THE ROADMAP FOR INTERIOR EXTERIOR INDUSTRY

The panel discussions during 5th Realty+ INEX Conclave & Awards 2021 debated on the topical issues of building materials and construction industry and opined on the way ahead for allied industry. Construction is an economic activity that in

BY Realty Plus
Published - Feb 22, 2021 9:59 AM

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The panel discussions during 5th Realty+ INEX Conclave & Awards 2021 debated on the topical issues of building materials and construction industry and opined on the way ahead for allied industry. Construction is an economic activity that involves the entire construction process from producing raw and manufactured building materials and components, and providing professional services such as design and project management, to executing the physical work on site. The real estate sector has an opportunity to discover where investments are needed, evolve the supply chain planning function, and reposition the organization for growth. Moreover, if everyone involved in the process - clients, design team members, contractors and product vendors, had better insights about the environmental impacts of construction materials –they would be able to select an appropriate approach. While the steps had already been taken, the year 2020 has accelerated the awareness and adoption of environment sensitive and best business practices. SUPPLY-CHAIN RECOVERY: FROM GLOBALIZATION TO REGIONALIZATION The panelists included the product companies as well as the developer’s material procurement heads that provide the views of both the supply side as well as the demand side of the supply chain. Panel Moderator - Gurjot Bhatia, Managing Director, Project Management, India, Middle East and North Africa, CBRE. Speakers - Mario Schmidt, Managing Director, Lingel Windows and Doors Technologies Private Limited, Shabbir Kanchwala, Sr. Vice President - Project Co-ordination, Purchase, Contracts & Billing, K. Raheja Corp, Srikanth Srinivasan, Group Head – Procurement, DLF Limited, Tikam Jain, President – Procurement, Lodha Group, Atul Desai, CEO & ED, Prism Johnson Ltd, RMC India. The speakers deliberated on the product companies as well as the clients changing strategies to address the supply chain disruptions. The agreed that while local manufacturers and suppliers was their immediate recourse, it may not be a long term strategy. The deciding factor is the quality of the product as the customer today wants the best. The unprecedented supply chain disruption caused by COVID-19 has had severe operational and financial consequences, with developers as well as manufacturers having to address issues including: demand drops and surges by segment, supply shortages and inventory placement challenges. PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE: REBUILDING RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE The panel members represented the wide spectrum of the building and construction industry from manufacturer to architect, sustainability expert and academicians. Panel Moderator – Dr. Hariharan Chandrashekar, Mentor, AltTech.Foundation & eCol.eco Speakers - Alok Agarwal, Chief Marketing Officer, Orient Bell Limited, Mahesh Punjabi, Chief Executive Officer, Mahesh Punjabi Associates, Vicky Chan, Founder, Avoid Obvious Architects, Rajendra Kumar, Founder and Principal Architect, Architect Rajendra Kumar, Yatin Pandya, Founder, FOOTPRINTS E.A.R.T.H. The experts from various cities of India and the world talked about the challenge of lack of infrastructure, the ambiguous laws in India to challenge of space in urban city of Hong Kong. The speakers agreed that there is a need to motivate the customer to ‘Go Green’ and for the government to give more power to people to build their own homes. Definitions of “Green”, “Affordable Housing” and “Social Impact” need to change too. The ecosystem also needs to consider minimizing the environmental burdens that can be caused by buildings, particularly due to the consumption of natural resources, impact of building products and managing waste generated due to the use of construction materials.