Samudyam is an initiative to develop and deliver the products which are perceived by the Dreams and designs of the Architects, Builders, Developers and even a common man. It is a Joint Effort to provide not only quality building material but also to provide a complete building solution under a single window.
Samudyam is also involved in the Research and Development work on concrete in association with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) to bring forward new and innovative products and solutions in concrete.
- Has technological innovation brought down the costs of building materials? Or it has increased the cost over time? Has this made construction more expensive?
Over the time technological innovation has drastically changed the construction Industry. It may appear that the technological innovation has increased the cost of building material but the absolute fact is that it has in real terms it decreases the construction cost. Technological innovation has helped in developing and delivering the same products in much shorter span of time and with much more accuracy which in the long run helps the construction industry to complete the projects much faster thereby reducing the overall cost of the project and faster rotation of funds. So adhering to the latest technological developments in construction and building material is a boon in disguise for the industry.
- How GST proposes to reduce these costs?
The present scenario in building material is that there is a difference in taxation in different states and an exemption limit from excise for small manufacturers especially of concrete products and this brings an unhealthy competition amongst the manufacturers and in this process the manufacturers who adhere to proper taxation system have to bear the brunt on their prices. GST will bring parity in taxation and if the exemption limit which is also proposed in GST is brought down or removed will help a lot for people during fair business and create a scenario for healthy competition.
- Building materials like cement are unable to offer economies of scale and command varied prices across regions. Is this going to change in the near future?
The cement Industry which at present is commanding a lead role in the construction industry will definitely change very soon with the implementation of GST and measures and steps being taken by the Government do have parity in the prices of Cement. The economy of scale due to distance is acceptable but any other reason for this difference is not justified. So we hope that with the changes in the economic scenario of the country and stabilization in the construction Industry will very soon change the overall scenario.
- SMART cities project offers a major opportunity to building materials companies?
SMART cities project definitely offers a major opportunity to building materials companies and specially companies that are into manufacturing of Eco friendly and sustainable building materials,because SMART cities will use more and more of the products which are innovative, eco friendly as well as sustainable.
The concept of using cheaper materials is now giving way to using sustainable material as the cost of maintenance, repair and replacement is always higher than using the material which is sustainable for years to come with no maintenance or repairing cost.
The cement Industry which at present is commanding a lead role in the construction industry will definitely change very soon with the implementation of GST
- How IT and IT Solutions has added value to Real Estate and building materials?
IT and IT solutions have added a lot of value to the building materials as it helped in controlling the spillage and improving the production process. It is helping a lot to have a proper control on the inventory, speeding the manufacturing process, improvising and developing the product quality and a good interaction with the customers through their feedback and resolving their problems at the earliest.
- Skill development is a major concern in our industry? How have you managed to bridge the gap?
This is a very interesting question and the need of the hour. Every year we have additions in civil engineers, mechanical engineers, etc but how many masons are trained every year? How many fitters are trained every year? What infrastructure do we have to give formal training for the base level work which is the foundation stone of all buildings and installation of building materials? We need it the most. Skill development is the need of the hour and requirement for the future and steps are being taken by the Government also for developing the same. We at Samudyam also recognise it as the most important part of our industry and hence we are in the process of developing small skill development centres in each and every District of Orissa by training the local youths. This we intend to do through formal as well as on site training program and help them develop and make their own team to do the basic level work of installation, fixing and finishing. We intend to develop entrepreneurship ability amongst them so that they can handle all jobs independently.
“Skill development is the need of the hour and requirement for the future”: Mr. PunamPandia
