Nagesh Veeturi, Chief Executive – Civil, KEC International Ltd talks about his company’s core projects in the field of warehouses, residential buildings, railway stations, metros and much more.

What are some of the core projects in which KEC has successfully utilised PEB?
KEC’s civil business focuses on the construction of factories, warehouses, residential buildings, railway stations, metros, sewage and water treatment plants. Currently, we are executing turnkey EPC projects comprising factories, workshops, residential buildings, and metro works for a repertoire of clients in varied sectors such as auto and auto ancillaries, cement, metals and mining, FMCG, real estate, defence and metro rail among others.

The company has successfully constructed two large automobile manufacturing facilities using PEB in Andhra Pradesh for KIA Motors and Ashok Leyland. The combined scope of work included PEB fabrication from rolled MS plates (of up to 32 mm thickness) and erection including roofing, insulation and cladding installation to the tune of 6,000 MTs.

When it comes to project cost, is PEB a viable option? What are the advantages of using PEB, does it make structures seismic proof?
PEB is definitely a viable option when it comes to reducing project cost, as it economically allows for the creation of large column-free enclosures. Efficiently designed PEB’s can be lighter than conventional steel buildings by up to 30 per cent, which results in less usage of steel and a potential price saving in structural framework. PEB structures can also be designed seismic proof. In fact, using PEB structures in building design is one of many techniques to reduce earthquake impact, especially in earthquake prone areas. Other major advantages include durability, faster fabrication, ease in maintenance, reliable and robust structural performance and flexibility in future expansion.

Apart from warehousing, what are the other sectors which are driving the growth of PEB sector?
In addition to warehousing, some of the other segments include industrial buildings, metro stations and commercial buildings such as shopping mall, office complexes etc.

Nagesh Veeturi, Chief Executive – Civil, KEC International Ltd