APRIL-JUNE 2011

SHAPOORJI PALLONJI CORPORATE MAGAZINE

JANUARY-MARCH 2011 VOLUME 13 1SSUE 1

India's 1stFormula1 RaceTrack at Delhi

with Annual Day celebrations and Socials across SPCL

Shapoorji Pallonji Races

Welcoming

editorial new projects

“You spoke, and we listened.” Having received overwhelming contributions from all of you on various topics for this issue, we are relaunching a new We@SP with a more appealing, creative and acceptable layout.

1. Construction of proposed 500 bed Multi-Specialty Hospital for Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd at Navi Mumbai.

2. Execution of Civil, Structural & Architectural works for Cooling Tower, CW Pump House, Fly Ash Silo areas, Fuel Oil & Water System for the coal based Kamalanga thermal power project for SEPCO Electrical Power Construction Corporation at Dhenkenal District, Orissa.

3. Design and Construction of Hauz Khas, Residential Property of the Reserve Bank of India for Reserve Bank of India at New Delhi.

4. Design, Development and Construction of Residential Building for Reserve Bank of India at Chembur, Dadar and Goregaon in Mumbai.

5. Design and Construction of Residential Complex for Reserve Bank of India at Chennai

6. Civil works for New Plate Mill for SAIL at Rourkela, Orissa

7. Civil and Structural works for HTM- C. F Project for Indo Rama Synthetics (I) Ltd at Butibori, Nagpur

8. Civil and Allied Structural works for Asian Paints Ltd at Khandala

9. Civil works for Sub & Super Structure for Dwaraka Farm’s Pvt. Ltd at Murud, Maharashtra.

10. Civil and Structural works for Bilt Graphics Paper Products Ltd. at Chandrapur, Maharashtra.

11. Civil and Structural works for CMC Limited- Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. at Gachibowli, Hyderabad.

12. Civil works for Ultra Mega Power Project for Reliance Infrastructure Ltd at Dist-Nellore, Andhra Pradesh.

13. Civil works for main plant building for Reliance Utility Engineers Pvt. Ltd. at Samalkot, Andhra Pradesh.

14. Construction of Green building for Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. at Chennai.

15. Erection of Structural Steel works for construction of main plant building for Reliance Infrastructural Ltd at Samalkot, Andhra Pradesh

16. Design and Build 2000 flats for Assure Immo- CNEP Bank (Public) at Setif, Algeria.

Also, according to a global survey of 1,541 chief executives from 60 countries and 33 industries, CEOs identified ‘creativity’ as the most important leadership quality. The study revealed that CEOs are signaling a new direction. More than sustainability, operational effectiveness, or even dedication, creative leadership is an essential asset to create in an enterprise.

The main feature in this issue covers lessons learnt on design and cost challenges at Reliance Corporate Park, Navi Mumbai; Bangalore’s newest landmark, Mantri Pinnacle Tower; and India’s first Formula 1 Race Track outside Delhi. As safety is of utmost concern for all at SP, the magazine as usual updates all on the latest applicable construction safety codes.

On a hot but colorful Sunday at the races, how did five horses from Manjri Stables gallop away with the honours? Read about it. Also, SP extends its good wishes to all the 34 young engineers who have been selected as successful candidates of ALDEP Batch-II. The issue tells you how they made it.

The highlights of not only the Annual Day functions, Employee Socials but also Women’s Day celebrations across SPCL have been featured. And, we congratulate S. Lakshmi Naaraayanan for his commendable contribution while representing SP at ‘The Biennial Supply Chain Management Conference’. His paper was selected among the 50 best papers worldwide!

Our congratulations also to Manjri Stud Farm who won the group cricket tournament for the third consecutive time.

We hope you enjoy this issue. If you like, let us know. If not, well, let us know that, too. How else will we learn?

— The Editorial Team

1

contents

Shapoorji Pallonji & Co. Ltd.41/44, Minoo Desai Marg, Colaba, Mumbai 400 005. Tel: + 91 22 6749 0000 Fax: + 91 22 6633 8176Email:we@shapoorji.com

Editorial TeamMukesh RaoPrabal KansalRohit SinhaPrashanti Kutty

{ Main Feature } page 2- 6Technology Complex@ Reliance Corp Park, Navi MumbaiFormula 1 Race Track Buildings, Delhi

{ Safety } page 7Safety Codes in Construction

{ Happenings } page 10Selection of ALDEP – Batch II

{ Happenings } page 12Empowerment Leadership Programme for Middle Management

{ Happenings } page 13CII Skills Training Park, Chhindwara

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25

13 8 5

{ Happenings } page 15-17Employee Socials

{ Happenings } page 18Women’s Day Celebrated across SPCL

{ Happenings } page 20National Safety Day

{ Happenings } page 23SP Group Cricket Tournament

{ Focus on SP Group Companies } page 24AFCONS Bags Chennai Metro Project

{ Your Space } page 25Rendezvous avec Sahyadri

January-March 2011 Volume 13 1ssue 1

2

main feature

Client: Reliance Ports & Terminals Limited (RPTL) (Mukesh Ambani Group)

Principal Contractor: Shapoorji Pallonji & Co. Ltd. (SPCL)

1. Key Features Of The ProjectI. SPCL Organisation: Regional Head, Mumbai Region – Mr. Paras Vishwakarma, VP; Coordinator-cum-Project Head – Mr. S. Roy Chowdhury, Addl. GM; Design & Build Engineering Coordinator – Mr. Shyam Deshpande, Dy. GM; No. of total supporting engineers/staff – 69 (Execution), 10 (Design & Build). II. Contract Type and Scope: This is a ‘design and build’ as well

Reliance Corporate Park — a

unique project that is both a

‘Design and Build’ as well as

‘Cost Plus’ project.

Technology Complex at Reliance Corporate Park, Ghansoli, Navi Mumbai

as ‘cost plus project’. The scope of work comprises construction of 4 (four) towers, having a total built-up area of close to 1.1 million sq. ft. with RCC, curtain glazing, MEP services and finishes complete. The estimated cost stands at approx. INR 230 crores.

III. Office Block (Tc23) Of Phase 4 @ RCP – Configuration:The blocks mainly comprise offices. Cube A, though, will have shops on two floors; and

Cube D will have a food court spread out on three floors.

Offices will take up 52% of the total area.

IV. Interiors:The flooring material is mainly vitrified tiles or granite. False ceilings are either of gypsum board or modular tiles. The walls are painted with panelling in selected areas.___________________________

2. Challenges FacedThis is a ‘design & build’ as well as ‘cost plus project’. As a result, the challenges are more compared to conventional projects. We cite the more significant ones:

A. Challenges of a ‘Design & Build’ Project

I. Accuracy of Design and

Artist's impression of the complex

CUBE A – LG + G + 11 Total Area: 39816 SMCUBE B – LG + G + 09 Total Area: 29342 SMCUBE C – LG + G + 07 Total Area: 13429 SMCUBE D – G +07 Total Area: 16347 SM

Cube B

Cube A Cube D

3

There were

challenges both

on the ‘Design’

and ‘Cost’ fronts.

Drawings: The design and the drawings need to be very accurate; and as both execution and design are by the same agency, there is absolutely no margin for error or room for delay or scope for relief. II. Shop Drawings: The client’s requirements included incorporation of all minute details in the drawings prepared, which are generally covered in shop drawings by respective sub-contractors.

III. Use of Existing Stock of FIM (Free Issue Materials): After the design was ready, the client requested that their existing stock of FIM like light-fixtures, etc., be used. This resulted in mismatches at the site, necessitating re-engineering which caused delays.

IV. Design of Two Beams Spanning 18 m. at the Atrium: The beams, measuring 1.2 m x 4.78 m, carried floating columns which supported seven floors. The casting methodology, joints, loading analysis and shuttering / supports (the beam was cast at a height of 13.5 m.) posed a formidable challenge to the project team.

B. Challenges of a Cost Plus Project

I. Design Team: Being a ‘cost plus project’, each activity and item is considered a single cost entity. Consequently, optimisation and economisation of each item had to be done. II. Contracting Team: A ‘cost plus project’ requires a very strong contracting team from the beginning. This is because starting from insignificant infrastructural items, right up to the main items of the project, all tendering processes need to be meticulously followed at each and every step. This requires precision planning, failing which there may

be a substantial delay in the project.

III. Rate Finalisation and Work Orders: Absolute caution needs to be exercised while finalising rates, especially for long-running items like formwork, reinforcement work, concreting, masonry, etc. Care should be taken to include even the minutest aspect of the work and also take into account any probable escalation in labour costs.

IV. Resource Planning: Accurate and timely resource planning, especially for materials, is of utmost importance. The ‘cost plus’ team must do the following:a) List out each and every item of material to be used for the work;b) Must find out correct consumption parameters and wastage factor for every item of the required materials;c) Must plan exactly when each material will be required.

Prior approval needs to be taken from the client for all of the above, as any careless approach may significantly erode the profit margin.

V. Material Issuance and Reconciliation: The stores department plays a very important role in a ‘cost plus project’. Any material issued to any subcontractor, must be through the MIN (Material Issue Note) which the stores department needs to track. It also needs to track material transfers from one subcontractor to another at the site level and meticulously record the same. This is because the client needs the reconciliation for each and every subcontractor, based on the MIN entered into their system. If this exercise is not carried out on a regular basis, reconciliation of materials may be a nightmare. This is all the more significant in a cost plus project, because there is a penal deduction for wastage beyond the approved percentage.___________________________

3. Lessons Learnt Challenges faced in a job and the lessons learnt are in fact complementary to each other. We have learnt a lot from the above challenges and have tried to strengthen our team and our mode of functioning with that experience.

In addition to above, we would like to mention what we have learnt through our experiences in this unique project. They are:

I. Obtaining Prior Approval for Every Action: Obtaining prior approval for anything and everything, however trivial it may be, is important. In this project, we had increased the staff strength considerably while awaiting the client’s approval. However, when we got the client’s approval, it was as per their assessment minus certain staff who had already rendered their services for the project. In the process, we lost substantial revenue.

Lesson learnt: “Do not render services before approval or be extra cautious with necessary document management.”

II. Amortisation/ Depreciation of Shuttering Materials: Our shuttering scheme was put up to the client for prior approval. It was approved after lengthy interactive sessions, including the duration of amortisation.

Materials (system) were indented accordingly and they started arriving at the site in a phased manner, as it always happens.

During execution, there were certain deviations at the site resulting in usage of lesser material, given specific site conditions. The payment of amortisation was made on actuals and we lost depreciation for such materials which could not be used as per site conditions. Also, no consideration was made for the duration of materials

4

which had arrived before the prescribed time.

Lessons learnt:“Be careful about getting system materials at the site. Aim for just-in-time deliveries.”

III. Transportation of Materials: The client had approved 9T-trucks for transportation of shuttering materials (system) from other sites. However, when the materials were transported from different sites, depending on the availability, sometimes trucks were not fully loaded.

When the transportation bills were put up to the client, they obviously considered the total weight transported and corresponding number of full trucks required.

Lesson learnt: “Consider vehicles of different capacities to optimise utilisation, and get approval accordingly.”

IV. Specifications of the Materials and their Measurements: We ordered for 3”x4” timber for shuttering work. When the actual material arrived, there was a deviation of 6 – 8 mm. in both dimensions. Subsequently, based on actual market conditions, the client accepted a tolerance of 5 – 6 mm. in both dimensions of the cross-section of timber; but we had to suffer revenue loss because of the early consignment.

Lessons learnt:“Obtain prior approval from the client for permissible tolerance in every material.”___________________________

4. New/Innovative Practices Adopted Certain new/innovative practices have been adopted in this project, driven by market conditions and other factors. We would like to mention these:

I. Gypsum Plaster/Ready-mix Mortar Plaster: Due to prolonged scarcity of river sand in the market, we switched over to gypsum plaster for internal areas which are not exposed to water/ moisture (like toilets, AHU room, etc.).

For external areas, we tried to overcome the scarcity of river sand by procuring ready-mix mortar.

II. Gypsum Boards on Masonry Walls and Soffits: In addition to using gypsum boards on drywall partitions, they have also been used on certain masonry walls and soffits of staircases for accurate alignment in the interiors. This has helped in avoiding plaster, and thereby sand, in such areas.

II. Use of Face Brackets in Curtain Glazing: We were facing difficulty in driving anchor fasteners of brackets for curtain glazing on the top of peripheral beams, due to congestion of reinforcement bars.

Trying different locations for the brackets on the top of the beams did not yield any satisfactory result. Then after much brainstorming with our façade consultant, new brackets were designed that were to be fixed on the face of RCC beams, where the congestion of reinforcement is much less. This innovation helped us resolve a nagging problem.___________________________

5. Current Status of the Project The residual work in Cubes C and D which is 80% complete is going on in full swing and will be completed in April, 2011. At present, the RCC structures of A and B are in progress. Masonry work has just commenced and the MEP design is in its final stage.

— Sekharendu Roychowdhury & Shyam Deshpande, Mumbai

Gypsum plaster

and boards

were used to

overcome the

shortage of sand.

The tower’s ‘Sky Lounge’ and the observatory will afford breathtaking views of the city.

Mantri Pinnacle, set to be South India’s tallest residential tower with 46 floors, is a premium residential ‘Gold Standard Green Building’. It is being developed by Mantri Developers, a team that has developed over 10 million sq. ft. of constructed space in the form of residential developments, IT parks, shopping complexes, commercial buildings and educational institutions. After coming up with one of the largest shopping malls in India, Mantri Developers have now set their sights on developing a new landmark in Bangalore that is all set to break records in terms of height in South India.

Mantri Pinnacle is strategically located at Bannerghatta Road which is in close proximity to key corporate headquarters, state-of-the-art medical centres, and schools of international repute. The premium residential tower will have 133 apartments/penthouses with three/four bedrooms. The facilities available include a helipad, a digital gaming zone, a sports arena, a health club, a mini-theatre, high-speed elevators with biometric sensors and an aqua gym (a swimming pool that can be transformed into a water gymnasium). The tower also offers a breathtaking view of the city from its ‘Sky Lounge’ on the 41st floor and the observatory on the 42nd floor.

Mantri Pinnacle, Bangalore

main feature

5

Bangalore’s newest landmark will be South India’s tallest residential tower.

Artist's impression of the tower

SPCL has inducted an experienced core team to cater to the high-rise construction requirements for the project. The core team comprises of highly experienced personnel who have worked on similar high-rise building constructions in the Middle-East. Besides this, the proposed construction methodology and PMV deployment also cater to the requirements of high-rise construction.

After the successful execution of the ‘Elita Promenade’ project in Bangalore, ‘Mantri Pinnacle’ is a strategic project for the Bangalore Region, in terms of establishing its credentials in the premium high-rise residential segment in Bangalore. The project is scheduled for completion in October 2013.

— Rohit Santhosh, Bangalore

The Project TeamArchitects: Architect Hafeez ContractorStructural Consultants: CBM, TexasStructural Consultants (Local): Design Tree Service Consultants Pvt. Ltd.PM Consultants: DTZ International Property Advisors Pvt. Ltd.Cost Consultants: Padgham SweettGreen Certificate Consultants: Spectral Services Consultants Pvt. Ltd.Mechanical, Electricaland PHE Consultants: LEHR, New YorkFaçade Consultants: Facet – FE Construction EngineeringClub Interior Designers: PageSoutherlandPage, WashingtonVertical TransportConsultants: Lerch Bates, ColoradoLandscape Consultants: Aedas, Hong KongMain Contractors: Shapoorji Pallonji & Co. Ltd.MEP & SpecialisedSub-contractors: Yet to be appointed

SPCL’s Scope of WorksCivil, Structural, Architectural Finishing works and NSC works including Electrical Distribution and Lighting, Fire Fighting works, FA/PA, PHE works, Façade, Helipad, Structural Spike at the top, Elevation Treatments, Gas Services, Gypsum Board Ceiling and Doors for the premium residential tower comprising of 2B+GF+46UFs.

Salient Features of the projectCommencement Date: February 26, 2011Duration for StructureCompletion: 630 daysContract Period: 960 days (including NSC works)SPCL’s Contract Value: Rs. 104 crores approx. (including NSC works)Total Built-up Area: 4,70,000 sq. ft. (2B+GF+46UFs)Height of the Building: 153 m.Structural Design System: Flat Slab ConstructionFormwork System Proposed: MIVAN (for the tower portion)

Quantities of Major ItemsConcreting: 27,000 cu. m.Reinforcement Steel: 3,300 MTFlooring & Tiling Works: 80,000 sq. m.Formwork: 1,11,000 sq. m.Plastering: 1,66,000 sq. m.Painting: 1,40,000 sq. m.Waterproofing: 30,000 sq. m. Structural Steel: 195 MT

6

The Indian Grand Prix will be a Formula 1(highest class of single-seater auto racing) race to be held at the Jaypee Group Circuit, located 50 km. outside the capital in Greater Noida. The 18th race of the 2011 Formula One season will be held on 30 October, 2011.

The 5.1 km. track is being designed by Hermann Tilke and will have two distinct features that make it different. First, it will be the second fastest track in the world with the cars hitting 320 kmph on the straights; and second, to facilitate exciting racing action, the track has different contours at different locations.

The track is spread over an area of 875 acres. The initial seating capacity is estimated to be around 120,000.

The sprawling circuit will be a part of Jaypee Green Sports City and will also be used for hosting one or more rounds of the Moto GP Championships in the year 2012. The 10-year contract for the race has been given to Jaiprakash Associates.

SPCL is building the two main structures alongside the F 1 Track: the Main Grand Stand and the Pit Building.

The Pit Building is a 330m.

concrete structure with garages at the bottom and the paddock on the top.

The Main Grand Stand which is 430 m. long and is a concrete structure also, will seat 22,000 in its lower and upper tiers.

SPCL has done the mobilisation in a major way and adopted fast track methods like precast bleachers for the Main Grand Stand, in order to meet the tight construction schedule.

The project had faced severe difficulties during the period April ’10 – November ’10, because of improper approaches, intense dust, adverse climatic conditions, distant location of the labour camp and scattered establishments. These led to a high attrition of manpower (more than 9000 labourers exited the site) and reduced productivity. In addition, August and September 2010 had heavy rains for 20 days, and, therefore, had the lowest progress, despite the peak manpower strength of 1500.

However, construction activity gathered pace from December 2010, and today, the project is almost on track.

— Vaibhav Saini, Delhi

Salient Features

Type of Contract Item RateClient Jaypee Sports International (a subsidiary of JP Associates)Architect TilkeCommencement Date March 6, 2010Expected Completion Date July 31, 2011

SPCL’s ScopeThe scope includes the following:1. Construction of the ‘Pit Building’ over an area of 36,000 sq. m. as a framed RCC structure, in G+ 5 storeys.2. Construction of the ‘Main Grand Stand’ (2-Tier) with four levels and seating capacity of 22,000 spectators, and having an area of 60,000 sq. m. with pre-cast bleachers.3. Construction of concrete pavements having an area of 150,000 sq. m.

Quantities of Major WorksConcreting 90,000 cu. m.Reinforcement 10,000 MTFormwork 300,000 sq. m.

Major Equipment Batching Plant 03 Nos.Boom Placer 02 Nos.Transit Mixer 09 Nos.Cranes 09 Nos.

Pit Building from the main ground stand

Formula 1 Race Track Buildings, Delhi

India’s first F1 Grand Prix will be held at this venue on October 30 this year.

Pit Building

main feature

7

Indian Standard Codes for safety, with respect to relevant Construction Activities, Personal Protective

Equipment (PPE) and other Common Safety Equipment are mentioned below. Sites can make use of the codes in this list while executing their activities, ordering

for PPEs and/ or selecting the suppliers/makes that are compliant with the relevant IS Code. The list is non-exhaustive and has been compiled, based on its relevance and utility value to our activities.

— Alok Shrivastava, SP H.O.

IS Codes: Construction Safety, PPE and Other Equipment

Ser. No. Publication Title Standard No. Year 1 Handbook on construction safety practices SP 70 2001 2 Code of practice for safety and health requirements in electric and gas welding and cutting operations 818 1968 3 Equipment for eye and face precautions during welding 1179 1967 4 Specifications for leather safety boots and shoes - Part 1 : for miners, Part 2 : for heavy metal industries 1989 : Part 1, Part 2 1986, 1986 5 Safety requirements for use, care and protection of abrasive grinding wheels, Part 1 - Part 10 (10 parts) 1991: Part 1,Part 10 1987 (all) 6 Specification for steel scaffolding 2750 1964 7 Specification for industrial safety helmets 2925 1984 8 Code of practice for fire safety preacutions in welding and cutting operations 3016 1982 9 Code of practice for earthing 3043 1987 10 Industrial safety belts and harnesses - specification 3521 1999 11 Safety codes for scaffolds and ladders - Part 1: Scaffolds & Part 2: Ladders 3696: Part 1, Part 2 1987, 1991 12 Code of practice for steel tubular scaffolding - Part 1: definitions and materials, Part 2 : safety regulations for scaffolding 4014: Part 1, Part 2 1967, 1967 13 Specifications for rubber boots 3738 2004 14 Code of safety for excavation work 3764 1992 15 Safety code for blasting and related drilling equipment 4081 1986 16 Safety code for demolition of buildings 4130 1991 17 Rubber gloves - electrical purpose - specifications 4770 1991 18 Safety requirements for floor and wall openings, railings and toe boards 4912 1978 19 Safety code for piling and other deep foundations 5121 1969 20 Recommendation on safety procedures and practices in electrical works, Part 1: general, Part 2 : life saving techniques 5216 1982, 1982 21 Industrial and protective rubber knee and ankle boots - specifications 5557 2004 22 Eye-protectors 5983 1980 23 Code of practice for selection, care and repair of safety footwear 6519 1971 24 Specifications for safety gloves - Part 1 : leather and cotton gloves 6994 1973 25 Safety code for erection of structural steel work 7205 1974 26 Safety Code for working with construction machinery 7293 1974 27 Safety Code for handling and storage of building materials 7969 1975 28 Guide for selection of industrial safety equipment for body protection 8519 1977 29 Guide for selection of industrial safety equipment for eye, face and ear protection 8520 1977 30 Industrial safety face shields- Part 1: with plastic visors Part 2: with mesh visors 8521: Part 1, Part 2 1977, 1994 31 Safety code for erection of concrete framed structures 8989 1978 32 Specification for ear protectors 9167 1979 33 Safety colours and safety signs - code of practice 9457 2005 34 Guide for selection of industrial safety equipment for protection of foot and leg 10667 1983 35 Specification for flash back arrestor (flame arrestor) 11006 1984 36 General and safety requirements for machine tools and their operation 11016 1984 37 Specification for industrial safety nets 11057 1984 38 Leather safety footwear having direct moulded rubber soles - specifications 11226 1993 39 Code of practice for safety precautions to be taken when entering a sewerage system 11972 1987 40 Safe use of cranes - code of practice - Part 1 : General 13367 1992 41 Recommendations for preventive measures against hazards at workplaces Part 1 : falling material hazards prevention, Part 2 : fall prevention, Part 3 : disposal of debris, Part 4 : timber structures, Part 5 : fire protection 13416: Part 1-2, Part 3-5 1992,1994 42 Code of practice for safety during additional construction and alteration to existing buildings 13430 1992 43 Cranes - control - layout and characteristics - Part 1 : general principles, Part 2: mobile cranes, Part 3: tower cranes, Part 4: jib cranes, Part 5: overhead and travelling cranes 13558: Part 1-3, Part 4-5 1995, 1993 44 Code of practice on occupational safety and health audit 14489 1998 45 Safety, protective and occupational footwear for professional use; Part 1-8 15298: Part 1-8 2002 (1-4) -2004 (5-8) 46 Occupational health and safety management systems - requirements with guidance for use 18001 2007

Safety Codes in ConstructionCheck out the safety

codes you are

required to comply

with.

Safety

8

happenings

The Shapoorji Pallonji Races

On a hot but

colourful Sunday at the races,

five horses from

Manjri Stables

gallop away

with the honours.

The owner, Mr. Sarosh Mody, MD of Manjri Horse Breeders Farm (right), trainer Imtiaz Sait (left) and Mr. Krishnan Iyer, EA to Mr. Shapoor Mistry, proudly leading the winning horse, Pronto Pronto, with the jubilant jockey, Y S Srinath, in the saddle.

Notwithstanding the heat and the dust of an unusually warm Mumbai Sunday, the regulars, also known as ‘the betting public’, turned up in droves to watch their favourite horses favour them with a win.

And the fillies did not disappoint… nor did the colts!

At the two main attractions of the races held at the Mahalaxmi Race Course

in Mumbai on March 20, 2011, The Shapoorji Pallonji Breeders’ Juvenile Colts Championship and The Forbes Breeders’ Juvenile Fillies Championship — now an eagerly awaited feature on the racing calendar — an incredible five horses from the Manjri stables galloped away to a glorious finish, doing us proud.

Pronto Pronto, the chestnut gelding, co-owned by Mr. Pallon S. Mistry and Mr. Dilip R. Thacker, led the charge, followed by Imperial Star, Dancing Dame, Venus Rose-water and Strings of My Heart to complete an evening to remember.

Mr. Sarosh Modi, Managing Director, Manjri Horse Breeders

Farm Private Limited, did the honours while awarding the winners’ trophies.

The race course was decked out in Shapoorji colours with flags fluttering in the wind that thankfully blew in from the sea. Colourful banners of all the Shapoorji Pallonji Group Companies were in full display, as were innovative tree danglers, sun shades, gate arches and the finishing line horse shoe; even the presentation stand sported the SP branding! Next to the betting booth, 11 strategically lined up stalls showcased the group’s projects,

products, services and strengths. Among the prominent participants

were Shapporji Pallonji & Co. Ltd, Eureka Forbes, Gokak Textiles, Forvol International, Forbes Technosys, Next Gen Publishing, Sterling and Wilson, SP Fabricators, SP CMG, Afcons, Shapoorji Pallonji – the Real Estate Division and SD Corp.

The catchy slogan ‘Shapoorji Pallonji: Racing Ahead’ summed up the enjoyable day out at the races.

— Rohit Sinha, SP H.O.

The finish line

9

Behavioural Differentiation can be a Powerful Competitive Weapon

We plan business strategies quite often, but seldom

pay attention to ‘Behavioural Differentiation’.

And, what does Behavioural Differentiation mean?

In order to gain insight into the subject, the SP Group Centre had recently organised workshops at The Taj President, Mumbai, for the chief executive officers, senior managers and members of the business development teams of all the companies of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group. The two-day workshop from 17 – 18 November, 2010 was conducted by Mr. Sean Darnell and Mr. Martin Moller, both senior faculty members from Korn Ferry International, U.S.A.

Simply put, the programme sought to answer such questions as: Why should the customer consider ‘YOU’ to award its project/s when other competitors are also offering the same? What do you need to do to create a differentiation in the mind of the customer?

Addressing the issues, the trainers expounded:

Technology can give a company a first mover advantage, and the

Mr. Saini and Mr. Dixit with the participants and Korn Ferry faculty members.

Behavioural Differentiation in all these modes eventually builds up confidence and a certain comfort level in the mind of the customer.

The customer then begins to ‘TRUST’ and ultimately ‘ENTRUST’ the business in safe hands. How one attains this stage depends on an utmost of 60 varied behavioural differentiation patterns. Out of these, 10 are critical and sequentially interlinked with interdependencies throughout the business operations for any project. They are:

1. Listening to the customer;2. Seeking a deep understanding of the need;3. Aligning goals, priorities and plans;4. Communicating proactively;5. Building interpersonal and organisational chemistry;

6. Owning and solving problems;7. Serving the customer’s interest first;8. Looking out for potential problems;9. Being intolerant of errors; and last but not the least,10. Preventing mistakes and misunderstandings.

A ‘journey of success and long-term association’ resulting from these vital behavioural patterns can provide quick and significant wins for the business. It not only orients the ‘human mindset’ towards constantly improving performance and eliminating errors, but also contributes enormously in transforming the ‘Vision and Mission’ as ‘Popular Sentiments and Culture’ of the organisation.

– J P Rao, SP H.O.

Behavioural Differentiation

can be a powerful

competitive weapon.

processes followed can ensure quality and timely competition; but all this can be copied. What is difficult to copy, however, is the behaviour exhibited towards the customer. Behavioural Differentiation, therefore, gives

you an edge over your competitors.

Elements of this are:• Operational• Exceptional• Interpersonal • Symbolic

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ALDEP, SP’s in-house leadership development programme, was launched

in June last year. With the first batch of Aldepers in their second year now, we set out to select the next batch of Aldepers: Aldep Batch II (2011).

As a first step towards identifying SP’s young leaders for tomorrow, we invited applications from all graduate engineers of the GET Batch, 2009, irrespective of their streams and businesses, to participate in an entrance examination for ALDEP 2011.

Stage I of the entrance examination was a written test, conducted on January 12, 2011, at seven locations, viz., Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Bangalore,

Selection of ALDEP Candidates – Batch II

The senior management addressing the ALDEPers.

Panel Interview in progress

Simulation screening tool

in progress

The List of Successful Candidates of Aldep - Batch II

No Aldeper Name Regions/ Business Stream1 Anurag Pal Ahmedabad Civil2 Devarapalli Poornima Ahmedabad Civil3 Apurva D. Vyas Ahmedabad Civil4 Subhasish Das Bangalore Civil5 Mohamed Jailani S. Chennai Civil6 Astha Bhatia Delhi Electrical7 Soubhagya Ranjan Samal Delhi Electrical8 Anuj Kedia Delhi Civil9 Arun C.K Delhi Civil10 Debobrata Das EPC Metallurgy11 Manish Singh EPC Metallurgy12 Baishali Chaterjee EPC Metallurgy13 Chiranjit Das EPC Mechanical14 Mayank Chourasia EPC Electrical15 Sanjoy Mukherjee EPC Mechanical16 Ratnesh Rohit Hyderabad Electrical17 Azim Yunus Gunderwala Hyderabad Civil18 Maria Louisa Martin Kolkata Civil19 Keshava V Kolkata Civil20 Krishna Sharma Kolkata Civil21 Boddapalli Deepak Kolkata Electrical22 Deepak Menon Kolkata Civil23 Akshay Garg Kolkata Civil24 M.Sethu Raman Kolkata Civil25 Ishvindra Raj Mumbai Civil26 Amey Manohar Kadam Mumbai Civil27 Gautam Srinivasan Pune Civil28 Shweta Erandole Pune Civil29 J. Minu Pune Civil30 Mahesh Krishnan Pune Civil31 Rajarshi Sarkar RE-Kolkata Civil32 Tanuj S. Dali RE- Pune Civil33 Ekta Ashok Kumar Kshatriya RE-Pune Electrical34 Vijay Narendra Jagtap RE-Pune Mechanical

34 young engineers make it to

ALDEP Batch II,

and prepare to

become tomo-rrow’s

leaders.

Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi. Stage II, the final selection round, consisted of an ‘Assessment Centre’ with panel interviews with the senior management of the company. This was conducted from February 3 – 5, 2011 at SP Infocity, Pune. A total of 81 GET candidates who had cleared Stage I of the entrance examination participated.

The ‘Assessment Centre’ was used as a screening tool to assess each participant on selected competencies, using 4 – 5 simulations. Each competency was assessed on the basis of two different exercises or simulations.

After the well structured selection process, we now have 34 Aldepers looking forward to the ALDEP Batch II (2011) Inaugural Programme in April, 2011.

Congratulations to Batch II Aldepers and wishing them a bright future in SPCL!

— Sohan Mohanty, SP H.O.

happenings

11

Technical Training for Aldep – I at IIT, Madras

A six-day technical training programme was held for 23 Aldepers of Batch 1 from

February 21 – 26 at IIT, Madras. The sessions covered:• Introduction to different types of structures• Study of construction materials• Formwork• Fabrication and erection of structural steel works• Good construction practices• Project management, planning and monitoring

Lectures were held daily at the campus. The programme included a visit to Ultratech’s RMC plant where the trainees witnessed state-of-the-art QA/QC measures and concrete recycling. The programme was coordinated by Professors Sathyanarayana and Ravindra Gettu. The students were also addressed by Mr. Debasis Mitra (Director, Operations) and Mr. Sohan Mohanty (Addl. GM, Training).

The Aldepers were accomm-odated at the Research Park of IIT, Madras.

On two occasions (Retreats) they had dinner with other faculty members of the IIT: the first time at a city club, and the second time at the IIT Alumni Club. Prof. Sathyanarayana had also organised an early morning walk in the lush green 600-acre campus where

the students got to see deer and blackbucks in a protected natural habitat.

Here’s what the Aldepers had to say about the programme: A.The Call“All the exhaustion of the journey dissipated at the thought of becoming an IITian — a long awaited dream.” - Anshul Turkar“It was an A-HA moment.” - Yash Tandon“It was a dream come true! Everyone was feeling like an IITian — all charged up!” - Mehul Kate

B. The Content“The content of the technical training programme was smartly prepared; it covered all the aspects we face every day while working.” - Anshul Turkar“The programme provided an all-round insight into the various

ALDEP – Batch I with Mr. Mitra, Mr. Mohanty and the IIT - Madras faculty members

Nature calling

Aldepers have a great time at IIT, Madras. ‘Unforg-ettable experi-ence,’ they say.

aspects encountered by a contracting firm like ours.” - Yash Tandon“The curriculum covered almost everything related to concrete. It surely was the most important takeaway of the whole training.” - Mehul Kate“I wish to see concrete being recycled at every site of SPCL in the future.” - Mehul Kate

C. The Sessions“It was like being back in college — attending lectures and learning stuff.” - Anshul Turkar“The sessions were very interactive which helped us clear our doubts and unanswered questions.” - Anshul Turkar“The test papers were very smartly set; they contained tricky and conceptual questions.” – Anshul Turkar“All the sessions were very well planned and organised.” - Yash Tandon

D. The Campus“The IIT campus was beautiful.” - Anshul Turkar“The hospitality was amazing. The retreats were the best; they got us all charged up.” - Mehul Kate

E. The Final Word“The training programme was an eye-opener; it clarified facts and buried myths. The next challenge is to apply it all in our everyday work and make our system better.” - Anshul Turkar“The training session was extremely useful and triggered a desire in us to keep studying the aspects of Indian construction, upgrade ourselves and use the knowledge in upcoming projects.” - Yash Tandon“We had waited a year for this week to arrive, and now that it has come to an end, we feel, it was not enough. The week was amazing, anyway, with all the brainstorming sessions.” - Mehul Kate“It was the experience of a lifetime!” – Anshul Turkar

— Thanks to Anshul, Yash and Mehul!

12

Empowerment Leadership Programme for the Middle Management

Top: Pune, February 10 - 12, 2011Middle: Bangalore, January 10 - 12, 2011Bottom: : Mumbai, March 3 - 5, 2011

The Empowered Leadership Programme (ELP) is an initiative specifically intended for the

middle management of our company. It’s aim is to prepare them to serve as agents of renewal and spearhead growth across the organisation.

The ELP seeks to equip all the participants with the ability to provide direction and openness to their teams and help them foster a spirit of ownership and belonging amongst team members.

Our training partner in this initiative is a reputed Gurgaon based organisation called Manford Allianz Consultants Pvt. Ltd.

Empowered Leadership Programmes have come to be a part of our company after the very first ELP was conducted in Hyderabad from December 9 – 11, 2010. Following its success, a series of ELPs were held in the Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Pune and Mumbai regions. The next ELP has been scheduled in Delhi and is slated to take place from 18 – 20 April, 2011.

We are sure all participants will find the ELP immensely helpful and motivating and it will help them take off towards creating a better tomorrow.

We wish them the very best for the future!

— Shraddha Trasi, SP H.O.

ELP has brought about self awareness and fostered a sense of belonging amongst team members.

happenings

13

Workers Training Programme – Hyderabad

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), as a part of its overall thrust on inclusive

growth, livelihood creation and mainstreaming of the rural population, is setting up skill development centres all over India. The foundation stone of the eighth such facility — CII Skills Training Park — was laid by Mr. Kamal Nath, Hon’ble Minister for Urban Development, at Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh on March 10, 2011.

The CII Skills Training Park will offer short-term training to rural youth by reputed Indian companies. Shapoorji Pallonji will

CII Skills Training Park, Chhindwaratrain 120 students from nearby areas to become construction supervisors every year — on the lines of the training being currently imparted at the Supervisory Training Centre, Kolkata. Ten other companies including L&T, JCB, Toyota, Kirloskar, Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Realty & Infrastructure will train local youth in the construction and automobile trades. The park will have hostel, classroom and workshop facilities to accommodate 1600 students every year.

Shapoorji Pallonji is proud to be associated with CII in this nation building initiative. The company will not be charging any fee for the 5-month training course. Instead, it will be offering a generous stipend and assured placement in the company on successful completion of the training programme. Mr. Mukesh Rao (GM, Technical Training & Development) and Mr. Ajit Powar (HR, Nagpur Office) represented the company at the foundation stone laying ceremony.

The facility is expected to be ready in six months and we hope to commence training by October, 2011.

Shapoorji Pallonji sets up its second

Supervisor Training Centre

at CII’s Skills Training Park, Chhindwara.

A formwork training programme has been initiated for workers

in Hyderabad. The 4-week programme

commenced with an initial batch of 12 workers on November 6, 2010. Of the12 workers, only 8 had completed the course, however. The workers who underwent the training now feel confident about their work and take pride that henceforth no one will be able to label them inexperienced. On completion of the training, each participant was felicitated in front of a large gathering at the site, so that other workers and contractors felt motivated and encouraged more

Mr. Kamal Nath, Hon’ble Minister (extreme right),

Mr. Mukesh Rao (extreme left) along

with other corporate representatives at

the ceremony.

Left: Mr. Mukesh Rao & Ms. Aziz Tayyaba at the training site Below: Mr. Manoj Bala conducting the training

Honorable minister Mr Kamal Nath addressing the gathering

workers to undergo the training programme.

The programme was conducted by Mr. Manoj Bala — after attending the ‘Train the Trainer’ programme held in STC, Kolkata.

So far, a total of 32 people have been trained in three batches, and currently, a fourth batch of 18 participants is undergoing training.

With due credit to Mr. T. Madhusudan Rao, Project-in-Charge, AKES Site, for initiating and sustaining the training programme, we at Hyderabad feel privileged and are trying to increase our strength of trained workers further.

— Aziz Tayyaba, Hyderabad

14

Annual Day – Hyderabad Region Annual Day – Bangalore Region

Annual Day Celebrations

The Hyderabad region celebrated the SPCL Annual Day in December

2010 and January 2011. The chief guests at the event

were Mr. M. D. Saini, Mr. S. C. Dixit and Mr. Varghese Matthew.

The celebrations included a get-together in the evening where all staff members and their families gathered to interact with one another, enjoy games and puppet shows and snack on a variety of delicious chaat. Later in the evening, gifted staff members and their families showcased their extraordinary talents. This was followed by the GETs presenting a hilarious skit. The high point of the evening, however, was a fashion show put up by the staff that aptly exemplified the concept of unity in diversity among the region’s SPCL employees. While the concept was the brainchild of Mr. Viswanath Penmetsa, the show was choreographed by Mr. Ashish Kara.

The Bangalore region celebrated its Annual Day on January 29, 2011. Most of the staff members had to make overnight journeys from different parts of Kerala and Karnataka to participate in the function. The event was graced by Mr. S. C. Dixit, President, India Operations, and Mr. Varghese Mathew, CPO.

Speaking at the occasion, VP of Bangalore region Mr. T.R.Mallikarjuna, complimented the efforts of the staff, especially those from Kerala, for overcoming the challenges of working in outstation locations. Mr. Dixit reminded all of the changing business scenario and the need to move up the value chain, and be prepared for even bigger challenges ahead. He encouraged the employees to focus on the inherent strengths

The evening wound up with staff members Mr. Vinod Adapa and Mr. Natwar Samal being awarded for their long services by Mr. M. D. Saini.

The Annual Day celebrations in Vizag and Bhadrachalam were organised separately. The chief guests in the two cities were Mr. Debasis Mitra and Mr. Gautam Das respectively.

The celebrations concluded on a happy note with the honoured guests congratulating the staff and their families for their contribution towards the growth of SPCL and the region as a whole. They especially appreciated the wonderful sense of bonding and unity among the staff, notwithstanding the huge diversity.

– Aziz Tayyaba, Hyderabad

Annual Day celebrations at the Hyderabad RO

Annual Day, Vizag

Annual Day, Bhadrachalam

The senior management addressing the gathering

Mr. Vijaya Kumar receiving award for 10 years of service

Gaiety, mirth and glee

grip the staff and their families, as they

celebrate Annual Day

in Bangalore and

Hyderabad.

of the region and think positively. Mr. Varghese Matthew felt that the stable leadership of the region was a great strength and urged all to work together for greater results.

Later, staff members Mr. Martin Luke and Mr. Vijaya Kumar were awarded for completing 10 years of meritorious service in the company.

While the lilting notes of ‘Divine Melodies’ did their bit initially to uplift moods, it was merriment and unrestrained glee that soon followed. As the evening wore on, melodious rhythms had the staff members take to the dance floor and enthusiastically dance the night away.

– Joseph Kurien, Bangalore

happenings

15

Employee Socials

SP H.O. Mumbai

Picnics are not merely occasions for fun, they are also opportunities

for inducing and building an inclusive environment within a team, wherein group dynamism and the behavioural science of each individual is upheld and accommodated.

On one such occasion, a group of 22 members from various departments of the HO (the Commercial, CMS and Purchase departments) found themselves headed to Raigarh Fort, Diveagar,

Staff from the head office discover the beauty and historical heritage of the Konkan and have fun too!

Raigarh Fort

Shrivardhan and Hari Hareshwar for a three-day outing from February 18 – 20, 2011.

Raigarh Fort, the first on the itinerary, finds its place in history as the capital of Shri Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He was crowned here in 1674. Looking at the fort, it is evident that no one could have conquered its steep slopes which indeed did pose a formidable challenge in those days! While the fort in itself makes for a grand spectacle given its massive proportions, other not-to-be-missed sights include the Queen’s Place, the small reservoirs, a replica of Shivaji’s throne, his statue and of course his Samadhi. All this is surrounded by the rich greenery of the Konkan region. A welcome ropeway makes access to otherwise inaccessible areas possible.

Diveagar, the next place of visit, is located approximately 170 km away from Mumbai. The place is famous for the golden idol of Ganesha, uncovered during excavations on November 17, 1997 which happened to be the auspicious day of Sankashti Chaturthi.

The clean shores of the Divegar

Beach makes it utterly enjoyable. It made the perfect spot for the picnickers to enjoy a variety of games. Another beach in nearby Shrivardhan made for an equally attractive spot, and quite worthy of the visit.

The group finally headed to Harihareshwar, a historical place well-known for its Shiv Temple that dates back to Bhagwan Parshuram’s period.

Needless to say, the group enjoyed themselves thoroughly with the sightseeing, the food, the fun and the merriment and of course the many rounds of antaksharis, musical chairs and singing of parodies.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience!

Thanks to Mr. Sarang Tribhuvan, (GM, Commercial) who enthusiastically organised the whole trip and made it so memorable!

– J P Rao, SP H.O.

Diveagar Beach

16

Hyderabad Region In line with the HR POLICY 2.0 for employee socials, issued on October 6, 2010, the ITC site at Bhadrachalam and the Hospira and HPCL sites in Vizag had organised get-togethers for their staff. The aim of these meets was to promote fellowship, camaraderie and better interpersonal relationships.

The outings had been organised on holidays. While the Bhadrachalam site had their social inside a park, on October 29, 2010, the Vizag sites had beachside picnics: the HPCL site had it at the Yarada Beach on January 2, 2011, and the Hospira site at the Mutyalammapallem Beach on January 26, 2011.

Various entertainment programmes and games such as beach volleyball, beach cricket and kabaddi had been organised for the staff. And of course there was the sumptuous lunch which everyone relished!

— Aziz Tayyaba, Hyderabad

The Accounts Department of the H.O. went for a two-day picnic to Shanti Sagar Resort, Ambernath from February 26 – 27 February, 2011. The resort with its swimming pool and water rides was a wonderful spot, and everyone had a good time. Overall, it was a very refreshing and motivating experience.

Our special thanks to Mr. Vijay Parikh and Mr. Dilip Joshi who volunteered to make all the arrangements for the picnic.

— Vikas Gohel, SP H.O.

The Accounts Department, H.O.

Staff from the Bhadrachalam and Vizag sites take time off at employee socials in beaches and parks.

HPCL staff at the Yarada Beach

ITC staff enjoying a volleyball game

Hospira staff enjoying beach cricket

happenings

17

To promote camaraderie amongst all its employees, picnics were organised recently by way of employee socials at three separate locations in the Eastern region.

KolkataA picnic was held in Kolkata on January 15, in a garden called Doctor’s Bagan. About 350 employees, together with their families, attended the picnic. Buses had been arranged from various pick-up points to transport the employees to the picnic spot.

The day started with a sumptuous breakfast at 8 a.m. This was followed by various games and entertaining events that had been arranged, and everybody was invited to take part in them. The first event was a magic show. The children were fascinated by the tricks, especially the hand cutting act that amazed not only them but the grown-ups also! The magic show was followed by sporting events such as the Lemon and Spoon Race, Sack Race and the Running Race, and games like Handi Bagga and Ringing the Gift which drew participants throughout the day and from all age groups. A delicious buffet lunch was arranged in the afternoon. Lunch was followed by a game called ‘Bombing the City’.

Prizes were distributed to the winners of all the events by Mr. & Mrs. Kalpanath Banerjee, Mrs. Tarun Singha Roy and Mrs. Supriya Das. Everybody left the venue on a cheerful note and with a lighter step.

Eastern Region

The day concluded with safety certificates being awarded to those sites which had completed one million ‘safe man hours’, namely the staffs of the Mass Housing, Unitech, Great Eastern Hotel and Tata Housing sites. The certificates were given away by Mr. Kalpanath Banerjee.

Jamshedpur An office picnic was arranged at the Galudi Resort which is located about 30 km from Jamshedpur. About 230 employees from all the sites of Jamshedpur and Raghunathpur attended the picnic. Different games and entertaining events had been arranged which were enjoyed by all present. A sumptuous lunch followed the games.

Prizes were given away to the winners of the games by Mr. & Mrs. Krishnendu, Mr. & Mrs. Dineshwar Pandey and Mr. Anjan Roy.

The prize giving ceremony was followed by high tea.

Aimed at being a team building exercise, the event was enjoyed by all and was a huge success.

Rourkela A one-day picnic was organised at Kansbahal Dam on January 23, 2011 for the staff members of all Rourkela sites. A picturesque and serene spot, Kansbahal Dam is about 42 km away from Rourkela. The staff welcomed this much awaited change from regular work and the humdrum of everyday life, and participated wholeheartedly with their entire families.

The day commenced with a long drive down the scenic roadway from Rourkela to Kansabal Dam, where a banquet awaited the staff on arrival. Lunch had also been arranged. Post lunch, there was a DJ session where everyone shook a leg and enjoyed thoroughly. This was followed by an entertaining session comprising of a game of musical chairs and the ‘bindi’ competition. A cricket kit which happened to be around was made full use of by the staff: a match was arranged between the OBBP and CCP project teams that ended

The ladies putting their best foot forward at Doctor’s Bagan

Rourkela staff having fun

Magic show at Doctor’s Bagan in a nail-biting finish and brought out the cricket fan in everyone.

Prizes were awarded to the winners of the games. All the prizes were surprisingly won by the spouses of the staff which left their male counterparts speechless!

— Usha Venkatesan, Tapas Chatterjee and Krishnendu Chakraborty, Kolkata

Jamshedpur staff social

18

International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 every year. The day recognises the

economic, political and social achievements of women down the years, while charting a future course of action that will help them achieve greater goals in the years to come. This year being the centenary year of the International Women’s Day, celebrations took on a special meaning and added significance.

HyderabadSPCL Hyderabad has always been in the forefront when it comes to celebrating women’s achievements, especially in the construction sector, where women are increasingly leaving their mark with their dedication and hard work. As in the past two years, this year also International Women’s Day was celebrated in Hyderabad with great gusto. All female employees were taken to Mount Opera, a multi-theme amusement park on the outskirts of Hyderabad, where they enjoyed the day to the hilt. Mouth watering delicacies accompanied thrilling water rides as the ladies were transported to a different world altogether. It was an experience that they are sure to cherish for a lifetime. One of the ladies summed it up in these words: “Memories cannot be replayed now and then, but a journey with our colleagues at SPCL can be replayed in our memory every now and then.” Fully content with this year’s celebrations, the ladies are looking forward to March 8, 2012.

Women’s Day Celebrated across SPCL

ChennaiWomen’s Day was celebrated with great enthusiasm at the Chennai Regional Office on March 8, 2011. In an unusual gesture, all the men received a small memento — a beautiful red rose and a lovely thank you note in an envelope (extracts are reproduced in adjacent column) — along with a gift and sweets which they were to gift to their wives/mothers at home. It was to commemorate, appreciate and thank the selfless love and dedication of the woman at home. The dress code of the day was green which symbolises prosperity. As for the ladies in the office, they had a great time at a get-together that was accompanied with lunch. The second half of the day saw them hang loose, snack on mouthwatering chaats, play games, indulge in pep talk and enjoy a movie.

KolkataAs in the past years, Women’s Day was celebrated this year too in the Kolkata regional Office. The occasion was graced by Mrs. Sushmita Banerjee (wife of Mr. K. Banerjee, VP, Eastern Region) who cut the cake. The women present exchanged good wishes and decided to go for an outing soon to mark the day.

— With inputs from Aziz Tayyaba, Hyderabad; Elizabeth Sharmila, Chennai;

and Bratati Sircar, Kolkata

Thank you, Wife!

Dedicated to all the ‘Lights and Makers of Home’.

Your gifts are very special ones:The warmth of your smile as you walk me to the door;The reassuring look that freely convey your love and trust;The kind of hope that goes with me everywhere I go;The comfort of a loving home ;Miracles of your own little making;And happiness that is always there for the taking;They stay in my heart the whole day through,As the day of work comes to an end and I hurry back to you. Love you dear wife!

Thank you, Mom!

I know how often I took you for granted when I was growing up.

I always assumed you'd be there when I needed you... and you always were.

But I never really thought about what that meant till I got older and began to realise how often your time and energy were devoted to me.

So now, for all the times I didn't say it before, Thank you, Mom! I love you so very much!

Team Hyderabad Team Chennai

Team Kolkata

Thank you notes From the chennai staff

happenings

19

The Annual Day of the Tara Mobile Crèche was held at our crèche at SP

Infocity, Pune. A marquee was put up at the crèche, adequate seating arrangements were made and the place was equipped with electrical fittings and a sound system. An overnight camp was organised to mark the celebrations with aound 400 children (about 80 - 90 of

Annual Day Celebrated at Pune Crèche

Cultural programme in progress

NAGPURIn Nagpur, Republic Day was celebrated at the SP Infocity Creche. Children took part enthusiastically in the celebrations by staging dances and other performances. Mr. C. W. Waikar (Addl.GM, Project) together with other staff members distributed the prizes.

SPCL had also organised a ‘Pulse Polio Immunisation’ drive on February 23 and 27, at the same location.

— Ashok Kene, Nagpur

Republic Day was celebrated on a grand scale this year at the TCS site in Pune. A function was held at the crèche building in the labour camp with the help of contributions made by the SPCL

Republic Day Celebrated in Pune Region

them were from our crèche) of construction workers. The children participated in cultural programmes, competitions and sports that were conducted over one and half days. The celebrations concluded with the prize distribution ceremony.

— Smita Wadkar, Pune

Top: Children receiving school bags, SP Infocity, Nagpur Bottom: Pulse polio Immunisation drive, SP Infocity, Nagpur

Republic Day celebrations at the TCS site

staff, clients and consultants. Apart from the SPCL staff and R.O. teams, the staff from the TCE team, residents of the camp and their families and even villagers from the neighbouring Bhoirewadi village participated in the function. Mr. Mahim Lal hoisted the national flag. About 75 workers’ children participated in the function. Each of them received a gift hamper consisting of a school bag, stationery and slate and chalk from Mr. Bhagat, Mr. Satish Rao, Ms. Bhagat, Ms. Sunita, Mr. Banekar, Mr. P. P. Pal and Mr. Shitole. Sweets were distributed to all.The enthusiasm and dedicated efforts of the young organising team made the programme a great success.

— TCS Team, Pune

20

Hyderabad Region

The safety pledge The 40th National Safety Day was celebrated with much enthusiasm in the Chennai region. In order to create safety awareness among the staff and workers, special competitions and programmes such as quizzes, safety cartoons and slogans on the safety theme were held at all our project sites from March 1 – 3, 2011.

Around 100 staff members and 150 workers showcased their talent in each event. After due assessment, 20 staff members and 20 workers were selected as prize winners in each category. Therefore, in total, 60 participants were chosen for prizes.

All project sites wore a festive look on March 4, 2011. The Safety Day Celebrations commenced at 9.00 a.m. with the staff and workers gathering in front of a stage set up for the occasion. The client of the concerned project was invited as the chief guest.

The hoisting of the safety flag by the respective Project Manager signalled the beginning of the celebrations. Subsequently, the Safety Officer read the ‘Safety Pledge’ along with all the participants. The Project Co-ordinator and the chief guest then spoke on the significance of safety. The prize winners were rewarded by the chief guest also.

The celebrations concluded with the distribution of sweets and a vote of thanks to the participants.

Every SP Project, henceforth, will be a Safe Project! Every Day will be the Safety Day!

– A. Balasundaram, Chennai

Chennai Region

The 40th National Safety Day was observed in the Hyderabad Region on March

4, 2011. Given SPCL’s concern for its workers, the company used the occasion to increase safety awareness among its employees and stakeholders.

The day was celebrated at all SPCL sites by organising a host of safety promotional activities

The Nashik Region observed the 40th National Safety Day with week long celebrations that included a safety awareness programme, medical check ups and sporting events.

The safety awareness program was held on March 4, 2011 at Indiabulls Realtech Ltd, SEZ, Sinnar where the SP flag was hoisted, the safety pledge taken, safety badges distributed and safety quiz competitions held for the staff and workers.

Blood donation camps and medical check ups were also organised on-site for the workers and the staff. Visiting doctors from the Wockhardt Hospital advised the workers to take necessary health measures and spoke to them at

Nashik Region

40th National Safety Day

length on general wellbeing. They also arranged a training programme on ‘first aid’ for the staff.

Sporting events included cricket and volleyball competitions. Eight teams including the sub-contractors’ workers participated in the volleyball tournament with SPCL GREEN lifting the ‘SPARK’ Cup. SPCL GREEN, playing under captain Sameer Shaikh, went on to win the cricket competition too, claiming the ‘SPOWER’ Cup after beating SPCL YELLOW in the finals. Though friendly events, the matches were played with great competitive spirit.

Mr. Rajat Bhattacharya (Project Coordinator), Mr. Anil Deshmukh (Asst. GM, Accounts, Nashik RO), Mr. S.B. Suryawanshi (Civil-in-Charge, Sinnar Site), and Mr. Laxmikant Shiram (Structural-in-Charge, Sinnar Site) gave away the prizes to the winners at the conclusion of the safety week celebrations on March 10, 2011.

— Atanu Sau, Nashik

such as safety drills and demonstrations, first aid training, drawing competition for workers, quiz competitions, screening of safety movies and organising medical camps.

At each of the sites, the safety flag was hoisted by its respective Project-in-Charge, which was followed by the safety oath taking ceremony by all the staff, site workers as well as the client and consultants. The client and SPCL’s senior staff spoke on the occasion and distributed prizes to staff members and workers with exemplary safety records.

— Bhaskar Kunadharaju, Hyderabad

Blood Donation Camp

happenings

Prize distribution ceremony at site

21

Mr. Karl Heinz Noetel with the staff at Peninsula site

In its endeavour to improve the health of its employees and also increase their

awareness about health related issues, the Mumbai R.O. had organised a ‘Health Awareness Camp’ on January 25, 2011. Organised in collaboration with Sanda Wellness, it had specialists at the camp who checked the bone density and fat content of the employees and offered consultation to those who needed it. Though the event covered two sites only, this time similar camps are being envisaged for all the remaining sites in the region shortly.

– Milind Pradhan, Mumbai

An on-site blood donation camp was organised by SPCL’s employees at the

Peninsula site on February 14, 2011. Arranged with the help of the Rotary Club of Mumbai, the drive yielded 171 units of blood. Encouraged by the huge response, the project team has now decided to organise blood donation camps every year.

— Shailesh Nimbalkar, Mumbai

Health Awareness Camp in Mumbai R.O.

Blood Donation Camp at Peninsula Site, Mumbai

Mr. Karl-Heinz Noetel (Chairman of the German expert

committee PPE and Senior Advisor, DGUV), accompanied by Mr. Pagaro (Addl. Labour Commissioner of Maharashtra), Mr. D.R. More (Deputy Labour Commissioner of Maharashtra) and other senior officials from the labour department, paid a visit to the Peninsula Business Park site in Mumbai on January 31, 2011.

Mr. Sandesh Vaivude (Addl. GM, Projects) and Mr. S.S. Babu (AGM, Projects) took the delegation around the site. Mr. Noetel appreciated the safety

Safety Delegation visits Peninsula Site, Mumbai

measures adopted at the site and the good housekeeping done by the project team.

— Milind Pradhan, Mumbai

Peninsula site in Mumbai gets a pat on its back for

good housekeeping and safety.

22

In today’s fast paced world, we tend to be less concerned about our health. In an initiative to address the issue and improve employees’ lifestyles, the

Chennai Region had organised an employee benefit programme entitled `Health & Fitness’ on March 4, 2011, at the Regional Office. The aim of the programme was to create a stress free and more productive workforce.

The programme was sponsored by HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company. All our staff availed of the opportunity in order to be better aware of health related issues. Each employee was given an instant Physical Fitness Report Card.

— Elizabeth Sharmila, Chennai

On the morning of February 20, 2011, a 5-km run was organised jointly

by Subway and Coca-Cola at KBR Park in Hyderabad. The region’s SPCL staff members and their families enthusiastically took part in the event. The basic theme of the event was ‘Run for Health; Run for Hyderabad; Run for FUN’. It was a platform to provide an environment where participants could understand the necessity of physical fitness and feel motivated to work towards building endurance, improving fitness and reducing stress. The underlying message was that physical activity and workouts not only improve one’s appearance but also the overall functioning of

Health and Fitness

Running for Fitness

Health and fitness camp in progress

The Hyderbad team at the ‘Run for Health’ event

the body.Whether the runner was a

novice or a professional, the common goal of the event

was to stay motivated and complete the run. The youngest participant from SPCL was Ms. K. Sri Kavya, the eight-year-old daughter of Mr. Srinivas Chakravarthy, who completed the run in reasonable time. Mr. Madhu, Project-in-Charge of the Aga Khan Site was the fastest runner.

In general, all participants felt happy about the event because such activities not only provide a positive self image and lifestyle, but also improve the mental fitness of individuals. Keeping this in mind, all are looking forward to more such events in the future.

— Aziz Tayyaba, Hyderabad

Hyderabad sites run for fun and knock out fat and stress.

happenings

23

The Annual SP Group Cricket Tournament was held this year from January 22 – 23 at the

Manjri Stud Farm, in Pune. A total of 8 teams participated in the tournament: Afcons, SP CMG, Eureka Forbes, Gokak Mills, Manjri Stud Farm, SPCL HO, SP Fabricators and SP Infocity, Pune.Manjri Stud Farm scored a hat-trick by winning the tournament for the third consecutive time.

Other results were as follows: Team Runner-up: Gokak MillsBest Batsman: Rajesh Kiwadgol (Gokak Mills)Best Bowler: Dadaji Gote (Manjri Stud Farm) Best Fielder: Vitthal Narnoor (Manjri Stud Farm)

— Lalchand Rajput, SP H.O.

At a cricket tournament entitled ‘Chennai Super Six’ SPCL, Chennai joined other corporate houses, namely First Flight, Sun Pictures, Marg Properties, Wipro, TCS, Hyundai, Sun TV Network, Vatech Wabag, Merit Group, Renault Nissan and Dorma among others, to fight it out for the trophy. SPCL, Chennai played their first

‘Chennai Super Six’ Cricket Tournament

match against Accenture on 21 January, 2011. The players were highly charged and batted with extraordinary zeal and energy, but, sadly, fell short of sealing a victory. Nevertheless, the effort did boost the participants’ morale and uncovered hidden talents among the staff.

— Elizabeth Sharmila, Chennai

SP Group Cricket Tournament

Manjri Stud Farm scores yet again in the Group Cricket Tournament!

SPCL Chennai Team

Mr. Rajesh Kiwadgol of Forbes Gokak receiving the Best batsmen Award.

Manjri Stud Farm Team Winners of 2011 SP Group Cricket Tournament.

Mr. Sarosh Mody captain of Manjri Stud Farm recieving the winners trophy from Mr. Lalchand Rajput.

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Mr. Prabhat Rakheja, Director – Operations; Mr Sukhendu Das, Coordinator; Mr Prajib Dhar, Project In-Charge and Mentor; and the HR Team at the Delhi Regional Office.

Being the only paper from the construction industry, it was very well received and preciated by the distinguished panelists and industry experts, and was widely considered a pioneering work with respect to SCM in the construction Industry. — Editor

Opportunities and Challenges in Services Supply Chain

The Biennial Supply Chain Management Conference of the Indian

Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore was held from January 7 – 8, 2011 on the campus itself. The conference was jointly organised by the Supply Chain Management Centre (SCMC) & EADS – SMI Chair for Sourcing & Supply Management. The conference targeted academic researchers and professional practitioners whose main interests were issues relating to ‘Supply Chain Management’-SCM, especially those with a focus on Services Supply Chain Management.

The conference featured:Plenary sessions featuring CEOs; Participation from

Focus on our group companies

The two contracted projects, UAA01 and UAA05, valued at Rs 1567 crore and Rs

1031 crore respectively are part of Corridors 1 and 2 of the Chennai Metro project and connect Washermenpet to Egmore and Shenoy Nagar to Thiurmangalam stations respectively. With five underground stations in UAA01 and four in UAA05, the lengths of the two tunnels to be bored with TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) are 5.5 km. and 3.1 km. respectively.These projects are part of the tenders floated by the Chennai Metro Rail Limited for design and construction of underground stations and associated tunnels, covering a total length of 8.6 km. and nine underground stations. The construction work commenced

Afcons Bags Rs 2598 Cr Chennai Metro Project

since mid-February 2011 and slated to be completed by April, 2015.

Mr. Ramakrishna V Ramanan, Director Transportation, Afcons Infrastructure Limited, said, “We are very happy to be associated with the Chennai Metro Rail project. The bagging of the project has given us yet another opportunity to showcase our diverse skills and engineering expertise in executing critical infrastructure projects towards the development of the nation,such as this.”“We have been one of the key partners in the construction of the Delhi Metro, having executed seven jobs for them. Similarly, we are currently engaged in boring

In an integrated joint-venture with the Russian giant Transtonnelstroy Limited, AFCONS Infrastructure Limited, a group company of Shapoorji Pallonji, has successively secured two landmark metro projects in Chennai, amounting to Rs 2598 crore.

the first underwater metro tunnel below the river Hoogly in Kolkata for the Kolkata Metro. We are proud and privileged now to have such an important association with the Chennai Metro,” the director added.The Chennai Metro project is a rapid transit rail system which is to be implemented in a phased manner. Phase 1 consists of two corridors: Corridor 1 which stretches between Tiruvottiyur and Chennai Airport; and Corridor 2 that connects Chennai Central to St. Thomas Mount. About 55% of the corridors in Phase 1 are underground and the remaining portion (45%) elevated.

— Afcon Team

AFCONS will construct two

sections of the Chennai Metro — all

underground!

distinguished senior faculty members of leading management institutes and universities; Presentation of works in the field of supply chain management by more than 85 authors, representing both academia and industry as also international participation.

It is a matter of great pride for SPCL that a paper authored by Mr. S. Lakshmi Naaraayanan – GET (Civil), Delhi Region, was selected for presentation. His paper identified major barriers to the implementation of SCM and the key factors involved in effective supply chain management relationships between contractors, suppliers and clients at the Jaypee Greens Motor Race Track

site. These detailed studies allowed him to suggest an optimisation technique which would produce cost benefits with regard to supply chains ranging from 10% – 12%, He suggested that a SCM ought to be made a strategic function as the total benefit would be substantial considering the materials form 35-40% of any construction progress.

Currently, he is working on other areas of cost improvisation, namely formwork optimisation, risk management and mitigation, improved time-cost-quality tradeoff for construction project scheduling, green supply chains and ‘Greening for Profit’. During his entire study, he received immense support from

happenings

With inputs from

S. Lakshmi Naaraayanan,

Delhi

25

Fort Mahuli - the challenge

Your Space

Trekkers’ makeshift kitchen and bedroom at a Zilla Parishad school

Trekking demands mental strength and physical stamina. You also need to adjust to unforeseen situations.

Mental strength and body balance: some of the challenges of a trek

Running parallel to the coastline and stretching across the states of

Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala for almost 1600 km, the Sahyadri Mountains abound with lush greenery, an assortment of wildlife and of course the mystic hills that offer the perfect getaway for the holiday maker as well as the thrill seeker. A paradise for adventure sports buffs, these mountains come with their own challenges, thrills and pleasures; especially for trekkers.

To prepare oneself for a trek is a challenge in itself. Trekking requires physical fitness, mental toughness, and, more importantly, the ability to adapt to unknown surroundings and circumstances. Treks bring a lot of unforeseen situations where decisions have to be taken on the spot and executed without delay or hesitation. A trek is also like an inimitable exercise in team building, where all the team members have to help and support each other to reach the pinnacle, and in the meanwhile, be responsible for each other’s safety.

Speaking of the rigours of climbing a mountain, while going

uphill requires physical strength and stamina, the descent requires mental strength and body balance. It is not easy to walk down a narrow ridge with deep valleys on both sides! Ascending a rock patch is even tougher, as one mistake could cause serious injuries. It is like actually experiencing the quote of a famous advertisement: “Dar sabhi ko lagta hain, gala sabhi ka sukhta hai.” It is through adequate safety

measures and teamwork that one achieves the tough target.

Trekking is all about taking the unknown in your stride and adjusting to unforeseen situations. One has to do without the creature comforts one is used to and graciously accept what is available, be it sleeping in the precincts of a temple or on the veranda of a Zilla Parishad run school or eating khichdi or plain bread and butter.

A trek also offers a glimpse of the other side of humanity. It is not unusual to see villagers go out of their way to help and support a band of trekkers. Without hesitation, they share their drinking water — a precious commodity in rural Maharashtra, given the fact that people have to walk for 2 - 3 km. to fetch potable water. Villagers invariably also prove to be very good guides, and trekkers gladly utilise their knowledge and expertise for trekking.

Lastly, trekking is an achievement. Reaching the pinnacle and then making it back to the safety of home, fills one with a great sense of accomplishment and triumph.

— Shreekrishna Joshi, SP H.O.

Rendezvous avec Sahyadri

Magazines of some SP group companies

You can contact editorial team at we@shapoorji.comin case you are interested in recieving them

Disclaimer: We@SP is for private circulation only. The views and opinions expressed or implied herein are of the contributors and may not necessarily reflect those of SPCL. Material in this publication should not be reproduced, in part or in whole, without the

consent of the editorial team.

APRIL-JUNE 2011

SHAPOORJI PALLONJI CORPORATE MAGAZINE

JANUARY-MARCH 2011 VOLUME 13 1SSUE 1

India's 1stFormula1 RaceTrack at Delhi

with Annual Day celebrations and Socials across SPCL

Shapoorji Pallonji Races

Welcoming