Press Coverage

Our Bureau

NEW DELHI, April 1

CONSTRUCTION product and services majors have joined hands to come under one roof as a confederation.

The new body, called the Confederation of Construction Products and Services (CCPS), is headed by Mr S.K. Somany, Managing Director, SPL Ltd, as its first President.

Joining hands to come under the common CCPS platform are some of the leading manufacturers of construction products who form a vital link in the construction chain.

Other corporates include Arcus Ltd, Atlas Copco, Bell Granito Ceramica, Grasim Industries (Cement Division), Gujarat Guardian, Gujarat Ambuja Cement, Larsen & Toubro, Mico Bosch India Ltd, Osram India, Pidilite Industries, Saint Gobain Glass India, SPL Ltd, Shree Cement, Tata Steel and Tata BP Solar India.

Explaining the rationale behind the move, industry sources said that although the construction sector is known to be one of the primary drivers of economic growth in a developing economy such as India and is the second largest employer - after agriculture - involving substantial investment, it suffers from a high level of wastage and inefficiencies in the process chain.

Even within the construction industry in the country, the products sector, sources said, has been quick to respond to the need for global standards in the range of products and services offered. In many areas, the quality and range of construction products made in India - both materials and equipment - are of international standards. Despite this, like the construction industry in general, the products sector has remained largely fragmented.

The main objectives of the CCPS, therefore, are to assist the Government in implementing regulatory and fiscal policies to improve the efficiency of the construction process and supply chain, achieve standardisation of products, develop comprehensive market data on construction activity, improve the quality of workmanship and reduce wastage in the construction process.

CCPS, the sources said, has already initiated the process of collaborating with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and similar international bodies to evolve the required standards and codes of practices for the construction products sector in India. It is in the process of instituting a brand identity for trained construction workers so as to improve the workmanship standards and efficiency levels of the industry.

CCPS is also working on a project to collate and publish housing data, as per international practice, and explore methods of implementing it in association with the concerned government agencies.