With the shortage of time, precast concrete has become a favourite option when it comes to construction. Here we talk about what are the reasons for taking to precast concrete and what the industries have to offer in this domain.

Why to go for precast concrete?
Precast concrete is the most suitable technique of construction for current environment when there is tremendous demand for structures to be built under faster timelines without any compromise towards their quality and integrity. The advantages of precast construction over the current method of cast-in-situ construction are numerous, vast and varied.

In cast-in-situ, the quality of a structure is empirical in the way that it depends on the skills of the labour, the climatic conditions on site and the ability of the team to tackle unpremeditated circumstances. In contrast, precast structural components are manufactured in a factory under conditions that are quality controlled, under strict supervision. Additionally, usage of higher quality products means the extension of the life span of the structure with lower life cycle costs.

Speaking on why precast concrete should be preferred, Satish Gottipati, Managing Director, Preca Solutions India Pvt Ltd says, “One of the biggest plights of the construction industry has been the excessive delay in construction time which in turn causes cost escalation and losses. Precast construction, on the other hand, is a rigorously monitored and precisely planned process in which there is complete control over the process of manufacturing of an element right from the design phase to the time it will be installed on site. This meticulous planning ensures that there is timely delivery of project which minimizes the losses due to overruns and escalation.”He further adds, “The usage of unskilled practices and that of excessive labour leads to wastage of materials. Also labour costs amount to about 20 per cent or more of the cost of construction as there is an excessive shortage of skilled labour in our country today. Precast concrete is a highly mechanized process which eliminates the need for excessive labour and reduces the scope of man-made errors.”

Sharing the benefits of precast, Ajit Bhate, Managing Director, Precast India Infrastructures Pvt. Ltd says, “When someone asks why to go for precast concrete, I question him, why not. Precast has an advantage because of six factors- Versatality, Durability, Strength, sustainability, speed and quality.”

Bhate further explains, “Precast concrete accelerates completion of projects at faster rates owing to the independency between production and installation of elements. Speed translates to earlier rate of return on investment to clients and in a way reduces the escalation of price for the contractors. Precasters can have uninterrupted production cycles and yet produce the highest quality of elements without the need of further finishing.”

Commenting on the versatility of precast concrete, Bhate said, “Precast Concrete can be tailored into any shape, size and form to create marvelous structures which are limited only by the imagination. Also, precast concrete continues to grow stronger by the day for many years after it is cast. It is also weatherproof and resistant to climate change. In addition to this, precast concrete has longer service life owing to the high quality and strength of the elements produced. Thus precast can be relied on, to perform better with each passing year.”

Precast technology as a part and parcel uses prestressing, which is one of the methods of counteracting concrete’s natural weakness in tension. This enables an engineer to design elements having long, clear spans, column free interior spaces and enable designers to maximize functional layouts. These particular advantages make precast technology more compatible with commercial buildings such as industrial sheds, parking garages, office spaces, shopping malls etc.,
In addition to these lucrative qualities, precast concrete doesn’t require the usage of formwork or scaffolding, there is no exposed reinforcement on site and the installation is done by a crew limited to five to six highly trained individuals which reduces the risk of injury and ensures the safety of the people.

Precast concrete has an in built ability of thermal inertia, meaning that it can have a constant temperature in both, hot and cold regions. In addition to this, precast also has acoustic insulation. It is a known fact that precast concrete does not burn. It also prevents the spread of fire.
The major benefit of precast concrete is that it lasts for years. Effective designing is possible to lengthen the life of the structures. The ability to mould in any form gives precast concrete an upper hand when it comes to construction. This gives an edge to the designers to have classical details and also match the finish of various materials.

Current offerings in precast concrete
Sharing about the current offerings of Preca Solutions India Pvt Ltd in the area of precast concrete, Gottipati says, “Our company is a pioneer in introducing prestressed precast technology to the Indian construction market. Our organisation yields the technical prowess of several Precast Technology experts backed up by State-of-the-art equipment import from Europe’s best in class manufacturers.”

He further added, “We have offered Precast Turnkey Precast Solutions from design to delivery for over 35 challenging projects across all segments of construction all over India. These include commercial, industrial, multi-level parking, health and residential structures for reputed clients, “ adds Gottipati.

Some of the services that Preca Solutions offers can be outlined as:
• Evaluation of preliminary design to arrive at most efficient solution to suit the needs of all the stake holders. 
• Value engineering and design of standard and bespoke products according to the code of practice while ensuring compatibility with other major building materials.
• Swift manufacturing, supply and installation of precast elements as per requirements.
• Monitoring and controlling of the project by dedicated in-house PMC department.
• Undertake building service and finishing works and deliver the complete building to use.
• Advice regarding post precast maintenance and services where required.

Speaking about the current offerings by Precast India Infrastructures Pvt Ltd, Bhate says, “ Providing our clients with a one stop solution  is our USP. We offer products like prestressed beams, box footings, precast slabs, spandrels and facades, retaining walls etc.”

 Chander Dutta, Managing Director, Elematic India Pvt Ltd shares what the company has to offer in the area of precast concrete. He says, “In India we are much behind the rest of the world in precast and prefab industry. In technology we are lagging by 50 years so we need to catch up with the rest of the world. We have an in house design team to support our manufacturing activity. Considering the bottlenecks faced by the clients, we have to guide them and suggest suitable product design. For the last five years we are promoting this technology. For the success of prefab, I will emphasize, major requirements as planning, planning and only planning. Planning is an extremely part of prefab.” He further added, “Elematic recently launched new technology by the name Acotec partition wall. It is fast, profitable and high-quality technology for light non-load bearing partition wall panels. The Acotec wall panels are fast, easy and safe to install. It is nearly 6 times faster when compared with traditional brickwork and even two times faster than blockwork. The panels have exact dimensions and completely even surface so no plastering is needed. In addition, their thin structure leaves more floor space for other purposes in a building. Despite the thinness, Acotec walls are strong and successfully used in seismic areas, too. They suit for a wide variety of purposes such as bath rooms, kitchens and showers, thanks to the moisture resistance of the material. Acotec walls also offer excellent sound insulation, meaning that apartment buildings, schools and hotels benefit from this type of partition walls. The new technology levels are called SEMI, PRO and EDGE, and they differ by the degree of automation and capacity as well as the required investments. All the lines are quick and simple to install, run and maintain and require only very limited land area.”

Explaining the levels of technology, Dutta said, “The SEMI line, with a production capacity of 80 square meter per hour, is the simplest of them all and is an excellent choice for anyone starting up in the business. It features a smart combined restacker handler and automation only for the key processes. The PRO line offers a higher capacity of 100 square meterper hour with automated functions for all main processes: sawing, trimming, stacking, restacking, cleaning and oiling, plate handling and pallet circulation. The fully-automatic Acotec EDGE offers a top-rate capacity of 120 square meter per hour and needs only two operators to run. The production process is environmentally-friendly as it is silent and non-vibrating, and the raw material can be recycled so no waste is created.  Low energy consumption of the line keeps the production costs on a low level as well.

With these vast advantages it is clear that precast construction is the best choice for the construction needs in India today.

Precast concrete accelerates completion of projects at faster rates owing to the independency between production and installation of elements.
Ajit Bhate,Managing Director, Precast India Infrastructures Pvt. Ltd

One of the biggest plights of the construction industry has been the excessive delay in construction time which in turn causes cost escalation and losses.
Satish Gottipati,Managing Director, Preca Solutions India Pvt Ltd

In India we are much behind the rest of the world in precast and prefab industry.
Chander Dutta,Managing Director, Elematic India Pvt Ltd