REGIONAL REPORT DFI of India Opportunities and Challenges Ahead for the Deep Foundations Industry in India It is common to say that we must convert every challenge into an opportunity to be successful in life. Over the last several years, India has faced many challenges in the form of coalition governments that affected sustained development. Now, the electorate of India has once again proven its ability to convert these challenges into a great opportunity by sending a clear mandate for a stable government. People have done their part, and it is hoped that those who are entrusted with power and responsibility will steer the country to higher growth and development for the benefit of all. Hopes and expectations are very high and optimism has once again returned to this country. This includes codes; knowledge and experience of consultants in new technologies’ state-of-the-art equipment; and skills of field staff, such as supervising engineers, supervisors and operators, etc. DFI and DFI of India can play a key role in facilitating ways and “The challenges for the industry are to seek new technologies to accelerate the construction of quality foundations and enhance the required skills at various levels.” Dr. K.S. Rama Krishna, DFI India Chair [email protected] Trends show that India is returning to a healthy growth path which means immense opportunities. Government is in the process of kick-starting many stalled projects. Several new projects are being announced every day. The list is very impressive —100 smart cities, industrial corridors and townships, low-cost airports, ports and dams, warehousing, cold storage, highways, projects in conventional and renewable energy, bullet trains, freight corridors, affordable housing and many more. In his Independence Day speech, the Prime Minister announced a new focus area: manufacturing. Recent announcements by Japan and China for investing in India are welcome news. All these announcements bode well for the construction industry and, in turn, for the foundation industry, because realization of these projects is possible only through large-scale construction activity. We cannot expect all of the aforementioned projects to begin construction immediately, but some may become active in the next one to two years. These opportunities undoubtedly serve as new challenges to the entire construction industry. The challenges for the foundation industry are to seek new technologies that can accelerate the construction of quality foundations and to enhance the required skills at various levels. means to meet some of the challenges listed above. With cooperation from the industry and academia in India, seminars, workshops and webinars can be organised to disseminate knowledge and methods of analysis and design of the new technologies. Task force teams for implementation of technologies can be formed with a sound representation from all stakeholders in India and abroad. These task forces will facilitate and supervise pilot field trials and preparation of guidelines/manuals that may, over time, become codes of practice. DFI and DFI of India would be excellent catalysts for these endeavours. The second and probably the most important activity that needs to be sustained is training. It is not an exaggeration to say that the knowledge and skills needed to install special foundations and other geotechnical structures with repeatable quality and high productivity, are in short supply in our country and we need to address this issue with utmost urgency. Companies are willing to invest in modern foundation equipment, depending on the demand, but when it comes to training their front line and supervisory staff, such investments are not forthcoming. Low productivity and bad quality jobs prove costly not only to the foundation companies, but also to the project owners and to the country as a whole. Training is a continuous process and an expensive exercise. It is therefore difficult for one company to bear the cost. When approached by DFI and DFI of India, equipment manufacturers are willing to provide training in India. It is hoped that equipment owners seize the opportunity to help create a sustainable training model on a cost-sharing basis. Technologies and training are essential for the Indian foundation industry, and we need to embrace these two to play a responsible, organised and profitable role in building modern India. Let us join hands in this task. “We need to embrace the task of training to play a responsible, organised and profitable role in building modern India.” 42 • DEEP FOUNDATIONS • JAN/FEB 2015
