OPINION
How can we improve construction productivity in India? Construction in India is an important growth driver for rebooting the country’s economy. Government initiatives in areas such as urban developments, housing and infrastructure are attracting an influx of financing from foreign direct investment and players in the private sector.
Pawan Maini Regional Director Mace Projects
With challenges imposed by the global coronavirus pandemic still looming, it has never been more critical to look for solutions that will transform the construction industry for the better. Mace’s regional director for India, Pawan Maini, outlines three key areas where international best practices in project delivery can help drive productivity in a faster, safer and less labour-intensive way while reducing timelines and cost. For construction to be able to contribute effectively to economic recovery in India, developers must reap the benefits of accelerated project delivery. Construction suffered a 50% contraction at the height of lockdown, nearly bringing the sector to a complete halt. To boost productivity in the industry, the focus should be on transparent project management, digitalisation and health & safety. Why transparency matters It is not uncommon for projects in India to overrun by a staggering 20-25% in terms of cost and time. This figure may be even higher for large infrastructure projects. For most residential or mixeduse schemes, which provide muchneeded housing and cater to an increasingly impatient consumer base, a 20% cost overrun can compromise the completion of the entire project and delay it indefinitely.
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Unexpected cost hikes can be caused by the difficulty in land acquisition and sequencing the stages of a project. Many of the productivity set-backs creep in at the pre-planning stage of delivering a programme or project, due to a lack of transparency and access to project data. Let’s take the example of a residential project. It’s important that the groundwork is finished on time so that the construction team can start its work on-site immediately. However, unless everyone has visibility of the project data, it can be difficult to sequence these stages, which becomes time-consuming and cuts productivity as teams scramble to get up to speed. The solution is a project control system that brings all the live information about the construction progress on a single platform. Teams can connect and sequence their activity onsite so that clashes don’t occur. As basic as it may sound, this is a fundamental way to save costs in the long run.
Urban Transport Infrastructure // MARCH 2021
Leveraging digital tools Rigour and process are key for productivity in construction. Implementing international best practices around the introduction of digital tools and IT infrastructure will enable clear processes and rules to be followed. To embark on a digital journey means that everyone involved in the project, including the supply chain, will be upskilled along the way and put newfound skills to practice at future projects. As a result, the entire industry will benefit. It is a matter of gradually introducing digitalisation and establishing a working practice that can be expanded with more advanced and efficient methods of construction. Bringing radical technologies on-site, such as drones and body cameras, will require the ability to manage its implications on construction sites, as well WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM
