Sapoorji Pallonji

APRIL - JUNE 2010

Shapoorji Pallonji Corporate Magazine

We@We@

Launch of ALDEP

Congratulating Mr. Saini

Your Space

Down memory lane with Mr. V. P. Puranik

New Section

VOLUME - 12, ISSUE 2

Editorial

The trouble with weather forecasting is that it's right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it. But finally the rainbows have started apologizing for angry skies and the rain is in. The rains are as if life itself is living. In India, the rainy season is a welcome period and there is no association here of rains with loneliness and depression. In fact it is a time of joy. It is like a release from the oppressive heat that confounds the very mind body and soul.

During this monsoon season, this issue presents to you an update on projects like Lulu International Shopping Mall at Kerala and Continuous Casting Plant Project, West Bengal. The issue not only celebrates felicitation of our chairman, Mr Pallonji Mistry at World Zoroastrian Congress Dubai but also on behalf of all SP-ites, congratulate Mr M.D.Saini and Mr V.P.Puranik, for their long association with the company and addition of enormous value.

nd For the 2 consecutive year, The Imperial is awarded at the “Asia Pacific Property Awards”. Following the belief that all awards and recognition are because of the teams working on

the projects, SP has launched ALDEP, it's very first leadership development program. This issue not only talks about the forum established at SP Group for sharing best practices among group companies and our active participation during Indo-African Conclave but also happenings like meditation session at Hyderabad, inauguration of food court at SP Infocity (Pune), EPL Trophy won by SPCL- Blue, Aurangabad etc. On the occasion of World Environment

thDay (5 June), we have also discussed the ominous implication of climate change.

In this issue we have introduced a new section called “Your Space”. This is literally your space as we will be featuring contributions from you in this section. The content featured in this section will be more of a general nature and not necessarily related to work.

We hope you will enjoy reading We@SP and keep contributing at [email protected].

- Editorial Team.

New Projects

• Civil and Structural works for Power Distribution SystemRequisitioner at Jamshedpur for Tata Steel

• Construction of Phase II of Deenanath Mangeshkar SuperSpeciality Hospital at Pune for Lata Mangeshkar MedicalFoundation

• Civil and Structural works of Thermal Power Plant atDistrict Angul, Orissa for Jindal India Thermal Power Limited

• Civil works for Residential and Commercial Developmentat New Town, Rajarhat, Kolkata for Tata HousingDevelopment Co. Ltd.

• Flooring works at Synergy Park SEZ, Phase II atGachibowli, Hyderabad for CMC Limited & TCS Ltd.

• Construction of Substation and Control Room Building forDHT Project at Visakh Refinery Visakhapatnam, AP for HPCL

• Construction of Non Plant Building at proposed EnnoreTerminal Project, Chennai for HPCL

• Civil Works for Tablet Production Facility & Office Block atYelahanka, Bangalore for AstraZeneca Pharma India Ltd.

• Construction of The METROZONE, Chennai for OzoneProjects Pvt. Ltd.

• Civil and Structural Works for installation of BoardMachine, Turbo Generator and Construction of Towers &Security Barracks at Bhadrachalam, Andhra Pradesh forITC Paper Boards & Specialty Papers Division

• Civil works of Power Plant at Kashipur, Uttrakhand forSravanthi Infratech Pvt. Ltd.

• Painting & Kota Repair works at MIDC Shendra,Aurangabad for Wockhardt Infrastructure Development Ltd.

• Construction of factory building consisting of Coal FiredThermic Fluid Heater at Mundegaon, Nashik for Jindal PolyFilms Ltd.

• Construction of AFHNB Housing Complex at Coimbatorefor Air Force Naval Housing Board

• Fabrication and Erection of Structural Steel at NTPLThermal Power Plant, Tuticorin, Tamilanadu for BHEL

• Civil Work for Raw Material Handling System of Zone-I ,3MTPA Expansion Project at Jamshedpur for Tata Steel Ltd.

• Civil Construction, Land Development & RoadConstruction for Proposed Optical Fiber Plant at ShendraSEZ, Aurangabad for Sterlite Infra-Tech. Ltd.

• Civil & Structural Works for BWSSB's Water TreatmentPlant at T. K. Halli near Bangalore for Degremont Ltd.

• Supply, Installation, Testing & Commissioning of PHEWorks at Synergy Park SEZ, Phase 2 for CMC Limited /TCS Limited, Gachibowli, Hyderabad

• Civil & Structural works for River Pump HouseRequisitioner at Jamshedpur for Tata Steel01

Main Feature

Lulu International Shopping Mall And Star Hotel, Kochi

Lulu International Shopping Mall,biggest shopping malls, is promoted by the UAE based EMKE Group. The US$ 2.6 billion group, which runs more than 77 hypermarkets, is one of the biggest Indian-owned conglomerates in the Gulf and enjoys over 32% of the total retail market share in the GCC.

The Mall is strategically located at the intersection of three highways at Edapally, Kochi. Spread across 17 acres of prime land, the facility also boasts of a 17 storey - 315 Room luxury hotel under the Marriott brand name, adjacent to the Mall. With a total investment of Rs. 1,500 crores, the Mall will be one of the biggest landmarks in Kerala.

The development also includes a nine-screen multiplex, a family amusement centre with an ice skating rink and bowling alley, a 50,000 sq.ft. food court with 18 outlets and coffee shops, six restaurants, helipad and a multi-level car park (MLCP) with a capacity of 3,000 vehicles.

set to be one of India's

SPCL's Scope

SPCL's scope includes civil, structural, architectural finishing and fit out works, structural steel, external finishes including cladding, ACP and structural glazing, roads, external PHE & services like electrical, HVAC, plumbing, DG, CCTV, access control, fire protection and equipment, telephony, data network, etc. for the shopping mall, hotel and the MLCP.

Salient Features

Commencement Date : June 1, 2008Expected Completion Date : Dec 29, 2010SPCL's Contract Value : Rs.415 Crores (including

client supplied items)Total Built-up Area : 20,00,000 sft. (G+3

Shopping Mall) (G+17 – Hotel Building) (LB+B+GF – MLCP)

Peak Labour Strength : 1,500 per dayPeak Staff Strength : 110

W. S. Atkins India Pvt. Ltd., Bangalorealso the Structural and MEP Consultant for the Project.

SPCL mobilised all the plant and machinery, formwork and supervisory personnel in a major way for the Project to achieve the demanding construction programme. There were several challenges faced during construction, including local labour union issues, heavy monsoon showers, non-availability of river sand, and difficulties in mobilising migrant labour.

is the Architect and

Artist's Impression of the entire complex.

02

Quantities of Major Items

Civil, Structural & Finishing Works:

Earthworks : 85,000 cu.m.Concreting : 1,02,000 cu.m.Structural Steel : 654 MTPlastering Works : 2,50,000 sq.m.Tiling Works : 63,300 sq.m.Formwork : 3,84,000 sq.m.Reinforcement : 13,500 MTStructural Glazing : 6,000 sq.m.Painting Works : 2,40,000 sq.m.

Artist's Impression of the Hotel.

03

Conclusion

The Lulu Project was awarded to SPCL in mid-2008 and

since then SPCL has bagged other projects of Lulu such as

Lulu Flight Kitchen, Lulu Airport Hotel.

With the scheduled completion of the Lulu International

Shopping Mall in December 2010, SPCL will further

establish its credentials as a strong construction contracting

entity operating in the challenging business environment of

Kerala.

- Rohit Santhosh, Bangalore.

MEP Works:

Chillers 900 TR : 04 Nos.

Cooling Towers : 07 Nos.

Transformers (2,000kVA) : 08 Nos

HT Panels : 03 Nos.

Metering Panels : 40 Nos.

Escalators : 23 Nos.

Elevators : 18 Nos

Chillers 280 TR : 03 Nos..

AHUs : 30 Nos.

DG Sets (1,500 kVA) : 06 Nos.

LV Panels : 04 Nos.

Main Distribution Boards : 10 Nos.

Travelletors : 02 Nos

View of Shed. 04

Continuous Casting Plant Project–An Eventful Journey from Precipice to Success.

In its approach paper for Corporate Plan 2011 – 2012, the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP), had envisaged a rise in its production potential from the present 2.2 MTPA of hot metal to 4.2 MTPA. The Structural Work for Continuous Casting Plant (CCP) Complex at SMS-II is a part of the ambitious plan. SPCL bagged the order for Fabrication and erection for the said Structural Work through its EPC-Project Division and its execution was assigned to the Kolkata RO in May – June 2009.

The Project features are as follows:

Name of the Project Structural Work for CCPComplex at SMS-II

Type of Contract Item Rate ContractClient SAIL (RSP)Consultant MECONProject duration 18 monthsProject Value Rs.149.04 CroresContractual date of August 11, 2008commencementContractual date of February 10, 2010CompletionExtended Date of June 30, 2010Completion

The CCP Project entailed fabrication and erection of heavy structural steel of more than10,000 MT. This included 2800 MT of columns, parts of which weigh 35 MT each, and Crane Girder parts having self-weight varying from 11MT to 66MT. The quantum of fabrication and erection of structural steel work would be gauged from the quantities of individual items as shown below:

No. Description Quantities01 Columns 2,900 MT02 Crane Girders 1,475 MT03 Structures (Rolled)

a) Bracings, ladders, truss etc 4,615 MTb) Purlins, Runners, Monitors 1,425 MT

Total 10,415 MT

To execute this mammoth task, a fabrication yard was established at Kalunga, Rourkela in May 2009. The Yard is equipped with weigh bridge, DG sets, adequate material handling and welding equipments. The first lot of fabricated structure was despatched to the erection site in June 2009. By the end of May 2010, 8,000 MT of fabrication was completed with available drawings of 8,900 MT.

The equipment at the fabrication yard and erection site include:

01 25MT Gantry 1 No.02 75MT Crawler Crane 4 No.03 150MT Crawler Crane 1 No.04 12MT Hydra Crane 3 No.05 40MT Telescopic TM Crane 1 No.06 Diesel Generator (250 KVA) 2 No.07 Welding Equipments 40 No.08 60T Weigh Bridge 1 No.

There were several problems at the outset of the project, relating to release of drawings, approvals, availability of SAIL steel and delayed release of work fronts. However, SPCL made an all out effort with proactive and innovative project management and mobilisation of additional resources to make up for the lost time. Today, the project is well on track, with several lessons learnt.

- Aseem Sharma, Kolkata.

and EPC - were launched in this period and he also took the

company overseas to Afghanistan, Mauritius, Guyana and

Ghana. It was only logical that he became the MD and CEO of

Shapoorji Pallonji International in Dubai, where he is based

currently, in addition to being in charge of domestic operations

in India. Besides UAE, he is also overseeing projects in Libya

and Doha.

Mr. Saini is a pioneer, who with his expertise, took our

company into many new territories be it domestic or

international. He brought in a new focus on planning and cost

control and strengthened our systems in these areas. He also

gave a thrust to Business Development and placed Customer

Relationships at the top of our operations. He has had a

remarkable impact on the company and the people who have

worked with him in the past 25 years.

We wish him all success in the future.

- Mukesh Rao, SP HO.

Heartiest congratulations to our CEO, Mr. M.D. Saini, on

completing 25 years in Shapoorji Pallonji. Mr. Cyrus Mistry

along with other senior members of the management

presented a bouquet to Mr. Saini and congratulated him on this

momentous occasion.

Mr. Saini joined us on 7th May, 1985 and handled the Tata

Steel projects in Jamshedpur at a difficult time when the

Jharkhand agitation was at its peak. In 1993, he took charge of

the MRPL Refinery project - a prestigious and very challenging

industrial job in Mangalore which was SPCL's single largest

value contract at that time and also our first foray in the

Hydrocarbon sector. He then started the Bangalore Region in

1996 and had made it the largest region in the country by

turnover and profitability and then he shifted to Head Office as

Director (Operations) in 2001.

In Mumbai, Mr. Saini oversaw a major expansion of the

company's operations. Three new regions - Hyderabad,

Chennai and Ahmedabad, and two divisions - Design & Build

Happenings

Congratulations, Mr. Saini

05

ndMr. Saini (2 from right) with Mr. Cyrus Mistry & other senior management members.

06

The Imperial Wins 3 More!

• Best Interior Design : 5BHK Duplex - 10,105 sq ft • Best Apartment Layout : 5BHK - 3,810 sq ft • Best Apartment Layout : 4 BHK Duplex - 4,390 sq ft

This honour has been bestowed upon The Imperial again after its own record of winning 7 awards at the 2009 Asia Pacific Property Awards. It was the first time in the history of these prestigious awards that 7 awards were presented to one single development in the same year.

The Imperial is now opening its doors to its esteemed residents after receiving the Occupation Certificate (OC). At a towering 827 feet above mean sea level, The Imperial is India's tallest building and has also come to be seen as a symbol that is redefining the Mumbai skyline.

- Rahul Sunkersett, The Imperial.

The Imperial has done it again!Property Awards' in the year 2010. This is the second consecutive year that The Imperial has won these prestigious awards.

The Imperial had applied in 3 categories and won all 3 awards. These awards were presented by 'International Property Awards (UK)' at a plush award ceremony held in Hong Kong. Mr. Kekoo Colah – CEO, SP Real Estate, Mr.Rayomand Dastur – Sr. V.P. Sales & Marketing, SP Real Estate, Mr. Suleman Budhwani – V.P. Business Development, SD Corporation and Ms. Maya Meshram from the marketing team of The Imperial were present to receive the awards.

This year The Imperial has been aptly knighted the 'Best Residential Building in India' in the following categories:

It has won 3 more 'Asia Pacific

The Imperial team at the award function (left to right) -Mr. Suleman Budhwani, Mr. Kekoo Colah, Ms. Maya Meshram & Mr. Rayomand Dastur.

Our Chairman, Mr. Pallonji Mistry receiving a memento from His Highness Sheikh Hasher Juma Al Maktourn, Director ofinformation, Government of Dubai, on December 29, 2009, on the occasion of the 9th World Zoroastrian Congress held in Dubai.

Mr. Pallonji Mistry felicitated at World Zoroastrian Congress, Dubai.

07

Engineers of Civil, Mechanical and Electrical streams from the

GET batches of 2007 and 2008 to participate in the ALDEP

Entrance Examination. There were 150 aspirants who

competed in the entrance examination. The entrance

examination was a two-stage process; Stage I comprising of a

Written Test and a Group Discussion, Stage II comprising of a

Simulation Game followed by two rounds of Panel Interviews.

Only 39 Young Leaders who could clear the stringent selection

process have joined the 1st Batch of ALDEP, 2010. These

Young Leaders who participated in the inaugural program of

ALDEP 2010 at Khandala, now look forward to the challenging

and exciting times ahead in the coming four years, packed with

a pedagogy involving case-study, action learning, task-force

and project-based learning.

We wish them a great future with SPCL!

The list of 39 Young Leaders is given on the following page.

ALDEP, SP's very first in-house Leadership Development

program was launched on the evening of 15th June, 2010, at

the Dukes Retreat, Khandala. The formal launch was marked

by the traditional lamp lighting by our Managing Director, Mr.

Cyrus Mistry. He later addressed the successful participants

and shared his vision for SPCL and also the SP Group.

Mr. Mistry expressed hope that ALDEP would soon become

the industry benchmark for any leadership program. The

formal launch was preceded by an inspirational film on ALDEP,

which witnessed huge cheering by the audience. All the

ALDEPers also took a pledge to abide by the SP Values.

Besides the formal launch, the inaugural program of ALDEP

included a high-energy two and a half-days workshop on

Empowered Leadership and a half-days workshop on SP

Corporate Values & Culture.

As a first step towards identifying the Young Leaders for ALDEP

2010, we had invited applications from all the Graduate

Launch of

The ALDEPers taking the pledge.

Mr. Cyrus Mistry lighting the inaugural lamp. The program in progress.

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Name Region StreamPratibha Singh Ahmedabad CivilSaurabh Bansal Ahmedabad CivilRavindra Bangalore CivilRaveendra G.N. Bangalore CivilPranay Reddy B Bangalore CivilKarthik Nair Bangalore CivilArjun Vyas Chennai CivilShivin V S Chennai CivilAdeep Jacob Chennai CivilAbhishek Sharma Delhi CivilTandon Yash Delhi CivilDeepak Kumar Mittal Delhi ElectricalTanik Kumar Batwara Delhi ElectricalJitendra Singh Delhi MechanicalMohit Malani Delhi ProductionAmit Kumar Jain EPC CivilAbhijeet Nandi EPC Industrial Upananda Rath Hyderabad CivilAnil Kumar Singhdeo Hyderabad CivilTavneet Bhalla Hyderabad CivilSrinadh Kandada Hyderabad CivilVijaya Saradhi Kodali Hyderabad CivilSanku Konai Kolkata CivilSandeep Kumar Kolkata CivilAnupam Mandal Kolkata CivilMahadev Mahato Kolkata CivilPuspak Gupta Kolkata CivilAnshul Turkar Mumbai CivilShrikant M Mumbai CivilMehul Vivek Kate Pune CivilRohit Abhaykumar Jain Pune CivilSonia Chimote Pune CivilKiran Bharamshetti Pune CivilKshirsagar Ajinkya Pune CivilShashank Dhamane Pune CivilJagriti Ramesh Singh Pune CivilLarry Cooper Banks RE-Kolkata ElectricalShedbale Abhijeet SP Centre CivilSayak Banerjee SP Centre Civil

The1st Batch of ALDEP.

The ALDEPers.

- Sohan Mohanty, SP HO.

09

The first presentation was by Mr. Bhupendra Sharma of Nxtlyf, a management consulting firm. Mr. Bhupendra cautioned the companies against blindly copying practices from elsewhere. This would introduce decadence in the organization. What is required is adaptability and innovation. He gave the case studies of Disney Entertainment, Arvind Eye Hospital and Circus Soleil who accomplished spectacular results by being creative, ingenious and adapting to the requirements.

In the next presentation, Mr. Mathi, National Sales Head of Eureka Forbes Ltd. (EFL), outlined the growth of the company. Pioneers in Direct Retail, the Customer Sales Specialist (Sales Representative) is the lynchpin - the man who makes the door-to-door sale. In EFL, he is called a “Eurochamp” who is a “Friend for Life” to his customer. EFL retains talent and builds leadership through the 4 pillars of Earning, Learning, Pride and Fun. Performance is rewarded through generous incentives and membership in elite company circles. EFL is a “people company” with a “buddy scheme” to nurture new recruits, “Leader Coach” to train and develop “Eurochamps” and a

The first Shapoorji Pallonji Practice Sharing Forum was held on 16th April, 2010 at SRCC Centre for Child Development, Mumbai. This initiative, planned to be held every quarter, was launched by Group Centre with the objective of sharing the practices which have been successful with all Group companies. The theme of the first forum was to share practices in the area of Knowledge Management and Human Resources practices. The hall was packed with executives from all the Group companies – SPCL, SPRE, SP Fab, SPCMG, AFCONS, Sterling & Wilson, Eureka Forbes, Forbes, Next Gen and SP Infra.

Mr. Vasant Sanzgiri, Group Head - Human Resources, welcomed the gathering. Mr. Cyrus Mistry, Managing Director, in his opening address said that Group practices were “the fabric that bind us together”. He stated that the Group had “aspirations requiring tremendous abilities and scalability and capability building need to be tackled”. One way to achieve this is by adopting the relevant practices that have worked for other companies in the Group.

Group Practice Sharing Forum

·Mr. Subodh Dixit, SPCL & Ms. Bhakti Prasad, AFCONS at the event.

Mr. Vasant Sanzgiri welcoming the gathering.

Mr. Cyrus Mistry presenting a bouquet to Mr. Bhupendra Sharma.

The attendees of the forum.

10

understand the minds of their people. Mr. Khurshed Daruvala, the Managing Director, added that the primary reason for the low rate of attrition at Sterling & Wilson was empowerment of managers at the Regional Level.

The session concluded with a presentation on “Learning and Development Practices” in AFCONS by Ms. Bhakti Prasad, Head - Human Resources. AFCONS' mission is “Total Satisfaction for all Stakeholders” which was communicated around the company. A key practice for Total Satisfaction was Learning and Development. The Learning process comprised Domain, Functional and Behavioural training. The introduction of 'Classroom on site' during 2009-10 almost doubled the average training man-days/employee in 2009-10.

The next Forum is scheduled in July and the theme for it would be “Finance and IT”.

-Vasant Sanzgiri, Group Center & Mukesh Rao, SP HO.

mentoring programme for high potential leaders. Training is mandatory for upgradation / promotion.

Ms. Shubha from EFL spoke about the highly acclaimed Knowledge Management (KM) initiative in Eureka Forbes. The KM portal “Euroshare” was created in 2001 to capture the learning in the 18 Strategic Business Units. The results were impressive. KM added Rs. 9.2 crores to the revenue apart from uncovering hidden talent and leaders. The world also took notice. The KM initiative at EFL was the subject of a case study at IIM, Ahmedabad and won several MAKE (Most Admired Knowledge Enterprise) awards.

Mr. Mohan Singh and Mr. Basavaraj spoke about the HR challenges in Sterling & Wilson in the face of rapid expansion. The head count of the company has grown from 500 to 2031 and turnover from Rs. 190 crores to Rs. 1500 crores in a short period of 4 years. Various divisions had different challenges and the biggest was attracting and retaining talent. An Employee Satisfaction Survey was conducted in October 2008 to

SPCL Awarded Valuable Business Associate by TATA BP Solar India Ltd.

Tata BP Solar India Ltd., the joint venture between BP Solar and Tata Power, awarded SPCL the “Valuable Business Associate” memento at the lavish inauguration ceremony of their 32 MW Solar Cell Plant at Tata BP Solar, Electronics City, Bangalore on 28th April, 2010. The memento was presented by Mr. Adi Engineer, Chairman, Tata BP Solar to Mr. T.R. Mallikarjuna, Vice President – Bangalore region.

·Mr. Adi Engineer presenting memento to Mr. T. R. Mallikarjuna. The TATA BP Solar site.

Tata BP Solar India Ltd. is a 51:49 JV between BP Solar and Tata

Power. Formed in 1989 with commercial operations

beginning in 1991, the Company manufactures low-crystalline

silicon cells and solar modules used to generate electricity from

sunlight. Having touched a total cell capacity of 84 MW and

module capacity of 125 MW, Tata BP Solar's manufacturing

facilities for Solar Photovoltaic and Solar Thermal Products are

the largest of their kind in the country.

SPCL's association with Tata BP Solar started in October 2000

when it was awarded the construction works for their New

Manufacturing Facility for Photovoltaic Cells in Electronics City,

Bangalore. Subsequently, SPCL was entrusted with the

construction works for 5 more phases of expansion projects

within the same premises from January 2003 to September

2008.

M/s C.R. Narayana Rao, Chennai were the Architects &

Consultants for the project.

The highlight of the project was Tata BP Solar's HSSE System

that required rigorous work permit systems, deployment of

trained construction workmen, mechanised operations and

exceptionally high site safety standards to be followed and

implemented by SPCL.

These projects with Tata BP Solar have given SPCL an

opportunity to showcase its ability to match international safety

standards in construction and in the process maintain it's

position as Tata BP Solar's first choice for all their major

construction requirements.

- Rohit Santhosh, Bangalore.

11

Mr. Joerg Meyer (sitting, 4th from left) with the students of Batch 4 & school staff.

Mr. Kalpanath Banerjee presenting cheque to Mr. Rambhu Kumar from Pune Region for standing 2nd in Finishes Stream.

The fourth batch of upgraded supervisors completed their

course at the Supervisor Training Center, Kolkata. The 10 thweek course commenced on 12 April, 2010 and was

thcompleted on 19 June, 2010. A total of 21 supervisors from

all regions participated in the training in two streams-

Formwork/ Steel Fixing and Finishes.

Supervisor Upgradation Course - Batch 4

The toppers were Mr. Nagarajan (Bangalore) in the Finishing

stream and Mr. Shyamsundar Sahu (Hyderabad) in the

Formwork / Steel Fixing stream. Mr. Rambhu Kumar (Pune)

and Mr. Anup Kumar Chattopadyay (Kolkata) stood second

respectively.

With this batch, 84 supervisors have been upgraded in the

institute. Since its inception 2 years ago, the Supervisor

Training Centre has trained more than 150 supervisors for

various regions of SPCL.

- Col. Alok Mukherjee, STC, Kolkata.

thIn the passing out ceremony held at the school on 19 June,

2010, Mr. Kalpanath Banerjee (VP, Kolkata Region) was the

chief guest and presented cheques of Rs. 3000/- each to the

toppers and Rs. 1500/- each to the second rank holders. It is

anticipated that these incentives will inculcate a spirit of

competition amongst the Trainees.

12

Indo-African Conclave

scale up India-Africa trade up to US$ 70 billion in the course of

the next five years. (World Reflections May '10 issue, covering

the Indo-African Conclave).

The whole show was coordinated by Mr. N. Balasubramanian

of Forbes and Mr. Rohit Sinha of Shapoorji Pallonji.

WHY AFRICA ?

Take a look at the scope offered by Africa for Indian companies:

Profit margins compare favourably against developing

countries, making African countries an attractive destination. A

fact made quite obvious by the huge interest evinced by China

over the last few years. Although the level of competition at

present is not that fierce, the scene is changing fast, as

governments are increasingly offering attractive incentives for

their business groups to make forays in to Africa.

And, why not? There are 53 countries in the continent

accounting for almost 15% of the world's population. Add to

that, a growing middle class – making Africa an ideal target

market for SP Real Estate and Eureka Forbes Ltd.

As for Mineral resources, Africa hosts 90% of world's Cobalt,

50% of all Gold reserves, 98% of Chromium, 70% of

Tantalite, 64% of Manganese and 34% of Uranium, providing

a huge opportunity for mining operations. Coal mining has big

potential in the Continent.

The agricultural potential too is tremendous, with scope for

cultivation of cotton, tea, coffee, cocoa, sugarcane and

floriculture. Our Group has already forayed into Agriculture

and pongamia (for bio-diesel) having taken 50,000 ha of arable

land in Ethiopia, recently, on long term lease.

Of the US$ 5 billion soft lines of credit being offered by India

over a period of five years, for sub Saharan Africa, more than

US$ 1 billion has been disbursed.

Shapoorji Pallonji has already constructed several landmark

projects in the African continent – the Seat of Government in

Accra being the most recent (2008-09). Earlier projects

include the Ebene Cybercity, in Mauritius – adjudged the

world's “Most Intelligent Building” in 2005 - and Les Pailles

Convention Centre, also in Mauritius. Shapoorji Pallonji has

recently secured the order for building the new National

Assembly in the Republic of the Gambia.

Afcons too, has done sterling projects in the Continent – two

berths in Mauritius and a port in Madagascar. Earlier, Afcons

had also constructed a part of Port Assab, now in Eritrea.

- Rohit Sinha, SP HO.

India and Africa have always enjoyed the best of political

relations; Indian businessmen and traders have settled in

different parts of Africa and have been contributing to the

growth of their adopted countries. In the recent past, Indian

companies have been taking a keen interest in the scope for

business offered by the African continent, especially the

mineral rich sub Saharan Africa. CII has been hosting annual

Indo-African Conclaves to promote business partnerships

with Africa.

The Shapoorji Pallonji Group of Companies made its presence

felt at the 6th CII – EXIM Indo-African Conclave, held in New

Delhi, from 14th to 16th March, 2010.

About 1000 participants from 34 countries avidly networked

and sought potential business alliances from several industrial

groups who had showcased their capabilities and expertise.

We took two stalls representing the entire spectrum of our

project expertise, products and services.

H.E. Mr. John Dramani Mahama, Vice President of Ghana,

inaugurated the SP Group stall.

There was a tremendous response from the African countries.

Delegates who visited our stall included, the Vice President of

Ghana, Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms. Hannah Tetteh,

Prime Minister of Togo, and Ministers from Senegal, Malawi, to

name a few. All the Honorary Indian Consul Generals to

African countries not only visited our stall but were also given a

private presentation on the SP Group's potential. Key

Government of India officials including the top brass of the

Ministry of External Affairs attended the conference.

Mr. S. Kuppuswamy, Advisor - Group Finance & Special

Projects, Shapoorji Pallonji, chaired a session on “Going Green

Construction”. Mr. S. Paramasivan of Afcons, made a

presentation on “A Robust Infrastructure for Africa's Future”.

Mr. Sanjay Sainani, President & CEO (Intl. Operations),

Sterling & Wilson Middle East Electromechanical LLC, made a

presentation on Sterling & Wilson's capabilities in the area of

Rural Electrification.

Mr. Ashok Barat, Mr. S. P. Bagli, Mr. B. K. Arora, Mr. Rajveer

Dulgach, Mr. Prasanna Sarambale, Mr. Farhad Hormazdi, Mr.

Vinod Sao, Mr. Sandeep Bhatia and Mr. Prashant Rahmane also

attended the Conclave.

Forbes Technosys and Eureka Forbes made quite an impact

with their innovative products, like a solar powered ATM and a

water purifier that works without electricity.

All in all, the Conclave served as a major opportunity for the

Indian Government and Industry to explore new avenues to

13

Meditation Session at Hyderabad Region

Sister Sheela, Co-ordinator of Brahma Kumaris, conducted the session. It was a privilege to have her as she is usually known to conduct exclusive sessions for IAS officers and ministers. Sister Kuldeep, the Director, explained the process of meditation and positive thinking.

Unanimously, the attendants were convinced that 'Meditation is better than Medication'.

- Aziz Tayyaba, Hyderabad.

A healthy mind and body leads to healthy structures and increase in productivity. It gives us peace of mind and relaxation. Our endeavor has been to constantly create health consciousness and the spirit of team building amongst the SPCL family.

With this keen inspiration, a Meditation Session was organized thwith the support of Brahma Kumaris on 24 April, 2010 at

Shanti Sarovar, Hyderabad. 135 members of staff, families and clients attended the two and a half hour session. Being held on a Saturday evening, participants were more relaxed, to begin with. They enjoyed the experience of tranquility, and took home a happy frame of mind at the culmination of the session.

Inauguration of Food Court in the SEZ Premises at SP Infocity, Pune

The food court in the SEZ premises of SP Infocity, Pune was

officially inaugurated on 6th April, 2010. Mr Yogesh Agarwal,

Managing Director – Easioption BPO Services, one of the

esteemed clients at SP Infocity's SEZ cut the ribbon and

declared the food court open.

The food court is situated on the terrace and enjoys natural

ventilation. It is covered with an insulated roofing material and

is open on two sides which give it access from the other blocks

of the building as well. It is designated for exclusive use by the

employees of clients based in the SEZ premises only. Spread

over 18,000 sq ft, the seating area has a capacity of 850 seats.

350 seats have been commissioned in the initial phase along

with a holding kitchen area, dish and pot wash area and

washroom blocks. The balance areas will be commissioned

based on the building occupancy.

The food court currently operates from Monday to Friday and

serves breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks. Dinner is served

on request at present.

- Shailesh Korgaokar, SP Infocity, Pune.

Mr. Yogesh Agarwal inaugurating the foodcourt. The new foodcourt at SP Infocity, Pune.

14

Fun Tour for Underprivileged Children

Mrs. Usha Venkatesan and Mr. Surojit Basu at Nicco Park before the start of the tour.

Inside the park they thoroughly enjoyed the different rides. The joy on their faces was something to behold. Lunch was provided at one of the outlets at Nicco Park. The children departed – tired but very happy – at about 4 pm in the evening. The entire event was managed and organized by Mr. Sandeep Kumar and Mrs. Lipika Sen.

Post the event, Ms Shimanti Das said “We are touched by your humane attitude towards our deprived and poor children. This was the 1st summer camp the students participated in and enjoyed to their heart's content.”

- Lipika Sen, Kolkata.

The Shapoorji Pallonji Staff Recreation Club, Eastern Region, arranged a fun filled outing at Nicco Park in Kolkata, for the underprivileged children on 14th May, 2010. This was organized in line with the motto of the club to 'Serve Society'. The children who were taken out belonged to “Schools of the World”, located in Tollygunge. The principal of the school is Ms. Shimanti Das and the school is sponsored by Ana Velasco, President of AMAVIDA a social welfare organization. The children were picked up from their school by bus at 9.00 am and were welcomed by Mrs. Sushmita Banerjee and the office bearers of the club. All together there were around 40 children, accompanied by 10 teachers from the school and staff of SPCL. In order to promote learning amongst the children, they were provided with a school bags and pencil boxes. Breakfast was packed for them in a tiffin boxes specially bought for them. The gifts were distributed by

4.Blue Star 5.Voltas 6.Empire Warriors

The final was won by the SPCL Blue team from Aurangabad in Nashik Region.

- Rajaram Hiray, Nashik.

Empire Premier League (EPL) Cricket Tournament was held at thEmpire Mall, Aurangabad as a part of the 39 National Safety

Week Celebrations.

The tournament consisted six teams:1.SPCL Blue 2.SPCL Lemon 3.Empire Maratha

EPL Trophy Won by SPCL Blue Aurangabad, Nashik Region

Delhi GETs Participate in ET Brand Equity QuizTwo GETs from Delhi Region – G. Chockalingam and Sidram Kaudaki – represented Shapoorji Pallonji in The Economic Times Brand Equity Quiz held in Delhi on 8th May, 2010. Mr. Derek O'Brien (of Bournvita Quiz Contest and Times of Oman Quiz fame) was the quizmaster for this competition which ranks with Tata Crucible as India's most prestigious Business Quiz.They competed with quizzers from 47 other corporate teams including the likes of HSBC, ICICI, Airtel, NTPC, BPCL, Accenture and Citibank. They narrowly missed making it to the final six. However, they got a special mention from the quizmaster as Shapoorji Pallonji was the only team from the construction sector and they were amongst the youngest participants.We wish them all the success for next year's Brand Equity Quiz and hope that they make it to the Regional Finals!

- Rukhsana Haque.

The winning team.

G. Chockalingam & Sidram Kaudaki.

15

Climate Change

Climate change is a change in the statistical distribution of weather over periods of time that range from decades to millions of years. It can be a change in the average weather or a change in the distribution of weather events around an average. Climate change may be limited to a specific region, or may occur across the whole of the earth. In recent usage, especially in the context of environmental policy, climate change usually refers to changes in modern climate. It may be qualified as anthropogenic climate change, i.e. climate change due to activities of humankind, and is now generally known as global warming.

Climate change has a severe impact on life on earth. It drastically affects food cycles, rise in ocean levels resulting in inundation of low lying islands and coastal areas, changed patterns of rainfall affecting availability of water for consumption and agriculture, etc. Recent times have seen either severe rainfall causing havoc to agriculture and livestock, or severe drought which is as disastrous. The consequences are a threat to our very existence, or at least to life as we have known it ever since.

Pollution of the elementsAncient man regarded the elements of nature, air, fire, earth and water with great awe and, not understanding their various intensities and phenomena, worshipped them. The modern man has done all but revere them. By burning of fossil fuels, we have misused fire and polluted the very air

Towards Excellence

that we breathe, and have defiled the earth and water that sustain all forms of life.

The four cylinder internal combustion engine was perfected in the 1860s, and it was as early as 1896 that Svante Arrhenius predicted that fossil fuel combustion may eventually result in enhanced global warming. He found that the average surface temperature of the earth was about 15ºC because of the infrared absorption capacity of water vapour and carbon dioxide (CO ). This is called the natural 2

greenhouse effect. Doubling of the CO concentration 2

would lead to a 5ºC temperature rise. Such sustained global warming brings about significant climate change. His warnings went unheeded.

Carbon dioxideCO or for that matter, any greenhouse gas, causes warming 2

by absorbing some of the heat radiation coming off the earth's surface, and re-radiating it back downwards, instead of allowing the heat to escape into space. No doubt, all living animals including humans breathe out carbon in the form of CO . Apart from that, we are pouring more and 2

more CO into the atmosphere through several activities of 2

the contemporary age, including vehicle engines, jet engines, industries including steel plants, thermal power plants, etc..Vegetation, oceans and rocks all drain out the carbon from the atmosphere. These drains are slow and Nature's systems can no longer cope with the faster rate of carbon

16

belched into the atmosphere. As long as we pour in CO 2

faster than Nature can drain it out, planet Earth gets warmer. That extra carbon takes a long time to be absorbed by Nature's system. It is estimated that it would take vegetation, oceans and rocks hundreds of years to remove most of the CO that we pour in and thousands of years to remove it all.2

During the pre-industrial days, the CO level in the 2

atmosphere remained at around 271 parts per million (ppm). In 2008, the CO level was 385ppm. If the current 2

emission rates continue unabated, the CO level will surpass 2

450ppm by 2050. CO levels from old ice bubbles of 2

800,000 years age in Antarctica ice cores have been studied. The highest CO level of 229ppm was noted from ice 2

bubbles 333,000 years old.

Effect of deforestationFour-fifths of additional CO emission is from burning fossil 2

fuels. All the balance is due to deforestation and changes in land use. Trees and plants remove carbon (in the form of CO ) from the atmosphere during the process of 2

photosynthesis and release oxygen back into the atmosphere during normal respiration. Forests absorb vast quantities of CO which is converted into starch and other 2

organic matter. Thus, forests are considered as “carbon sinks”. If, by chance, there is a forest fire – a very common feature not only in tropical countries such as Indonesia, but also in North America, Europe and Australia. During such major devastating fires, a lot of this carbon is released into the air as the green house gas CO .2

Deforestation therefore increases the CO level. Large tracts 2

of coastal areas in India are covered with leafy mangroves, which help reduce CO levels. The value of mangroves is 2

realised and denudation of mangrove swamps is an offence.

Effect of climate change on flora and faunaDue to the erratic extremes of temperature, the rhythmic cycle followed by nature has, in recent times, been rather disturbed. Plants pollinate and form fruit at a time which does not coincide with the breeding season of birds. Insects tend to proliferate at a time when there is not enough vegetation to support them.

Due to global warming, birds and animals have started migrating further north in search of cooler climes. But where they go is not hospitable habitat for them, and natural foods may not be found here. Another instance is that of the polar bear. The polar bear is known to hibernate during the extreme cold winter of the Arctic, during which time all its fat reserves are used up. When they come out of hibernation, they go out hunting for fish on the frozen surface of the ocean. Using its body weight, it breaks the ice to reach out for its food. However, owing to global warming, the ice sheets have started melting rapidly, making it impossible for the bear to hunt for fish. The polar bear is already a threatened species; will this lead to its extinction?

The world's oceans gobble up carbon dioxide. Tiny algae called phytoplankton, nutrition for fish, take up carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. When phytoplankton die, their remains drift to the depths and decompose, a natural cycle that keeps carbon trapped on the seafloor for centuries. Warmer ocean waters absorb lesser CO . 2

Between 2000 and 2007, as emissions of the potent greenhouse gas carbon dioxide sky-rocketed, the amount of carbon absorbed by the oceans fell from 27 to 24 percent. This has resulted in loss of food for fish, resulting in diminishing fish harvests.

Other Greenhouse GasesCO is not the only greenhouse gas. In fact methane 2

(CH ) is the most powerful greenhouse gas, given off from 4

waste dumps, marshy grounds and anaerobic decomposition of organic matter. Methane is also given off by cattle, and India being an agricultural country, the ratio of people to cattle is 4:1.

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) have been used rampantly in the past in aerosols, but when it was found out that the CFCs broke down the ozone layer (which protects the Earth's surface from harmful radiations from the sun) leading to an ozone hole, its usage was banned.

Water vapour also acts as a greenhouse gas, but being naturally produced, it cannot be controlled.

ConclusionTo ensure a lesser impact on the climate system, it is essential to balance inflow and absorption of CO . This is 2

possible only through huge cuts in emissions from cars, power plants and factories. It is also necessary to bring about curbs on harmful activities such as uncontrolled denudation of forest lands, rampant removal of foliage such as mangroves in the guise of development, and release of harmful gases into the atmosphere such as methane and chlorofluorocarbons. It is high time that renewable sources of energy be increasingly used for power generation, such as nuclear, wind, solar, tidal and geo-thermal.

- S.P. Bagli, SP HO.

Picture Courtesy: National Geographic.

17

Two Simple Rules for A Successful Presentation

But the really interesting things to know about audience

members are:

• What do they fear?

• What are their dreams?

• Where do they want to be led?

• What have they had recent cause to like or dislike?

Only once you understand the emotional state of the audience

you are ready to begin to design a presentation for them. Far

too many speakers make the mistake of believing that one size

fits all. I have seen executives give the same speech about the

financial performance of the company to investors, to the

general public, and to employees - with very different results.

Rule Two: Tell Them One Thing, and One Thing Only

This is a difficult rule for most presenters to follow. But it's

essential. The oral genre is highly inefficient. We audience

members simply don't remember most of what we hear.

We're easily sidetracked, confused, and tricked. We get

distracted by everything from the color of the presenter's tie to

the person sitting in the next row to our own internal

monologues.

So you've got to keep it simple. Many studies show that we

only remember a small percentage of what we hear -

somewhere between 10 – 30 percent.

But when a speaker gets in front of an audience, the urge to tell

them everything you know is very hard to resist. Far too many

speakers perform a data dump on their audiences at the first

opportunity. Unfortunately, we can only hold 4 or 5 ideas in

our heads at one time, so as soon as you give audience a list of

more than 5 items, they are going to start forgetting things as

they hear them.

Against this dismal human truth there is only one defense:

focus your presentation on a single idea. Be ruthless. Write that

one idea down in one declarative sentence and paste it up on

your computer. Then eliminate everything, no matter how

beautiful a slide it's on, that doesn't support that idea.

Follow these two rules and you'll find that audience will

remember - and maybe even act on - your speeches. After all,

the only reason to give a speech is to make a difference and

change the world.

- Prabal Kansal, SP HO.

Most presentations don't turn out successful because the

presenter hasn't prepared well on two basic grounds. In fact,

these two classic errors are so crucial that I'm going to elevate

them to The Two Rules for Preparing a Successful

Presentation.

Rule One: Know The Audience

Presentations are about their audiences, not their speakers.

Before you write anything down, or commit anything to a

Power Point slide, you must give some thought to your

listeners. So ask yourself obvious - but easy to forget -

questions like:

• What time of day am I presenting at?

• How many people will be in the audience?

• Will they just have eaten, or will they be looking forward to a

meal?

• Will they have heard a number of other speeches, or is mine

the only one?

The answer to each of these questions should affect the length,

style and content of your presentation.

People have more energy and more ability to hear complex

ideas early in the day; later in the day their energy wears out

and they don't want to entertain as many new ideas. Larger

audiences demand more energy from the speaker and want to

laugh more than they want to cry. The worst audience (from

the speaker's point of view) is a tired, fed, slightly inebriated

audience. That audience needs President Reagan's rule for

after-dinner speeches: 12 minutes, a few jokes, and sit down

before the audience stands up.

18

Wide Angle

Down Memory Lane With Mr. V.P. Puranik

It is a matter of great pleasure and pride to know that

Mr. V. P. Puranik, Sr. Vice President (Nasik Region) recently

completed 46 years in the company. We spent more than

an hour with him in his office at Nasik and asked him to share

his experience with us. He speaks about the early days,

his growth in the company, working abroad, setting up a

region and running it successfully. Mr. Puranik also had several

words of advice for the young engineers. Here is Mr. Puranik

in his own words:

The Beginning (1964-69):

I joined Shapoorji Pallonji on the 4th of January, 1964.

Shapoorji Seth beckoned me to sit beside him and told me

“you start tomorrow. Do a good job and I will give you good

training in this company”. I started under Mr. R. K. Shah at the

TATA Colony, Andheri where I worked for a month on final

measurements and bills. In the next 4 months I went through

two running projects – BARC and Special Steels in Borivali – to

learn our systems. I was then sent to the location of Juhu Galli

where we were building 33 residential blocks (G+3) for New

India Insurance Company. I was told to clear the 7 feet high

grass and do the layout. A week later; my Project Chief – Mr. R.

K. Shah – said “you have done a good job. Now start executing

also. I am behind you and am there to help you but you are

Mr. V.P. Puranik, Sr. Vice President (Nashik Region).

doing this yourself”. Thus, commenced my voyage in

construction.

Working In The Sixties:

We had 5-6 “Ghutedars” (Gang Leaders). Each one of them

had 200-300 people mostly from Andhra Pradesh. They used

to work on “Rate” basis. Departmental work was done by

another Gang leader with 15-30 people. Departmental work

was very less and never done by the Rate basis contractors.

These were very loyal regular contractors working

continuously with us. In the sixties, we had great stalwarts like

Mr. Feroz Madan, Mr. Feroze Mistry, Mr. Bomanji Patuck and

Mr. Savaksha Daruwala. They were a great influence on me. I

also had to learn basic accounting on site. We went into the

smallest detail. If a fitter wasn't doing it right, you had to show

him how to bend steel into a ring properly.

The Transition Period (1969-1976):

In 1969, I was put on Taj Intercontinental. We had a race on

with another SP site – Oberoi Sheraton – to finish first. No

overhead crane or concrete pump was available. We devised

a pulley and managed a slab cycle time of 18 days. In 1972, the

Taj opened first sometime in August.

19

families. There is a very personal touch in my region. I have a

good team here. The boys have helped in building the region

with their hard work and efforts. Some of them like Asif

Memon, Kulkarni and Palwankar have got good positions.

On Managing Costs:

I have done around 90-100 projects in this region and not a

single one of them has lost money. Very close monitoring is

done for every project. We make sure no measurements are

missed out and all claims are up to date. And if you keep a

proper watch all malpractices will be non existent. I also

maintain a compact Regional office. My total office strength

here is 10-15 people.

On Customer Relationships:

Nasik Region has excellent relations with its clients and we

thrive on repeat orders. After we came to Nasik, MICO,

Mahindra & Mahindra, Jindals and Skoda, to name a few, have

not given any work to other contractors. We are always there

for them and would not do anything where the clients would

complain. Your client can complain only when progress is not

there, only when some willful negligence of their instructions

are taking place or something wrong is going on at the site. All

these things don't happen. My boys all understand that you

have to keep up relations with the clients.

And A Final Note :

It's been a long and very fruitful journey in SP. I was fortunate to

have the support and guidance of my mentors all along the

way. It started in 1964 when Shapoorji Seth asked me to sit

beside him and initiated me on the path to becoming a good

engineer. Pallonji Seth visited my sites, encouraged me and

gave all the good breaks. Mr. Firoz Mistry was the mentor who

really taught me everything in civil engineering. Mr. Shapoor

Mistry and Mr. Cyrus Mistry supported me and allowed me to

grow along with the company. I'm grateful to all of them. Many

people wonder about me having spent 40-45 years in a single

company. But, if you feel that you are a part of the company,

you will always spend your lifetime there. You will become a

pillar in the company.

- Editorial Team

Then, I was sent to Nasik for the prestigious MICO Bosch job.

It was tough and we had to deliver a Rs. 4 crore job (this was in

1972) project in 11 months. The concrete roads we built then

stand even today without a scratch. This was followed by

another challenging industrial project at Shahbad (Karnataka)

for AVB (ACC Vickers Bobcock) Boiler Tube factory.

Gulf Foray (1976 to 1982):

1976 was a lean year in India and given a choice between Pune

and Dubai I opted for the latter. The foreign operations were

part of the consolidation and expansion initiated by Mr. Pallonji

after he took over. Mr. Pallonji visited Dubai and Doha regularly

along with Mr. Feroz Mistry and took keen interest in all

activities. We did top quality jobs like the Corniche Hospital in

Abu Dhabi and the MEFEX Bank building in Qatar.

Back To Nasik (1982 onwards)

Back in India, Mr. Feroz Mistry gave me a choice of either

Bombay or Nasik which was being revived. I chose the latter.

We cashed in on the industrial boom and built the plants for

MICO (2nd & 3rd phase), Mahindra & Mahindra, Crompton

Greaves, Greaves Cotton and Siemens. There is also one

prestigious job most SP-ites are not aware of – the Currency

Note Press. We got this job because of the tight time schedule

and eventually constructed the entire complex. Nasik became

the third region after Mumbai & Pune.

The Nineties:

In the nineties, Mr. Shapoor Mistry and Mr. Cyrus Mistry

pursued diversification and took the company to higher levels

as we aggressively ventured into new areas. Mr. H. J. Amin

injected professionalism into the operations and introduced

new systems – regular review meetings and reports – which

are in place today. He was also responsible for bringing our HR

practices to date. In the nineties we expanded to Aurangabad.

My team:

I have been fortunate in having a good team working for me. In

my region the engineers work as Surveyors, Site engineers also

do Billing and Planning. I learnt that way and I believe that they

should be complete engineers. I give them opportunities to

learn in all fields. I personally interact with them and know their

Focus On Our Group Companies

New Projects For Afcons

400kv overhead power lines in order to ensure the sufficient vertical clearances to road D69, and diversion and installation of utilities along the service corridor and across the road works.

New Phosphate Port at Aqaba Jordon

The Jordan Phosphate Mine Company (JPMC) signed an agreement with AFCONS Infrastructure Ltd. to construct a new phosphate port. Under the Agreement, AFCONS will design and construct the Port in 25 months, by the third quarter of 2012. Under an agreement with the Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC), JPMC and will develop and operate the Port for 30 years.

The US$ 240 million project is financed through a US$ 110 million loan from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), while the JPMC will provide the remaining cost. Once the port is completed, ADC will be able to close the present phosphate port and work on its development.

The new phosphate port will have an average annual handling capacity of about four million tonnes and will include a 280 metre long berth, equipped with handling equipment.

AFCONS has recently executed a number of challenging projects in India and overseas. We bring you highlights of two of these.

The Highway Complex at Nad Al Sheba Race Course in Dubai

The Nad Al Sheba race course development project is part of a new road network planned by Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) for Meydan Development. The Project was completed on schedule in April 2010 by AFCONS Construction Mideast LLC. The value of the Project was 530 million Dirhams.

The Project included construction of 3 bridges with a length of around 2,500m, including 969m length pre-stressed concrete deck with the maximum span of 60m across a canal, over 683 piles, 547m length of reinforced soil wall approaches and 420m of terrace wall approaches and bridge connecting road works.

The Project also included construction of the new Meydan Road (D69) connecting existing interchange at Al-Ain road and existing Muscat road over a length of 4.6km with 5 to 9 lanes and ramps and stable access for Meydan and the D69 Road for a length of 4.2km with two lanes. This required raising of the

·A stretch of New Meydan Road in the Nad Al Sheba race course development project at Dubai.

·One of the bridges in the Nad Al Sheba race course development project at Dubai.

20

21

Your Space

Going Digital?

timer options, optical zoom range, flash power, video

resolution, stereo audio, focusing modes etc. Although most

branded cameras offer these today, you should check and base

your purchase decision on these factors as they make a big

difference. Remember, a wider angle will be of more use to

you in day to day photography than a longer zoom as it will

cover landscapes and groups better. It will also work better in

lower light. Long zoom is useful if you go for wildlife shoots.

Similarly, the latest HD video will look good if you have a HD

video output source like a HD TV. HD video will also consume

huge space on the memory card. Instead look for a VGA

resolution with higher frame rates and stereo audio. Check the

brightness of the LCD screen in sunlight. Check if your camera

supports high capacity memory cards. The bottom-line is: buy

a camera based on features catering to your requirement

rather than the total number of features or the latest fad.

Get A Big Memory Card: Today

memory cards are much cheaper than

what they were a couple of years

back. So go for a bigger memory card

as it will be very helpful in the long run.

It will not just store more photos, it

will allow you to shoot more and

longer videos. Videos consume much

more space than still shots. Ideally,

you should go for a 4 GB card. In case

you want to shoot a lot of video, go for a higher capacity card.

Learn A Bit Of Editing: Traditionally, for film printing through

professional labs, we generally got good prints. That was

because they used to adjust the exposure for the optimum

print quality. However, today a lot of printing is done by people

at home as the volume is less. Most images are shared via the

net or on CDs. Though digital cameras of today are quite

advanced and it is difficult to get a bad picture, the images can

always be improved a bit by editing. I am not saying you need

to own and learn a professional software like Photoshop and

indulge in high level editing. No, just get an idea of basic editing

like brightness, contrast, exposure, colour saturation etc.

These small things will also make a huge difference in your

pictures. You can select from a plethora of free photo editing

software available on the internet. Irfanview, PhotoScape, Serif

PhotoPlus and Vicaman's Photo Editor are just some of the

options. Alternatively, if you have an internet connection

handy, you can even edit your photos online on websites like

www.fotoflexer.com, www.pixenate.com, www.pixlr.com,

www.blibs.com and many more.

Digital photography has become commonplace today due to

the ease it provides in clicking, editing and sharing images. I am

sure many of you would be using digital cameras and many

would be planning to buy one. This article provides some

pointers to help you make the right decision and get better

output from your digital imaging equipment. This article

primarily refers to the compact digital camera category and not

to the SLR camera segment.

Do Not Fall For The Mega

Pixel Hype: Today all major

camera manufacturers are

releasing a higher mega pixel

camera practically every

month and they would like

you to upgrade. But do you

really need to? Higher mega

pixel does not necessarily

mean better image quality.

Image quality depends a lot

on the quality of the camera

optics and the camera processor. So always opt for a good

camera from a reputed brand. The investment will be worth it.

Mega pixel count comes into play only when you are printing.

The higher the mega pixels, the larger you can print. But how

many of us actually print our digital images, and how many of us

print them big? Here's a rough guide to mega pixels and print

sizes.

Max Print Minimum Mega Image Resolution

Size (inches) Pixels Needed (pixels)

4 x 6 2 1600 x 1200

5 x 7 3 2048 x 1536

8 x 10 5 2560 x 1920

11 x 14 6 2816 x 2112

16 x 20 8+ 3264 x 2468

So as you can see, you can print even with a 2 mega pixel

camera. For mailing and online sharing you can work with even

lower resolutions. Also remember, the higher the resolution,

the bigger the file size and hence, more storage space needed.

Look For Features That Matter: Today a number of features are

on offer by manufacturers in their cameras. Many of these are

features you will hardly use or their absence will barely matter.

Single colour accent, colour swap, click on smile and many

other such features have a short-lived novelty value. Do not

decide your purchase on the basis of these. Instead look for

features that you will need and use. Check for things like self

This is a new section which will feature articles of a general nature contributed by the readers.

22

Care For Your Camera:

camera to consistently keep getting good results from it. If it

suddenly rains, snows or drizzles while carrying your camera,

slip it under a jacket, sweater or, if small enough, put it in a

pocket. You may be tempted to use it, but don't unless you

have protection overhead. In very cold weather, keep the

camera warm by holding it close to your body. Spare batteries

should be kept warm too. In hot weather, keep your camera

out of direct sunlight. On a beach or in a desert surrounding,

fine spray of sea water or sand could severely damage your

camera and the lens. Make sure high exposure to these

elements is avoided. Never leave a digital camera or other

sensitive camera equipment in a car or in the dashboard

compartment as the temperature here can be extremely hot

or cold and can damage the camera. Refer to the camera

manual for the operating temperature and humidity range of

your camera. Invest in a good quality camera bag.

Power Up: Always carry a

spare set of batteries,

especially if you are traveling.

You may not get the time to

charge the batteries and will

miss out on some great

photo opportunities. If your

camera uses AA batteries,

use high capacity NiMh rechargeable cells. Go for the low self

discharge cells such as Sanyo Eneloop, Uniross Hybrio, GP

ReCyko+, Camelion AlwaysReady and other similar

batteries. These do not self discharge like the regular NiMh

cells and can be stored ready to be used for a long time after

charging. Generic or dedicated lithium batteries which come

with many cameras are more expensive but also last longer

usually. If you are traveling to places where charging could be a

problem, carry a spare battery. In case you run out of

rechargeable AAs, use alkalines such as Duracell. Never buy

the ordinary non alkaline AA pencil batteries. These will drain

out after maybe just 10 clicks.

Mobile Vs. Digital Camera: Today almost everyone carries a

mobile phone with a built-in camera. The quality of mobile

cameras has gone up considerably with manufacturers offering

high resolutions of 8 mega pixels and above with high end

optics such as Schneider & Carl Zeiss. However, if you are

looking for good quality photographs, go for a proper digital

camera as its output is still way ahead of mobiles. For the time

being, stick to mobiles for making calls and the occasional

candid shot.

The Form Factor: In the digital compact category, there are

mainly two types of cameras. The general slim and sleek types

It is important to take care of your that slip into your shirt pocket

and the prosumer or advanced

types which are larger and

bulkier. These bigger cameras

genera l ly have a more

advanced feature set such as

very high zoom range, more

manual controls, external flash

options, filter rings etc. Today there are a number of cameras in

the slim category as well which offer quite high end features.

You can opt for whichever suits your requirement best.

Which Camera: Well, this is a

very difficult question to

answer. Today there are so

many reputed brands churning

out good cameras. You need to

check what feature you need

and which model offers it. Price

wise, most compact digital cameras start at around the Rs.

6,000 mark. The upper limit would be around Rs. 30,000.

The digital SLR cameras start around this mark. If you are

looking for budget buys in the compact segment, try Kodak

cameras. These are good cameras available at an extremely

pocket friendly price with good quality lenses and processors.

Canon, Sony, Nikon, Olympus etc. are all well established

brands which have a proven track record. Panasonic is also an

extremely good digital camera brand which we generally miss

out on because they are not as visible as others in terms of their

advertising. Fuji is another good brand which can be

considered. Once again, go for the features which you want

rather than what the camera gives you.

On The Web: Some useful websites. www.jjmehta.com,

w w w . p h o t o . n e t , w w w . d p r e v i e w . c o m ,

www.imaging-resource.com, www.dcresource.com,

www.camera l ab s . com, www.be t te rpho to . com,

www.pixeladdiction.com, www.chromebug.com. JJ Mehta is

a well established camera store in Mumbai. Their website has a

forum also which you can be a part of. It allows you to interact

with other photo enthusiasts from across the country and you

can also buy/sell photographic equipment.

Off The Web: In case you like reading, offline, which is fast

becoming a rarity, then there are many good magazines on

photography which may be of interest to you. Smart

Photography, Better Photography, Asian Photography are

some of the Indian magazines available at most bookstalls and

stores. Additionally, a number of international magazines are

also available at the bigger bookstores.

- Saurabh Chaturvedi, SPRE HO.

41/44, Minoo Desai Marg, Colaba, Mumbai 400 005.

Email: [email protected]:+91 22 6749 0000 • Fax:+91 22 6633 8176

Editorial TeamS. P. Bagli

Mukesh Rao

Prabal Kansal

Saurabh Chaturvedi

Prashanti Kutty

Desi

gned a

nd P

rin

ted b

y 3

BF

Unwind

Who Says Movies Aren't Informative?

• A few important things that movies have taught us…

• At least one of the identical twins is born evil! • Should you decide to defuse a bomb, don't worry about

which wire to cut. You will always choose the right one!

• When you turn out the light to go to bed, everything inyour room will still be clearly visible, just slightly bluish!

• A man will show no pain while taking the most ferociousbeating, but will wince when a woman tries to clean hiswounds!

• A detective can solve a case only if he has been suspendedfrom duty!

• If you decide to start dancing in the street, everyone youmeet will know all the steps!

- Rohit Sinha, SP HO.

Here's the story of a family – a three year old boy and his parents.

One fine day it so happened that the mother had to go out, so the dad was in charge of the kid. Someone had gifted the boy a little 'tea set' as a birthday present and it was one of his favorite toys. The boy was busy playing with it. Dad was in the living room engrossed in the evening news when kid brought him a little cup of 'tea', which was just water. In good spirits the father had several cups of tea and showered the son with lots of praise for the yummy tea.

Soon, the mother returned home. Dad made her wait in the living room to watch the kid bring him a cup of tea,

because it was 'just the cutest thing'!! Mom waited, and sure enough, the kid came in with a cup of tea for Daddy. The mother watched him drink it up, then she said to him, 'Did it ever occur to you that the only place that the baby can reach to get water is the toilet?'

....Mother knows!!

MORAL OF THE STORY:

Domain knowledge is very important!!! Else your supplier will trick you......

- Prabal Kansal, SP HO.

Supply Chain Management

Exit InterviewCustomer Care

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.

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