Puneet Mathur, Business Head, Building Solutions Tata BlueScope Steel in an interview with B2B Purchase.

How do you evaluate the growth trends of PEB business this year amid the pandemic?

The pandemic has affected the world at large, creating several new challenges for multiple sectors, and PEB is no different. Things have become slightly uncertain about the new normal. Concerns including economic factors, complex supply chains, local restrictions, along with the present pricing scenario, have slowed down the decision-making. However, certain segments, such as healthcare and e-commerce, have witnessed a boom. Even the logistic players are setting up their own facilities rather than renting them. Even the government is planning to set up cold chain facilities across India for perishable and non-perishable food products, reassuring corporate investment to develop modern automated logistic parks. Significant infrastructure growth and rising demand for segments like automotive, power, logistics, pharma, FMCG, and capital goods are driving growth for the PEB sector in India. Advantages in construction technology have led to a demand for cost-effective, quick, and fully engineered structures. Pre-engineered steel construction, metal roofing, and cladding systems are finding great potential in these progressive segments.

How do you rate the energy efficiency and cost-effective aspects of a PEB compared to a conventional building? 

PEBs made from steel are fundamentally sustainable (recyclable and reusable) so far as the environment is concerned. They are also environmentally sustainable (due to their long life) as compared to conventional construction methods. PEB construction is 30–40 percent faster than traditional masonry, where resources are minimal with negligible environmental degradation. Steel is more sustainable compared to conventional RCC construction, with high salvage value. 

There are many components or elements that make PEBs green buildings. For starters, PEBs have skylights and wall lights, enabling natural light to cut down the electricity consumption. Having insulation in the roofing systems enables thermal efficiency for better ambient temperatures. Natural ventilation in the form of turbo vents, ridge vents, louvres, and roof monitor exhausts CO2, hot air, and other harmful gases, maintaining a healthy indoor environment. Since all these work on gravity, there is zero energy consumption. We, at Tata BlueScope Steel, ensure sustainability right from the design phase with predetermined usage of building materials that optimise resource utilisation and minimise wastage. Our manufacturing processes are also environmentally friendly. We have distributive manufacturing facilities located strategically across India which brings us closer to our customers. The PEBs supplied by Tata BlueScope Steel are made from COLORBOND® steel and ZINCALUME® steel, the world’s most advanced and thermally efficient pre-painted steel coils. Resilient structures powered by COLORBOND® steel are lead-free due to the VOC paint system. They are also RoHS compliant and are suitable for water harvesting.

What are your projections on the adoption of PEB structures in government and state-sponsored projects? 

The government has allocated a huge amount for the development of infrastructure in the country. We have seen a surge in demand for data centres due to increased demand for internet usage. Investments in FMCG, Agrobased industries, pharma companies, textiles, etc., are on the rise. Demand for PEB in the public and government sectors, as well as rapidly increasing low-cost housing where the government is adopting prefab technology for speedy implementation has witnessed a larger focus. Healthcare expansion through Covid special hospitals that could be set up in a quick turn-around time using prefabricated technology has witnessed a growing demand. 

How well are we moving towards adoption of newer and advanced technologies for efficient PEB implementation? 

The current ongoing situation has only strengthened our belief in the proverb ‘necessity is the mother of invention.’ The only way to remain relevant to our customers is to reinvent and realign to a changing world with agility, and technological intervention. While time and quality are of utmost importance within the PEB industry, we are constantly in pursuit of advanced solutions for addressing customer demands across the segments, project sizes, and applications. One of our innovative products is, the MR24 Roof System, offered as part of Butler® Building Solutions. The MR-24® roof system is the industry’s first and finest standing-seam metal roof, with more than fifty years of proven in-place weather tight performance. 

What are your plans and business projections for the coming years, and what kind of projects will you be undertaking? 

As far as projects are concerned, PEBs have diversified from just industrial and logistics applications to commercial multi-storied buildings (G+, including IT parks), metros, rails, stadiums, airport hangars, and Steam Turbine Generator (STG) buildings in power plants, to name a few. Some clients also require PEB vendors to take up civil foundation work along with PEB packages as turnkey solutions, which we are more than willing to offer. Previously, PEB construction was only used in warehouse and factory construction, but with the help of cutting-edge design methods and technology, we are now capable of constructing complex building structures. We are focusing on enhancing our customer experience with differentiated value propositions, and we hope to see better days for supply chain networks where agility in delivery has become the top most priority.