ZUBIN IRANI pens his thoughts on the impact of the socio-political changes in India on the construction industry. The coming year will be crucial for the construction industry owing to the change in India´s economic and political landscape. The Union Budget 2014 proposes an emphasis on infrastructure spending, and confirms the NDA government's commitment to speed the pace of urbanisation. The Budget calls for a $1.1 billion investment in the creation of 100 smart cities and significant other investments in ports, metros and airports. As construction growth picks up in the near future, it will be critical that we continue to innovate and bring more value to the customer to stay ahead. For over 150 years, United Technologies has pioneered innovation. Its founders created and defined industries. Carrying on that legacy, UTC Building & Industrial Systems was formed in 2013. This organisation, which brought together UTC Climate, Controls & Security and Otis, is the world´s largest provider of building technologies. It positions United Technologies for long-term growth in the commercial building segment and allows it to fully unlock the opportunities and synergies associated with our combined scale, talent and leadership. The new organisation also enhances UTC Building & Industrial Systems´ ability to deliver customised solutions to customers across various industries more efficiently and accelerate innovation in smart building technologies and sustainable design. As a result of this major innovation, there are five key strategies that will be the main focus for UTC Building & Industrial Systems: Organising to get closer to the customer Customer needs are changing. UTC Building & Industrial Systems has formed a key accounts team in India, with experienced staff from the industry that has the technical knowledge to support customers with all their building solutions requirements. This approach helps our strategic customers gain access to a comprehensive and integrated solution and services offering. We have seen some excellent success stories with the key accounts approach - it has delivered in our work with the Hyderabad Metro, Lodha World One in Mumbai, the Urbana project in Kolkata, a leading hotel chain in Bengaluru and a leading multinational hotel chain in Gurgaon, to name a few recent ones. Localisation of products and technologies There is a need to localise engineering, supply chain and manufacturing rather than importing products from other countries. There are three benefits here: lower costs,faster lead time or improved responsiveness and solutions that are more targeted to Indian customers. We made strategic investments to enable local factories produce new products designed for India. The prime example of successful localisation is the Carrier India factory at Gurgaon launching a locally manufactured air-cooled screw chiller, the 30XA AquaForce™; a light commercial R-410A refrigerant-based cassette, a full new ducted range and digital ducted systems. Consistent with the continued focus on localisation, the innovative Kidde Fenwal gas suppression system was also introduced. Additionally, the Otis factory is currently localising the Gen2 range of elevators at various speeds. Power conditions, applications and other aspects differ across countries and therefore apart from localising, a strong emphasis is placed on customising products for India´s environment. Solution-oriented approach We take a solution-based approach, adding value in the form of service to the customer. In line with this shift, UTC Building & Industrial Systems recently launched a customised solutions platform called AdvanTE3C in India to enable sustainable, replicable, scalable and efficient building automation. AdvanTE3C is a team of experts who support UTC Building & Industrial Systems customers around the world in developing strategic, energy-efficient and custom-engineered integrated building solutions to reduce their carbon footprint for existing and new buildings. In India, we have put in place a team of experts who are BEE-certified auditors and energy managers to leverage the comprehensive suite of technologies, including elevator, escalator, heating, HVAC, building automation and control, access control, video surveillance, energy analysis, and fire detection, alarm and suppression to unlock energy and operational efficiencies for customers. We have completed nearly 80 audits so far resulting in a potential 20-40 per cent reduction at each site. Many of the ideas are simple fixes with quick payback. Building production capacity We have doubled the capacity of the Otis´ Bengaluru factory. Carrier´s Gurgaon facility has undergone expansion, which provided a strong momentum ahead of the economy picking up. Similarly, investing in the core research and development centre in Hyderabad for the fire and security business has led to a significant growth in the number of engineers working on some of the most pressing challenges for the building industry. Talent development The new UTC Building & Industrial Systems structure has helped shape the company as a sought-after employer in the buildings industry. The main focus is to develop strong career paths for people with high potential and empower employees to work in more than one business unit. We have moved a lot of our talented employees between businesses in the last year, including 20 senior-level moves in areas such as finance, marketing, manufacturing and sales. This promotes fresh ideas and thinking, and stimulates career growth in an even broader way than ever before. In addition, United Technologies offers a unique Employee Scholar Program (ESP) - one of the most comprehensive, company-sponsored employee education programmes in the world. It provides employees the resources to stay current in their chosen field or may facilitate new career opportunities. In India, United Technologies has invested $1.1 million in over 130 degrees earned in the ESP. India is a key region for UTC Building & Industrial Systems, therefore employing the above strategies is of utmost importance to maintain and further strengthen its position in the country. UTC Building & Industrial Systems is established in India, and we aim to further grow its recognition as an efficient and sustainable building solutions provider to help shape the India of tomorrow. About the Author: Zubin Irani, President, UTC Building & Industrial Systems (India), is responsible for developing and leading strategies to accelerate the growth of UTC´s commercial businesses in the country, including those of Carrier, Otis and UTC Fire & Security products and solutions. He also leads UTC India´s corporate office in New Delhi.