”

ICRA expects the central government spend on infrastructure building to be maintained given its positive multiplier effect on the overall e c o n o m y , notwithstanding the adverse impact of covid-19 induced slowdown in economic activities.

The budgetary allocations for MoRTH increased at a CAGR of 21% from to Rs. 1,08,230 crore in FY2022 BE from Rs. 41,193 crore in FY2017, and is expected to remain robust considering the Bharatmala programme. This apart, NHAI has

( 13 )

ECM been actively trying to monetise assets through TOT and InvIT modes.

Burla added, “Discounted bids to NHAI’s base price are coinciding with the period of high commodity prices (steel, cement etc.). Consequently, the impact on the profitability of the contracting companies could be substantial.

While price escalation is covered in EPC contracts, the fact that

NHAI’s base price itself is based on dated DPRs implies that the escalation clauses may not mitigate the impact of rise in input prices to a large extent. Bidding discipline, therefore, remains a key for road contractors to maintain adequate profitability and avoid build-up of stress on working capital cycle.”

The aggressive bidding for the projects may also lead to projects getting delayed or stuck

or under dispute as lower profitability in the projects would constrain the contactor’s ability to absorb time and cost overruns in the project. The time and cost overruns could be due to various reasons, including steep increase in commodity prices, change in scope, delays in land acquisition and approvals; and force majeure events among others.

(Source: Construction Week)

Ashiana Housing buys 22 acre land in Gurugram to build residential project Added two projects to its portfolio this month

R

ealty firm Ashiana Housing has acquired 22-acre land in Gurugram from Ramprashta group for about Rs 170 crore to develop a residential project.

Recently, the comany entered into a development agreement to build a 12-acre residential project for senior citizens in Pune on a revenuesharing basis.

The company will develop a group housing project, which is located in Sector 93, New Gurugram, Haryana. It would take 6-8 months to get various approvals to start the

( 14 )

construction of this project. The potential saleable area is 21 lakh sq ft in this project.

Ashiana Housing has

In the Pune project, the total size of the land is 11.93 acres, located in Mouje Varale, Taluka Mawal, District Pune (Maharashtra). The total saleable area in the project is about 8,95,000 sq ft.

Ashiana Housing is one of the leading players in the development of senior citizen projects.

The Delhi-based Ashiana Housing has a presence in Jaipur, Bhiwadi, Jodhpur, added two projects to its portfolio Jamshedpur, Neemrana, Sohna, this month, as part of its strategy Lavasa, Pune, Halol, Chennai, and to expand the business and future Kolkata.

(Source: Construction Week) growth.

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM

Designed by an Indian architectural firm, this building is making news all over the world This was first published in our sister publication, Architect & Interiors India. Located in Mohali, a grooming industrial area, this commercial building designed by Studio Ardete stands out thanks to its unique façade

I

t was a demanding job to do these two south east facing plots into something that lets happy vibes to everything and everybody around and furthermore, be such a stand that inspires the projects in prenatal state to be of a statute similar, thus, bringing class and pep to the otherwise mundane - grey - bland - boxes.

soon, the facade has been plastered in concrete. Which also, allows an open window for any kind of stone to be fixed as the mood be, besides being quick and easy to clean.

Cubing the balconies There are no substitutes for all that comes from Mother Nature as it is. So abundant abundant sunlight which is Unboxing the values promised by the cubes queue A small - simple box which balconies. Of course, with breeze blooms in grandeur when you open it or a fancy wallet you unbutton to learn how sorted it would keep you. Such is architecture. So when 1607/08 were clubbed in sector 82 Mohali, the focus was diabolic; one, to keep the costs low; second, allowing the area a landmark.

cutting at right angles thro’ every room on each floor, which again is taken care of by the glass apertures which are shy of any misery.

Basically, to bring about something where while working, one enjoyed one’s rightful claim to sunlight and air.

The three S’s Serenity brings sapience and sanctity. This maxim directed us towards doing the walls inside with simple strokes of paint in

Unique sense of comfort An undisputed claim to uniqueness and comfort, around which it was worked to give the clients about this commercial raise. That it keeps robust and to avoid any revamping

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

( 15 )

ECM soul, this construction took about a year and a half.

All this, and a cherry on the pie... that the building cost is contained at Rs 1000 per sq feet.

Matrix of Parallelepiped Never Never Cube is a The baton of architectural aura, matrices of parallelepipeds. once lit by Le Corbusier, if Faking the facade The idiosyncrasy of the Fractals of sun deck, assuring architects and designers could do building is the facade. A concrete natural light run through the their bit and have the spark brighter facade with balustrades in ivory dormers into the dormitories and to illuminate the efforts around the hued cage frames to which copious cubicles of the office, allowing the tricity, the purpose would have oxy planters wave with the breeze. inmates of this commercial space lived in happy breaths.

(Source: Construction Week) A two minute break from work to enough vitamins for the body and beiges and whites. It is through’ experience we have learnt that less is more and to boot, it branches towards a good number of experimental endeavours.

stretch, you get your personal space for coffee instead of long and bland balconies.

They can also be used as evidence during the dispute resolution process

T

o enhance transparency, uniformity and leverage latest technology, NHAI has made mandatory use of drones for monthly video recording of national highway projects during all

( 16 )

stages of development, of team leader of the supervision construction, operation and consultant and upload comparative project videos of the current and maintenance.

Contractors and last month on NHAI’s portal ‘Data concessionaires shall carry out the Lake’, capturing various project drone video recording in presence related developments during the month.

Supervision consultants shall analyse these videos and will provide their comments on the digital monthly progress reports covering various aspects of the project development. These videos will also be used by NHAI officials during the physical inspection of the projects to check the discrepancies and rectifications made basis the earlier observations.

Additionally, project

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM

(20)

June 2021

ECM

June 2021

(21)

ECM

(22)

June 2021

ECM

June 2021

(23)

ECM directors of NHAI shall undertake monthly drone survey from the date of signing of contract agreement till start of construction of the project at site and at completion of the project. NHAI will also undertake monthly drone survey in all developed projects where NHAI is responsible for operation and maintenance. Since these videos will be permanently stored on the ‘Data Lake’, they can also be used as evidence during the dispute resolution process before Arbitral Tribunals and Courts.

NHAI is committed to adhere to the highest quality standards during construction of

projects. Recently, NHAI has introduced independent inspection of the ongoing national highways projects, by involving reputed retired government officials. These inspections are held in addition to the regular inspection of the projects by NHAI officials. The quality inspections not only ensure adherence to standards but also verify compliance to specific contractual requirements and good engineering practices with reference to procedures formulated as per approved Quality Assurance Plan. Apart from this, deployment of Network Survey Vehicle (NSV) has also been

made mandatory to carry out road condition survey on the national highways to enhance quality. The deployment will enhance the overall quality of the highways as NSV uses latest survey techniques such as high-resolution digital camera for 360-degree imagery, Laser Road Profilometer and other related technology for measurement of distresses in road surface.

Sharp focus on quality, technology and transparency by NHAI will enhance the overall quality and ensure timely completion of the national highway projects.

(Source: Construction Week)

Developers used their landbanks to cater to the post-pandemic demand for bigger homes in the more affordable and greener city peripheries

I

n the post-pandemic world, the city peripherals areas are front and centre on the radars of homebuyers. Supply lost no time in chasing demand – latest Anarock data reveals that as much as 58% of about 1.49 lakh homes launched in FY21 are in the leading 7 cities’ peripheries.

In FY19, the share of new

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

launches in the peripheral locations units launched in FY21 – led by was approx. 51% of about 2.29 Mulshi, Pirangut, Daund, Chakan, lakh home launched in these cities. Chikhali, Kamshet, and Undri, In FY20, more than 2.07 lakh new among others. units hit these markets and the Anuj Puri, chairman, peripheral areas accounted for a Anarock Property Consultants, 53% share. says, “Homebuyer preferences Among these cities, Pune changed perceptibly post the saw the most launches in its pandemic. The previous ‘walk-toperipheral areas – 76% of 29,950 work’ concept no longer led home

( 25 )

ECM launches during the period include Poonamallee, Avadi, Vandalur, Sholinagnallur, Guduvanchery, and Chengalpattu. In FY19, the * In Pune, newly-launched supply peripheral supply share was 44% in the peripheries was 76% of the of the total 16,130 units launched total of 29,950 units launched in then.

FY21. Among these areas are Mulshi, Pirangut, Ravet, Chakan, * Bangalore saw approx. 20,520 Chikhali, Wadgaon Budruk, units launched in FY21, of which Talegaon Dabhade, Dhanori, 46% was in the city peripheries. In Punawale, and Undri. In FY19, FY19, the peripheral supply share their share of new launches was was 37% of a total of 36,620 units 67% of approx. 39,210 units launched. The prominent peripheral locations include Chandapuralaunched then.

Anekal Road, Chandapura, Yelahanaka, * In MMR, the share of new Sarjapura, launches in the peripheries was Devanahalli, and Sarjapur-Attibele approx. 67% of a total of 34,620 Road. launched units in FY21. In FY19, the ratio of new launches between * In Hyderabad, approx. 30,340 peripheries and city centres was units were launched in FY21, of 60:40. Prominent outlying locations which at least 45% were in with high demand and supply peripheral areas such as Medchal, include Panvel, Palghar, Visai, Miyapur, Nizampet, Shamshabad, Virar, Kalyan, Badlapur, Bhiwandi, Kokapet, Patancheru, and Tellapur. In FY19, the peripheral New launches in the peripheries and Dombivli. supply share was 35% of total Many peripheral micromarkets where demand remained * In NCR, approx. 19,090 units 18,460 units launched then. muted before the pandemic are were launched in FY21, of which now seeing renewed demand and at least 57% were in the peripheral * In Kolkata, the share of new supply. The previous desire to live areas such as Sohna, Sohna Road, launches in peripheral locations in city centres - closer to Greater Noida West, and Yamuna was the lowest among the top 7 workspaces, children’s school, etc. Expressway. In FY19, the cities – just 26% of a total of 4,250 - has reduced markedly with the peripheral supply share was 49% units launched in FY21. In FY19, advent of WFH and e-schooling of a total of 29,500 units launched the ratio of new launches between peripheries and city centres was options in the post-pandemic then.

20:80. Prominent peripheral world. People now prefer to live in bigger, open and green spaces * In Chennai, the share of new locations with high demand and in peripheries and that too at launch units in the peripheries was supply include Barasat, 54% of a total of 10,110 units Barrackpore, Serampore, Garia, affordable rates.

Unsurprisingly, new supply launched in FY21. Some of the and Howrah.

(Source: Construction Week) housing in these cities’ key prominent areas with new project

buying decisions – instead, bigger and more affordable properties in greener, less polluted areas found favour, driven by work-fromhome and e-schooling compulsions as well as safety concerns.

Developers quickly changed track and those with landbanks in the peripheries, and even otherwise, saw it an opportune time to launch new projects there.”

New developments in the peripheries reduce the stress on the choked city-centres, and they become increasingly viable with ongoing infrastructure projects such as Metros and ring roads which will boost their connectivity to the city centres.

“It is very likely that some of the major office occupiers will soon de-centralize and bring their offices closer to their employees’ homes in these peripheries,” says Puri.

( 26 )

peripheral micro-markets rose markedly between April 2020 to March 2021.

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM

SONIC EARTHMOVERS Manufacturer of

HYDRAULIC CYLINDER SEAL KIT Demag

HM Terex

Usah Telehoist

Tata Hitachi

L&T Poclaon

BEML - Komatsu

P-41 PRINCEP STREET, 3RD FLOOR, ROOM NO. 308, KOLKATA - 700 072 Phone : (O) 033-2236 4808 / 2212 9644 Resi.: 033-2400 8836 / 2400 0009 E-mail : sonicearthmovers.singh@gmail.com

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

( 27 )

ECM

The state has taken several measures to alleviate poverty

P

ratap Jena, Minister of Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water, Law, Housing and Urban Development, Govt of Odisha said that it needs to support the real estate sector of the state that has been immensely impacted during covid times.

Addressing the virtual roundtable on covid-19 ‘Impact on Urban Development, Real Estate & Smart Cities and Way Forward,’ organized by FICCI, Jena said that unemployment is yet another major problem during these unprecedented times. “We have taken multiple flexible steps to boost the real estate sector and I urge the industry to submit any suggestions or proposals to my department through FICCI,” he added.

He added that the pandemic has severely affected the economy of the state and the country as well. “State government is aware of the problems faced by various real estate and urban development. The workforces and daily wage earners engaged in the

( 28 )

sector have been impacted due to prolonged lockdown in the state,” he added. The state government, he said has also announced relief package worth Rs 1690 crore for the poor and weaker sections. The government would allocate Rs 300 crore to urban local bodies to provide employment opportunities under various schemes like MUKTA and MGNRES, he highlighted.

Speaking on the oxygen supply, Jena said that the state government has already set up 15 oxygen plants in the state. Odisha is also supplying oxygen to other states of Odisha and saving millions of lives, he noted.

Sanjay Kumar Singh, commissioner, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, VC, Bhubaneswar Development Authority and CEO, Bhubaneswar Smart City said that the state government wants to translate industry requirements and ease problems in the city of Bhubaneswar. “There is no doubt about the contribution of real estate

in the economy. Out of the real estate activities in the entire state, around 80 percent contribution is in the city of Bhubaneswar. The government and authorities are aware and appreciate the contribution of the real estate sector in the economic growth and the GDP of the state,” he added.

Speaking on the smart city project, Singh stated that the role of 5G will be critical in developing a good and liveable smart city. He further stated that the state government is eager to kick-start the economy soon. “The state government is focusing on inclusive growth and has set a target of building 50,000 affordable houses by 2024 out of which 14,000 houses have already been sanctioned. We have identified the plots for the balance as well,” he added. The government, he said has taken a number of steps to improve the ease of doing business in the state. He added that digitization is an important step in government system and for the real estate sector to grow, inclusive

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM growth is imperative.

Monica Nayyar Patnaik, chairperson, FICCI Odisha State Council and MD, Sambad Group appreciated the steps taken by the state government in managing the pandemic. She said that FICCI Odisha State Council has been

actively working with the government and is the taskforce for medical oxygen supply and vaccination drive in the state.

Matrudatta Mishra, director, SJ Developers & Housing; Tapan Kumar Mohanty, MD, Z Estates; Kantilal Patel,

president, CREDAI Bhubaneswar Foundation, Member, Credai; and Sanjeeb Kumar Guru, proprietor, Spire Consultants and sr. architect & planner of the state also shared their perspective on the impact of pandemic in the real estate sector.

(Source: Construction Week)

Says Brickwork Ratings

T

he real estate sector was already facing a huge crisis before the pandemic hit. It was battered by low sales, stagnating prices and high unsold inventory in the market.

Developers were coping with a liquidity crunch on the back of lacklustre sales and reduced funding from NBFCs. The situation had started to improve, with buyers’ sentiments turning positive, aided with the government’s push towards affordable housing.

Hence, developers started focusing towards this segment by reducing ticket sizes and unit sizes in a bid to encourage sales. The limited recovery witnessed by the sector came to a halt when the Covid-19 pandemic struck globally and its economic impact started becoming visible. Complete business closure in the first half of the year to

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

subdued business activity later on resulted in the sector facing huge losses in terms of demand.

While real estate and construction remained the most impacted sectors in India in H1FY21, there was some buoyancy during H2FY21, with the economic activity reviving.

Measures such as a reduction in the

stamp duty in Maharashtra, lower interest rates, pent up demand and a halt in launches provided some relief to the real estate sector. That said, the green shoots that had started becoming visible were short-lived as the second wave of the pandemic hit the nation unawares and much harder. Owing to the accelerated vaccine

( 29 )

ECM programme adopted by the government, it is now subsiding, and hopefully the problems inflicted by the pandemic should subside soon. While Q1FY22 is expected to be a near washout for most real estate players, the pace of sales is expected to gain traction in the remaining part of FY22, with launches by various marquee players. Increased discounts, freebies and attractive/flexible payment terms in addition to benign interest rates and regulatory measures are expected to boost sales for real estate players, albeit only H2FY22 onwards. A key role here, expectedly, is going to be played by the affordable housing space.

Residental real estate has been facing challenges for some time now and is expected to see some traction going forward. With the extension of the work-fromhome and online education culture, there is an increased need for larger homes, especially for families with working couples. Residential project sales, which had picked up towards end-Q2FY21, only to slow down in April and May 2021, is expected to witness recovery from the lower base recorded in H1FY21. While negative sentiments led to reduced discretionary spending, resulting in the postponement of buying decisions, the need for safer and bigger homes could actually result in increased demand for residential real estate. The sector is also expected to witness increased

( 30 )

home buying from the final/end user rather than investors. Additionally, with prolonged work-from-home for corporate employees, some reverse migration towards tier-2 and tier-3 cities is expected, which may lead to real estate demand gaining traction in these cities.

Notwithstanding the gradual increase in home loans outstanding for banks since FY17, the y-o-y growth rate has seen a declining trend since FY20, partially owing to a weak buyers’ sentiment due to the economic slowdown, followed by the pandemic impact. The same trend was observed in the house price index. However, concerns around weak demand and high inventory levels were offset by renewed interest in the sector from FPIs due to the low interest rate regime and expectations of a near-term revival.

Commercial real estate, which was performing well over the years, has come under tremendous stress during the pandemic. It has been witnessing high vacancies and the waiver of lease rentals, which is expected to continue till H1FY22 due to oversupply of office spaces, which is further compounded by numerous expired leases coming up for renewals. For the ailing commercial real estate sector, the antidote (literally) is the vaccine, and the pace at which vaccine administration is accelerated. With this, demand for commercial spaces would hopefully revive, and developers are also expected to witness demand for redesigning/re-

doing spaces to meet the increased hygiene- and safety-related norms in the new normal. One aspect of this segment that could gain momentum is the concept of coworking spaces. This, while saving higher upfront capital expenditures and fixed costs, also results in longer lease terms with a lock-in period agreeable to both the lessor and lessee. Another sub-segment of commercial real estate, hospitality, is the worst hit; recovery, while slow, will largely depend on the resumption of tourism activities in the country, especially on the commencement of international travel.

In terms of investments and fund raising in the real estate sector, foreign portfolio investors’ assets under custody increased y-o-y by 103% to Rs 41,476 crore in March 2021. Improving investor sentiments were reflected in declining inventories in tier-1 cities.

There has been an active participation in the Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) issuances, with three REITs getting listed in the last two years, and Rs 13,000 crore have been raised cumulatively. It has received a good response from investors, and more such issuances are expected going forward.

Given the decrease in Covid-19 cases and the overall expectation of the second wave subsiding soon, the overall macro environment is expected to remain strong, supported by stable (and improved) demand in an era of the

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM lowest interest rates ever witnessed in India. While pent up demand has helped keep the sector afloat amid the pandemic, the launches lined up by real estate developers would actually offer the support required for providing momentum for

revival. Consolidation is expected in the fragmented real estate space; the paucity of funds and pressure on margins is expected to impact/ eliminate smaller players.

Additionally, demand for technology-driven, bigger (safer)

homes and improved preferences is likely to improve on the expectation of the ebbing of pandemic-induced shocks, which in turn, would result in a more organised sector.

(Source: Construction Week)

Terex announces new manufacturing facility in China Powerscreen first entered China in 2016

T

erex Materials Processing (MP) has purchased a new facility located in Jiading District, Shanghai, China to manufacture powerscreen equipment for the domestic China market. Powerscreen is the world’s leading provider of mobile crushing and screening equipment for quarrying, construction and other applications.

The 18,000m2 fcility will provide a solid foundation for Powerscreen to commence production in China, accelerating manufacturing plans by approximately two years.

Kieran Hegarty, president, Terex Materials Processing, said, “This investment by Terex to manufacture locally in China marks the next chapter in Powerscreen’s growth story, demonstrates a longterm commitment to the region and will enable us to be a formidable competitor in China. It will also

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

deliver significant economic infrastructure and legislation benefits to the local area, in terms supporting the use of recycled of supporting key supply chain materials. Since then, Powerscreen partners and providing skilled jobs. has continued to build a growing Additionally, this expansion will market presence through its China support our growth plans without sales and service team, building its impacting Powerscreen’s distribution network, attending production capacity at its other industry exhibitions, and hosting Terex facilities.” customers through open days.

Powerscreen first entered A dedicated team from China in 2016, as a response to Northern Ireland will be onsite to government investment in oversee scale-up of production in

( 31 )

ECM China and ensure processes are to the same robust standard of Powerscreen’s manufacturing centre of excellence in Northern Ireland. Work is already underway, with Powerscreen equipment onsite for the training of the China team. It is expected that the first

locally produced machines will come off the line before the end of the year. Kieran Hegarty concluded, “Mobile crushing and screening equipment plays a basic, yet vital, role in the sustainable building of infrastructure. This facility will accelerate our

manufacturing plans for China and will enable us to assist commercial ventures in China with the right equipment, carrying the Powerscreen name, built by a local team and sold through an enhanced distribution network.”

(Source: Construction Week)

Its output of flat-rolled products also registered a rise of 10 per cent

J

SW Steel posted a 10% growth in its crude steel production at 13.67 lakh tonne (LT) during May 2021.

The company had produced 12.48 LT steel in the same month last

year, the steel maker said in a regulatory filing.

During the said month, JSW Steel said its output of flatrolled products also registered a rise of 10 per cent and stood at 9.99 LT, as compared to 9.05 LT

in May 2020. The production of long-rolled products was at 3.09 LT, up 55 per cent from 2 LT in the year-ago month.

“The capacity utilization remained at 91 per cent in May as the liquid oxygen supplies were over 30,000 tonnes for medical purposes from the steel complexes of the company across India, as against over 20,000 tonnes in April 2021,” the company said.

JSW Steel is the flagship company of the diversified $12 billion JSW Group which has a leading presence in sectors such as steel, energy, infrastructure, cement, sports among others.

(Source: Construction Week)

( 32 )

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM

June 2021

(33)

ECM

(34)

June 2021

ECM

June 2021

(35)

ECM

(36)

June 2021

ECM

IMPORTERS AND STOCKISTS FOR VOLVO TRUCK PARTS LARGEST SUPPLIERS OF AUTOMOTIVE AND MINING MACHINERY SPARE PARTS

14 Princep Street, (Opp. Hotel Embassy), 1st Floor, Kolkata - 700072 Ph.: 033-40015370, 22117865 Anand Sheth Akash Sheth Mobile - 91-9830085370 Mobile - 91-9830461101 Email - anand@gispares.in Email - akash@gispares.in

June 2021

(37)

ECM

KORIEAIN

(38)

June 2021

ECM

DRIFTER

June 2021

(39)

ECM

(40)

June 2021

ECM

Delhi Municipal Corp plans development in Azadpur Finalises blueprint; project to entail investment of Rs 2900 cr

T

he Delhi Municipal Corporation has planned to build a commercial hub in North Delhi. The civic body has finalized a blueprint for three million sq ft of a commercial and residential complex in Azadpur involving Rs 2,900 crore.

The plan has been created

by Design Forum International (DFI), a consultancy firm for architecture, urbanism and design and that WAPCOS, a government agency, has been selected as a consultant to these projects along with DFI. The project that has been languishing for almost three years has now been altered as per the approved Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) policy. The development is part of North Delhi

Municipal Corporation’s roadmap to redevelop the existing colony and convert a 23-acre area into a residential and commercial hub.

The civic body has planned two commercial towers and 18 residential towers in this part of Delhi, which is always short of supply. While it has generated the initial funding to start construction, the project will be largely funded by the sale of residential and commercial units.

The total built-up has been distributed in such a way that 20% has been dedicated to commercial development, 10% earmarked to be developed as social infrastructure for the population, while the remaining 70% has been utilized for residential development.

North MCD had awarded the

work in October 2018, but the project has been delayed due to Covid-19 disruptions. WAPCOS is awaiting final approval from MCD and will begin construction as quickly as possible.

Of the total three million sq ft, 5.5 lakh sq ft will be commercial where retail and office space will be built to promote the walk-towork culture. The redevelopment will also offer 2,000 residential units—of 2BHK and 4BHK configuration—spread across 18 residential towers.

Construction will be completed in two phases and 50% of the project will be completed in phase 1 and the entire project will take 36 months from the date of starting the construction.

(Source: Construction Week)

Tata Power offers 100% green power to Mumbai customers Reaffirms commitment towards sustainability to Mumbai

T

ata Power has announced that over 37 consumers with a consumption of more than 19 MUs have opted for green power. This includes leading IT

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

firms, banks and consumer business group situated in Mumbai.

In line with its commitment and basis the permission granted by MERC to provide 100% green

power in March, Tata Power initiated the process of empowering its customers with sustainable green growth from April.

Consumers who wish to

( 41 )

ECM receive green power are paying green tariff as approved by MERC. The company endeavors to provide 100% green power to commercial & industrial organisations as well as residential customers who are committed towards the cause of sustainability and are keen to reduce their carbon footprint. The initiative of the company has received an overwhelming responses from its customers, it has been receiving many queries regarding the new services.

To be able to provide detailed understanding on the subject, customers can now either reach out to Tata Power on its 24x7 toll free no. 19123 or WhatsApp number 7045116237.

They can also write to customercare@tatapower.com Sanjay Banga, president T&D, Tata Power, said, “With the continued thrust for sustainable and green power, we are glad to collaborate with our customers in their goal to reduce their carbon footprint and reaffirm the Tata Group’s commitment for sustainability.”

Tata Power in its commitment towards sustainability has consistently focused on providing its customer base with new green offerings like solar microgrids, EV charging and solar rooftop services.

Today, Tata Power has a 31 percent clean energy portfolio and aims to increase its clean energy share by 40-50 percent by 2025. The power major is steadily

improving itself on the sustainability front and is progressively improving its environmental, social and governance (ESG) rating (MSCI-BB).

It has identified eight focus areas - renewable footprint, carbon emission, resource availability, waste management and bio diversity to make it to the top of the list. Further, it aims to enter the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Emerging Market List by FY25.

The company adheres to the global safety standards, promotes product and operational safety and encourages the active participation of every employee. It has also created a healthy work environment that complements its superior business performance.

(Source: Construction Week)

NHAI to raise Rs 5100 cr through InvIT Gets nod from Sebi

T

he National Highways NHAI InvIT is a platform roads are part of national corridors Authority of India (NHAI) to monetise roads over the next and provide excellent long-term has received approval of prospects. The trust is being set up the Securities and Exchange Board as a private listed InvIT to attract of India (SEBI) to launch its maiden large institutional investors. It is an infrastructure investment trust investment trust that works like a (InvIT) to raise Rs 5,100 crore. mutual fund and regulated by The SEBI-approved SEBI. In such a model, assets are NHAI InvIT is expected to be placed in an InvIT where investors launched by July 2021. In future, put in money, and income the authority plans to offer 19 generated from such assets is paid projects worth Rs 35,000 crore as dividend. under the InvIT model.

(Source: Construction Week) three-five years. The initial set of

( 42 )

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM

DAULAT RAM & SONS A HOUSE OF EXCAVATOR PARTS

HITACHI

-

EX-60, 100, 200, 300, 400

L&T

-

POCLAIN - CK-72, CK-90 III, CK-170

L&T

-

KOMATSU - PC-200-6

BEML

-

PC-220

1520-A, KASHMERE GATE, DELHI - 110 006 Phone : 011-2386 2369, 2386 2068, 4706 1292 Email : drs.1520@gmail.com Cell : Rohit Aggarwal - 9818655483 Ashish Aggarwal - 9810930018

Specialist in

HITACHI & POCLAIN EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

( 43 )

ECM

NHAI to acquire land for Kochi-Munnar highway The total project cost of the highway will be known shortly in the DPR

T

he National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is all set to issue a notification under Section 3 (A) of the National Highways Act 1956 to acquire land for the greenfield alignment of 165-km long KochiMunnar NH 85, which it aims to develop as a four-lane stretch to provide port-to-port connectivity between Kochi and Tuticorin.

By invoking the provision, the agency has shown its intention to acquire land needed for the project. An officer was appointed to kick-start the process of acquiring land for the project for

which greenfield alignment plan is ready.

The entire project will be a greenfield alignment, except approximately 4-km land that the state government had acquired over three decades ago for the Thripunithura bypass. The aim is to ensure that the alignment will be devoid of steep curves and that no new space will be acquired afresh for the mega highway project.

The only land that was acquired by PWD and whose compensation was completed will be integrated with the new greenfield alignment of the NH and

their possession taken over by the NHAI. The total project cost of the highway will be known shortly in the DPR. Every effort will be made to get clearances on the project’s cost, environmental and social impact from different committees, within six months of the DPR being finalized.

The existing KochiMunnar NH, which is now maintained by PWD (NH wing) using funds issued by MoRTH, will be handed over to the state government.

(Source: Construction Week)

BRO dedicates two CoE to the nation Have been established to achieve excellence in road safety

U

nion Defence Minister Rajnath Singh dedicated to the nation two Centres of Excellence established by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) at Seema Sadak Bhawan in New Delhi.

These centres have been established to achieve excellence in road safety as well as foster growth in construction of roads, bridges, air fields and tunnels.

( 44 )

The Centre of Excellence for Road Safety & Awareness (CoERSA) aims to create awareness about road safety through analysis sharing of road accidents and suggesting methods to save precious lives.

The Centre of Excellence for Roads, Bridges, Air Fields and Tunnels (CoERBAT) focuses on institutionalising the knowledge gained over the years in

development of almost 60,000 km roads, 56,000 mtr bridges, 19 airfields and four tunnels in the eastern and north-western part of the country. The Minister also launched four software developed to optimise the work efficiency of BRO personnel, their HR management, recruitment management, enrolment and works management.

(Source: Construction Week)

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM

Envisages development of four corridors

T

he tender process for Bengaluru Suburban Rail project will be set in motion in October 2021 with the project tender of 25 km long stretch between Baiyappanahalli and Chikkabanavara in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

On 10 June 2021, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa reviewed the progress in the suburban rail project as well as other Metro Rail projects.

The tender process for the upcoming project will be completed by October 2021. The rail project if completed swiftly,

traffic congestion in Karnataka’s development of four corridors, capital will be reduced drastically. covering a route length of 148.17 The Indian Railways km.

This ambitious rail project doubling project between Baiyappanahalli and Hosur is being implemented by Rail (distance of 48 km); and Infrastructure Development Yeshwantpur and Channasandra Company, Karnataka (KRIDE), (distance of 21.70 km) works are which is a joint venture (JV) company set up as a special underway.

It further mentioned that purpose vehicle (SPV) by the the tender for an amount of Rs 323 Railway Ministry along with the crore has been given. Besides, state government of Karnataka.

The proposed project is to construction of 12 bridges has be completed in a period of six already been completed and construction works of 20 bridges years. The project will be developed with an estimated cost is under progress.

The Bengaluru Suburban of Rs 15,767 crore.

(Source: Construction Week) Railway Project envisages

Sobha introduces Sobha Town Park Inspired by New York skyline at Bengaluru

S

obha is introducing Sobha Townpark at Yadavanahalli, Bengaluru, an integrated township. It is a first-of-its-kind luxury residential township in Bengaluru, themed on the architectural footsteps of New York.

Ravi Menon, chairman, Sobha, said, “We have re-imagined the architectural brilliance of New

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

York through iconic residential towers, a glitzy shopping mall and top-of-the-line amenities.”

The location of Sobha Townpark stands testimony to Sobha’s commitment to ensure that no aspect of a home – including its location – is overlooked.

Carefully chosen to provide the best of both worlds to people who prefer quietude, but

never want to be away from the hustle and bustle of city life, Yadavanahalli comes as the perfect choice. Promising unparalleled luxury, a slice of New York, modern living, seamless connectivity – Sobha Townpark is located in the vicinity of educational institutions, hospitals, workplaces and more.

(Source: Construction Week)

( 45 )

ECM

Telangana to dispose of govt land and asset parcels Hopes to raise Rs 10,000 cr

T

he government of Telangana has finalised plans to raise up to Rs 10,000 crore by disposal of government lands and asset parcels that are under the control of various departments, not required for any public purpose and located in prime areas in the state.

The government has now issued standard operating procedure (SOP), including eauction process for their disposal.

As per the Government Land Allotment Policy it had allotted lands for various purposes to government departments and

private organisations and made it clear that they should not be monetised for resource mobilisation. However, to avoid possible encroachments on these lands, it has now permitted these agencies to dispose of these properties. These land parcels of various sizes and shapes are prone to encroachments and unauthorised possession.

As per SOP, these land parcels could now be monetised through e-auction in a transparent manner and realise competitive rates. These lands will receive

accelerated and time-bound approval for layouts and automatic incorporation in Master Plans. All clearances will be made through TS-bPASS – the Single Window System. The government has permitted the Nodal Agency to engage consultants to arrive at a reasonable price.

It has accorded permission to engage MSTC as service provider to conduct eauction. The District Collectors have been directed to ensure that the lands are free of any litigation.

(Source: Construction Week)

DMRC invites online open e-tenders Bid submission date is July 28

T

he Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has invited online open etenders for the construction of twin tunnel, underground ramp and six underground stations including architectural finishing and other works of stations on Janakpuri West to R.K. Ashram Corridor (Line-8 Ext.) of Phase-IV of Delhi

( 46 )

Metro. The scope of work entails the design & construction of twin tunnel by shield TBM, tunnel by cut & cover, underground ramp at Derawal nagar and six underground stations viz. Derawal nagar, Ghanta Ghar, Pulbangash, Sadar Bazar, Nabi Karim & Ramakrishna Ashram Marg including architectural finishing,

water supply, sanitary installation, drainage works of stations on Janakpuri West to RK Ashram corridor (Line-8 Ext.) of Phase-IV of Delhi MRTS. The completion period of the work is expected to be 42 months.

(Source: Construction Week)

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM

FROM ACROSS THE SEAS

Edinburgh Airport turns to solar Edinburgh Airport has announced plans for an 11-acre solar farm as part of its new sustainability strategy.

Gordon Dewar, chief executive of Edinburgh Airport, said: “We are excited to be the UK’s first airport to construct a solar farm on an airfield. Some may doubt the power of sun in Scotland, but our solar farm will deliver around 26% of our energy needs and allow us to deliver energy back into the grid when we produce more than we need. This project illustrates our commitment to making environmental improvements and is something passengers will actually be able to see as they arrive or depart.”

Construction is due to begin later this year and the solar farm is expected to be operational next summer. It has been supported by Scottish government funding of £2m.

The project is one element of the airport’s new sustainability

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

strategy, Greater Good, which sets out how the airport will work towards being more sustainable now and in the future. The strategy is not only about reducing environmental impacts, but also how the airport manages its social and economic impacts.

The Greater Good strategy

focuses on four key pillars to achieve a sustainable future for the airport: · ‘zero carbon’ – working in partnership to improve its approach to climate change; · ‘enhancing Scotland’ – creating an airport to showcase the best of Scotland whilst delivering

( 47 )

ECM the best passenger experience possible; · ‘Scotland’s best business’ – as a hub and facilitator, the airport says it will work with its people, passengers and partners to create a business with integrity; · ‘trusted neighbour’ – working with its neighbouring communities to share the benefits of sustainable growth with them and mitigate any negative impacts.

The airport said that the strategy has a number of targets within it, such as such as achieving carbon neutrality for direct emissions by 2024 and establishing a campuswide sustainability standard as well

as a cleaner engine standard.

The Greater Good strategy also takes into account some of the work already being carried out at the airport, such as purchasing 100% renewable electricity since 2018, diverting all waste from landfill, paying all staff the real living wage and its commitment to the Modern Slavery Act. Dewar said: “Our sustainability strategy is about more than just carbon; it’s about making our business, Scotland’s gateway to the world, sustainable and a social and economic asset that serves future generations. To do that, we have to carefully consider

our impact on the environment and act accordingly. Our operations are already carbon neutral and while we are proud of that, we know there is more to do for the greater good of Scotland.

“For an island economy, travel is an important reality and we need to have a sensible conversation about how to balance the desire and need to travel – whether to see family or do business - in the wake of the pandemic and making our industry cleaner and greener. It’s a challenge for all sectors but particularly for ours.”

(Source: Construction Index)

Travis Perkins raises profit forecast Soaring demand for construction materials is set to deliver unexpectedly high profits for builders’ merchant Travis Perkins.

M

arket analysts have been advised to have a rethink after predicting, on average, that Travis Perkins was heading for £259m adjusted operating profit this year.

In a trading update Travis Perkins directors said that trading was going better than expected and adjusted operating profit was likely to top £300m.

“Following a robust start to 2021, the high levels of growth experienced in March have

( 48 )

continued throughout the second quarter, driven by the strength of both the domestic and commercial repairs, maintenance and improvement (RMI) markets,” it said. “The pace of the recovery has led to well documented challenges on both inflation and materials supply on a number of core products ranges. The group’s supply chain and network capabilities mean that it is well placed to manage these challenging circumstances, working closely

with both customers and suppliers.

“Given the strong recent trading performance, the board now believes that adjusted operating profit for the continuing business for the full year 2021 will be materially ahead of market expectations and, assuming that there is no significant change in market conditions, will be at least £300m.

Travis Perkins recently sold its Wickes and Plumbing & Heating segments.

(Source: Construction Index)

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM

June 2021

(49)

ECM

(50)

June 2021

ECM

June 2021

(51)

ECM

(52)

June 2021

ECM

Wales suspends new road building The devolved government in Wales has announced a freeze on all new road building projects pending a review

A

n external panel is going to be commissioned to draw up tighter criteria for deciding what new road building projects can go ahead.

The given reason for the re-think on roads is environmental, not financial.

Deputy minister for climate change Lee Waters, whose brief includes transport, said he wanted to shift spending to less polluting

alternative forms of transport.

“Since 1990, Welsh emissions have fallen by 31%,” he said. “But to reach our statutory target of net zero emissions by 2050, we need to do much more.

In the next 10 years, we are going to need to more than double all the cuts we have managed over the last 30 years, if we are going keep temperature rises within safe limits.

That means changes in all parts of

our lives. Transport makes up some 17% of our total emissions and so must play its part.

“We need a shift away from spending money on projects that encourage more people to drive and spend more money on maintaining our roads and investing in real alternatives that give people a meaningful choice.”

(Source: Construction Index)

Materials shortage set to continue for months

A

n “unprecedented” materials shortage in the construction sector will continue well into the second half of 2021, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has warned.

Timber, roof tiles and bagged cement head the list of materials in short supply. Record demand for building materials and full pipelines of work have led to “unprecedented challenges”, according to Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) chief executive

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

John Newcomb and Construction Products Association (CPA) chief executive Peter Caplehorn, who head up the CLC’s Product Availability working group.

“Demand both in the UK and globally continues to dramatically outstrip supply and shows few signs of slowing during the seasonally busy summer months,” the group’s most recent statement reads.

“Inevitably, all of this is feeding into price inflation, and the expectation is that high demand

coupled with tight supply will sustain elevated prices throughout the year.”

Insulation boards are also facing a supply squeeze, with contractors now looking for alternatives to PIR insulation, according to the CLC, due to problems securing supplies.

Plasterboard suppliers are also struggling to keep up with material deliveries, with lead times extended.

Hauliers, already in short supply earlier this year, are now a

( 53 )

ECM “critical nationwide problem”, the CLC said. The industry is facing 15,000 fewer haulier drivers due to Brexit, while 30,000 HGV driver tests were also postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Delays in brick and block deliveries have been reported in some regions.

Electrical products are in

further short supply, due to a shipping backlog in China’s Pearl River Delta, as hundreds of ships wait to dock. The blockade is worse than the Suez Canal blockade in March, according to the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA).

Last week, Mineral Products Association (MPA) chief

executive Nigel Jackson told Construction News that cement shortages should be resolved this summer as the majority of the material is produced in the UK. Timber and steel, though, rely on imports which leaves them vulnerable to trade difficulties and haulier issues.

(Source: Construction News)

Civil engineering contractor J Murphy & Sons has allocated £75m to spend on plant, equipment and vehicles over the next five years.

M

urphy has committed to a 50% net reduction in emissions by 2025, becoming carbon net zero by 2030 and net positive by 2050.

To get there it will pay for 5,000 trees a year to be planted but is also switching to greener machinery. It plans to spend £75m on reduced-carbon machinery, much of which is likely to be battery or solar powered.

Murphy has had a battery powered Faresin telehandler on the HS2 Curzon Street Station site in Birmingham city centre, where its LMJV joint venture with Laing O’Rourke is the early works contractor.

Projects like HS2 have helped keep Murphy in a position to invest. Despite Covid-19 restrictions making life difficult for

( 54 )

£71.1m). Murphy’s final results will be filed next month but chief executive John Murphy said ahead of the event: “Despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, Murphy delivered a strong financial performance across all of our key markets and geographies, underlining the resilience of our business model, the quality of our client relationships and our improvements in contract selection and project controls.”

He added: “The momentum we generated last year breaking into the top 20 of UK has continued into 2021 and we construction contractors the next have strong visibility over the remainder of the year, as we time the rankings are compiled.

It also strongly improved continue to deliver vital its operating profit, reaching infrastructure that is essential to our £12.9m (2019: £1.1m) and has economies across the markets built up substantial net cash where we operate.”

(Source: Construction Index) reserves at £173.8m (2019: many companies, J Murphy & Sons grew its revenue by more than 26% in 2020 to £1,113.1m (2019: £880.2m), which could well see it

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM

Italy’s national rail operator has signed an agreement with Nevomo to explore the feasibility of superimposing magrail technology on existing infrastructure.

As part of the memorandum of understanding (MoU), Rete Ferroviaria Italiana and Nevomo two will apply for European innovation funding, to finance a fullscale pilot.

Polish-Swiss technology company Nevomo – whose ultimate aim is to develop a hyperloop system – envisages its magrail becoming a new high-

speed transport system superposed on, and integrated with, existing railway corridors. It will enable the introduction of a new mode of propulsion with linear motors and a new interface between newly designed vehicles and the infrastructure, based on frictionless magnetic levitation.

Nevomo said that it will be a major step towards bringing the

technology – still in its development phase – to the European railway market. It expects that magrail will be compatible with the existing underlying railway system and will enable conventional and highspeed railway transport to be upgraded.

NevomoHYPERLINK “ h t t p s : / / www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/

BOMBAY TRADING SYNDICATE

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

( 55 )

ECM news/view/agreement-signed-formagrail-test-track” has also recently signed an agreement for a test track in Poland.

There will follow an increase in speed of up to 75% on existing alignments, without the need to build new infrastructure, it said, this avoiding heavy civil works and related investment.

Nevomo said that its magrail system would allow for interchangeable operations of conventional railway rolling stock, as well as new, faster, magneticlevitating vehicles on the same line.

The year-long collaborative agreement is focused on knowledge sharing and analysing the Italian railway network to assess the technical and economic

feasibility of implementing magrail technology on selected routes.

Nevomo said that the trail on the test

implement sustainable mobility by transforming the transportation landscape into an efficient and emission-free system,” said Przemek Paczek, CEO and cofounder of Nevomo. “The preliminary feasibility study of magrail technology, conducted in cooperation with our partner IDOM, shows that the benefits of implementing magrail technology will be significant – both in economic and social terms, says.

We are extremely happy that RFI, track will be the last stage of testing one of the European leaders in and is expected to trigger the adopting advanced technological conformity assessment procedures railway solutions, has placed its needed to implement the magrail trust in us. Together, we have an technology commercially. opportunity to revolutionise rail “The magrail technology transport.”

(Source: Construction Index) we are developing allows us to

New Zealand's government is set to start inviting applications for a fund offering access to money to build the pipes and roads needed for housing schemes.

T

he Infrastructure Acceleration Fund (HAF) will help create the basic infrastructure – such as roads and pipes - needed for housing schemes.

The government has made available the criteria for access to an initial NZ$1bn (£500m) of the NZ$3.8bn HAF, announced in

( 56 )

March, and an invitation for expressions of interest will be released on 30th June.

Housing minister Megan Woods said: “This is a key milestone in our plan to accelerate the development of build-ready land to enable more homes to be built at pace and scale.

“The housing supply crisis is a

problem decades in the making that will take time to turn around, but we are starting to make inroads on increasing supply and this fund will make a real difference to increasing the supply of housing by assisting in overcoming a key barrier to building – access to basic infrastructure.”

Woods added that

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM investment in infrastructure was identified by local councils and others as one of the key actions the government can take to increase the supply of housing in the short term. “The Infrastructure Acceleration Fund is designed to allocate funding to infrastructure projects that will unlock housing development in the short to medium-term,” she said. “It will jump-start housing developments by funding necessary services, like roads and pipes to homes, which are currently holding up development. This is about getting the most houses in the places across

the country, where they are needed, happening as quickly as possible.”

She added: “It is available to councils, iwi [social units in Aotearoa Maori society] and developers to start pitching for infrastructure funding, with successful projects weighted toward bringing on multiple, affordable new homes quickly and in the right places; in urban centres as well as in the regions.”

Eligible projects include the new or upgrading of infrastructure for drinking water, waste water, sewage, roading, and flood management, which wholly or

primarily enable the building of new and additional homes. Eligible costs include early stage feasibility studies, design, consenting and in some cases land costs.

“Not every application will be funded; we have weighted the fund to support projects that will deliver the most houses where they are most needed,” said Woods. “In order to bring on significant new supply we need to fund largerscale projects in large urban areas, as well as smaller-scale projects outside of the main centres, where there is also a housing shortage.”

(Source: Construction Index)

Wates Group has joined the ranks of construction companies promoting flexible working practices.

N

ew flexible working principles will be applicable to both office and site teams and all new jobs will be advertised as flexible.

The intention is that all roles will be flexible by 2025.

Wates is giving staff freedom to fit their working week against other demands they may have outside of their work life.

Flexible working is gaining traction across the previously rigid construction industry. It was a

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

movement that began before anyone had heard of Covid-19 but has gained credence and momentum as national lockdowns have proven that the industry can work just as well – perhaps better – with remote working and flexible shift patterns with staggered start/ finish times.

Construction teams at Wates have been piloting the approach, with individuals changing their shift start or end times to accommodate caring

responsibilities or other family needs, as well as to allow time for activities such as studying or sporting activities. Some colleagues have asked to take longer lunch breaks or to work from home more often.

Wates’ Flexible Working Principles state that that flexible working should be for everyone, regardless of where they work, but it must not jeopardise service delivery for customers, and must be sensitive to the needs and

( 57 )

ECM preferences of the wider team.

Chief executive David Allen said:“As a family business, we are committed to doing everything we can to help colleagues achieve a better work-life balance. The pandemic challenged us to work in different ways and to adapt.We learned a lot about how to work flexibly, and about how doing so can improve productivity, performance, health and happiness.

“We have listened to feedback from colleagues from across the group and, as part of launching our Flexible Working Principles, are encouraging them to use the next few months to experiment with their working patterns: to find what works for them; to show us what they want their working life to be like in the future; and to use these new flexibilities to support our goal of becoming the most trusted, sustainable and progressive business in the sector.”

Wates’ initiative mirrors development among competitors.

BAM, Willmott Dixon and Skanska have been working with flexible working consultancy Timewise in a Build UK-sponsored cross-industry study.

An intrinsically related

development saw BAM announce in March that it had introduced new flexible working policies across the company.

Wates has developed its new policies working with a worklife balance charity called Working Families, whose chief executive Jane van Zyl said: “Wates’ Flexible Working Principles, and the culture change they are ushering in, is an extremely positive and inspiring thing to see. We know that for too long flexible working has been seen as the preserve of office workers, but this shows that flex is possible in roles whether you’re sat at a desk or working on site.”

Mark Tant, managing director of Wates Construction, acknowledged that the idea of flexible working could take some getting used to for some colleagues. “The pandemic has shown that we are able to work more flexibly, and more intelligently, to accommodate our colleagues’ needs and to encourage better results for our customers,” he said.

“However, if our industry is to become more inclusive, it is fundamental that we continue to break down ingrained cultures and adopt new approaches that allow

us to appeal to a more diverse workforce. As one of the first companies in the sector to open up flexible working to our whole business, we hope to lead the change to ensure that everybody has the opportunity to thrive, by adopting the working patterns that best suit them.”

Wates’ Flexible Working Principles were introduced in response to feedback from staff, which highlighted that almost 90% of colleagues would prefer a mix of home working and office working in the future.

As well as launching flexible working, all of Wates nonsite offices will operate on a flexible basis, with employees able to book workstations online.

To promote these new ways of working, the company’s fit-out business, Wates Smartspace, has redesigned the main working area within Wates’ Leatherhead headquarters, creating a set of configurable spaces that have been designed specifically to encourage collaboration – a template for postpandemic offices, Wates says. See the video below.

(Source: Construction Index)

Construction machinery dealer Robustrack is teaming up with attachments supplier Dean Equipment to distribute construction equipment.

A

s part of a wider co- appointed Robustrack as a operation agreement, distributor for the Articulator Dean Equipment has handling device that it

( 58 )

manufactures.

Robustrack is owned and managed by Davide Cerca and

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM Bobby Heslop. Based in Ingleton on the southern edge of the Lake District, it became UK sole dealer for Eurocomach excavators earlier this year. It is also an Engcon distributor.

Kent-based Dean Equipment Ltd is owned by Tim Dean, who also set up the Sandhurst group of companies.

Davide Cerca of Robustrack said: “This feels like a natural step for Robustrack and having the opportunity to work

with Tim, with his extensive knowledge and experience of the industry, is invaluable.”

Tim Dean said: “I have noted over many years Robustrack’s growth in stature.

Robustrack has been a valued supplier to my companies and I have seen that Davide and Bobby, with backing of their efficient and supportive team, manage their business and, importantly, its promotion in a customer-friendly and professional way. Their

progression in product distribution has been remarkable and I am very pleased that I and my team shall be working in collaboration with the Robustrack team to augment their existing excellent distribution business, bringing to it the facilities, location and the long experience of Dean Equipment Ltd for exponential growth and product support, to the benefit of customers on both sides.”

(Source: Construction Index)

By following a few basic guidelines, employers can implement or improve their documented safety programs in order to potentially lower their insurance costs, according to two risk management experts.

I

nsurance carriers view many construction companies and contracting businesses as highhazard. After all, many construction workers and contractors are exposed to hazards, such as falling from rooftops, working with heavy machinery, being injured by construction equipment, electrocutions and exposure to silica dust and asbestos. And claims involving contractors can take years to work through because of the intricacies of contracts, indemnifications and allocating liability among different parties.

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

Although the commercial insurance market is in a hard cycle right now and insurance premiums are on the rise for most lines of coverage, one

line of coverage that can offset increasing insurance costs for some organizations is workers’ compensation insurance. Securing

( 59 )

ECM favorable workers’ comp rates can help mitigate the costs of other lines of commercial insurance.

One step that organizations can take to improve their workers’ compensation risk profile is to have a documented safety program that includes proactive processes to help employers find and fix workplace hazards before workers are hurt.

There are numerous benefits of having a documented safety program in addition to potential insurance savings.

Documented safety programs are a recruiting advantage when looking for skilled labor in a highly competitive market. Furthermore, proper safety programs can reduce injuries and claims costs. Equally important, safety programs can lead to a more productive and engaged workforce, resulting in fewer project delays and less lost working time.

OSHA estimates that the implementation of injury and illness prevention programs will reduce injuries by 15% to 35% for employers who do not currently have safety and health programs.

Employers with existing safety programs should review them regularly to ensure they are adequately protecting workers and correctly documented. By following the guidance and basic principles below, employers can start the process of implementing or improving their documented safety programs and potentially lower their insurance costs.

( 60 )

Getting started When implementing a new safety program or reviewing one already in place, employers should consult applicable OSHA and other state-specific standards for their specific workforce. In fact, 34 U.S. states have laws or regulations designed to require or encourage injury and illness prevention programs, including 15 states with mandatory regulations for all or some employers. Safety programs can fit within any budget and within any organization’s culture.

Employers should thoroughly document all aspects of their safety program so it can be shared with new employees, their insurance carrier and, as required in some cases, OSHA or other regulatory agencies. In addition to documenting their policies, employers should keep records of all meetings, investigations, and reports. Below are some important elements of a successful safety program: Leadership involvement: All safety programs should start from the top with leadership’s commitment to safety and risk management. Leadership should establish safety goals for the organization. After identifying goals, leaders should identify the individuals who are accountable for implementing and maintaining programs. Leadership should support this goal by ensuring the organization has all the resources and professional support it needs

to conduct a strong safety program.

Worker participation: Safety programs need to have a commitment from all workers.

Leadership should seek feedback from workers and include their valuable insights in the process.

Hazard identification and assessment: After leadership identifies goals and seeks insights from workers, employers should identify and assess workplace hazards. Employers can gather this information by soliciting worker feedback, completing workplace inspections, reviewing available information on hazards, and investigating any reported injuries or illnesses to identify any workplace hazards.

Hazard prevention: After workplace hazards are identified and assessed, employers should create a plan to prioritize and control the identified hazards.

Employers should put in place interim controls to protect workers from hazards that cannot be addressed immediately. After all hazard controls have been put in place, employers should verify all controls measures have been implemented correctly and are working properly.

Education and training: A crucial part of controlling risk is educating and training workers. Education and training workers should be an

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM ongoing process. To ensure comprehension, provide education and training in a language or languages understandable to all workers.

OSHA provides materials in many languages, and these materials can easily be found on their website. Education and training provided to workers should include: procedures for reporting injuries and concerns, recognizing hazards, ways to control hazards, elements of the program or programs, and how workers can participate in the program or programs.

Program evaluation and continual improvement: Leadership should review safety programs regularly to determine the effectiveness and needed improvements. Modifications should be made when improvements are needed, new regulations are identified, or new hazards exist.Documented safety programs can help insurance carriers view your organization more favorably. Rely on your insurance and risk management advisors to help your organization develop proactive safety programs. Your advisors can also help with compliance with OSHA, DOT, state, and local regulations.

Most importantly, make sure to partner with an insurance and risk management professional who understand.

Construction workers’ skepticism about COVID-19 vaccinations is raising issues for employers and public health officials.

A

lthough they were among vaccinations in most states, some of the first groups to construction workers have been qualify for COVID-19 notoriously hesitant to roll up their

Cell: Rajesh S Parekh - 09323587574 Parag S Parekh - 09821133749

Phone : 022-23813971 Fax : 022-23824736 / 23813971

Email : divyeshbrothers@yahoo.co.in / divyeshbrothers@gmail.com

Dealers in Spares For

BEML

TATA P&H

LOCOMOTIVES

KOBELCO Parts Supplier Authorised Dealer For

(Source: Construction Dive)

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

( 61 )

ECM sleeves and get the shots. Now, as the percentage of Americans yet to receive a first dose remains in the mid 40s — just slightly below the 46% of readers who told Construction Dive in April they had no plans to get the shot — construction companies that want their workers to be vaccinated have their work cut out for them.

Construction workers’ consistent skepticism about vaccinations is raising alarm bells for public health officials like University of Pittsburgh associate professor of epidemiology Wendy C. King, who sees vaccine hesitancy as a key barrier to ending the pandemic. In late April, King and a team of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University also found that 46% of construction workers weren’t planning to get vaccinated. Now the team is trying to understand what’s behind that hesitation so they can help the healthcare community target interventions and address workers’ concerns.

Workers are telling pollsters that they don’t trust the vaccine (or the government providing it), and misinformation continues to blossom online.

People mistakenly believe the process of getting the vaccines to market was accelerated “in a way that makes it unsafe or that corners have been cut,” Amelia Jamison, a faculty research assistant at the Maryland Center for Health Equity, said during a recent webinar

( 62 )

vaccination rates than states that went for Trump.

“For good or bad, right or wrong, the vaccine has been politicized,” said Reid Ribble, CEO of the National Roofing Contractors Association. “We’re so regionally and politically divided.

I would be willing to bet the number of construction and roofing A political divide At B&M Roofing in workers being vaccinated lines up Frederick, Colorado, many field pretty closely with how progressive workers are holding off on getting or conservative their states are. In shots because they or someone rural, conservative states like close to them have already had mild Alabama, you’ll have pretty low cases of COVID-19 and rates, and in Massachusetts, New recovered without incident, said York and California, it will be pretty high. Because it’s also cultural, isn’t vice president Scott Kawulok.

“Most of our employees it? And when you have this blend are young, male, relatively healthy of culture and politics, it becomes — they probably have bad habits very complicated.” like a lot of other construction workers, but for the most part, Education and incentives Most U.S. companies are they’re healthy and active,” he said.

“Initially, there was much more fear encouraging vaccinations because about the virus until they knew a they believe they’re key to getting lot of people who had had it or they the economy back on track, but as experienced it themselves. Their they attempt to craft vaccination concern for catching the virus is policies, they’re struggling against way, way less than it was initially, all these factors as well as which is kind of the inverse thing confusing, constantly evolving you want to have happen when you messages from the federal want to get a lot of people government.

In May, the Equal vaccinated.”

And, of course, the well- Employment Opportunity documented partisan divide over Commission said companies could vaccinations comes into play. A require workers to get vaccinated Gallup poll in February found that (with health and religious 91% of Democrats and 51% of exemptions) and offer incentives Republicans were willing to get the like paid time off, gift cards and shot, and the Associated Press even permission to work without a reported in April that states won mask; OSHA did an about-face on

by Joe Biden had higher its previous policy when it sponsored by the Colorado School of Public Health.

In addition, about a third of unvaccinated adults are concerned they might have to pay for the shots (which are free to everyone), a Kaiser Family Foundation poll found.

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM announced that employers didn’t have to record adverse reactions from the vaccines on their OSHA 300 logs; and a tax credit was passed to help companies pay for employee time off to get the vaccination and recover from its side effects.

move toward incentives, but that education piece is still really critical, along with strong communication from management, often coupled with leadership,” Weinert said.

When CEOs and project managers show that they’re willing to get the shot, she added, it provides “that

Positive feedback At B&M Roofing, Kawulok said, management — concerned about the impact on the company’s culture as well as the potential loss of employees — decided against a mandate early on. “It’s already hard enough to

Attorney Katherine Suttle Weinert, special counsel for global employment and labor law firm Littler Mendelson, said the majority of the companies she works with are weighing whether they should continue to simply ask workers to get vaccinated or beef up their requests with incentives and mandates. Most of them started out with employee education pushes like lunch-and-learns with local medical providers and are now moving on to offering “a range of carrots” to motivate hesitant workers, she said.

“We’re seeing a bigger

sense of community and motivation.”

Mandates are coming primarily from companies that work in healthcare settings, Weinert said, but more companies might have to start requiring vaccinations if their workers are hesitant. She expects more employees to get the shots, currently being administered under emergency-use authorization, once the FDA has formally approved them. (PfizerBioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson applied for full approval, which will likely take months, in May.)

find qualified workers,” he said.

“We wanted to leave it up to individuals to choose.”

As part of San Franciscobased Dome Construction’s “people-first approach,” the company utilized anonymous employee surveys and found that vaccines — everything from their risks and effectiveness to which one to get—were an area of particular importance for team members. In March, Dome and its insurance team hosted a town hall meeting with a medical doctor who answered questions about all aspects of the vaccines. The

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

( 63 )

ECM recorded event was then translated into Spanish and sent out companywide.

In addition, all Dome employees are eligible for up to 80 hours of supplemental paid sick leave to get the vaccination or recover from side effects, and the company is looking for a partner to provide vaccinations on site.

“We’re really just trying to let everyone know, we’re here for you and we’re navigating this together,” said Brent Miller, Dome’s director of risk management.

Dome has measured the results of these efforts only in Santa Clara County, which requires companies to ask employees if

they’ve been vaccinated. About 77% — well above the national average — have gotten their shots, said Michelle Austin, Dome’s human resource director.

“We’re hearing nothing but positive feedback from our teams,” Austin said.

(Source: Construction Dive)

UK construction orders increase at fastest rate since 1997

P

MI data for May revealed that the UK construction sector remained on a strong recovery, as new orders filled in at the fastest rate for almost a quarter of a century May PMI data indicated that the UK construction sector remained on a strong recovery path, as output growth reaching its strongest since September 2014.

New order volumes increased at the fastest pace since the survey began just over 24 years ago.

Input cost inflation was also at a survey-record high during May, reflecting a surge in demand for construction materials and severe supply shortages.

At 64.2 in May, up from 61.6 in April, the seasonally adjusted IHS HYPERLINK “https://ihsmarkit.com/ index.html”Markit/CIPS UK Construction PMI® Total Activity

( 64 )

Index registered above the 50.0 no-change value for the fourth consecutive month and signalled the strongest rate of output growth for just under seven years.

Sector breakdown Housebuilding (index at 66.3) was the best-performing category of construction activity in May, followed by commercial work (64.4). The latest increase in work on commercial projects was the steepest since August 2007.

Civil engineering activity (index at 61.3) also increased sharply during May, although the pace of expansion eased slightly since the previous month.

The latest survey pointed to a rapid upturn in new business across the construction sector.

Around 47% of the survey panel reported higher volumes of new work, while only 11% signalled a

reduction. New project starts and a sustained recovery in construction workloads resulted in another marked rise in staffing numbers during May. The rate of job creation was the fastest since July 2014. Subcontractor usage also increased at a survey-record pace.

Mirroring the trend for order books, the latest data indicated a steep upturn in purchasing activity across the construction sector.

Suppliers’ delivery times lengthened sharply in May, with the downturn in vendor performance the second-steepest since the survey began (exceeded only by that seen in April 2020). Stretched supply chains and steep rises in raw material prices contributed to a rapid increase in average cost burdens. The overall rate of input price inflation was the highest in just over 24 years of data collection.

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM Around 61% of the survey panel predict a rise in business activity, while just 8% anticipate a decline.

‘Phenomenal acceleration in growth’ Duncan Brock, group director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, said: “The construction sector continued its expansion programme with a phenomenal acceleration in growth and the strongest for seven years as new orders filled in at the fastest rate for almost a quarter of a century.

“Residential work was back in the top spot as housebuilding rose at the quickest pace since August 2014, serving as an antidote to the recent scarcity

in housing for lets or buy, and driven by consumer demand and a boost from the stamp duty holiday.

“Busy purchasing managers were under pressure to keep up and buying up at the fastest rate since April 1997, changing sourcing strategies to find depleting essential materials and stocking up just as supply chain problems continued to mount along with prices.

“With inflation for goods and raw materials at a 24-year high, companies will be concerned that much-needed profits will be eaten away as building projects take shape and could be held up by some of the longest delivery times on record.

“Skills shortages are also becoming a problem, with

recruiters finding talented labour hard to find, as job creation was at robust levels and the threat of staffing cutbacks has become a distant memory.”

‘A bust to end the boom’ Brendan Sharkey, head of construction and real estate at MHA HYPERLINK “https:// www.macintyrehudson.co.uk/ ”MacIntyreHYPERLINK “https:/ /www.macintyrehudson.co.uk/” Hudson, commented: “Today’s PMI shows that demand in the construction sector remains strong and everyone has plenty of work.

However, in truth many developers would prefer a steadier, slower recovery. This heated market is accompanied with the spectre of a

KARNATAKA Dealers in Spares of all types of Earthmoving, Mining Construction & Heavy Equipments

KARNATAKA EARTHMOVERS DAM ROAD, OPP. CITY HOSPITAL, HOSPET - 583 203, BELLARY DIST., KARNATAKA

Specialist in

Phone : 08394-231799 Cell : 94482 34656 / 8792264511 Contact : Md. B. Saleem

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

( 65 )

ECM coming bust to end the boom.

“A bust is far from being a foregone conclusion but it is a danger to watch out for. Hopefully the sector will have a softer landing and we will just see the housing market quieten down, possibly by September, rather than crash and burn.

“One potential pitfall comes from demand. With the current Stamp Duty Land Tax

(SDLT) holiday reducing at the end of June, and with some of the current interest in moving house perhaps liable to fade away as the country reopens, demand could start to stutter.

“The other potential problem is inflation and the rising costs of construction materials, such as timber, cement and plasterboard. Some firms might not have priced this into their current

contracts and could be caught out.

They might think they have taken on lots of work only to find it is not actually profitable, an easy mistake to make in an industry that usually operates on thin margins at the best of times. The bigger firms are liable to weather this much better than smaller contractors, as they usually have better contracts and more influence with suppliers.”

(Source: pbctoday)

US concreting equipment makes UK debut A Dorset construction project is making use of US concrete finishing equipment that has never previously been seen in the UK.

A

llen Work Bridges are being used by main contractor Faircloth Construction to smooth large concrete pours for the base slab of a distribution centre under construction in Wimborne.

Faircloth is using the bridges over concrete slabs that are being poured and finished using a truss screed system. The wheeled bridges travel across the ground spanning the wet concrete, allow the concrete finishers full access to apply finishing processes such as bull floating and applying chemical

( 66 )

spray. Allen Work Bridges are previously responsible for bringing Bunyan Striker made by Allen Engineering the Corporation in northeast Arkansas, roller screed system to the UK from the USA in the 1980s.

Speedcrete has purchased Allen Work Bridges to hire out or sell in the UK market. The Wimborne site is its first project.

Speedcrete says that the work bridges speed up numerous processes, including: applying curing compounds, texturing, floating and surface in the USA. They have been inspections. It also saves time if you brought to the UK can walk straight across a large b y c o n c r e t e e q u i p m e n t wet concrete area rather than supplier Speedcrete, whose having to walk around it all the time.

(Source: Construction Index) managing director Peter Dod was

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM

Automatic quick hitch now available for smaller excavators Tiltrotator manufacturer Engcon has developed a quick hitch system for attachments on excavators as small as two tonnes

C

oupling hydraulic tools onto excavators without the operator having to leave the cab has been standard on larger machines for years. But with the latest innovation, Engcon’s automatic quick hitch S40 now covers the entire range from twoto 40-tonne of machines “Being able to connect hydraulic tools without leaving the cab has recently become an increasing desire even for the smaller machines. The problem has been to fit all the smart technology in such small brackets, but we have now solved that in a good way,” said Fredrik Jonsson, development manager at Engcon Group.

The new machine hitch has the same safety features as the larger and earlier models in Engcon’s machine hitch programme. To coincide with the launch of the new machine hitch, the EC206 tiltrotator has also been updated for excavators in the 4-6 tonne weight class with a new tilt top that is adapted for Engcon’s automatic quick hitch system. This means that the driver can attach

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

and detach the tiltrotator without leaving the cab.

Like Engcon’s larger tiltrotators, ground pressure is required to be able to open the bucket lock under the tiltrotator on the new S40 hitch. Built-in sensors detect that the bucket axles are in their correct position and if something goes wrong the system warns with sound and light signals inside the cab and outside the machine.

EC-Oil automatic connection of hydraulic, electrical and central lubrication is included

as standard when purchasing a machine hitch, tiltrotator and Engcon’s control system. This makes it possible to connect the tiltrotator or other hydraulic tools to the machine hitch without the need to leave the cab. As an option, it is also possible to connect the ground pressure function on the machine hitch and a locking function, which means that the machine’s swing function is blocked if the tool is connected incorrectly.

(Source: Construction Index)

( 67 )

ECM

EQUIPMENT

Cat Rolls Out 3 New Next Gen Compact Excavators

C

at is expanding its line of Next Generation compact excavators, adding the 302.7 CR, 303 CR and 303.5 CR models.

“These three machines are all within one ton of each other, but they’re all very different,” says Greg Worley, Cat market professional.

Some up-front differences: The 302.7 has an expandable undercarriage, the 303 received enhanced lifting performance, and the 303.5 now has a standard angle blade.

( 68 )

which improve lifting performance and cycle times, and customizable operator settings.

“A big determining factor on the 302.7-size unit is access to someone’s backyard.” Perkes says. “We now have the industry’s first expandable undercarriage in this size of machine. And the blade Performance Cat says all three compact- extensions stay with the blade so radius models deliver up to 10% you’re not going to lose them.”

The option allows users to more travel and trenching performance compared with hydraulically retract the width of the previous models. This is because undercarriage to 53.3 inches to fit of hydraulic system upgrades, into confined spaces and then expand it to 70.1 inches for digging and lifting stability.

Customers can also opt for interchangeable counterweight packages that add either 221 pounds or 551 pounds.

All three models offer a long-stick option. Standard digging depths range from 96.5 to 110.6 inches, and the additional reach of the long-stick option allows dig depths of 104.3 to 122.4 inches.

The standard dozer blade assists with backfilling and grading tasks and has a standard float function to ease cleanup.

“Despite their differences, all three machines bring the Next Generation features that have been such a hit on the models that have already been introduced,” says Mark Perkes, Cat product application specialist.

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM exterior, ground-level maintenance checks and a tilt-up cab for more extensive repairs.

“Our tilt-up cab and canopy has been a huge hit on our 1- and 2-ton machines, and we are bringing that to these three new models,” Perkes says. “You can fully raise it in less than 3 minutes.

And the same tools used to lift the cab on Cat skid steers are used.”

Maintenance All Next Generation Cab The new models will feel compact excavators have Cat Stick Steer, allowing the operator familiar to anyone who’s operated to switch from conventional lever/ a Cat Next Generation excavator, foot-pedal steering controls to says Worley. “If you can operate a joystick operation at the push of a 336, this will seem very similar,” he says, a great feature for operators button.

Cat says the models offer using several sizes of machines a 5% lower cost of ownership throughout the week.

All three models have through such features as parts commonality, damage-resistant several options, including an “Contractors using these machines put in a lot of utilities, and when they can’t fill the hole straight away, they use these 2,450-pound steel plates, which they have to move off a trailer and around the jobsite,” Worley says. “The 303 is designed to handle that kind of work.”

advanced touchscreen, which allows users to monitor and control machine functions, and a passcode and Bluetooth key start.

As with all Next Generation compact excavators, the new models feature the Cat Stick Steer control. At the push of a button, the operator can switch from conventional lever/foot-pedal steering controls to joystick operation. The machines have two travel ranges, with speeds reaching 2.8 mph.

“Stick steer has been a huge hit with operators, and they’re able to use excavators in ways that they’ve never been able to use them before.,” Worley says.

The three models come in cab or canopy versions.

(Source: Equipment World)

Haulotte’s New Electric Sigma Articulating Booms Can Lift 2 Workers Up 46 Feet

H

aulotte’s new Sigma 46 and Sigma 46 Pro electric articulating booms can hoist two workers 46 feet in the air indoors and outdoors.

The company says the booms have a best-in-class working envelope and high up and over clearance of 24 feet. They also boast a horizontal outreach of 28 feet. Platform capacity is 500 pounds.

The jib on the Sigma 46 Pro features horizontal rotation for a precise approach without having

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

to reposition the machine, enabling the machines’ footprint for working it to reach areas not accessible in tight spaces.

The boom can reach full height in 90 seconds. The lift also has a 7-inch ground clearance and can operate at 4 degrees of tilt.

Other features include asynchronous motors and proportional controls for smooth movements, ergonomic control box, a centered boom arm for driving safety and a tool tray.

Driving speed automatically adjusts with a standard jib, the company during turns and on slopes, says. The turret also stays within Haulotte says.

( 69 )

ECM Standard on the lifts are the Haulotte Activ’Shield Bar to prevent the operator from becoming entrapped at height and the Haulotte Activ’Lighting System with 10 LED spotlights on the machine controls and surrounding areas. Haulotte Activ’Energy

Management, also standard, is designed to increase the 48-volt battery pack’s performance and life. An optional central water-fill system is available to simplify maintenance. The AC motors do not require maintenance, Haulotte says. The lifts’ electric and

W

trucks, which were LiuGong’s first products when it entered the North American market in 2008.

hile it seeks dealers and market presence, LiuGong North America is in the midst of a major product revamp.

“All of our products are currently being refreshed,” Chris Saucedo, LiuGong North America vice president and general m a n a g e r , told Equipment World.

This includes a transition from the E-series to the F-series excavators, a new line of Dressta dozers and the introduction of new wheel loaders over the next 24 months.

Although LiuGong globally produces more than 300 products, in North America, it focuses on 131- to 370-horsepower wheel loaders, excavators ranging from 1.8 to 95 tons, Dressta-branded dozers, and industrial forklift

( 70 )

hydraulic components are separated to simplify maintenance.

Hoses have also been routed to avoid friction and leaks. The reinforced hoods provide wide openings and direct access to components, the company says.

(Source: Equipment World)

continue to be branded separately.

(Dressta, now produced in Poland, can trace its lineage back through U.S. brands International Harvester and Dresser.)

“Their big claim to fame is the way they push in productivity applications such as quarries,” Saucedo says.

Many of the LiuGong F-series excavators that are slated for North America have already had a European debut, Coming soon prompted by Stage V engine LiuGong will be unveiling emissions regulations. The a new Dressta dozer line this fall, company has already introduced its Saucedo says, starting with new 1.8-ton 9018F compact versions of TD-15 and TD-25-size excavator, the smallest in its North units. “Four sizes of dozers are in American lineup. customer tests in North America In addition, LiuGong is right now,” he says. moving toward a “more complete Dressta and LiuGong will local solution,” says Saucedo,

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM currently using contract manufacturers to assemble some machines here.

“Long term, the goal is the same: to make LiuGong a better brand in the North American marketplace and to do it using North American labor and products,” he says. Saucedo also points to LiuGong’s long-term global partnerships with Cummins and ZF to supply engines and ansmissions.

Dealer growth LiuGong North America currently has 35 construction equipment dealers and 39 forklift dealers, with a couple of companies carrying both lines. “We’re looking for dealers that have multiple locations and long-term vision of growth,” Saucedo says. “We don’t have to grow and compete the same way that others do. We want to be a preferred alternative, and that starts with brand reputation

and recognition.”

Adding capabilities around the Dressta line will also be a focus.

“Moving forward, we’re looking for dealers who have the ability and the appetite to take the dozers into their portfolio,” Saucedo says.

“Our biggest challenge is getting the opportunity,” he adds.

“We know we have competitive products, so it’s a matter of overcoming perceptions.”

(Source: Equipment World)

Liebherr’s New T 274 Mining Truck Takes Aim at Faster Cycle Times

L

iebherr’s new 305-metricton T 274 mining truck is designed for fast cycle times, higher production rates, low fuel consumption and reduced cost per ton, says the company.

Liebherr says the new truck uses the same base design as the T 284, benefitting from its decades of field experience.

Powered by a 3,650horsepower Liebherr engine and using the Liebherr Litronic Plus AC Drive system, the T 274 has an advanced hydraulic design that enables the T 274 to move more material in less time, Liebherr says, and it has the largest payload capacity in its class.

The Liebherr Litronic Plus AC Drive System provides

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

continuous uphill speed as opposed to mechanical drive trucks that require shifting gears. The T 274 is equipped with 6,035-horsepower

dynamic braking power for downhill hauls.

Pass match The T 274 can be paired with the Liebherr R 9800 hydraulic excavator for a four-pass load. It’s

also compatible with the new R 9600 excavator, which succeeded the R 996B. Liebherr says the T 274 is based on the Liebherr T 284, which has more than 20 million operating hours in the field. The two trucks share frames and components.

The cab has tinted safety glass windows and is certified for roll-over and falling-object protection. The integrated HVAC system provides comfort in all temperatures.

The T 274 uses a double A-arm suspension, which keeps tire ground contact within the whole suspension stroke, reducing tread wear.

Liebherr offers specific solutions for working in extreme

( 71 )

ECM environments, which help customers operate machinery in low temperatures and altitudes between 11,500 and 16,500 feet above sea level.

A sound attenuation package reduces noise emissions and gives customers the flexibility to run operations day and night

without disturbing nearby residential areas.

The Liebherr TrolleyAssist System is available as an option on the T 274. This uses an overhead pantograph to connect the electricdrive system to an electrical network to either increase truck fleet productivity or reduce the fleet

size while still maintaining yearly production. Liebherr says this significantly reduces diesel fuel consumption and truck fleet CO‚ emissions. There are currently 38 T 284 units fitted with the Trolley Assist System already in operation on two different sites.

(Source: Equipment World)

Komatsu’s D39i-24 is the Smallest Dozer with Intelligent Machine Control

W

ith its new D39i24, Komatsu is putting its Intelligent Machine Control system in a 105horsepower machine. It is the smallest intelligent machine in the company’s dozer lineup.

The D39i-24 is equipped with iMC 2.0, a GNSS-based system that allows users to program 3D design data directly into the machine. This data helps guide automatic dozing from rough cut to finish grade.

Compared to aftermarket machine control systems, Komatsu says the iMC 2.0 “makes every pass count for superior construction.”

Operators can quickly turn the iMC 2.0 features on or off using a side switch on the right joystick.

Two antennas on the cab roof support multiple GNSS. Once the satellite capture rate is improved, the machine can be used in any time zone, Komatsu says.

( 72 )

New intelligent features on the machine include: Proactive dozing control — The dozer measures the terrain it tracks over and uses that data to plan the next pass. This maximizes the blade load

automatically tilts the blade under a heavy load to maintain straight travel during rough dozing.

Komatsu says this feature can reduce operator steering input by 80%.

Repeated, consistent lifts — Controlled by a button press, lift layer control puts in repeated consistent lifts using the mapped terrain as its reference point. This precise layering eliminates excess fill by automatically controlling the blade to follow the finished surface once lifts have reached finish grade.

Quick surface creation — This feature allows throughout the pass regardless of operators to create a temporary the terrain ahead. Compared to the design with a button press. previous generation D39, Combined with other iMC 2.0 operators can see productivity features, crews can begin stripping improve by up to 60%, according or spreading using automated input to Komatsu. while waiting for the finish grade Fatigue reduction in rough model. dozing — The tilt steering control (Source: Equipment World)

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM

Doosan Portable Power Debuts Evolution Series Air Compressors at World of Concrete

D

oosan Portable Power’s T4F, is designed as a lower-cost new Evolution Series portable air compressors feature FlexAir technology, which allows operators to adjust air pressure to a wide psi range.

Three of the Evolution Series compressors — the XP185-VHP165WDOT4F, P185-HP150WDO-T4F a n d P 2 5 0 - M H P 1 8 5 W D O - model for the rental industry.

T4F — feature FlexAir. The “Previously, we used a fourth model, the C185WDO- pneumatic regulation system that

mechanically determined the output,” Cody Blythe, air compressor manager, Doosan Portable Power, told Equipment World at World of Concrete this week. “With FlexAir, now you can go to the front of the machine and use the control panel to adjust the pressure up and down.

“It doesn’t matter if the machine is running or off,” Blythe adds.

“No one has to cut off the machine or open the doors.” This

2-1255/A, Sri Maruthy Complex, Near Babu Nursing Home, CHITTOOR - 517 001 (A.P.)

Phone : 08572-226253 Cell : 094405 37413 Email : jayamaruthy@yahoo.co.in

Contact : K. M. SURESH B. Tech

SPECIALIST IN

TATA HITACHI EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

L&T KOMATSU

VOLVO ( 73 )

ECM compares with using a wrench to change psi, a common feature on compressors.

“It’s also the only under400-cfm compressor in the market that can do 200 psi at 165 cfm,” he says, adding that Doosan created it in part for contractors blowing in shorter-run fiber optic cables.

“Companies in this sector now have a 185-cfm portable air compressor they can use to power fiber optic blowing machines, which typically require 200 psi but less than 200 cfm,” Blythe says. And they can use a machine that’s priced at $30,000,

compared with the $45,000 to $50,000 of the larger units.

Air compressor operators typically face the challenge of hose line pressure loss. As the hose connecting a pneumatic tool to an air compressor becomes longer, air pressure at the tool drops.

With FlexAir, the operator can easily increase pressure to compensate for the loss, Doosan says.

Powered by D24 V2 Doosan engines (the C185 has a D18 V2 engine), Evolution Series compressors feature a new, upgraded fuel system that is designed for reliable operation on

dusty jobsites.

Models featuring FlexAir include the XP185, which produces up to 185 cfm with pressures ranging from 100 to 200 psi and an optional 4kilowatt onboard generator for charging handheld electric tool battery packs.

The two other FlexAir models are the P185, which produces up to 185 cfm with pressures ranging from 100 to 150 psi and the P250 which produces up, to 250 cfm with pressures ranging from 100 to 175 psi.

(Source: Equipment World)

X

The next-tallest telehandler is the treme’s new XR1585- boom telehandler in the world.

The XR1585-C has a Magni HTH 50.14 – at 45 feet C reaches higher than any other fixed- maximum lift height of 85 feet. 10.8 inches, according to Equipment World’’s 2021 Spec Guide.

The new rough-terrain telehandler has a 67-foot forward reach and a load capacity of 15,000 pounds.

Xtreme adds that this is its first telehandler with a fivesection boom. Another first for the tallest telehandler is a new optional operator station positioned on the back of the carriage that enables the operator to travel with a load at height to

( 74 )

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM increase control when placing the load. While in the station, the operator uses a wireless control pendant to operate the boom.

The telehandler and concept carriage were both unveiled at this week’s World of Concrete in Las Vegas. The operator station would be sold as an option.

The XR1585-C can handle a variety of attachments, including pole grapples, sling mounts, truss booms, buckets and work platforms, with

hydraulic flow of 49 gallons per minute and 4,000 psi of pressure.

Carriage options are fixed, fork positioning, swing or side tilt.

The model’s chassis features a new design that is 8.5 feet wide and has a stowed height of 10 feet 1 inch. The telehandler has a turning radius of 16 feet 8 inches. It also comes with widestance outriggers.

It runs on a 173horsepower Cummins diesel engine. The fuel tank can hold 100 gallons.

T

guides the boom and bucket, ensuring that the grade is maintained.

This eliminates time- and

he easiest and fastest way to jump into grade control technology on a machine is to have it installed at the factory. To that end, Trimble and Doosan Infracore have announced that Doosan will offer the Trimble Earthworks Grade Control Platform for Excavators as a factory-installed machine control option in the North American market.

Trimble Earthworks is the software that automatically controls the bucket or boom of the machine to stay on a grade designated on a digital site plan. With the software, when the excavator is placed in the automatic mode, the operator controls the stick and the software

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

Operators get 3 60degree visibility from the cab, the company says. Options include open, enclosed, or enclosed cab with heating and air conditioning.

The machine also has a fully rated boom lift point and long-life boom rollers for smooth operation, according to Xtreme.

The company offers various tires, fork tines and options, including telematics. Xtreme says it plans full production of the XR1585C by the end of the year.

(Source: Equipment World)

greater precision.

In choosing the 2D factory option, Doosan excavator customers get a complete plugand-play system with a 10-inch Android tablet and Trimble hardware running the Earthworks software application plus all the hydraulics, sensors and electronics ready to roll. All the operator has to do is turn the system on, bench the bucket and start grading to the digital plan.

Customers can also fuel-wasting over-digging and the upgrade to a 3D system by need to recompact or re-grade the contacting their local Sitech dealer bottom of a trench or slope. It also (Trimble’s distribution network) for boosts safety by eliminating the rod the upgrade installation as well as man in the trench to measure depth. training and technical support.

Jobs are completed faster and with (Source: Equipment World)

( 75 )

ECM

ECONOMY

The crippling impasse over external debt relief The impending debt crisis is spread across low- and middle-income countries. Yet global leaders show few signs of urgency or adequate action to deal with it

W

hen the pandemic first swept across the globe and destroyed economies in its wake, there were at least some expressions of international solidarity among leaders of the rich countries.

External debt problems were widely recognised to be inevitable in the new crisis context; to address them, G20 governments declared a Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) from May 2020, designed to reduce some of the immediate debt repayment burden of the poorest and most vulnerable economies.

Yet this — and the subsequent “Common Framework for Debt Treatments” of November 2020 — barely scratched the surface of the problem, and are unlikely to fend off future likely defaults.

There were several fundamental design flaws in the DSSI, and different but not unrelated flaws as well in the later extended framework, which

( 76 )

suggest that G20 leaders are either oblivious to the nature and severity of the problem, or just want to ignore it since it is too complex for them to address.

Take the DSSI, which offered a temporary suspension of debt service payments (both interest and principal) on bilateral sovereign debts, if requested by eligible countries. Eligibility was strictly restricted only to countries that can receive loans from the World Bank’s International Development Association and least developed countries (LDCs) that are current on their International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) obligations — coming to 76 IDA countries and Angola.

But this was only a moratorium, not a standstill, which means that once the period ends, the “beneficiary” countries will have to pay the deferred principal and interest over the three years after a one-year grace period.

The period of suspension has recently been extended to the

end of 2021, but since the deferral of payments is “net present value neutral”, it does not reduce the total payment debtors will eventually have to make.

Meagre relief This is not even a drop in the ocean of what is required for developing countries. Only bilateral official creditors were included; even multilateral creditors like the IMF and World Bank stayed out, on largely specious grounds.

Private creditors were asked to volunteer a similar suspension, but none of them did. Many developing countries in genuine need of debt relief avoided it because the benefits were so meagre, even as availing of the facility would send an adverse signal to financial markets.

Only 46 countries applied for this relatively minor relief (amounting to only $5.3 billion thus far) and would still have to pay $17 billion to multilateral and private lenders during 2021, as a critique

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM

by Eurodad makes clear. Indeed, the benefits in 2020 came to only 1.6 per cent of the total debt payments due by developing countries, excluding China, Mexico and Russia.

Furthermore, these 46 countries had to continue to pay $6.94 billion to private creditors.

The inability to involve private creditors even in as limited an effort as a moratorium was therefore a major flaw of the initiative. The later attempt at debt restructuring is supposedly meant to involve private creditors, but the mechanism here is so flawed that it is unlikely to have any impact.

All it does is require the concerned debtor country to enter into debt restructuring negotiations with private creditors as a precondition for the IMF agreement that must accompany the restructuring. Not only does this put the onus on the debtor country rather than on the creditors, but it forces the country to accept IMF conditionalities that are still heavily skewed in the direction of fiscal austerity and regressive tax measures.

In addition, the greater part of developing country debt that is likely to come under stress has simply been excluded by both initiatives — only a small subset of the developing world has been deemed eligible. And among middle income countries that have experienced dramatically increasing levels of external debt over the past decade, the role of

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

private creditors, especially bond middle income countries are holders, has become very already facing severe debt stress, significant. (Figure 1) Even among and several of them are also on the

low income countries (Figure 2) private creditors are not entirely absent, although they are much less significant and have grown much less.

verge of default. The absence of a proper sovereign debt workout mechanism at the international level has been a big problem for decades, but the lack of effective

action has meant that the problem Default threat The problem is that many has grown beyond control.

( 77 )

ECM a lack of regulations to bind holders to disclose t h e i r p os i ti ons.”

Typically, only actual defaults on payments cause owners to reveal themselves!

Collective action clauses in international debt have gone through many iterations, but developing countries typically have many vintages of such debt contracts, so restructuring becomes all the more complex. With bonds, a further problem is that the identification of the actual holders can be a gargantuan task.

As noted by another Eurodad report, the obstacles to proper identification of the beneficial owners include “unregistered secondary market transactions, use of custodian and nominee accounts, off-market transactions, repo transactions and

In the face of such complexity, international agreements for debt restructuring become next to impossible.

So the onus now really lies with the two countries in which most external debt contracts and bond issues occur — the US and the UK. Too often, their legal systems are used to prevent

effective debt restructuring and allow rogue holdout creditors to call the shots. To deal with global debt issues, it is now necessary for the legal systems of these two countries to be made more flexible and accord international debtors the same rights and privileges that are routinely offered to individual and municipal debtors within their countries. Such a change is not likely to come about without

significant political pressure, but such pressure would be in both the global interest and the interests of citizens within these countries.

(Source: The Hindu Business Line)

Robo sapiens: Future of work Robots won’t take over the world, but we can’t ignore risks

D

on’t underestimate humans’ ability to one up technology…There are areas where humans can beat machines. In the future, there will likely be an increasing premium for

( 78 )

jobs within occupational groups that require social intelligence, creativity and complex problem solving as opposed to repetitive, low dexterity skills. For instance, an event planner requires more

social intelligence than a dishwasher in hospitality, fashion designers require more creativity than a seamstress in apparel… A recent study by McKinsey flags that ultimately it is activities rather

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM

Dependable & Reliable Low, Medium & High Pressure Hydraulic Hose Assembly and End Fittings

Manufacturers of

S. S. Bellow, Teflon, Steam Hose & Assemblies are available readily at highly competitive price KALAGACHIA, SAKHARIPOTA ROAD, P.O. - THAKURPUKUR SOUTH 24 PARGANAS, KOLKATA - 700 063 Mobile : 09830691570 (Jeet Biswas) E-mail : maestrofit11@gmail.com

Sister Concern:

DEEP HYDRAULICS AT/PO - DANAGADI, DIST- JAJPUR, ORISSA

Contact : Jeet Biswas - 09830691570 & Ram - 09583726956

SPARES FOR HEAVY EARTHMOVING MACHINERY EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

( 79 )

ECM than jobs that are being automated where $2tn in wages or 45% of work activities in the US could already be automated with existing technologies.

But don’t disregard the risk from robots either: Covid has hastened the adoption of technologies such as AI, chatbots, robot process automation (RPA) in white collar roles and industrial robots in blue collar jobs—all of which could displace 2 billion jobs by 2030. Up to 47% of US jobs could be at risk over the next 20 years from computerisation. And in Emerging Markets, this figure could reach 85%. Finally a recent survey of AI researchers places a 50% probability on all human tasks being automated in 45 years where there is a 50:50 likelihood of full AI (humanlevel AI, full breadth of human capabilities) by 2040-50E and a 90% possibility by 2075E. The wage differential between onshore (e.g., UK/North America) and offshore (e.g., India) has narrowed from $92k in 2005 to just c$40k in 2019. India-based IT outsourcers appear to be planning for a 3 million/30% reduction in ‘low-skilled’ roles globally by 2022 because of Robot Process Automation (RPA) upskilling. This represents $100 bn in reduced salary costs but, on the flipside, it offers a boon for IT services companies that successfully implement RPA—likely a >$10bn opportunity, as well as a vibrant new software niche. Given that robots can function for 24 hours

( 80 )

technology boils down to the skills gap between what we learn at school and what we do at work.

In a nutshell, 20th century education practices dating back to the Victorian age have not kept up with the rapidly changing 21st century workplace. Around 100 million Europeans may need to acquire new skills this decade to transition to new jobs. Future skills will clearly be somewhat techfocused but soft skills will be needed too.

For example, Google is currently looking for employees whose top skills are “learning ability” and “leadership”, with “technology content” expertise actually at the bottom of its criteria, according to the Brookings Institution. There is just not enough spending on retraining to fight off workforce skills obsolescence where >100mn workers in just 8 countries may need to switch However, by creating new forms occupations by 2030.

Countries like Denmark of employment, the gig economy has also muddied the legal spend over 2% of GDP on assisting definitions of employer/employee and/or retraining unemployed status. Two out of three gig- workers, while the US spends only workers believe they should be 0.1%. One area of retraining could given employment rights. As a be from fossil to renewables where result, regulatory disputes around in the US, it could cost just $180mn sick/overtime pay, insurance, to retrain 90,000 coal workers to worker’s rights, etc are rising. work in solar. Lifelong learning, training and Hence, it is unlikely to be a corporate vocational longterm viable solution for a robust development, future of work where ESG/UN education, and massive open SDGs stress ‘decent and fair work’ online courses (MOOCs) will also be critical tools to future-proofing business models.

The crux of the global employment prospects.

(Source: The Financial Express) disconnect between labour and per day, this represents a significant saving of up to 10:1 vs. human labour.

Nearly all the 10 million jobs created between 2005 and 2015 were outside traditional 9-to5 employment. The pandemic has revealed the gig economy’s pros and cons. For example, four of the top Chinese digital platforms together created more than 5 million new gig jobs 1H 2020 alone.

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM

Tsunami of e-waste Time to hold tech-companies to higher standards of sustainability

I

t’s not uncommon to see people obsess over a new phone and its features. The convenience of having your music and money, for instance, accessible in a palm-sized device is quite undisputable. But there’s a dark side.

When these gizmos die, they land up in digital dump-yards — health hazards for the young.

Several children, adolescents and young women work at e-waste recycling sites. And “since e-waste is the world’s fastest growing waste stream, increasing three times faster than the world’s population, many of these jobs, formal or informal, will be in ewaste processing,”says the World Health Organization in its first comprehensive document on this.

In Africa, Asia, Latin

America and parts of Europe, the young are put to work to extract precious metals like gold from computer chips and copper from cables by burning devices or using toxic chemical baths, the report says. This exposes them to dangerous chemicals like mercury, lead, dioxins and flame retardants.

Our homes contribute to the “tsunami of e-waste” through mobile phones, discarded computers, televisions, video and voice recorders, etc. And we go through many of these in a lifetime, with the turnover time only becoming shorter.

The 1970s generation will recall how homes owned a casette-recorder or record-player that lasted through childhood and beyond. Brands had a legacy of

durability. Today, tech-brands seem to pride themselves on the absence of durability. Don’t expect anything — phone, music system, laptop, mouse — to last, let alone for long. Worse, there is no concept of repair or replacement.

Irreparability is built into the design and replacement stocks are whittled down.

So, we “upgrade” to the next generation of the same product, as the company wants us to. And debris from this goes into a landfill, in a low or middle income country. Maybe it’s time to hold electronic companies to higher sustainability standards and force them to put their best brains behind making cool durable products, again.

(Source: The Hindu Business Line)

FAME-II & other EV accelerators The changes to the government scheme will give a big fillip to demand for electric vehicles.

U

nder the FAME II (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India) scheme, direct financial benefits are offered to electroic vehicles (EVs)

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

manufacturers to help reduce the cost of acquisition by endcustomers. As a mechanism, the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) first pass on the subsidy benefit to end-customer (by way

of reduced purchase price) and later claim the amount from the department of heavy industries (DHI).

The benefits are available to various categories of vehicles,

( 81 )

ECM including two- wheeler EVs, and are subject to fulfilment of various conditions, like fulfilling requirement of Phased Manufacturing Program (PMP), i.e., localisation, registration of vehicle as ‘Motor Vehicles’ under the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, registration of model with DHI, etc.

FAME II provides a much wider coverage to the industry and has two primary mechanisms/ verticals to incentivise EV space—(1) demand incentives and (2) establishment of network of charging stations. The scheme is valid for a period of three years effective April 1, 2019. It is likely that the scheme would continue in the revised form even after March 31, 2022. The Centre has recently enhanced the per vehicle subsidy offered on two-wheeler EVs manufactured in India, from Rs 10,000 per KWH to Rs 15,000 per KWH, while simultaneously increasing the overall cap of benefit

from 20% of the cost of vehicles to 40%.

The increased subsidy offered to two-wheelers is likely to bring down the cost of vehicles by 10% to 25%, though the numbers can vary depending upon variable parameters like battery capacity, cost of vehicles, etc.

However, the probable scenarios indicate an additional benefit ranging from 50-100% from existing levels of FAME subsidy.

This reduces price of two-wheeler EVs and is likely to help in early adoption of EVs. The FAME subsidy, coupled with additional benefits under the PLI scheme for advanced chemistry cell (ACC) batteries—a key component for the EV manufacturing—could provide an additional 1-3% reduction in cost of EV batteries.

Further, it is expected that the EV sector is likely to be get significant incentives under the PLI

scheme being considered for the auto sector.

While the fine print of the scheme document is still awaited, it is expected that the incentives may range from 6-20% for EV manufacturers with primary focus on exports. To push the early adoption of EVs, the Centre has also allowed the deduction of interest on loans towards procurement of EVs, taken between April 1, 2019, and March 1, 2022, to the tune of Rs 1,50,000 (annual) from the taxable income of the individuals.

It is also important to note that states/UTs like Delhi and Maharashtra, among others, are also providing direct subsidies to the end-consumer on purchase.

Further, many states are also offering lucrative fiscal incentives (either under the State Industrial Policy or a separate EV policies) for promoting the manufacturing of EV and EV infrastructure.

The Centre, as per the recent amendments to FAME-II, also plans to appoint EESL as an aggregator for the demand of threewheeler EVs and electric buses, thereby providing the bulk order to the manufacturers of EVs and providing them a demand-boost.

All these policy steps being taken by the both the Centre and the states are likely to provide much required impetus to the EV industry and would help in a gradual shift towards EVs over the next few years.

(Source: The Financial Express)

( 82 )

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM

The coming Industrial Revolution Given biology is the most elegant and precise way of making (living) things, reasonable to expect that synthetic biology will lead to Industry 5.0

F

aced with commercial and technical headwinds, smart synbio companies evolved.

“Synbio_as_a_Service” became the new business model. An insatiable demand for low-calorie sugar led to the processed foods industry seeking synthetic biology.

Companies such as Evolva and Zymergen developed novel and sustainable pathways for advanced materials, and let enterprise customers partner in the scaling up.

Evolva developed a scalable route to a superior sugar substitute normally found in minute quantities in stevia leaves.

Amyris also joined the zero-calorie sugar rush by developing similar substitutes. In fact, “sugar reduction platforms” are now a major competitive advantage in the global ingredients business. Changing consumer preferences and investments in zero-calorie alternatives made by synthetic biology have led to a 50% decline in global sugar prices in the last decade.

However, Indian farmers, given the incentives, cultivate more sugarcane. Satellite data shows that

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

sugarcane cultivation depletes nonrenewable water across the nation.

Cheaper sugar also leads to larger disease burden. Yet, our addiction to sugarcane grows.

A century ago, Mahatma Gandhi launched the Champaran Satyagraha to help indigo farmers.

German chemists had invented synthetic chemistry routes to develop indigo using aniline that could be scaled industrially. In less than 20 years, the demand for indigo grown in India had dropped almost to zero. History, it is said, does not repeat, but rhymes. Now, the rapid progress in synthetic biology has the ability to make obsolete many sectors of our rural economy.

Nature provides us with many examples of ecosystem engineers. Beavers in North America reshape their landscapes.

They do this by felling down fir and pine trees to build dams across streams. The third generation of synthetic biology companies are growing exponentially, PaulBunyan-like. In North America, companies are voraciously engineering their ecosystems.

These companies— Ginkgo is one example—are creating synthetic biology operating systems and building out an ecosystem of partners and customers. Together, they are developing innumerable products for multiple markets. These nextgeneration companies are not just growing but partnering with the giants in the multi-trillion-dollar chemicals industry. Sumitomo Chemicals has launched a synbio hub in the USA. Zymergen, a Sumitomo partner, has built a proprietary database of 75,000 bio-molecules derived from soil microbes alone.

It calls this a “metagenomic database.” In order to imagine the power of such databases, it is worth recalling that just one soil microorganism powers a six billion dollar company today! A single teaspoon of soil can contain millions of different microbes. The genome of each microbe can be sequenced in a fast and cheap manner, out in the field, with a laptop and a small device that plugs in like a USB dongle. Thus, when one sequences the genome of a large number of

( 83 )

ECM different microbes in a given environment, it results in a metagenomic database. Usually, the vast majority of these microbes have never been studied before.

Our ability to “read” nature in a quick and affordable manner out in the field has been powered by low-cost DNA sequencing technology, and solid-state spectroscopy. Using this data, it is now feasible to identify the genetic sequences responsible for the production of particular molecules in nature and then to reverse engineer the same in wellunderstood microbes that serve as biotech workhorses.

For example, a leading vegan hamburger company utilises Pichia pastoris to produce heme molecules that recreate the taste and aroma of animal blood without having to kill animals at all. Thirdgeneration synbio companies are racing to assemble vast metagenomic databases to discover previously unknown biological pathways to various molecules. Our ability to “read”

nature also lets us see the convoluted paths nature has taken over millions of years of evolution.

While looking at the data objectively, many biologists envision alternatives more efficient than natural evolution. Somewhat more conservatively, many thirdgeneration synthetic biology startups are motivated by a desire to build more economical, and sustainable alternatives to a global economy powered by petrochemistry.

Almost everything around us is derived from petrochemicals: plastics, fertilisers, clothes, and even some food flavours. Our addiction to petrochemistry is leading to irreversible damage to the planet and all its denizens, including us humans. To some extent, this also explains the early emphasis on biofuels in the synthetic biology industry.

“The only way to improve people’s quality of life and reduce their impact on the environment is through biology,” says, Zach Serber, co-founder and Chief

Science Officer of Zymergen.

“Biofacturing is the answer.”

Zymergen’s neologism, “biofacturing” is the application of synthetic biology to make both traditional materials as well as novel materials. Zymergen asserts that we are “just beginning to delve into nature’s vast molecular library to find biomolecules exquisitely suited to a new generation of products… at one-tenth the cost of traditional chemistry.”

When synbio companies like Zymergen succeed in embedding themselves deep in the complex global supply chains for advanced materials or ingredients, we will witness a new paradigm in manufacturing, with biology, and a new paradigm with deep implications for the health of our planet and for all its residents. Given that biology is indeed the most elegant and precise way of making (living) things, it is reasonable to expect that the new discipline of synthetic biology will lead us to a much-needed Industry 5.0.

(Source: The Financial Express)

How to save the IBC from the NCLT Failure to reform the NCLT will bleed the banking sector and kneecap the government’s flagship reform

T

he success of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) rests on three institutional pillars: insolvency professionals, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI,

( 84 )

the insolvency regulator), and insolvency courts (National Company Law Tribunals, or NCLTs). While insolvency professionals and the IBBI have performed admirably in

expeditious resolution of large stressed accounts, it is the third frame of the triptych, i.e. NCLTs, whose functioning has been disappointing.

The IBC provides a

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM technical member.

The overwhelming majority of judicial members are from the lower judiciary, as opposed to High Courts. Presence of a High Court judge has several advantages.

Firstly, they carry greater gravitas before influential counsels who find it harder to obtain reliefs on flimsy grounds. Secondly, they possess greater experience in dealing with large and complex commercial disputes. Lastly, their stature enables them to better guide technical members lacking judicial and/or legal experience. Therefore, judicial members must exclusively be appointed from the pool of Dedicated insolvency court serving and retired High Court The NCLT hears cases arising under the IBC as well as the Timelines for approval of judges.

NCLTs’ projected case Companies Act, whereas the resolution plans The IBC is designed to load is likely to rise. RBI predicts NCLAT (the appellate tribunal) is also the forum against orders by the make NCLTs’ approval of a that the gross NPA ratio for banks Competition Commission of India. resolution plan a ‘tick-the-box’ may escalate to 14.8% by The government may either exercise without exercise of September 2021 under severe designate certain courtrooms at discretion on commercials of the stress. In March, the Supreme NCLTs solely for IBC matters or plan. However, NCLTs routinely Court lifted the moratorium on may establish a separate tribunal for hear objections to financials of recognition of NPAs. Soon, banks matters under the Companies Act. resolution plans filed by disaffected will face a deluge of bad loans for In the interim, additional courts may promoters and creditors up to whose resolution they will turn to be added to NCLTs which see several months after a resolution NCLTs. The Supreme Court has heavy IBC traffic, such as Mumbai plan has reached the NCLT. The also upheld provisions dealing with law should provide a limited bankruptcy of personal guarantors and Delhi. window for filing objections to the and the relevant forum for their resolution plan, and if the NCLT is bankruptcy process is also the Frivolous petitions The Supreme Court has taking unreasonably long to NCLT. At this juncture, we need a conclusively ruled on contentious approve a plan then it must submit commercial court that guarantees issues under the IBC such as a report to the NCLAT, justifying certain timelines and predictable supremacy of commercial wisdom the delay. outcomes. Failure to reform the of financial creditors, subordinate NCLT will bleed the banking status of operational creditors and Appointing judges sector and kneecap the The NCLT court government’s flagship reform. bar on promoter participation.

(Source: The Financial Express) Regrettably, the NCLT continues comprises of a judicial and stringent timeline for completion of the insolvency process, but once a resolution plan is ratified by the committee of creditors, it must be approved by the NCLT. Unfortunately, there have been inordinate delays at the NCLT, mainly due to inconsistent application of law, lack of institutional capacity and the tendency to entertain frivolous cases by promoters and disgruntled creditors. Urgent corrective measures are needed to preserve the efficacy of the insolvency process.

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

to entertain petitions questioning settled positions. It is commonplace to find contrarian orders passed on emotive grounds bereft of legal reasoning which defy statutory provisions and the Supreme Court’s orders.

Erroneous decisions are set aside by fastidious benches at the NCLAT and the Supreme Court, but the appellate process takes time. The NCLT must dismiss frivolous matters at the threshold without expending scarce judicial time in pleadings and hearings. The procedural rules may be amended to enable NCLTs to summarily dismiss meritless filings.

( 85 )

ECM

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS INDIA’S TOP-PRIORITY MONTHLY JOURNAL IN EARTHMOVING & CONSTRUCTION AREAS

Want to receive your own copy of ECM? Want to renew your existing subscription?

Want to comment or add input to future topics? It’s easy!

JUST COMPLETE THE FORM BELOW AND MAIL IT TO US AT THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS: MITALI PUBLICATION, 10 KIRAN SANKAR ROY ROAD, 2ND FLOOR, KOLKATA - 700 001

R E A D E R R E G I S T R AT I O N & R E - R E G I S T R AT I O N S E C T I O N DAY

Date

MONTH

YEAR

Name Job Title Company Name Address

YOU MUST ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: ACTIVITY (Selection the most relevant box only) A. Actively involved in mining as a mineral producer, developer, or owner;mining company or mining contractor; mining division or department of any diversified business involved in exploration, development, mining, milling, smelting, refining, preparation, packaging or primary distribution, or other extractive processing of: Metals Non-metalic, non-fuel industrial minerals Coal mining: bituminous coal, lignite and anthractite All other mining not specified above, including petroleum, stone, sand and gravel.

B. A consulting or construction engineering business active in the mining

and mineral processing sectors.

City Pincode Phone Fax Cell E-mail Required Signature If you are an ECM subscriber, Please mention it.

C. Not directly active in mining Financial institution research firm, association, library, university, engineering or technical school Distributor dealer importer/exporter, or manufacturing agent for machinery equipment and /or supplies Manufacturer of mining machinery and supplies Others relevant to the field: (please specify) ___________________________________ 1. What is your primany job function? (Select one) Senior Management Purchasing Mine Management or Dept Supervision Engineering, Metallurgy, Geology Foreman, Crew, Supervision Research, Planning, Consulting Other job function: (please specify) ___________________________________________ 2. My job title is

______________________________________________

3. What is your annual mine investment? ___________________________________

READER COM M ENT SECTION What topics would you like to see covered in future issues of Earthmoving Costruction Methods?

4. For purchasing do you? (Select all that apply) Specify Recommend Not involved Approve 5. What is your predominant mining method? (Select all that apply) Undergrond Surface Not applicable How many other people read your copy of

Earthmoving Construction Methods The information you have provided may be used for direct marketing purposes by carefully selected companies providing information and services useful to your business.

( 86 )

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

ECM

Front Jacket

: Ajay Trading Company : Zaix Machinery Co. Ltd.

Front Inside

: LVS Parts LLP

Back Inside

: Parag Overseas Corporation

Back Cover

: LVS Earthmovers (P) Ltd.

Front Cover

B Barron Engineers Bombay Trading Syndicate

I 12 55

R

Imperial Earthmovers Industrial & Mining Co Industrial Hyd & Earthmovers

33 50 96

43 61

K Kaveri Hydraulics Karnataka Earthmovers

49 65

E E. S. Enterprise

92-94

S

D Daulat Ram & Sons Divyesh Brothers

Rishabh Traders

Standard Earthmoving Co. Shantilal C Mehta Sonic Earthmovers

7 11 27

Sri Jaya Maruthy Excavator Spares

73

Sharma & Sons Shivaay Earthmoving Spares

89 95

38/39

M F Friction Elements

51

Manilall & Co. Mainland Heavy Parts P L Maestrofits Engg. Pvt. Ltd.

21 22/23 79

Gurunath Trading Co. Global Impex Galaxy Earthmovers

Norway Engineering Co. 36 37 52

35

34 91

H

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

P Poddar Brothers Parts Trading Co.

Vasudev Trader Rollers

9

Read Regularly

O Omkar Earthmovers Solution Oswal International

Hydro Power 10/40/90 Heavy Mining Spares Pvt Ltd 20 HB 24

88

V

N G

T Tayal Brothers

8 17/18/19

EARTHMOVING CONSTRUCTION METHODS

Visit us at www.ecmjournal.in

( 87 )

ECM

(88)

June 2021

ECM

June 2021

(89)

ECM

(90)

June 2021

ECM

June 2021

(91)

ECM

Rishabh Traders Excavator Spare Parts

IMPORTER & STOCKIST OF MINING & EARTHMOVING SPARE PARTS

(92)

CAT 320 ACC MOTOR

WATER PUMP

KOMATSU SOLENOID SWITCH

LOADER 3036 RELAY

FAN BELT

KOMATSU CLUTCH

KOMATSU DIESEL CAP

DOOR LOCK

LOADER VOLTAGE REG

CAT SOLENOID VALVE

FIP UNIT PUMP

June 2021

KOMATSU SOLENOID VALVE

ECM

Rishabh Traders Excavator Spare Parts

IMPORTER & STOCKIST OF MINING & EARTHMOVING SPARE PARTS

FILTER Genuine Hitachi / Komatsu

CHIESEL

O-Ring Box for All Model

SWING BEARING

TRAVEL MOTOR ASSY

for All Model

EX-70, PC-71, JS-80, CAT-307

SEALKITS

ENGINE PARTS

Hyd. Pump Parts & Motor Parts JIC Brand

June 2021

Cutting Edge for Motor Greader

(93)

ECM

Rishabh Traders Excavator Spare Parts

IMPORTER & STOCKIST OF MINING & EARTHMOVING SPARE PARTS

Seal NOK / HALLITE WYS / CHR

Toothpoint / Adaptor / Side Cutter ‘N’ Brand

Fan YCC / Imported make

Diaphram Autox

O Ring NBR / Viton

Seal Kits NOK / WYS

Alternator

Starter

Seal Group Duroseal

(94)

Undercarriage KTSU / XJ Brand

June 2021

Thru Bolt

Engine Gasket Sudo / Sonyco

ECM

June 2021

(95)

ECM

(96)

June 2021

(97)

Authorised Distributor

(98)