We design all our systems specifically for Indian climatic conditions and Indian workers.

Tarun Khemlani,
Director, Cradle Runways (I) Pvt Ltd (CRL)

Mumbai based Cradle Runways (I) Pvt Ltd (CRL), a subsidiary of Cleanindia Group, is an engineering company providing solutions for accessing all kinds of facades. “We are by far the leader in this industry with more than 85 per cent market share both in terms of contracts and value,” claims Tarun Khemlani, the company’s Director in an interview with B2B Purchase. Excerpt:

Being one of the major players, how do you see the awareness about façade access systems in India?
The awareness for facade access has been steadily increasing over the years. This is especially true in the top ten metros. A very important part of facade access is glass replacement, maintenance and testing. An increasing number of clients are pushing for this inclusion in the systems.

How safe are your façade access solutions?
We are by far the leader in this industry with more than 85 per cent market share both in terms of contracts and value. We have spent more than 25 years developing and improving on these safety products. We are also the only Indian company with a factory and a quality control department. Our complete focus is on safety and this is visible in the more than 3,500 contracts we have successfully executed so far.

Most façade access solutions remain exposed to the outdoor environment throughout the year. What makes them rugged for use across the seasons?
All the access equipment supplied by are made of special aluminium alloys and stainless steel. Mild steel is primarily used by us in brackets and tracks where we specifically require the strength. These are also hot dipped galvanised to 80 micron as a minimum before dispatch to ensure of 20 year plus life. We design all our systems specifically for Indian climatic conditions and Indian workers. Some of the first systems we provided in 1994-1995 are still operational.

Could you update us on some of your ongoing projects?
We are currently executing more than 120 projects in India and abroad. Some notable projects are the 65 storey Altair project in Colombo, Lodha Washington, Ritz Carlton Residences, Oberoi Esquire and NCP Wadala in Mumbai, Embassy Lake Terraces and Kingfisher Towers in Bangalore, Chennai Airport and the Amazon Headquarters in Hyderabad.

What are the challenges faced while installing façade access system at Delhi Airport?
Delhi Airport was the first facade related project of that scale that had been executed in India. The challenges included the scale and exceeding some very tight time deadlines. Even now in the facade cleaning of this massive terminal, which we have been doing for the past several years, the challenges have been unique.

Brief us on your future endeavours.
We are currently introducing a slew of new solutions to keep up with the changing building facade and client requirements. Our other focus is the expansion of our operations in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Middle East and Africa. We have been actively supplying systems in these areas and now we are starting cleaning and maintenance services.