Jul 20
Eminence in Empowerment
Eminence in Empowerment
WHEN Komatsu and L&T Construction & Mining Machinery business (L&T CMB) launched a new range of hydraulic excavators at the latest edition of EXCON in Bengaluru, the machines raised their arms and showered flowers on the dignitaries and customers. At the controls of these complex machines were young women, actively breaking into male bastions and outdoing them.
 
L&T CMB is at the forefront in enabling women break gender barriers. A group of young women has been trained and deployed at select mining sites and workshops that were, so far, male dominated.
 
An all-women crew has been effortlessly maintaining mining dumpers at Tata Steel’s Noamundi Mines in Jharkhand. Another group of women, recruited by L&T from ITIs, is now adept at repairing complex machines at L&T’s Durgapur Service Centre.
 
In recognition of such vital contributions towards building women’s capabilities in the construction sector, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) conferred the ‘Women Building India – Special Initiative award’ on L&T CMB at EXCON.
 
Karnataka Chief Minister Mr Basavaraj Bommai  and  Union  Minister  General  (Retd) V K Singh presented the award to L&T CMB’s Mr K A Sravan Kumar, Head – Product Support and Mr S Chattopadhyay, Head – Durgapur Service Centre.
 
At the L&T pavilion at EXCON, women engineers demonstrated the entire range of construction and road-building equipment to customers. While Ms Nandana Prasad and Ms Anjali Malviya demonstrated a hydraulic excavator, others, adept at assembling machines and bringing them to life, interacted with customers.
 
At EXCON, CII also organised a seminar on ‘Women in Construction – Challenges, Solutions and The Way Forward’ wherein the speakers deliberated upon legacy issues, hidebound attitudes and new opportunities offered by the changes in the eco-system.
 
Mr Arvind K Garg, EVP and Head – L&T CMB, underscored the collaborative approach that women employ in resolving issues and handling challenges at workplaces. The time has come for women to break the glass ceiling and take their rightful place amongst their peers within the industry and make a big difference,” he said.
 
Breaking Barriers, a short film by L&T capturing the role and responsibility of women in the mining sites, was screened at the seminar, to huge applause. Women’s engagement at EXCON reflects the changing trends in society.

Jul 20
Green Game
Green Game
APART from being the world’s largest cricket stadium, the L&T-constructed Narendra Modi Stadium at Motera in Gujarat has another claim to fame: a gold rating from the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) for its eco-friendly features.
 
The IGBC rating is based on the findings on seven parameters: sustainable architecture and design, site selection and planning, building materials and resources, innovation and design, water conservation, energy efficiency, and indoor environmental quality.
 
The stadium, delivered by L&T in 2020, is set in 63 acres right in the middle of the city, so the construction challenges were many. “We were determined to make it a green site. It is an honour to be recognised as the greenest cricket stadium in the country,” says project director Mr Subrata Datta.
 
HOW GREEN IS MY STADIUM?
 
Water-efficient fixtures helped reduce water consumption during the construction by a whopping 30% . Up to 21% of potable water was saved during construction, 77% of the wastewater was reused, 21% of energy was saved, more than 40% of the construction materials were procured locally and 22% of it was procured with recycled content. Much effort has gone into achieving these flattering numbers. Here’s a rundown on the various green features of the stadium:
 
Sustainable Architecture
 
A major engineering challenge was that a new stadium had to be built on the same footprint as the erstwhile one, only with three times more capacity. An integrated design approach involving team members from across disciplines and fields was adopted right from the conceptual stage till the completion of the project. The site’s green cover was maintained by preserving the trees and incorporating them into the landscape design. Around 11 acres of vegetation enhanced its biodiversity.
 
Site Planning
 
Smart planning was essential, since the site was hemmed in on all sides by residential complexes, including a frequently visited temple on the premises. Erosion-control and sedimentation-control strategies were meticulously followed throughout the construction period. While a rainwater sump and recharge pits collected the roof and non-roof run-offs, the site had 22% open space for vegetation. The site was equipped with toilets and parking for the disabled, and even braille and audio-assisted lifts for the differently abled.
 
Water Conservation
 
Native and adaptive plants were planted to eliminate (or at least reduce) the need for irrigation. A drip sprinkler system controlled dust. Potable water was not used for non-drinking purposes; irrigation, flushing, HVAC, etc., were undertaken using wastewater treated in the onsite 1 MLD sewage treatment plant.
 
Water wastage was slashed by 30% by installing water-reduction tools such as aerators and regulators on taps and faucets, dual flushes at water closets, and prismatic arrangements at urinals.
 
Energy Conservation
 
Thanks to a slew of measures like LED interior lighting system, water-cooled chillers, a double-glazing system, CO2 sensors in the return air path, occupant sensors in meeting and conference rooms, office spaces, toilets and lounges, energy savings as per the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) 90.1-2010 base case stood at 21% .
 
Building Management Systems monitor various energy applications like HVAC, lighting, pumping, and ventilation. Halon-free fire extinguishers were deployed, which have zero impact on the ozone layer and the environment, while the refrigerants used were free of chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons. Energy and water meters measured the major consuming areas and corrective action was taken.
 
Building Materials & Resources
 
Overall, 96% of the construction / demolition / land clearing waste was recycled and reused at the site, saving 3,400 tonnes of construction waste from being sent to landfills. Waste like packing material, tiles, screws and nuts, aluminium scrap and plastic were sent to agents for recycling and reuse. Solid concrete block and AAC block debris were reused for infrastructure refill. No cement bags were directly emptied into silos from tankers. Floor-wise, waste was collected in dustbins and transferred to a central waste yard. A few passive and active green building material, products, and equipment certified by IGBC under GreenPro were used at the site.
 
Indoor Environment
 
While fresh air was provided as per ASHRAE 62.1-2010 standards, smoking was prohibited on the site. Low VOC-emitting material like adhesives, sealants, and paints complying with IGBC standards were carefully chosen and used. Occupant well-being was a critical criterion when developing the indoor and outdoor sports facilities.
 
LED Lighting
 
The stadium is India’s only LED-lit stadium. Instead of the conventional metal halide lamps, high-wattage LED light fixtures have been installed. The advantages: longer fixture life, quick resumption of play in case of a power failure and the option to create various lighting effects within the stadium. A significant reduction in power consumption has resulted from the use of fewer electrical fixtures since they are mounted closer to the field of play versus conventional high-mast solutions.
 
Innovation
 
The adoption of precast technology specially to erect the huge iconic ‘Y’ columns was a defining feature to build this mammoth structure. This sped up construction, eased site management, improved build quality and saved resources.
 
Jul 20
Partner Par Excellence
Partner Par Excellence
US-based leading data cloud company Snowflake has named LTI the GSI Global Delivery Platform Partner of the Year. The recognition came at the Snowflake Summit 2022 held at Las Vegas on 13-16 June.
 
As Snowflake’s elite partner, LTI works with leading global organisations providing comprehensive Snowflake implementation and migration services across different industry verticals. This latest recognition is a testament to LTI’s execution expertise across strategy, migration, and modernisation journeys on Snowflake Data Cloud at speed and scale.
 
“Our Fosfor data suite facilitates the adoption of Snowflake with optimised data processing performance, and the recently launched PolarSled 2.0 enhances our migration capabilities further. With these comprehensive offerings, we will continue to break the new ground in our partnership with Snowflake,” says Mr Sudhir Chaturvedi (President & Executive Board Member – LTI).
 
Congratulating LTI on achieving this distinction, Ms Colleen Kapase (Sr VP WW Partner and Alliances– Snowflake) said: “We look forward to continuing to help clients across industries activate and unlock their data for business value together with LTI.”
 
Fosfor by LTI, a data-to-decisions product suite for monetising data, is available on the Snowflake platform. LTI has also earned the Snowflake partner network competency badges for financial services and manufacturing industries by showcasing an impressive track record of customer success in these industries.
 
FEATHER FOR FUSION
 
L&T Smart World & Communication (L&T SWC) received the National Feather Award in information technology category for ‘Innovative use of Data Analytics’ for its inhouse developed “Fusion” platform. Mr RBS Anand (Head – Sales, L&T SWC) received the award at a ceremony in Mumbai on 28 April.
 
“Fusion” is a pre-integrated city operating system leveraging cutting-edge technologies to solve problems of cities, law enforcement agencies, critical infra, big campuses like educational institutes, government facilities, etc.
 
Fusion offers integrated data visualisation, real-time collaboration, and deep analytics to help authorities prepare for emergency cases, coordinate, and manage response efforts, and enhance the ongoing day-to-day operations. Fusion allows third- party systems to integrate and provide an integrated operation view using its prebuilt adapters.
 
The annual National Feather Awards recognise those who make outstanding contributions to the industry and to society. The nominations are reviewed by industry peers and experts.


Jul 20
Payments Partner
Payments Partner
MINDTREE and leading financial technology provider, Finastra, have partnered to bring the latter’s Fusion Payments To Go technology to the banks in the Nordics, the UK and Ireland as a managed service.
 
Mindtree will host Finastra’s proven payments solution on cloud and handle integration of the technology across the rest of the banks’ solutions, minimising risk and boosting efficiency.
 
“The move aligns well with the P27 initiative in the Nordics, which promotes interoperability, paperless systems, and real-time payment capabilities. We pride ourselves on being trusted by our customers and are confident that this partnership with Finastra will help them unlock an innovation and technology advantage,” says Mr Mukund Rao (CBO – Banking, Financial Services & Insurance at Mindtree).
Jul 20
More for Mindtree
More for Mindtree
L&T Group IT company Mindtree recently earned three coveted honours for achievements in fields as diverse as risk management, diversity and environment.
 
The first award came from the Institute of Directors (IOD), which conferred Mindtree the Golden Peacock Award for Risk Management - 2021 for its commitment to business excellence and maturity in enterprise risk management.
 
The award was presented at the 16th International Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility and Golden Peacock Awards Ceremony held in Delhi on 3 June.
 
Mindtree was adjudged the winner by an eminent jury chaired by former Chief Justice of India Mr M N Venkatachaliah. The award recognises Mindtree’s significant initiatives to enhance its reputation, governance, and sustainability practices, and create new benchmarks.
 
Established in 1991 by IOD, Golden Peacock awards recognise organisations that have significantly embedded risk management strategies and sustainability practices into their operations and decision-making processes, leading to improved company performance.
 
The Award for Risk Management is designed to help organisations to rapidly accelerate their pace of improving risk assessment and management system by offering a framework based on the IOD Business Excellence Model, which complies with ISO 9001 standards.
 
The next award was from Businessworld, which honoured Mindtree with the BW People HR Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Award for its outstanding initiatives. The award was presented at BW’s first D&I Summit held in New Delhi on 24 May.
 
“Our actions speak for our deep belief in encouraging D&I as an integral part of our culture, strategy and goals — be it Athena (our community of women staffers meant to foster the spirit of togetherness at work), our accent on employing transgender and differently-abled individuals, or our analytics-driven HR practices to ensure high levels of engagement. The recognition validates all these,” says Mr Paneesh Rao (Chief Sustainability Officer – Mindtree).
 
Then, as the icing on the cake, Mindtree was ranked among Asia-Pacific’s top 10 companies on the FT-Nikkei-Statista Asia-Pacific Climate Leaders list. This is for achieving the greatest reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity during the five-year period from 2015 through 2020. This too was in May.
 


Jul 20
Conquering a Conclave
Conquering a Conclave
AT L&T, people are prime assets. As its co-founder, the late Mr Henning Holck-Larsen, had famously said: “Machinery may be there, buildings may be there – but without people, it’s all nothing.”
 
L&T’s vibrant, robust HR function constantly strives to better the employee experience and generate higher levels of employee satisfaction. To benchmark its processes against the industry’s best, L&T’s Heavy Engineering (HE) HR team participated in the HR Conclave hosted by PP Savani University and Quality Circle Forum of India – Surat & Ankleshwar Chapter on 28 May.
 
Over 300 HR professionals from different industries participated in the conclave. HE’s HR team presented six case studies and breezed through with flying colours. The case study titled ‘The Cultural Transformation Journey @ L&T Heavy Engineering’ was selected for the International Quality Circles forum at Jakarta, Indonesia.
 
The team won several awards:

PLATINUM AWARDS
• Cultural Transformation Journey
• Training Need Identification
• Amber
• Mentorship Wave 3
 
DIAMOND AWARDS
• Josh Brigade
• DTM Induction Process

Jul 20
Pat for Port
Pat for Port
THE latest edition of Madras Export Processing Zone (MEPZ) Special Economic Zone Export Excellence Awards saw L&T Shipbuilding’s Kattupalli Port clinching two coveted awards. In the ‘Highest Investment in Non-IT/ ITES SEZs’ category, it won 1st place for the year 2018-19 and 2nd place for the year 2019-2020.
 
Mr Ashok Khetan, Head – L&T Shipbuilding, received the awards from Union Minister of State for Commerce & Industry Ms Anupriya Patel at a ceremony hosted at MPEZ’s premises in Chennai on 25 April. The Vice President of India, Mr M Venkaiah Naidu, graced the occasion.
Jul 20
Excellence Honoured
Excellence Honoured
INDIA chapter of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) has conferred HSE Excellence Award 2022 on the Onshore arm of L&T Energy – Hydrocarbon (LTEH). LTEH Onshore received the honour in ‘HSE Innovation’ category for various health, safety and environment initiatives at the pre-commissioning and commissioning stages of its projects.
 
The award was presented to LTEH at a ceremony at the National Institute of Construction Management and Research in Hyderabad on 28 April. Dr K N Sen (President – ASSP India Chapter), Dr Sashikala Chandrasekar (Chair – International Commission  on  Occupational  Health)  and Mr N Vasudevan (Regional VP – ASSP) were present at the award ceremony. Dr R K Elangovan (DG – Directorate General, Factory Advice Service and Labour Institutes) joined virtually.
 
LTEH’s HSE process improvement initiatives focus on building a positive HSE culture throughout the phases of a project. The initiatives include competency development, dedicated HSE training, workshops, campaigns, and project-specific emergency response planning.
 
The unique range of initiatives has been implemented in various LTEH Onshore projects through the in-transition and commissioning-&- start-up (CSU) phases. These process improvements help especially when there is a huge scope of work and a relatively new technology, involving a multicultural network of subcontractors.
Jul 20
Water Honour
Water Honour
NABHA Power Limited (NPL), a subsidiary of L&T which operates the 2x700MW supercritical thermal power plant at Rajpura in Punjab’s Patiala district, has won prestigious awards for excellence and best practices in water management.
 
The Council for Enviro Excellence (CEE) presented the twin awards for 2022 under its national water management initiative. CEE is an autonomous not-for-profit organisation that focuses on public interest, research and advocacy on issues related to the energy sector.
 
NPL was declared winner for excellence in water management in the ‘IPP Coal Above 500MW Category’ and ‘For Best Practices and New Initiatives for Excellence in Water Management in Ash Handling Plant Category’ by the jury for the National Awards for Excellence in Water Management.
 
“NPL is a fully compliant zero-liquid-discharge thermal power plant with one of the lowest specific water consumption rates. NPL has, time and again, proved itself to be the backbone of Punjab’s power sector, while remaining environmentally conscious. Prestigious national awards like this are a recognition of L&T’s commitment towards sustainable growth,” says Mr D K Sen (Whole-time Director & Sr EVP – Development Projects, L&T).
 
SALUTE FOR SMART
 
L&T Smart World & Communication (L&T SWC) won two awards for its digital supply chain and enterprise service solutions from the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) at the 12th India Digital Awards in January.
 
L&T SWC’s digital supply chain solution, i-Smart Supply, won the ‘Best Supply Chain Solution’ award, beating prominent supply chain companies and IT solution providers.
 
Integrated with enterprise information portal, i-Smart Supply automates the end-to-end procurement process and inventory management. It tracks the crucial phase of project implementation, sends alerts on procurement delays, and helps projects achieve material delivery milestones, while mapping the assets from warehouse to the point of installation.
 
Then, the Jhansi Smart City Project won an award in the ‘Best Enterprise Product or Services’ category. The citizen app developed for this project helps city officials and citizens by providing quick response even with limited bandwidth, working both online and offline, and has security features such as mobile OWASP. It supports device elements, such as accelerometers, to enable apps which work on motion.

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