Trucks

Volvo Trucks
2022-03-16
Business story
Author
Volvo Trucks

Five Decades of Road Construction and Miles to Go

"We have a large fleet of Volvo Tippers. They are ideal for earthwork. Road construction requires a lot of earth to be removed and transported to other areas for filling up in other sites. Volvo Tippers run day and night without any breakdowns. They offer very good aftermarket support and the parts availability."

 

G R Infraprojects Ltd. is an INR 6,000 Cr business house in the road construction business. From in-house design to execution of earthwork and laying the roads, to designing and manufacture of girders, to the manufacturing of anodized crash guards and road signs, G R Infraprojects has worked itself to be a one-stop-shop solution when it comes to Road Construction.

We have a large fleet of Volvo Tippers. They are ideal for earthwork. Road construction requires a lot of earth to be removed and transported to other areas for filling up in other sites. Volvo Tippers run day and night without any breakdowns. They offer very good aftermarket support and the parts availability.

In 1965, Shri Gumani Ram Agarwal, a grain merchant from a remote village in Churu Dist, Rajasthan, found it difficult to commute and trade.

Shri G R Agarwal was not the one to give up. Necessity is the mother of invention. He took up the task himself and started a business to build roads in the state. With minimal automation, Shri G R Agarwal and his family of brothers and cousins built roads worth around ten lakhs. Shri Agarwal, passed on this grit and determination to his sons Mr. Devki Nandan Agarwal, and his siblings, who worked diligently to build the empire that it is today. With over 11,000 employees, 30,000 contractual employees, 2,000 vehicles, and 4,000 drivers, G R Infraprojects is a large player in the national EPC Segment with roads and highway construction projects across 18 states in India.

 

2018: When G R Infra met Volvo

G R Infraprojects was working on a road project in Devarapalli Gundu Golanu. A four-lane project worth over 20,000 Cr. was time-bound and carried a heavy penalty on non-completion. They were looking for tippers that were highly efficient and productive. They met their match when introduced to the FM380 8x4 Construction Tippers. The Volvo FM380 8x4 is a construction tipper that exudes toughness and robustness in road construction applications and, G R Infraprojects found it compatible on every count. They placed their first order for 10 Volvo Tippers in 2018.

 

There is no looking back

The last three years, saw projects being executed at Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jharkhand with the NHAI. In the North East, two projects are underway in Shillong and, one is underway in Imphal. One was completed in 2 years as against a schedule of 3 years. It also included the building of a bridge for 50 km in mountainous terrain. The Volvo Tippers used in the Devarapalli Gundu Golanu were used in Uttar Pradesh to build the Varanasi Expressway. This was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 30 November 2020. We used 59 tippers and 4 pullers in Uttar Pradesh to finish the job well before time. We used 59 tippers and 4 pullers in Uttar Pradesh to finish the job well before time.

 

Volvo Tippers can go on

The Volvo Tippers are highly productive that it pays for themselves. “In our business, there are 3 key challenges, namely cost-efficiency, productivity, and uptime, and the FM380 8x4 along with the Volvo Support Solutions is just the perfect solution.

 

Dynafleet, the constant watchdog

Fuel is the biggest operating expense component. G R Infraprojects was finding it difficult to keep track of the usage and efficiency. Along with this, they also faced the issue of fuel pilferage. In 2018, the Volvo Tippers were equipped with Dynafleet. This helped to keep track of driver performance, fuel consumption, mileage, and truck performance. They also installed diesel sensors to stop the pilferage and as on the day, G R Infra has 95% control over fuel consumption, and savings improved to a large extent. Delivering quality all along G R Infraprojects works on the foundation of Quality and Trust. The roads laid are tested in labs for durability, with strict adherence to the quality of road thickness. Delivering quality in projects that too before the schedule is the USP of G R Infra. High-quality roads mean less maintenance.

 

The one-stop road construction company

G R Infraprojects under the leadership of the 6 brothers grew step by step. In 2004-05, they entered road construction as asub-contractor for Ashoka Buildcon on the Sherghad – Ramji Goud Highway. The primary business is divided into three categories: civil construction activities, development of roads and highways on a BOT basis, and manufacturing activities for road construction, under which it processes Bitumen, manufacture of thermoplastic road-marking paint, road signages, and galvanization of metal crash barriers. They undertake projects in an integrated manner and have developed key competencies and resources in-house to deliver projects from conceptualization to completion. The in-house capabilities have reduced G R Infraproject’s dependence on third-party suppliers for key materials such as bitumen and other products. This has improved financial discipline by ensuring healthy cash flows, return on capital, and healthy margins.

At Volvo, we are proud to be associated with this dynamic organization and look forward to our journey together.