Tech giants seem to be dominating as, for the third year in a row, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft rank first, second and third, respectively on the Fortune list of World’s Most Admired Companies. This was based on a poll of some 3,700 corporate executives, directors, and analysts. Considering that the infrastructure sector is a key driver for the Indian economy, spurring big opportunities for the construction segment, the contributors to the sector – construction brands – and their role should not go unrecognised. Last year, in 2021, the CW team created a robust process to recognise and determine what we have coined as ‘India’s Most Admired Brands’. And for the second year in a row, we once again set ourselves on the journey that polled over 1,000 senior and middle management executives from within the industry, to identify the brands that make it to the much-admired list. About 140 construction brands were put to vote (which contribute a turnover of Rs.8 trillion per annum). These spread across multiple categories such as contracting, real estate, cement, steel, construction equipment, construction chemicals, paints, tiles and sanitaryware, and glass sectors. Parameters taken into account included: financial performance, scale and speed of project execution, commitment to customers, corporate governance, ethics, best business practices, social responsibility, adaptability, eco-friendly and customer-friendly policies and transparency, amongst others, as they perceived them. The respondents – belonging to and working with these industries – were asked to vote for 10 companies, with a provision to add a name if they felt it was missing from the list. The Top 20 Brands were put to a Jury on April 27. This Jury comprised: Sandeep Goyal, Chairman of Jury, Chairman, Rediffusion Sanjeeb Chaudhuri, Chairman, IDFC First Bank Vikram Sakhuja, Group CEO, Madison Media & OOH Akshaya Gujral, Chief Sales Steering and Distribution, ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel (AMNS) India Dinesh Singh, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Voltas Ketan Kulkarni, CMO and Head-Business Development, Blue Dart Shreepad Shende, Banking and Marketing Professional Amid the discussion, the jury shared their observations and recommendations on the shortlisted brands as well as the assessment process. Excerpts: Brand value is like the stock market value – news rather than actual results influences the movement. Adopt an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metric as it is a criterion considered by investors as well as it is the single biggest challenge faced by the industry. Look at companies that are complying to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Allow the perception-based survey to include certain weightages; it would only help make the process full-proof and transparent. A B2C brand could be looked at from a consumer mindset to understand what they feel. Masonry is one of the most important influencers and their perspective should be brought in. Consider including well-defined attributes so that we know, in quantitative terms, where the company stands. Consider parameters that can be measured such as operating margins.Commercial vehicles were not considered in the list as a majority on the jury panel was of the opinion that these companies do not have a major placing in the construction sector. It was observed that this year not a single real estate player has made it to the cut. Top 10 Brands were selected by each individual jury member, which comprised the total jury vote (See ‘winners’ box). These companies have been featured here. WINNERSACC AJAX Engineering Asian Paints Caterpillar JCB Larsen & Toubro Putzmeister Tata Projects Tata Steel UltraTech Cement ACCSridhar Balakrishnan, Managing Director & CEO, ACC ACC's reputation today is that of a pioneer that consistently sets new benchmarks and achieves them backed by innovative research and product development. “This, in our opinion, is the key parameter that has contributed to us being one of the most admired brands offering construction solutions in India,” says Sridhar Balakrishnan, Managing Director & CEO, ACC. Other factors bolster the company’s reputation too. With experience and expertise spanning over eight decades, ACC has contributed to India’s progress. “A consistent focus on sustainable business practices with greater use of technologically advanced processes has enabled us to grow stakeholder value,” mentions Balakrishnan. That includes introducing blended cement brands – which have a smaller carbon footprint – to the market, or by installing waste heat recovery systems at our manufacturing plants that minimise dependency on electricity grids and curb carbon emissions. He shares more… Amid the pandemic, did you manage to increase sales, improve margins and enhance market share? Our performance during the year was marked by strong growth in cement volumes as well as higher price realisations. Despite a steep increase in fuel costs, our cost-efficiency measures under project ‘Parvat’ enabled us to deliver a robust performance in 2021. Hence: Net sales increased 17.3 per cent YoY to Rs.15,814 crore. Cement sales volumes rose 13.1 per cent over the preceding year to 28.9 million tonne. ACC’s operating profit, too, witnessed a healthy growth over a year ago. Operating profit increased 27.6 per cent YoY to Rs.3,000 crore. Segment-wise, the company’s cement operating profit (EBITDA) increased 26.7 per cent YoY to Rs.2,903 crore, while operating margin rose from 18 per cent in 2020 to 20 per cent in 2021. The operating EBITDA for our ready-mix concrete division, too, increased 61.7 per cent YoY to Rs.97 crore. EBITDA margin of this segment rose from 6 per cent in 2020 to 8 per cent in 2021.ACC, with 17 cement plants and an installed manufacturing capacity of 34.45 mtpa, ranks among India’s largest cement makers. What do the customers value most about you? ACC wants to position itself among India’s premier construction solutions providers that are sustainable. This finds widespread appeal among our clients. We have led in creating effective low-carbon construction solutions as customers today look for construction solutions that manage the ambient conditions better. Further, our customers trust ACC to provide solutions that are the right fit at the right price. How will your FY22-23 plans continue to contribute to this admired quotient? At the start of every fiscal, ACC aims to deliver strong returns to shareholders, best-in-class and sustainable products to customers and create shared value for our employees. This year will be no different. All strategic initiatives are geared to strengthen brand equity, offer innovative products, drive our sustainability strategy, focus on cost efficiency and management, reinforce a strong corporate governance framework to support organisational needs, and build robust growth plans. As part of our sustainable innovations, ACC recently facilitated the building of the “Gratitude Eco Villa” in Puducherry. One objective here is to prove that construction need not always have a negative impact on the environment. AJAX Engineering Jagadish Bhat, Managing Director & CEO, AJAX Engineering AJAX Engineering has always aimed at catering to the stated and instated needs of its customers’ requirements at their projects and applications and has accordingly strengthened and diversified its product portfolio to satisfy the customer needs for concreting, wherever the need is, whenever the need arises and for whatever the nature of need is. Innovation, product capability, technology, network, after sales support and indigenisation are the core strengths, which differentiates us from other manufacturers, says Jagadish Bhat, Managing Director & CEO, AJAX Engineering. “We are overwhelmed that our esteemed customers have brought us to be among the top 10 brands in the category. There are several factors that yielded results towards where we stand today as a brand. But all-in-all, it’s our customers’ acceptance and patronage that is the key.” He shares more… Amid the pandemic, did you manage to increase sales, improve margins, and enhance your market share? Yes, we have grown by 4 per cent over the previous year despite the challenges posed in by the pandemic. This was possible because of our spread across geographical areas and application segments through our extensive network of over 35 dealers and their 100 touch points catering to the sales and product support, by offering value-added services. The entire industry has been hit by steep increase in raw material prices, viz, steel and it has been a challenge to pass on the same straightaway to customers. As part of our continual cost optimising process, we implemented quite a few measures across our operations to ensure that we strike a meaningful balance between price increase, market share and operative margins. In fact, we have not only maintained our dominant market share in self-loading concrete mixers, but also doubled our market share in batching plants and concrete pumps. What is that one thing that your customers value most about you? We believe that our 360o next gen concreting solutions backed by an immaculate product support network is what our customers’ value and appreciate. And thanks to our extensive sales and product support network, which is unparallel in the country today, we offer value-added services, viz., maintenance contracts, refurbishment of machines, training of operators and technicians at our dealer points, which are immensely valued by customers. Are your products priced higher than your competitors? Over the years, we have emerged as a ‘360° concreting solution provider' by delivering cost-optimised products with the state-of-the-art technology that delivers value and answers customers’ stated and unstated needs. Our products offer solutions to customer needs, which has made us the world’s largest manufacturer of SLCM today, and we have expanded our products under concrete solutions over a span of years. How will your FY22-23 plans continue to contribute to this admired quotient? Our endeavour to provide the best concreting business solutions that is driven by innovation in technology will continue. To bolster the initiative of Skill India (NSDC), AJAX Engineering, under its CSR programme, is conducting 'vocational skill development training programmes' for the skill enhancement of rural, semi-urban and urban youths for employability. Our network and after sales support will further strengthened to deliver value to customers every time there is a need. Asian Paints Amit Syngle, Managing Director and CEO, Asian Paints Asian Paints has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1942. Over the course of two decades, the company has become a corporate force and India’s leading paints company. Driven by a strong consumer focus and innovative spirit, it has been a preferred brand for paints in India for more than 50 years. Headquartered in Mumbai, today the company is in the business of manufacturing and selling a wide range of paints for decorative and industrial use. The company also offers wall coverings, adhesives and services under its portfolio and has entered the home décor segment offering lightings, furnishings and furniture and end-to-end design to execution services under this and the home improvement segment offering bath and kitchen products. Asain Paints operates in 14 countries and has 26 paint manufacturing facilities in the world, servicing consumers in over 60 countries. In the year 2020-21, it saw a consolidated turnover of Rs.217.13 billion. The company’s reported revenue outcome is Rs.185.17 billion and EBIDTA is Rs.48.59 billion. FY2020-21 was a year of new norms – new customer expectations and needs, and a new work environment and its challenges. As an organisation, we not only adapted to these new norms, addressing the emerging realities but also remained in pursuit of our long-term strategic objectives that would enable us to deliver sustainable growth,” Amit Syngle, Managing Director and CEO, Asian Paints, as quoted in the company Integrated Report 2020-21. “The key highlight of the past year has been our organisation’s resolve to deliver, despite (the) challenges, driven by our singular passion of delivering best-in-class value to our customers. And I am confident that we will continue to stay focused in this pursuit.” The market capitalisation of the company has grown at a CAGR of 28.3 per cent since April 1, 2002, from Rs.21.25 billion to Rs.2,433 billion as of March 31, 2021. An investment of Rs.1,000 on April 1, 2002, would be valued at Rs.114,535 as of March 31, 2021, excluding dividend pay-outs. Caterpillar India Vivekanand Vanmeeganathan, Director, Caterpillar India Caterpillar has been part of the India growth story for the last several years. The first Caterpillar equipment was sold in the country in 1930 and the company was among the pioneers in establishing a manufacturing footprint, and this is the 50th year of Caterpillar manufacturing in India. “We have a lot of products that are not only Made in India but also Made in India for the world,” says Vivekanand Vanmeeganathan, Director, Caterpillar India. “We have been exporting to almost all parts of the world – America, North America, Europe, Japan, Africa, and Asia.” The company has six state-of-the-art world-class manufacturing facilities producing a diverse set of product lines to its customers in and around the country. Vanmeeganathan shares more… What is a key parameter that you think has contributed towards being one among the ‘Most Admired Brands’ in construction? Caterpillar has always been the global leader for all equipment that we provide in the construction space. The company has been among the most admired brands. One of the biggest reasons that we attribute to the success of the brand is the quality and durability of the product not just in India, but world over. For me, the brand equity and image the company carries are the primary reasons why Caterpillar has made it to the top 10 list. In the backdrop of the pandemic, did you manage to increase your sales over the previous year's same period? Sales is the function of many things and the pandemic is not the only primary reason why I would say this. Globally, much has changed in the last two years. People were impacted – customers, suppliers and of course Caterpillar operations as well. However, market sentiments are getting better as we come out of the pandemic and we have a strong reason to believe that the future will be brighter. According to you, what is that one thing that your customers value most about you? What customers value most is the product that they get and its operating efficiency as per their requirement. Second, the customer can count on us for the product’s lifecycle cost, which is what we have been focusing on. Are your products priced higher than your competitors? Pricing is subjective, and depends on how you look at it. One is the cost of the equipment versus the total cost of ownership. Going by Caterpillar’s philosophy, the focus is on total cost of ownership, which means the lifecycle cost and not just initial cost. And, if you are to look at lifecycle cost, we offer the best. How will your FY22-23 plans continue to contribute to this admired quotient? It is going to be like any other year. At Caterpillar, what we look at is the 95-year plus legacy that the company carries. We want to be the most admired brand for the next several decades or centuries. We believe it as our responsibility to carry the legacy forward. JCB India Deepak Shetty, CEO and Managing Director, JCB India JCB India started as a JV in 1979 and is a fully-owned subsidiary of JC Bamford Excavators UK. An embodiment of the vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat, the company has six state-of-the-art factories in India at Ballabgarh, Jaipur, Pune and Vadodara (Halol). It also has a design centre at Pune that works on domestic as well as global projects. All factories operate to ‘One Global Quality’, and the company’s ‘Made in India’ products are being used in over 110 countries. “JCB has been in India for over four decades, and all through this journey, we have focused on introducing innovative products based on the needs of our customers,” says Deepak Shetty, CEO and Managing Director, JCB India. “The iconic JCB Backhoe Loader today can be seen across infrastructure projects in the country, in both urban and rural India. It has become a part of our lives.” He shares more… Amid the pandemic, did you increase your sales over the previous year's same period? Despite the disruptions due to the pandemic, 2021 was the third-best year for us. This was because all through the second wave, the infrastructure development activity went ahead unabated, and we continued to remain close to our customers. Through our advanced telematics technology, JCB Livelink, we were also able to monitor equipment utilisation across India and thus plan for seamless product support. Did you manage to improve your margins with more efficient cost management? During the pandemic, we focused on integrating more digital technology into our products and services. For instance, our Parts App is today capable of processing orders and ensuring door delivery of genuine spares. We are seeing a strong penetration of digital technology for our customers who are in rural India as well. We also introduced the industry’s first dual-fuel CNG Backhoe Loader and our access range during the pandemic. Have you enhanced your market share during this period? JCB India continues to be a leading manufacturer of earthmoving and construction equipment. We today have over 60 different products in nine categories. These are made to ‘one global quality’ at our six factories in India and are used in over 110 countries. What is the one thing that your customers value most about you? We feel that our customers value the trust that comes along with the JCB brand. Our products are built around innovation and technology and when our customers become a part of the JCB family, they are assured of robustly engineered, world-class products, along with the industry’s widest dealership network of over 700 outlets across the country. JCB continues to offer the industry’s finest customer support through more than 6,500 trained dealer engineers. Are your products priced higher than your competitors? Customers always look at the overall life-cycle cost of the equipment. Our products are known for their reliability and productivity. They provide a significantly higher value proposition to our customers not only in India but world over. How will your FY22-23 plans contribute to the admired quotient? Innovation has always been the cornerstone of JCB’s operations. Our Road to Zero programme will continue to develop products that operate on alternative fuels such as CNG, PNG and Electric. At Excon 2021, JCB launched products that operate on alternative fuels such as the industry’s first fully-electric excavator and the natural gas genset. Larsen & Toubro SN Subrahmanyan, CEO & Managing Director, Larsen & Toubro Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is a major Indian multinational engaged in technology, engineering, construction, manufacturing and financial services and operating in over 30 countries worldwide. L&T Construction, the construction arm of L&T, is India’s largest construction organisation, and encompasses multiple businesses, with distinct but complementary capabilities that addresses various core segments of the infrastructure and industry. SN Subrahmanyan, CEO & Managing Director, Larsen & Toubro, shares more… What is a key parameter that you think has contributed towards being one among the ‘Most Admired Brands’ in Construction? Trust. Larsen & Toubro has built a reputation over several decades of possessing the capability to execute infrastructure projects that others cannot. Some of the tallest and the largest, the fastest and the longest, the smartest and the most complex infrastructure projects have been executed by us engendering trust and reliability among all our various stakeholders. They depend on us to deliver, and we do. Repeatedly. In the backdrop of the pandemic, did you manage to increase your sales over the previous year's same period? If yes, how? Being a project-based business, most projects we execute are either government-sponsored or government-driven. During the pandemic, there was certainly a lull in activity as the government’s focus shifted to social spending to safeguard the health of the nation. However, once the threat posed by the pandemic has receded, large infrastructure development projects have been kickstarted and, as such, L&T presently has an order book more than Rs.3.5 lakh crore. Also, did you manage to improve your margins with more efficient cost management? Did any other method help you in improving your margins – for example, price revision, and new launches? In the project business, profitability can improve by being smarter and more efficient in execution by reducing costs, improving productivity, cutting wastage, and reducing execution time. We have successfully enhanced our efficiencies with increased automation, mechanisation and embracing the benefits of digitalisation. Presently, there are more than 11,000 assets across our projects that are connected with sensors streaming real time data about performance enabling us to detect trends, find patterns, do predictive analysis, improve our methods of manufacturing and construction for superior efficiency. According to you, what is that one thing that your customers value most about you? On time delivery of projects to cost, quality and safety. How will your FY22-23 plans continue to contribute to this admired quotient? We will continue to build the things that make India proud. Putzmeister Concrete Machines Dr Xiangyang Jiang, Managing Director, Putzmeister Concrete Machines Putzmeister has over 60 years of global experience and expertise across a range of concrete placement applications. Over the years, the company's innovations have enabled advances in concrete pumping and has set industry benchmarks and standards. Dr Xiangyang Jiang, Managing Director, Putzmeister Concrete Machines, shares more… A parameter that has contributed towards being among the 'admired brands’ in construction? Developing solutions that add value to our customers’ business is at the heart of everything we do. When customers invest in Putzmeister solutions, they benefit from the best-in-class technology in concrete pumping. We follow a continuous R&D process and regularly enhance or add new features to our range of concrete pumps and shotcrete equipment. For instance, at Excon, we introduced the enhanced Ergonic 3 control system on our range of Truck Mounted Concrete Pumps. Customers will be able to make significant fuel savings during the pumping operation with the enhance Ergonic Output Control. Also, available on our newly launched range of Stationary Concrete Pumps – BSA 1004 D and BSA 1005 D, EOC will be introduced to our eSmart range of Stationary Concrete Pumps in the coming months. Operating comfort, convenience and safety are also importance in the solutions we develop. The customer benefits from a long service life, durable wear parts and fewer replacements over the life of the machine. Our machines are known to garner a higher resale value. Our service team supports our customers with deep application expertise onsite and remotely. Our extensive service and parts network supports Putzmeister and Sany concrete products across the country as well as in Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. The trust and confidence that customers place in us and an extensively trained pool of operators helped us get this recognition. We celebrate 15 years in India, and thank our customers, operators, suppliers and partners for this honour. What is that one thing that your customers value most about you? When customers deploy Putzmeister equipment on their job site, they can be rest assured in the fact that they will enjoy maximum uptime, operating efficiency and convenience, lower operating and maintenance costs, and a long service life. Product quality, machine reliability and performance, and after-sales support are the top three reasons that customers choose us. Are your products priced higher than your competitors? Customers do pay a premium for Putzmeister equipment. And we ensure that our customers enjoy a higher RoI. Customers benefit from the best-in-class technology, superior product quality with high performance, lower operating and maintenance costs, a longer service life and a higher resale value. How will FY22-23 plans contribute to the admired quotient? Putzmeister has not only helped shape concrete construction, but set industry benchmarks in delivering improved performance, lower service and maintenance costs, unmatched fuel efficiency, intuitive operations, and maximum uptime through our range of products. We will continue delivering differentiated solutions to help customers meet their unique challenges in applications and our equipment operators with the most convenient user experience. Tata Projects Vinayak Pai, CEO and Managing Director, TATA Projects Tata Projects is one of the fastest growing and most admired industrial infrastructure companies in India. The company has expertise in executing large and complex urban and industrial infrastructure projects. It provides ready-to-deploy solutions for refineries, roads, bridges, integrated rail and metro systems, commercial building and airports, and power generation, transmission and distribution systems, chemical process plants, water and waste management and mining and metal purification systems. Vinayak Pai, CEO and Managing Director, TATA Projects, shares more… A key parameter that has contributed towards being a ‘Most Admired Brand’ in construction? “Accelerating India’s Progress” is not only our brand communication but also everything that we believe and do – it is the crux of our business strategy. As part of this endeavour, we are also conscious of our responsibility towards the environment. Hence, through Tata Projects’ Green Thumb initiative, we help restore India’s depleting green coverage. Under the Green Thumb initiative, Tata Projects plants trees at its various project sites across the country. These trees are attributed to the pledges of support received from participating citizens. Green Thumb is a truly unique initiative as it is led by an online `platform’ wherein the ‘trees’ are attributed for ‘clicks’ received on its microsite. As a company, we have undertaken many marquee projects such as Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, dedicated freight corridors, New Parliament Building, power transmission lines, and multiple metro-rail lines across cities. These projects have uplifted communities which has strengthened our brand. In an industry such as this, which is a brick-and-mortar industry – the brand represents one of the fastest growing and most admired industrial infrastructure companies in India – Tata Projects. The trust and quality that the brand represents remains unmatched. Amid the pandemic, did you manage to increase your sales? Yes. We did manage to increase our overall sales. However, the most important aspect for us is to deliver projects on-time, using world-class project management techniques and uncompromising standards for safety and sustainability. Did you manage to improve your margins? We have introduced digital technology aided monitoring and project execution tools, which will allow us to reduce costs escalation and ensure timely project execution following all the quality and safety parameters. In the last two years, the pace of adoption of such digital technology aided monitoring and project execution tools has increased. However, as a company we remain more focused upon ‘accelerating India’s progress’ because if the nation develops – we also grow since it is all interlinked. What is that one thing that your customers value most about you? The most valued aspect about us is our customer centricity. As part of this approach, we remain sensitive to their needs and allow flexibility whenever requested. It also involves professionalism wherein the focus is on quality and timelines. How will your FY22-23 plans contribute to the admired quotient? We will quicken the pace of adoption of interactive technologies to ensure seamless integration with our customers. Additionally, we will be focussing on bidding for projects of national importance with an endeavour towards accelerating India’s progress. We will also continue our sustainable efforts through the Tata Projects Green Thumb initiative. Tata Steel TV Narendran, CEO and Managing Director, Tata Steel Established in India as Asia’s first integrated private steel company in 1907, Tata Steel today is one of the most profitable and lowest cost producers of steel in the world, with captive iron ore mines and collieries located near our manufacturing facilities in Jamshedpur and Kalinganagar. The company’s comprehensive portfolio of products and brands caters to multiple industries and segments. The first half of 2020-21 witnessed disruptions caused by the pandemic. However, the domestic steel demand improved in the second half with favourable policies, increased government spending and relaxed movement norms. The company managed to deliver broad-based, market-leading volume growth supported by its agile business model. Tata Steel Group delivered a strong performance in 2020-21. Consolidated steel production was at 28.54 million tonne while total deliveries stood at 28.50 million tonne, marginally below that of the previous year. The company's consolidated revenues increased by 5 per cent to Rs.1.56 trillion, driven by the strong underlying performance of the company’s India operations and improved performance of their European operations. “Tata Steel over the past few years has invested in building its digital infrastructure, which helped tide over not only the initial phase of the pandemic but continues to provide us with the critical enabler for business analytics and automation. We will continue to invest significantly in digital across all business processes in the company. As a company, we are also focussing significantly on technology, and we have identified six technology leadership areas, along with the creation of enabling infrastructure to tap into the global technology and innovation ecosystem. We will continue to progress on the technology roadmap to create innovative products, invest in new processes and rework our business model in the future,” TV Narendran, CEO and Managing Director, Tata Steel, as quoted in the company’s Integrated Report & Annual Accounts 2020-21. Overall, the company achieved a consolidated EBITDA of Rs.308.92 billion, driven by multiple factors including an improved market environment, a better product mix, continued cost takeout programmes and benefits derived through operational and financial efficiency. With disciplined capital allocation and tight working capital management, Tata Steel’s full-year free cash flow after CAPEX was Rs.237.48 billion. In FY 2020-21, consolidated PAT for Tata Steel Group stood at Rs.81.90 billion, significantly above the Rs.11.72 billion, reported a year ago. UltraTech Cement Vivek Agrawal, Business Head & CMO, UltraTech Cement UltraTech Cement is the cement flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group. A $5.9 billion building solutions powerhouse, the company is the largest manufacturer of grey cement and ready-mix concrete and one of the largest manufacturers of white cement in India. It is the third largest cement producer in the world, excluding China. UltraTech is the only cement company globally (outside of China) to have more than 100 mtpa of cement manufacturing capacity in a single country. Its business operations span UAE, Bahrain, Sri Lanka and India. UltraTech has a consolidated capacity of 119.95 mtpa of grey cement. It has 22 integrated manufacturing units, 27 grinding units, one clinkerisation unit and eight bulk packaging terminals. The company has a network of over 1 lakh channel partners across the country and has a market reach of more than 80 per cent across India. Vivek Agrawal, Business Head and CMO, UltraTech Cement, shares more… What is the one key parameter that you think has contributed towards being one among the ‘Most Admired Brands’ in construction? Brands become loved when they truly understand their consumers and help them solve the challenges in their lives. At UltraTech, we understand that building a home is a once-in-a-lifetime project for most Indians. It is a tough journey that needs all the help and support possible. Not just in terms of high-quality materials but also knowledge and assistance needed in the construction of a house. All parts of the UltraTech organisation are geared up for this mission. Besides this, it is our partnership and strong relationship with all the stakeholders in the ecosystem – engineers, architects, masons, contractors and our extended network of distributors and retailers – that help us to serve our customers in a way that is second to none within the domain. We believe this makes us both the most respected and loved brand within the building solutions space. According to you, what is that one thing that your customers value most about you? Home building is a tough journey that involves high stakes for our customers. Not only financially, but also in the currency of effort and emotions. Given this high investment in their construction, the one thing they need and deserve above anything else is trust, which comes from consistency and reliability of all products and services. We put a premium in earning, maintaining and enhancing this trust in every interaction and chance that we have to serve our customers. How will your FY21-22 plans continue to contribute to this most admired quotient? We endeavour to earn the trust of our consumers by enriching their lives with innovative products and solutions that serve their needs. We will continue to listen closely to our customers and focus on responding to their needs. Last but not the least, we will continue to strengthen our relationships with our partners in our endeavour to serve our customers.