STARWORTH INFRASTRUCTURE AND CONSTRUCTION LTD.

AN EMBLEM OF EXCELLENCE, TRUST AND COST EFFICIENCY

Starworth Infrastructure and Construction Ltd is a fast-growing EPC company aspiring to double its turnover to Rs.500 Crs this Financial Year from the last year’s Rs 240 Crs. Their current Order Book position stands at above Rs 1000 Cr. Starworth is a 100% Subsidiary of PURAVANKARA Ltd, a large Real Estate developer, based out of Bangalore.

SICL was founded in 2008 as an independent general Contracting firm to pursue business in Construction with a vision of delivering superior value to clients through End-to-End services using High-End Innovative Construction Technologies. Starworth has a state-of-the-art Precast Unit in Bangalore with a present capacity of 3 million sft a year. Enabled with a capable in-house design team and tie-up with IIT Chennai for all their design vetting, they stand out in value engineering and give an economical product to their esteemed Customers.

They are in the process of increasing the Product List by developing Precast Manholes, Kerb Stones, Compound walls and Pavers etc. which will help them in delivering the projects on time & also in fulfilling their Sustainability initiatives. Starworth strives to deliver projects “On time Every time”, keep their customers delighted and become one of the most preferred Contractors of Customers.

With expertise in conventional & Precast construction, SICL already delivered more than 18 million square feet across India, in the Residential & Commercial segments with more than 8 million Sft under construction. Starworth would like to position itself as a Technology Driven Company with a Vision to cross Rs 2500 Crs top line by FY 27. Having already diversified into Industrial segments, they now would like to foray into Large Infrastructure Projects.

Offsite Method of Construction by Starworth/ Modular Construction

In the Construction Industry, modular construction is rapidly rising to the top as a preferred method of construction. A modular structure is created off-site and assembled at the project site. This method enables a Faster Construction schedule compared to Cast-inSitu, Greener construction and Smarter design. The modular construction method also leads to less wastage. Offsite Construction methodology is adopted by very few Contractors in the industry and Starworth is one among them.

Types of machinery and equipment in the Unit are imported from Germany. Other accessories for manufacturing elements are imported from Singapore. SICL Precast Unit spans one lakh square feet and was built in 2018. It features a 60 CUM/hour batching plant capacity with a sophisticated facility. Starworth as a part of its new products initiative has recently designed & manufactured Precast Toilet PODs.

Precast Toilet PODs

These Toilet PODs are plug & play and manufactured at Precast Unit, with complete in-house design. In comparison to a conventional structure, it is more durable. Toilet Pod is a fully factory- made, turn-key toilet unit that is delivered to the job site or other locations as needed. The main mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems are simply connected to the pod after delivery to the selected locations.

Applications: Metro and Train stations/ At Airports / Schools/ Institutions / Construction Sites / Hospitals / Apartments /Commercial Buildings / Factories / Commercial Complexes/ Amusement Centers / Public Areas.

The Leading Man

K. Satyanarayana, a visionary Business Leader and Seasoned Professional, is driving SICL’s expansion in the crucial role of MD. He has a degree in Civil Engineering from Andhra University. He has worked in construction for three and a half decades, accomplishing challenging projects and launching new Business Ventures.

He has served in senior management roles in wellknown organizations, AFCONS, TATA Projects and Nagarjuna Construction Ltd. In this 35-year-long journey, K Satyanarayana worked on Prestressed Concrete Bridges, Railway Projects, Power & Steel Plants, HV Transmission & Distribution, Sports Stadia, Oil and Gas-hydrocarbons, Nuclear Power Plants, High-rise & Institutional Buildings, Water Projects, Factories & Buildings, so on.

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Renowned as a “People’s Person,” Mr. Satyanarayana always focused on Team Building, Learning, and Development and tried to address all aspects of Employee Engagement. Along with Civil Engineering, International accreditations, like IPMA Level-D and SIX Sigma green belt, are added to his profile. He underwent an Executive Leadership program at Wharton University, USA.

Recently, we got a chance to have a candid conversation with the man of the moment in the Indian real estate industry, leading SICL, K Satyanarayana. Here are the edited excerpts:

01. How did you develop the idea for the commencement of this business venture?
Thanks to our Visionary Chairman, Shri Ravi Puravankara, who always wanted to contribute to the Country’s economy & thus he formed Starworth to participate in Nation Building activities. True to his Vision Housing, Urbanization & Infrastructure contribute about 15% of the Country’s GDP growth.

02. Please shine some light on your differentiating factor.
As I already mentioned that we want to be a Technologically Advanced Construction Company, focusing on Sustainability Initiatives. We are committed to deliver projects “ON TIME EVERY TIME” with world-class standards of Quality & Safety by giving End to End solutions with most optimized designs on EPC basis.

Besides consolidating our Position in Precast Technology, we are using many alternate construction materials & methodologies which are Eco friendly. Further, we have implemented SAP & BIM for 3D Modelling enabling Automation in our processes. Our Design Department extensively uses STAD PRO, E TABS and many other softwares.

03. What kind of evolutionary developments are you observing in the market, with respect to your industry?
We are happy to see Indian customers including GOI moving towards OFF-SITE Construction which means that, there will be huge business potential for Precast and Prefab. Also, large organizations like NHAI etc made it mandatory to use at least 25% of the Construction to happen through Precast Technology. Many large private segment investors are pushing for usage of Ecofriendly and Sustainable Construction materials by making it part of the contracts.

We also see some movement in 3D Printing though it has some limitations as of now. Our R&D team is seriously pursuing to use 3D printing in our housing projects. We are also observing the project timelines getting squeezed further as we all move ahead which means that we all need to be different and adopt faster & simplified construction methodologies.

04. How are you diversifying your portfolio and the business operations?
Starworth was originally into Residential and Commercial Segments. In the last few years, we made efforts to diversify into Infrastructure and Industrial Segments and we are happy to share with you that we have already entered these two new segments. We are working for TAJ GVK, BIAL, BMRCL, ITC, Jindal Steel Odisha Ltd, in a big way. We are in discussions with the country’s large business houses to be associated with their Infrastructure, Industrial and Mass Housing projects.

We are also successful in expanding our business geographically into the eastern part of India. We are in the process of entering into Construction of Data Centres, Ware Houses, Airports, etc. and the discussions are in advanced stage with many prospective clients including MNCs. These initiatives will continue while we consolidate our position in both the Residential & Commercial spaces.

05. How significant is R&D in terms of the growth of your company?
Personally, I feel that R&D is the backbone for any business which helps the Organisation update itself with the current market situation and also introduce new products for the success of its customers. Besides, it also helps the process improvements, Cost reduction, speed of execution and enhancement of operational efficiency. At Starworth, we have a dedicated R&D team that continuously works on exploring New Materials, Technological Improvements and Safe Working Processes.

06. How do you deal with the uncertainties? How has the last 2 year redefined your business processes?
We are happy that we could sustain & survive the adverse impacts of the unprecedented pandemic COVID- 19 because of our strong execution strategy and risk management. Thanks to GOI’s support to the Contracting fraternity during the Covid period through many SOPs.

During the difficult period, we reduced our costs and also focused on eliminating the process redundancies and strengthen our risk & finance management processes. We have a robust risk management process and our Senior Leadership Team regularly monitors the likely risks and their mitigations. We also focused on strengthening the relationship with our vendor partners.

07. Please brief us on the board of directors of your company. What is significant about your leadership style?
Starworth is a Group Company of Puravankara. Our Board of Directors are

Mr. Ashish Puravankara( MD – Puravankara Ltd):- Mr. Ashish R. Puravankara is a newage leader, has played a pivotal role in the growth of the Company. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the business with his primary focus anchored on opportunity identification. He has also been instrumental in implementing best construction practices through acquiring new material resources and focusing on technology as a means to achieve quality construction on a growing project scale. Mr. Puravankara holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and graduated as a MBA from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.

Mr. Nani R Choksey (Vice Chairman- Puravankara Ltd):- Mr. Nani R. Choksey possesses over four decades of rich experience in the real estate development, construction and finance sectors, thriving on his strong business instincts. He has played a vital role in the growth of the Group since its inception in 1975. Mr. Choksey was a oneman team, overseeing most departments, from legal to CRM. Even today, he is actively involved in all of the Company’s projects, bringing his rich industry experience, attention to detail and an appetite for growth to the business.

Mr.Porous (Director & Co-Founder of Handiman):- Mr. Porus Irani is an Active Director & Co- Founder of Handiman. Under his leadership, Handiman is successfully delivering Facility Management to more than 150 companies spread across various Industries. His focused and clear direction helped Organization position itself uniquely to specific branches of Facility Management Services. and Starworh is led by me as Managing Director.

LEADERSHIP STYLE

As an Individual, I always believe in quick decision making Preferably through consensus. If consensus does not happen, I give a conclusion. While an Individual makes a Difference for the organization, It is always the capability of the Team which remains the DNA of the organization. I value the commitment to the Stakeholders and I drive for the fulfillment of the commitment made.

“Appreciative Enquiry” is one of the best practices apart from rewards & recognition to keep the Team Motivated. Besides, employees I focus on meeting the stakeholder’s requirements viz, Customers, Vendor Partners, Board of Directors, Society etc. I always felt “Differentiation” through “Advanced Technology” will create our USP and give you faster recognition in the Industry. Trust, Empowerment and performance-oriented culture will help the organizations grow faster.

08. How do you keep your team motivated and engaged in every scenario/situation?
I always believe in positive thinking and communicating positivity across team members. Secondly, I trust that it is the Team which makes the difference for any organisation and hence I always focused on creating very good Team around and nurturing their skills and talents and tried to have young, energetic and dynamic team.

Employee Appreciation is one of the best practices apart from rewards & recognitions to keep the Team Motivated. I make it a point to keep on interacting with the employees irrespective of their seniority. “Dare to Innovate”, good workplace, environment, two-way communication, knowledge sharing etc. one of the key drivers of creating well engaged employees.

09. Please highlight the achievements and accolades attained by the Company so far?
Starworth has received the Construction Times, NDTV Property Award, Construction Week Award & Fastest Growing Construction Company for the year award 2022 from Business Connect. Also, a few of our reputed clients, like BMRCL, BIAL TAJ, and Puravankara, provided Appreciation Certificates for Starworth’s efficiency during the COVID Period and steps taken by Starworth for the Safety and wellbeing of its employees and workmen.

10. Please shine some light on the future endeavors of the company.
Starworth is evolving in all aspects. We are in the process of increasing the Product List by developing Precast Manholes, Kerb Stones, Compound Walls and Pavers etc. which will help us in delivering the projects on time & also in fulfilling our Sustainability initiatives. We would like to position ourselves as a Technology Driven Company with a Vision to cross Rs 2500 Crs top line by FY 27. Having already diversified into Industrial segments, we now would like to foray into LargeInfrastructure Projects, Data Centres, Airports, Warehouses and Factories etc. With this Design Efficiency & average size of the project is also increasing.

11. Lastly, is there a message you would like to give to our readers?
Lastly but not the least, we cherished the relationship with Business Connect and enjoyed the benefits through their publications, Events organised etc. I urge “Business Connect” to continue to do this service to the Business Community for faster growth of the Nation. I express my sincere gratitude to “Business Connect” and wish them Good Luck in their future endeavors.