1. business and industrial
2. construction

Vol. 22, No. 1
January-March 2009
L&T Delivers HD785 Dump Trucks to SECL
O
n 19th February 2009, the coal town of Gevra
in Madhya Pradesh woke up to the rumbles from
the giant off-highway trucks. The occasion was
the handing over of 9 units of HD785 Komatsu Rear
Dump Trucks to M/s. South Eastern Coalfields Limited
(SECL) by L&T’s Construction
& Mining Equipment Business
Unit.
the largest opencast coal mines in Asia and the second
largest in the world. The coal output of Gevra was
29 Million Tons in the financial year 2007–08 and is
targeted at 31 Million Tons in 2008-09.
SECL is one of the profitable subsidiaries of the
At a function held at SECL’s
project-site, this new batch of
trucks was formally handed over
to Mr. M.P. Dikshit, Chairmancum-Managing Director, SECL,
by Mr. Dipankar Banerjee, Head,
Mining Equipment Business, L&T.
Among others who participated in
the event included Mr. J.S.Prasad,
Chief General Manager, SECL,
Gevra Area; Mr. J. Srivastava,
General Manager (Excavation),
SECL and Mr. Masaaki Matsuura,
General Manager, Komatsu India
Private Limited.
This supply forms part of SECL’s
order for 25 Dump Trucks, of
which, 19 Nos. are for Gevra
Project and 6 Nos. for Kusmunda
Project. Incidentally, Gevra houses
Mr. M. P. Dikshit, CMD, SECL (fourth from right) receiving a model of HD785 Dump Truck from
Mr. Masaaki Matsuura, General Manager, Komatsu India Private Limited at the handing over ceremony
of HD785 Dump Trucks at Gevra Project site. Senior executives from L&T and SECL are also seen.
In Focus
public sector, M/s. Coal India Limited, and having
coal production of 93.79 Million Tons in 2007-08. The
expected coal production for 2008-09 is 101 Million
Tons. SECL is on a major expansion and modernization
drive to meet the demand-supply gap in coal.
The handing over of this batch of Komatsu Dumpers
marked a new beginning in L&T’s relationship
with SECL. These mining trucks manufactured by
M/s. Komatsu India Private Limited at its Chennai Plant,
are being provided with after-sales support by L&T.
7000th PC200-6 Hydraulic Excavator Rolled Out
L
&T’s Construction & Mining Equipment Business
Unit (CMB) achieved a new milestone with the roll
out of the 7000th L&T-Komatsu PC200-6 Hydraulic
Excavator.
At the special event held on 27th January 2009 at
L&T-Komatsu’s Bangalore Works, the machine key
was handed over to Mr. Mahendra Agarwal, Proprietor,
M/s. Shree Balaji Borewells by Mr. S.R. Subramanian,
Chief Executive, L&T-Komatsu Limited. Mr. S.K.
Mittra, Executive Vice-President, Construction & Mining
Equipment Business Unit, L&T, handed over a plaque
to the esteemed customer.
Shree Balaji Borewells is based in Bhopal and engaged
in road projects in the states of Madhya Pradesh and
Chattisgarh.
Mr. Mahendra Agarwal of M/s. Balaji Borewells, receiving the plaque
from Mr. S.K.Mittra, Executive Vice-President, Construction & Mining
Equipment Business, L&T. Also seen (L-R) Mr. S.R. Subramanian,
Chief Executive, L&T-Komatsu Limited, Mr. S. Ueno,
Managing Director, Komatsu India Pvt. Ltd. and Mr. A.K. Garg,
General Manager - Construction Equipment Business, L&T.
PC71 & PC130 Enter Obra Stone Quarry
L
&T has made a breakthrough in the quarry town
of Obra, situated in Sonebhadra District of Uttar
Pradesh by supplying L&T-Komatsu Hydraulic Excavator,
Models PC71 and PC130-7. The town is rich in natural
resources like limestone and blue metal. Over 30 quarries
serving 150 stone crusher units are found here. New
power projects are the key growth drivers of Obra,
which is also witnessing road expansion and building
construction in a big way.
Presently, the mining activity is manual and a few mines
have deployed excavators. With the mining activity
getting deeper and due to increased labour problems,
customers are deploying excavators of 7 Ton & 10 Ton
class. M/s.Laxman Prasad & Tarkeshwar Prasad and
M/s. Swastik Enterprises, which were hitherto engaged
in manual mining, have felt the need to increase
production and deployed hydraulic excavators.
On the occasion of the delivery of the first L&T-Komatsu
PC71 and L&T-Komatsu PC130-7 Hydraulic Excavators
in Obra, the customers were presented mementos by
personnel from L&T’s Lucknow Office and the Dealer,
M/s.Chintamani Enserve Pvt Ltd (CEPL).
Mementos being handed over to (at left) Mr. Sanjay Kumar Rai, Partner, M/s. Swastik Enterprises and (at right) to Mr.Laxman Prasad,
Mr.Rajesh Keshri, Partner, Mr.J.P.Keshri, Partner and Mr. Tarkeshwar Prasad by Mr.Amit Kumar, L&T, Lucknow, Mr.Sanjay Shirodkar and
Mr.Chandresh Pathak,CEPL.
2
L&T Earthmover News – January-March 2009
Customer Notes
Medikonda - History in Pipeline Construction
M
eet Mr. Venkaiah Naidu, the leading contractor
from Nellore, and not to be mistaken for his
popular namesake in politics. As Chairman of
M/s. Medikonda Constructions Private Limited (MCPL),
Mr. Naidu is executing a landmark project for L&T’s
Engineering & Construction Division, for the first time in
India, involving construction of pre-heated and insulated
oil and gas pipeline in the western region.
The entire contract is handled by the British
multinational M/s. Cairn India Limited and it involves
carrying crude oil and gas by separate pipelines from
Mangala Onshore Terminal and Raageshwari Gas
Field, respectively (Barmer/Rajasthan) to Salaya Export
Terminal (Jamnagar/Gujarat). Mundra-based M/s. Jindal
Saw Pipes are supplying the 24-inch dia pipes with
PUF insulation for carrying crude oil and 8-inch dia
pipes running alongside for the gas supply. Of the total
pipelength of 600 km, MCPL is constructing the 362-km
long pipeline, mostly spanning in Gujarat.
The end-to-end solution for this project is extended
by MCPL covering elaborate route survey, stringing,
welding, x-ray processing, blasting, painting, long-sleeve
cladding, cable pulling, injection, trenching, and lowering
the pipes and backfilling. This is the first of its kind in
India and involves intermediate heating arrangement
enroute to ensure continuous flow of oil and gas even
in sub-zero conditions. India’s domestic crude production
is likely to go up by 25 percent, once these onshore
oil wells in Rajasthan are fully operational.
Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu, Chairman, M/s. Medikonda Constructions Pvt. Ltd.
“I am euphoric of the project and the activities are
hectic,” says the 61-year-old Mr. Venkaiah Naidu, who
exhibits infectious energy and has been camping at
Virangam enroute for the last six months. He drives
us through the workspot spread over a vast area in
the summer heat and the rising dust. A complement
of PC200-6 Hydraulic Excavators was busy making
trenches even as some welders were working on the
pipes. “I purchased the first PC200 Hydraulic Excavator
in 1999 for Jaipur-Loni Pipeline Project,” reveals
Mr. Naidu, who developed an instant liking for it.
In the early years of his life, Mr. Naidu was drawn
to politics and influenced by the leader Mrs. Indira
Gandhi. Though he was a Congress loyalist, he could
not make it into mainstream
L&T-Komatsu PC200 Hydraulic Excavator engaged in
politics. His father was a
trenching operation for the pipeline project in Gujarat.
registered CPWD contractor
who handled civil works for
post and telegraph departments.
Soon after PUC, Mr. Naidu
got into his father’s business.
He also enrolled for AMIE
course. He says, “I got trained
extensively in estimating, billing
and understanding the demands
of the job. I registered my
name in 1978 and started with
warehouse construction for Food
Corporation of India in Chittoor.
I also handled the Kakatiya
canal at Ramagundam”.
Mr. Naidu is a hard taskmaster.
He is on the move, covers
L&T Earthmover News – January-March 2009
3
Customer Notes
the breadth of activity and monitors the trench works
as well as pipeline infrastructure in detail. His team
comprises skilled workforce, welding specialists and
local manpower all add up to 800 people. His site
office is a one-stop shop with materials, machinery
and consumables. “Strict quality stipulations of both
material and methods at site make the job tough and
challenging,” he adds.
MCPL has effectively utilized the PC200 machines to
handle many tough assignments in the past like the
breakwater enlargement of Operation Seabird at Karwar
in collaboration with M/s. Hochtief, Germany, which
was a very tricky and difficult job. “We also worked
on laying Kandla-Bhatinda/
Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada/
Jaipur-Loni pipeline projects,
construction of warehouses
for M/s. Reliance Industries
Limited at Hazira and earthwork
for M/s. Hyundai Industries
Limited in Sriperumbudur. These
assignments have enabled us
gain a strong understanding
of different projects,” says
Mr. Naidu.
Mr. Padmamohan,
It is L&T-driven projects which drive Mr. Naidu too. “I
have immense faith in L&T management and prefer to
work with them anywhere,” quips Mr. Naidu, who has
been associated with L&T projects for two decades. In
fact, he even took up an assignment overseas from L&T
(ECC) in Tanzania for pipelaying operations. The task
was arduous involving shipping the excavators to Dares-Salam and trenching the route there for laying the
huge pipes in deep forest area and inhospitable terrain.
The job entailed six months and the route was 220
km long. “We used a combination of 15 nos PC200
Hydraulic Excavators along with 2 units each of L&T
72 and Motor Graders to complete the assignment,”
remarks Mr. M. Padmamohan, Managing Director, MCPL
and the son of Mr. Naidu. “The support from L&T in
terms of machine availability and post-sales activity
was very satisfying”, he adds.
Both the father and son are highly impressed by L&T
dealer M/s. Deccan Earthmovers from Ahmedabad who
is extending service back-up now. They have especially
all praise for the site engineer Mr. Krunal Sukhadia who
keeps the fleet working at all times. His dedicated focus
is seen in the advance action for the procurement of
parts and the fast-track methods in diagnosing machine
breakdown.
When it comes to machine
replacement, MCPL follows a
different policy altogether. “We
purchase machines for a specific
project depending on its timelines
and the volume of work. Once
the project is complete, the
machines are disposed off locally
in the secondary market,” says
Mr. Padmamohan. This helps in
MD, MCPL
tax planning and gets to save from managing huge
fleets during lean period. MCPL also does not go into
hiring of machines.
On MCPL’s future, Mr. Padmamohan says, “As GSPL &
IOC approved contractors, our plan is to stay focused
on pipeline infrastructure. We are looking at upcoming
pipeline projects like Kakinada-Chennai, Kakinada-Vizag,
Mundra-Bhatinda, for fresh challenges.” Both Mr. Naidu
and Mr. Padmamohan are proud that L&T (ECC/E&C)
prefers to select them as partners for their projects.
Mr. Veerraju - an Icon of AP Quarrying Industry
T
he ‘blue metal’ shines intensely in the morning
sun from the depths of the massive quarries off
Rajahmundry, the bustling town situated next to
the revered Godavari river in Andhra Pradesh. Welcoming
us to his quarry is the industrialist Mr. Cherukuri Veerraju,
often referred to as the icon of quarrying industry in
Coastal Andhra. Clad in spotless white kurta and dhoti,
he exhibits unbeatable energy and coordinates between
blasting, mining and crusher units in rapid action.
potential and long-term prospects. Since then, he has
admirably worked his way to the top and met with
enormous success in the last four decades. His firm,
M/s. Cherukuri Veerraju & Co. has been a pioneer in
undertaking railway contracts and is a major ballast
supplier to South Central Railway and South Western
Railway. Today, Mr. Veerraju is ably supported in his
work by his son, Mr. Krishnaji and son-in-law Mr. A.
Muni Koteswara Rao.
Starting with a modest transport business, this
veteran moved over to quarrying realizing its growth
In the early sixties, Mr. Veerraju stepped into this
industry when the quarries were manually operated
4
L&T Earthmover News – January-March 2009
and highly labour intensive. He spent several months in
the blazing sun exploiting the quarry and meeting the
market requirements for the blue metal. With the eighties
heralding mechanization in the quarries, Mr. Veerraju
was the earliest to spot opportunity and introduced
machines in the Rajahmundry area. Since then, he
has switched over to modern methods of operations.
Today his quarries are well developed with excavators
and crushers in place, which keep the mines working
to full capacity.
“We make sure that the machines are maintained
well and perform to the fullest capacity irrespective
of their age”, says Mr Krishnaji, who looks after the
major portfolio of quarries in the Rajahmundry area.
He monitors the movement of gravel from the crushers
to the customer sites and addresses issues relating to
mining regulations.
The first machine, a competitor excavator, was inducted
in 1987 alongwith tippers which continued for almost
a decade, when problems cropped up. “We evaluated
the performance parameters and realized that the
machines could not deliver as per the expectations.”
It was then that Mr. Koteswara Rao held intensive
discussions with L&T, Vijayawada team. He took a
conscious decision to induct L&T’s workhorse – L&TKomatsu PC200 Hydraulic Excavator. His conviction
paid off and he added
a few more of the same
model. “They are very
efficient and hassle-free,
and their productivity
is notewor thy,” he
expresses. He is especially
happy with the solid
support he gets from
L&T team for service
and parts.
Mr. Koteswara Rao (L)
Mr. Koteswara Rao
takes care of the group’s business which has grown
tremendously outside Rajahmundry. Beginning with
the year 2002-03, M/s. Cherukuri Veerraju & Co have
expanded business beyond Andhra Pradesh with the
acquiring of new quarries in strategic locations. These
are at Raichur, Kadur, Londa and Jhansi besides West
Godavari. High-capacity crushers have been installed at
all quarries to produce the shining ‘blue metal’.
This increased production of the ‘blue metal’ takes
care of the ballast requirements for the ongoing gauge
conversion activity and putting up new railway lines,
besides outer ring roads and highway projects coming up
L&T Earthmover News – January-March 2009
in various parts of the
country. Currently,
Mr. Rao owns 11
nos. L&T-Komatsu
PC200-6 machines
and has deployed
them in these new
locations. “I have no
issues with L&T. I am
happy to have joined
the L&T family”, he
declares cheerfully.
Incidentally, disci­
pline is the buzzword
in M/s. Ch. Veerraju
& Co.’s business.
Mr. Koteswara Rao
is also a meticulous
planner, who is
Mr. Ch. Veerraju, Chairman,
up early in the
M/s. Cherukuri Veerraju & Co.
morning, works at
the gymnasium and raring to go. He keeps a check
on the outstation mines and monitors the health of the
machines. He maintains an active portfolio of spare
parts at various sites for faster redemption.
Presently, he is working closely with M/s. Gayatri
Projects, one of the
leading contractors of
Andhra Pradesh, which
is implementing the
Polavaram Right Canal
Project. The work involves
canal lining (a combination
of aggregate and cement)
in inclined shape running
all along the length of
the canal and acts as
and Mr. Krishnaji
a retainer preventing
water absorption, besides
construction of underground tunnels. The project is of
national importance and involves diverting the waters
from the Godavari to the Krishna through a link canal
with multiple benefits of drinking water to wayside
villages, irrigating large tracts of arable land and in
setting up mini-hydel stations.
M/s. Ch. Veerraju & Co. have developed a unique
business practice, which has allowed the firm to
include a number of old acquaintances as faithful
partners in this flourishing business. These partners
are attached to various quarries and handle them with
total dedication.
5
June
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
10/
CMB TRAINING CA
Mai
6/L&T300 Trouble-shooting/B’lore
Maintenance Staff
For the benefit of customers of Construction & Mining Equipment Business Unit (CMB), Training Programmes offered 9/PC200-6/PC300-7/
by L&T, have bee
S
July
May
M
31
7/PC71 / Hubli
Operators/Mechanics
T
W
1
T
2
F
13
S
24
S
35
M
46
8/D65 / Singrauli
Operators/Mechanics
T
W
57
68
T
79
F
10
8
S
11
9
S
12
10
Udaipur
Operators/Mechanics
M
T
13
14
11
12
14/PC200-6/B’lore
Maintenance Staff
15/Ko
1/P
Mai
Mai
16/PC200-6/PC3
2/PC-300-7/
Cudd
Barbil
Operators/Mech
August
June
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
1
6
2
7
3
8
4
9
23/PC130-7/PC200-6/ Delhi
8/D65 / Singrauli
Operators/Mechanics
Operators/Mechanics
7/PC71 / Hubli
Operators/Mechanics
1
2
1
3
2
4
3
5
4
6
5
7
6
8
7
32/L&T300 Trouble-shooting/B’lore
Maintenance Staff
30
8
13
9
14
10
15
9
8
24/PC200-6/Burdwan
Operators/Mechanics
10
9
11
10
12
11
13
12
26/PC130-7/PC2
9/PC200-6/PC300-7/
Akola
Udaipur
Operators/Mech
Operators/Mechanics
14
15
13
14
36/Kom. W
15/Ko
Mai
Mai
2
3
1
4
2
5
3
6
4
7
5
8
6
9
7
10
8
11
9
12
10
40/L&T 72/90-3/B’lore
22/L&T300CKE
/B’lore
Maintenance Staff
Maintenance Staff
41/PC200-6/ Chennai
23/PC130-7/PC200-6/
Delhi
Operators/Mechanics
Operators/Mechanics
November
September
29
30
1
2
3
4
5
1
6
2
7
3
8
33/PC200-6/ Salem
Operators/Mechanics
1
2
4
9
25/PC200-6/B’lo
Maintenance St
24/PC200-6/Burdwan
Operators/Mechanics
5
10
6
11
7
12
8
13
9
14
4
2
5
3
6
4
7
5
8
6
53/L&T300 Trouble-shooting/B’lore
Maintenance Staff
48/PC200-6/PC3
Guwahati
37/PC200-6/Pu
Operators/Mech
9
7
10
8
11
9
12
10
13
11
14
12
1
30
15
13
54/PC200-6/B’lore
40/L&T
72/90-3/B’lore
Maintenance
Staff
Maintenance Staff
56/Kom.
Mai
55/PC200-6/ Madurai
41/PC200-6/ Chennai
Operators/Mechanics
Operators/Mechanics
January 2010 31
November
29
42/PC200-6/PC3
26/PC130-7/PC2
Jaipur
Akola
Operators/Mech
Operators/Mech
10
15
47/
36/Kom.
MaiW
Mai
35/D275/Goa
Operators/Mechanics
3
1
37/PC200-6/Pu
16/PC200-6/PC3
Operators/Mech
Barbil
Operators/Mech
13
11
46/Kom. Wheel Loaders/B’lore
34/PC200-6/B’lore
Maintenance
Staff
Maintenance Staff
32/L&T300 Trouble-shooting/B’lore
Maintenance Staff
December
October
11
16
25/PC200-6/B’lo
Maintenance10/
St
Mai
35/D275/Goa
Operators/Mechanics
1
31
7
12
34/PC200-6/B’lore
14/PC200-6/B’lore
Maintenance
Staff
Maintenance Staff
33/PC200-6/ Salem
Operators/Mechanics
October
August
6
11
22/L&T300CKE /B’lore
Maintenance Staff
6/L&T300 Trouble-shooting/B’lore
Maintenance Staff
September
July
5
10
2
3
1
4
2
5
3
6
4
7
5
8
6
9
7
10
8
11
9
42/PC200-6/PC3
Jaipur
Operators/Mech
12
10
57/Kom.Grader/B’lore
46/Kom. Wheel Loaders/B’lore
Maintenance Staff
Maintenance Staff
47/
Mai
58/PC130-7/PC300-7/Kochi
Operators/Mechanics
February
December
1
21
32
43
54
65
76
87
98
62/L&T300 Trouble-shooting/B’lore
Trouble-shooting/B’lore
53/L&T300
Maintenance Staff
Staff
Maintenance
1
4
12
11
13
12
14
13
15
14
65/
56/Kom.
Mai
Mai
66/Scania P
Mai
55/PC200-6/ Madurai
Operators/Mechanics
2
3
4
5
6
7
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
57/Kom.Grader/B’lore
Programme for Operators & Mechanic
Maintenance Staff
Kom : KOMATSU
B’lore: Bangalore
58/PC130-7/PC300-7/Kochi
Operators/Mechanics
Special programme for Managers / Executives : Rs. 2,500/Programme for Maintenance Staff : Rs. 2,000/-
L&T
Earthmover News
February
1 – January-March
2
3 2009
11
10
64/PC300-7/B’lore
54/PC200-6/B’lore
Maintenance Staff
Staff
Maintenance
63/PC200-6/B’lore
Maintenance Staff
January 2010 31
Key for Course Fee:
10
9
48/PC200-6/PC3
Guwahati
Operators/Mech
16
15
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
6
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
/PC130-7/B’lore
ALENDAR
2009-10
intenance Staff
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
11/PC450-7/B’lore
Maintenance Staff
en scheduled in Bangalore and other Service Centres. Table below gives the Training Schedule
13/PC210-8/for the period July 2009-February 2010
W
15
13
T
16
14
F
17
15
S
18
16
S
19
17
M
20
18
om.Grader/B’lore
PC200-6/B’lore
intenance Staff
intenance Staff
13
18
14
19
15
20
16
21
17
22
27/PC200-6/PC300-7/
Hospet
Operators/Mechanics
hanics
18
17
19
18
20
19
21
20
Wheel Loaders/B’lore
om.Grader/B’lore
intenance Staff
intenance Staff
une
300-7/
hanics
hanics
14
12
22
21
23
22
22
27
16
14
23
28
24
29
25
24
26
25
30/PC71 /
13/PC210-8/Bhubaneshwar
Jamshedpur
Operators/Mechanics
Operators/Mechanics
27
28
29
30
26
27
28
29
18
16
19
17
20
18
21
19
22
20
12
17
13
18
14
19
15
20
16
21
/PC300-7/B’lore
Wheel
Loaders/B’lore
intenance
Staff
intenance Staff
27/PC200-6/PC300-7/
Hospet
Operators/Mechanics
17
18
22
23
23
21
24
22
25
23
26
24
27
25
43/PC200-6/PC300-7/
28/PC200-6/
Udaipur
Mumbai
Operators/Mechanics
Operators/Mechanics
19
20
24
25
21
26
22
27
23
28
28
29
31/PC200-6/PC300-7/
Goa
Operators/Mechanics
30
31
28
26
29
27
30
28
31
29
52/PC300-7/
Ongole
Operators/Mechanics
50/Scania P380 Tipper truck/B’lore
39/PC200-6/Korba
Maintenance Staff
Operators/Mechanics
17
15
18
16
19
17
20
18
21
19
22
20
23
21
24
22
25
23
26
24
27
25
28
26
29
27
15
13
16
14
17
15
18
16
19
17
20
18
43/PC200-6/PC300-7/
Udaipur
Operators/Mechanics
21
22
19
20
31
29
30
31
29
27
30
28
45/PC130-7/PC200-6/ Surat
Operators/Mechanics
23
21
24
22
25
23
26
24
59/PC600/PC1250/B’lore
49/Excavator Hyd Systems/B’lore
Maintenance Staff
Executives/Managers
/PC300-7/B’lore
intenance Staff
300-7
19
18
20
19
21
20
22
21
/PC130-7/B’lore
Dump Trucks/B’lore
intenance Staff
Staff
intenance
23
22
24
23
25
24
27
25
28
26
61/PC450-7/B’lore
51/PC210-8/B’lore
Maintenance Staff
Maintenance Staff
52/PC300-7/
Ongole
Operators/Mechanics
60/Kom.Machine
Electricals/B’lore
50/Scania
P380 Tipper
truck/B’lore
Maintenance
Maintenance Staff
Staff
18
17
30
28
44/PC71/B’lore
Maintenance Staff
300-7
14
12
28
51/PC210-8/B’lore
Maintenance Staff
Dump Trucks/B’lore
intenance Staff
hanics
17
16
27
45/PC130-7/PC200-6/
30/PC71 / Surat 31/PC200-6/PC300-7/
Operators/Mechanics
Bhubaneshwar
Goa
Operators/Mechanics
Operators/Mechanics
24
25
26
27
29
30
49/Excavator Hyd Systems/B’lore
38/PC450-7/B’lore
Executives/Managers
Maintenance Staff
300-7
une
hanics
hanics
13
11
S
44/PC71/B’lore
29/Kom.Machine
Electricals/B’lore
Maintenance
Staff
Maintenance Staff
300-7
200-6/
16
14
30
21/PC-450-7/ Jamshedpur
Operators/Mechanics
ore
taff
hanics
hanics
11
16
F
31
29
20/PC600/1250-7/B’lore
Maintenance Staff
39/PC200-6/Korba
19/Scania
P380 Tipper truck/B’lore
Operators/Mechanics
Maintenance Staff
17
15
T
30
28
29/Kom.Machine Electricals/B’lore
Maintenance Staff
28/PC200-6/
MumbaiRaipur
12/PC200-6/
Operators/Mechanics
24
23
W
29
27
5/PC200-6/PC300-7/
21/PC-450-7/
Jamshedpur
Mysore
Operators/Mechanics
Operators/Mechanics
25
26
30
38/PC450-7/B’lore
18/ExcavatorMaintenance
Hyd Systems/B’lore
Staff
Executives/Managers
17/PC-300-7/ Indore
Operators/Mechanics
15
13
Jamshedpur
S Operators/Mechanics
M
T
26
27
28
24
25
26
11/PC450-7/B’lore
Maintenance Staff
200-6/
17
16
S
25
23
20/PC600/1250-7/B’lore
Maintenance Staff
4/PC130-7/PC200-6/
19/Scania P380 Tipper truck/B’lore
Chandigarh
Maintenance Staff
Operators/Mechanics
18
19
20
21
23
24
25
26
ore
/PC130-7/B’lore
taff
intenance Staff
16
15
W
22
20
18/Excavator Hyd Systems/B’lore
3/PC300-7/B’lore
Executives/Managers
Maintenance Staff
300-7/
17/PC-300-7/ Indore
dapah
Operators/Mechanics
hanics
12
17
T
21
19
12/PC200-6/ Raipur
Operators/Mechanics
T
F
23
24
21
22
26
25
27
26
28
27
28
29
30
31
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
67/Excavator Hyd Systems/B’lore
Executives/Managers
P380 Tipper truck/B’lore
intenance Staff
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
59/PC600/PC1250/B’lore
Maintenance Staff
cs : Rs. 1,000/-
29
30
61/PC450-7/B’lore
Maintenance Staff
Construction & Mining Equipment Business Unit
60/Kom.Machine Electricals/B’lore
Maintenance Staff
17
18 7
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
L&T Earthmover News – January-March 2009
Customer Notes
Mr. S.P.Y. Reddy — Social Entrepreneur Par Excellence
F
or the farmers of the drought-prone Rayalaseema
area, Mr. S.P.Y. Reddy’s bold initiatives in life-saving
irrigation have given new hope for the crops. His
efforts have brought in a gradual change amongst poor
and marginal farmers by compulsive water harvesting and
adopting modern practices in agriculture. Besides being
a farmer and social entrepreneur, Mr. Reddy dons other
roles including that of the elected Member of Parliament
from Nandyal Constituency and as the Chairman of
M/s. Nandi Group of Companies.
“I have made the farmers realize the true value of water.
Today, all of us are focused on
life-saving irrigation practices.
Under this programme, we
have completed sinking 10,000
borewells covering 1000 villages,
says the towering Mr. Reddy, who
operates from Basheerbagh in
Hyderabad, which doubles up
as MP’s office. It is typical to see
several people, mostly humble
farmers, line up outside his office
to seek his intervention.
In 1979, Mr. Reddy set up a small factory and used waste
plastic to recycle into water pipes since cement pipes
were expensive and used scarcely. The initiative took
off and he saw the demand for pipes from agriculture
sector growing. He established M/s. Nandi Pipes and
M/s.Sujala Pipes to manufacture the PVC pipes in a
big way. His networking skills proved handy as more
farmers came forward to install the pipes to carry
water to the farms from various sources like tubewells
for irrigation.
“To lay the pipes underground, trenching was required.
Most of them did not own the machines and labour
was not feasible. It was then
I decided to start the rental
concept”, says Mr. Reddy, who
bought six L&T machines and
popularized the practice of renting
them for rapid and economical
trenching. Whoever purchased
200 pipes or more, he offered the
free trenching recovering only the
diesel charges. He even started
giving the pipes on hire for Re.1
per day for those who could not
afford to buy them.
For years, Mr. Reddy has been
Mr. S.P.Y. Reddy, Chairman, Nandi Group
spearheading the need for
Today, Mr.Reddy owns 16 Nos. L&T-Komatsu PC71, 5
networking farmers. He has been talking to the Nandyal
Nos. L&T-Komatsu PC200-6 and 3 Nos. L&T-Komatsu
based farmers and helping them out with invaluable
PC300LC-7 Hydraulic Excavators. “They are reliable
inputs on farm mechanization and high-yielding crops.
machines and give me extremely good service. In fact,
He is also in continuous dialogue with the district
the maintenance costs are also less”, remarks Mr. Reddy
authorities for desilting of old tanks and village ponds,
who migrated to L&T from a competitor brand. The
which are good storehouses of water.
machines are spread across large areas to take care of
The story unfolds many summers ago, when as a school
the farmers’ requirements at a short notice. “I am glad
boy Mr. Reddy witnessed the crops wither away in the
that my operators are trained well and we have a team
arid heat of Rayalaseema. When the rains failed year
to take care of small repairs and routine maintenance.
after year, the little Reddy realized the importance of
Plus your teams from L&T as well as the dealer are
water. He dug up open channels to carry water from
always helpful in giving us the knowledge input on
the wells to the farms, where they cultivated sweetreplacement”, he adds.
lime trees. Soon, the pumpsets arrived to augment the
Over the years, Mr. Reddy has expanded the pipes
water supply. But the depleting ground water added
business with the opening of new factories at Bellary,
to the woes.
Tirupati and Hyderabad, besides Nandyal and
He worked hard on his academics and secured a
Anantapur. Thanks to his untiring efforts, Nandi is the
seat in Regional Engineering College, Warangal for
foremost brand in PVC pipes and one of the largest
B.E (Mech) course. Later, he entered the prestigious
in Asia today.
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai for a
career. But the ‘rytubidda’ preferred agriculture to a
Mr. Reddy is not a man to rest on his laurels. His mind
scientist career. It was difficult managing the cultivation
is continuously working on new ideas. He has set up a
given the inconsistent water supply and meagre crop.
plant to extract alcohol from Maize, a skimming plant
The scarce water continued to puzzle him even as he
for dairy development and an old age home in Nandyal
found out that a lot of water was percolating into the
for the senior citizens. He has also taken over Panyam
ground before reaching the fields.
Cements. He is particularly touched by the poor man’s
L&T Earthmover News – January-March 2009
8
plight. His voice chokes with emotion when he says,
“Poverty should be banished from this planet”.
More recently, Mr. Reddy has been working closely with
an entrepreneur to promote solar-powered fencing for
the farm boundary. This is in wake of the pre-harvest
crops getting severely affected by the wild pig menace.
“This initiative too has started showing results and
very soon we may launch it in a big way”, he says.
Accolades have come in for Mr. Reddy from opinion
makers and industrialists alike, but it is the humble
farmer who holds him close, like Mr. Venkatsubba
Reddy from Velugodu village of Kurnool district who
says, “He is our Apad Bandhava, our Dharmadhata”.
AKRCL Reaps Success in Irrigation Projects
“O
ur biggest credo is the ability to deliver
projects in time,” remarks an exuberant
Mr. A. Krishna Reddy, Managing Director
of M/s. AKR Construction Limited (AKRCL). His
statement is reflective of the enormous work, he has
pursued with relentless passion, all the while to execute
irrigation projects in both the states of Andhra Pradesh
and Karnataka.
At AKRCL’s Corporate Office in the upscale Banjara
Hills in Hyderabad, Mr. Reddy is often caught up with
hectic schedule. He is busy thrashing out project costs,
holding feasibility reviews and travelling to various sites.
He is in constant touch with site teams to monitor
project progress and machine performance. His major
clients include Irrigation Dept., Government of Andhra
Pradesh, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation,
Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited and Karnataka
Bhagya Jala Nigam Limited.
It all began in 1980, when Mr Krishna Reddy, like
several young men, was attracted to the construction
sector which showed good growth. He was a graduate
from Nellore District and grew up in the fields growing
paddy, cotton and coconuts. But with a dream to start
something on his own, he got into undertaking small
canal works. The initial years were difficult, for he
spent several hours understanding the demands and
fine-tuning the practices.
Mr. A. Krishna Reddy, CMD, AKRCL and (below) L&T-Komatsu
PC300LC-7 Hydraulic Excavator working at an irrigation site
From canal works to railway infrastructure, he started
working on the entire gamut of jobs. His portfolio of
work soon grew to cover irrigation canals, distribution
systems, spillways, barrages, reservoirs, tunnels besides
railway bridges and real estate projects. From survey,
design to actual construction, M/s. AKR Construction
Limited now delivers end-to-end solutions with focus
on irrigation sector. Today, the company combines
experience and aggression to drive the projects to attain
total customer satisfaction. In the process, it has set
new standards in accomplishing targets.
“In the beginning, I used to own excavators of a different
brand”, reveals Mr. Krishna Reddy. “ But I found them not
good enough in hard strata, often leading to breakdowns.
It is then, I switched over to a more rugged machine.
Believe me L&T machines are really dependable. Of the
9
L&T Earthmover News – January-March 2009
Customer Notes
37 machines I own today, 33 are supplied by L&T. I no
longer go for hired equipment, I prefer to buy my own
machines,” he adds.
About 5 years ago, there was an upsurge in irrigation
segment and this enabled AKRCL to move forward
and consolidate its business plan. From a turnover
of Rs. 5 Crore in 1997, the company grew to about
Rs. 20 Crore in 2000. This year, AKRCL plans to make
it Rs 200 Crore. Each year, close to 50 percent of the
revenue comes from irrigation projects alone.
What challenges has AKRCL encountered on the field?
“Typically, the land acquisition is the most difficult one.
It often upsets our schedule, moving into long-drawn
process, but we have managed well, thanks to our
team members. The department approvals for design
efficacy to be obtained periodically and the management
of the local community are also key factors,” says
Mr. Reddy.
Over the years, AKRCL has developed an expert team
of irrigation engineers inhouse, who provide a strong
base of civil engineering and project detailing. The site
activities are supported by the online parts booking and
despatch from Headquarters. Monitoring the machines’
performance and reviewing parts inventory is done on
daily basis. The project sites are staffed by mechanical
engineers, who implement maintenance practices.
“One of the ambitious projects done in recent times is
that of Sriram Sagar Project, where we had to excavate
80 lakh CuM hard strata to build distribution system/
canals. I used a combination of 20 machines which
include PC300, PC200 & PC130 Hydraulic Excavators
and finished the work in one year time schedule,” says
Mr. Krishna Reddy.
Mr. Sashikumar Reddy
Working in tandem is his son, Mr. Sashikumar Reddy,
Executive Director. He says, “The ISO 9001-2000
certification is a proof of our process-driven quality
structure. Our workforce of over 4000 employees exhibits
skill and diverse knowledge to achieve the customer
delight.” AKRCL’s continued emphasis on employee
development gives ample opportunity to realize their
true potential.
Some of the challenging jobs accomplished by AKRCL
include the construction of barrage on the Pennar
river in Nellore district with electrically operated
hoists, excavation of gravity canal and embankment
construction on the Pranahita river in Adilabad district,
undertaking of Dummugudem canal system, construction
of low-level canal in Nalgonda district and construction
of Upper Krishna Project in Karnataka.
Mining Equipment Business – Training Calendar
Programme Schedule
Komatsu Excavators
S.No.
Komatsu Dump Trucks
S.No.
Programme
Location
Period
01
1/HD465
New Delhi
7-10 July 2009
02
2/HD465/HD785
Durgapur
10-13 Aug. 2009
03
3/HD465/HD785
Nagpur
3-6 Aug. 2009
04
4/HD465/HD785
Chennai
22-25 Sept. 2009
05
56/Komatsu Dumper
Bangalore
15-18 Dec. 2009
Programme
Location
Period
01
20/PC600/PC800/PC1250/PC2000 Bangalore 28-31 July 2009
02
59/PC600/PC800/PC1250/PC2000 Bangalore 19-22 Jan. 2010
Komatsu Wheel Loaders
S.No.
Programme
Location
Period
01
36/Komatsu Wheel Loader
Bangalore
15-18 Aug. 2009
02
46/Komatsu Wheel Loader
Bangalore
3-6 Nov. 2009
Komatsu Dozers
Komatsu Motor Graders
S.No.
Programme
Location
Period
S.No.
Programme
Location
Period
01
5/D155/D275/D375/D475
New Delhi
22-25 Sept. 2009
01
15//Komatsu Grader
Bangalore
14-17 July 2009
02
6/D155/D275/D375/D475
Bangalore
6-9 Oct. 2009
02
57//Komatsu Grader
Bangalore
5-8 Jan. 2010
10
L&T Earthmover News – January-March 2009
Mr. Vijay Kaza Enables ECI Redefine Benchmarks
I
t is the endearing combination of
intelligent choice and hard work that
has catapulted Mr. Vijay Kaza into the
league of new-age successful entrepreneurs.
Five years back, this young engineer with
a management degree from Golden Gate
University gave up an established career
with IBM in USA and returned home to
join his dad Mr. Kaza Venkata Rao’s firm
M/s. ECI Engineering & Construction Co.
Ltd. As Managing Director today, Mr. Vijay
Kaza has a definitive role in the strategic
affairs of the company and maps out its
growth opportunities. He is highly articulate
and minces no words when it comes to
procedural delays and operational glitches
in implementing projects.
he has started refers to the job rotation in
the organization, where individuals with
multi-talents are trained for multi-functional
experience and groomed to occupy higher
positions.
ECI has taken up a project providing endto-end solution for Rail Vikas Nigam Limited
which include civil works, tracking and signal
engineering in Bhubaneswar. This project has
been challenging often involving the company
in land acquisition process and rehabilitation
of the displaced populace.
Mr. Vijay Kaza, MD,
M/s. ECI Engineering &
Construction Co. Ltd.
For ECI, infrastructure has been the mainstay of business.
In the last three decades, the firm has built many
landmarks in roads, railways, reservoirs, bridges, power
and industrial projects across India. ECI’s capabilities
have been demonstrated in specialized civil and electrical
engineering and its track record of projects in industrial
sector and infrastructure applications have come in for
high appreciation.
“We have synergy in road and rail projects”, remarks
an ebullient Mr. Vijay Kaza in his plush office in Jubilee
Hills. “We have worked on some of the toughest projects
in hostile conditions in the North East which include
building a bridge over the Donai river in Assam and
construction of major bridges from Lumding to Agartala
under Northeast Frontier Railway. Another project we
had to slog out was 4-laning of highway in Jharkand
where our team had to brave Naxal attacks,” adds
Mr. Vijay Kaza.
Besides consolidating on business, Mr. Vijay Kaza has
been the driving force in the organization setting higher
benchmarks in individual performance, improving
delivery mechanism, maintaining design standards
and defining the geographical requirements for each
project. He is extremely careful while answering tender
queries and evaluates thoroughly before acceptance of
new projects.
Has the attrition in the industry affected him? “Initially,
we lost a lot of people. But now we have understood
the demands of the industry. We have devised a
unique compensation package and skill enhancement
programme that makes sure that every individual is taken
care of in terms of job challenge and satisfaction,” adds
Mr. Vijay Kaza. In fact, one of the successful experiments
11
Today, ECI is concentrating in a big way on
power projects and setting up of transmission
lines and sub-stations on fast track basis.
They have just finished setting up 36 mw power
project in the arduous forests of Orissa. Other projects
completed include Outer Ring Road Project for Mysore
City, Koraput-Rayagada Railway line for South Eastern
Railway, Owk Reservoir Complex for AP Irrigation
Dept.
Unlike other companies, ECI took a different route to
infuse Rs. 100 Crore private equity into the company to
take care of its ambitious growth and expansion plans.
The company has been consistently adopting the ISO
standards to maintain world class quality standards in
projects. ECI’s requisite expertise enables it to undertake
EPC contracts with single-source responsibility. EPC
assignments are executed using state-of-the-art design
tools and project management techniques.
“When I took a look at the Indian market for machines,
I realized there were many options including the newlyarrived Chinese brands. It was then I had to make a
crucial decision. L&T machines are certainly way ahead
with dependable service, parts availability and an active
dealer network. Plus the performance of the machines
was above par,” says Mr. Vijay Kaza who owns a big
fleet of L&T supplied machines and has successfully
deployed them for many projects all over India.
He also finds the relationship with the company rewarding,
when the L&T personnel call on him to finalize new deals
or track the health of the machines. “I also find that the
local manpower has higher exposure to L&T machines
which makes life a lot better,” adds Mr. Vijay Kaza who
has contingency plans in place to tackle any machine
breakdown. When it comes to selection of operators who
are the key to machine’s productivity, ECI shows more
concern. “As long as I am happy with the L&T machines’
productivity, you continue to get orders”, he says and
gets up with a smile.
L&T Earthmover News – January-March 2009
Operation Tips
Avoiding Pitfalls in Machine Operation – III
(Contd. from last issue)
Breaking (Recommendable Operation)
To carry out breaking work
efficiently, push the chisel
against the impact surface
and raise the front of the
machine approx. 5 cm.
This allows the weight of
the machine to be always
applied and removes any
problem of the breaker being operated without resistance, so it
enables the breaking work to be carried out efficiently.
Do not raise the machine higher than necessary.
Always keep the chisel
perpendicular to the impact
surface. This ensures that
all the breaking forces are
applied to the object being
broken and increases the
breaking effect. If impact
work is carried out when the
chisel is not perpendicular, a
side load is brought to bear on the chisel and this may cause
wear inside the breaker.
During impact operations,
the direction of penetration
of chisel and the direction of
the breaker diverge gradually,
so the operating efficiency can
be maintained if the bucket
cylinder angle is adjusted to
ensure that the chisel is always
perpendicular to the object being broken.
If continuous impact is applied
to the same impact surface, and
it does not break within one
minute, increase the efficiency
of the breaking by moving the
impact surface closer to the edge
to make breaking easier.
Prohibited Operation
Moving the chisel while impacting reduces
the efficiency of the breaking work and also
means that the chisel is always sliding, so
the wear of the chisel is increased.
Applying
impact
horizontally means that
the hydraulic force of the
work equipment and the
weight of the machine
cannot be used. The travel
force of the machine is
used to apply load to
the impact surface for
the breaking work, so
ineffective impacting becomes more common.
In addition, force is always applied to the rear of the machine, so
impact load is applied to the travel motor and final drive. Except
where necessary, always carry out breaking work perpendicularly
and downwards. Furthermore, carry out work without going to
the end of the stroke of the hydraulic cylinder.
Applying side load with the chisel when
breaking means that excessive load is
applied to the chisel from the side, and
this may cause breakage of the chisel.
If the object does not break, change the
position.
Moving the boom up and
down to carry out breaking
work means that a strong
impact force is applied to the
boom, arm and chassis. In
addition, strong impact is also
applied to the inside of the
breaker and this has adverse
effect, so use the breaking
force of the breaker when
carrying out breaking work.
When car r ying out
operations in water,
make sure that only the
chisel is in the water.
Continuing to use the chisel when
there is no resistance not only reduces
the breaking efficiency, but means that
the inside of the breaker hits directly,
thereby adversely affecting the life of
the breaker.
If the water is deeper
than this, use the special
under-water specification
breaker.
Courtesy: L&T Training Centre, Bangalore
(Concluded)
Printed by Sri Sudhindra Offset Process, No. 27, 8th Cross, Malleswaram, Bangalore-3. Phone : 23368339, 23364798 Email: info@sudhindraprint.com
Edited by C.K. Sathish for Construction & Mining Equipment Business Unit, Larsen & Toubro Limited, Bangalore. The views expressed in this magazine are
not necessarily those of the management of Larsen & Toubro Limited. The contents of this magazine should not be reproduced without the written permission of the Editor. For further information please contact: Larsen & Toubro Limited, 10/1, Palace Road, First Floor, Lakshminarayan Complex, Bangalore
560 052. Telephone: 080-40401700, Fax: 080-22250309. Email: cms@pro.ltindia.com Not for sale – only for circulation among the customers of L&T’s
Construction & Mining Equipment Business Unit.
12
Earthmover News – January-March 2009
Editorial Co-ordinators: Giridhar G., Suresh Bhat & V. Subhash, L&T, L&T
Bangalore