S. N. SUBRAHMANYAN
Chairman & Managing Director, Larsen & Toubro
TIMELY
DELIVERY OF
PROJECTS IS KEY
2024 has certainly started with a bang with our Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, inaugurating more than a dozen of our projects over the last couple of months, across businesses, across the country. Perhaps, the two that caught people’s imagination were those of the Mumbai Trans Harbor Link and the Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir.
While the PM was appreciative of our work on the extremely difficult MTHL or the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu, we have also had experts going on record that our speed of execution was far superior to that taken by others to construct another iconic bridge in Mumbai. The project team richly deserves their accolades for a job extremely well done.
Getting the Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir ready in time as promised for the PM to consecrate it on January 22nd 2024, was another remarkable effort by the project leadership and team. Unlike at other sites, we were dependent on various external parties to deliver over whom we had little control but that we were able to overcome all those challenges and yet delivery on time is truly praise-worthy. Kudos to the entire team and the IC leadership.
The world’s first stepped, ultra-large dry dock at the Cochin Shipyard and the Surya Water Supply Scheme in Mumbai are two critical projects that were inaugurated apart from a host of others including the Permanent Campuses at IIT Hyderabad & Bhilai, the AIMS, Mangalgiri Campus and the 10 MPTA Coal Handling Plant at Bhubaneswari.
Phase 1 of yet another complex and engineeringly challenging project, the Mumbai Coastal Road, is ready for the PM’s inauguration. Working under extremely difficult and trying marine conditions, the project team has successfully bored India’s longest undersea bridge and constructed some intricate interchanges that is set to redefine commuting in the city of Mumbai. All of you have done us proud!
From a Company perspective, all of us should be proud of our capital efforts in the country’s successful Chandrayan
3 mission to the moon. To manufacture all those critical components and deliver them in time to quality for the Mission to take off as planned is another example of keeping alive our tradition of making the things that make India proud.
Celebrating 6 projects for timely delivery
None of these, however, would have been possible if we had not delivered on time.
It is heartening that as many as 18 projects were considered for L&T Construction’s Timely Delivery awards and that a third of them won the award. Congratulations to the all the six winning Project Heads and their respective teams for delivering their projects on time! May your tribe grow!
All these 18 projects will surely have 18 extremely satisfied clients, more than happy to give us more projects having already tasted success; these projects have ended profitably for us and, most importantly, given those involved in them the confidence and josh to go to other projects and continue their good showing. Delivering projects on time is a winwin situation for all stakeholders which is why our primary focus should be to complete and deliver projects as per the contractual stipulations.
For an organization with the depth and width of experience we possess, it cannot be very difficult for us to gauge whether projects are running as per schedule or not. We have enough systems, processes, and technology solutions in place to alert teams if the asking rate is getting ahead of them. We must be conscious of these early warning signs and act immediately and decisively. There can be no delays. We cannot afford any slippage. We cannot tolerate any tardiness on this front for it impacts not just your project and IC but the performance of the entire Company.
Delivering projects on time is a win-win situation for all stakeholders which is why our primary focus should be to complete and deliver projects as per the contractual stipulations.
Speed with Quality & Safety
Even as every effort should be focused on maintaining speed of delivery, we must ensure quality and maintain Mission Zero Harm. Again, congratulations to the 15 projects, their Project leaders, and teams, that won the Quality and Safety Awards for 2023. All of you have set the benchmark for the organization to follow. And we must. In fact, for the first time, two projects won both the Quality & Safety Awards reiterating that Quality & Safety always go together.
The tide is rising. We must be at the crest, leading the charge. Opportunities will be there aplenty, but we should be ready to make the most of them. We have the talent, the expertise, and the experience so nothing canstop
us now.
The continued thrust of the Central Government on infrastructure development should be music to our ears. The tide is rising. We must be at the crest, leading the charge. Opportunities will be there aplenty, but we should be ready to make the most of them. We have the talent, the expertise, and the experience so nothing can stop us now. Let’s together
seize the day!
All the best!
S N Subrahmanyan
Chairman & Managing Director, Larsen & Toubro