Smart operations are the key to stay ahead in the real estate business, states RAJENDRA VARMA. As a company, to maintain our growth trajectory, we have decided to continue to construct the relevant product - but efficiently. Today, real estate developers are expected to innovate and push boundaries, but within budgetary constraints. The solution is smartened operations to drive efficiencies in all areas. Smart strategies As we know, realty development projects come with long lead times and life-cycles and, therefore, it becomes mandatory to employ smart strategies including building human resource capabilities and investing in advanced construction technologies and latest IT practices. In the real estate business, a key to project success is timely delivery and this needs intelligent and smart operations. To achieve the same, Omkar Realtors is collaborating with expert knowledge partners from India and abroad for its projects. Although the learning curve is steep, it becomes relevant with the times. Moreover, Omkar gives on-the-job training to its people, in India or abroad. Methodology and IT Equally important is construction methodology. We lay a lot of emphasis on this to make construction of buildings faster and stronger. These techniques, including Grocon shuttering system with automatic climbs, tunnel formwork, jump form, customised aluminium formwork and precast, save time and ensure quality development. In addition, Omkar also uses Revitt, a building information management (BIM) system, for efficient planning, right from day one of project conceptualisation and clash detection, to save execution time on ground. In terms of IT infrastructure, all our work locations are connected to the head office via leased internet lines through internal VPN, and CCTV cameras are directly linked to the central monitoring station at the head office. Additionally, each project site employs a biometric attendance system that relays the information to the main attendance server. For smart work management, the customised ERP implements level-wise and value-wise workflow. The module has browser-based access and all users are linked by Windows active directory. Even project site locations are activated with dual authentication in active directory and application. As a result, functionality is drilled down the organisation by providing comprehensive information, efficient operations and intelligent project management. Efficient management A smart real estate product is measured through its efficient use of building utilities, reduction in manpower and running costs, and higher staff productivity. Omkar´s complexes and developments provide connectivity between various stakeholders, enhancing communication as well as providing centralised equipment control, intelligent access and parking, energy-efficiency and sustainability as part of the building management system (BMS), which is now a standard feature in all Omkar high-rise projects. Use of intelligent technology in a project saves over 10-15 per cent of operating costs of equipment and reduces building maintenance significantly. Customer satisfaction In the end, customer satisfaction is primary to any company. We have leveraged robust digital infrastructure to develop Lean dashboards that allow clients to get live project updates, thereby smoothening the transfer of information. The Omkar customer portal on the official website provides access to every customer via a user name and password, to enter and download all details of their payment, ledger and any other query. Indeed, as the economy slowly recovers, real estate developers need to be competitive and smartly responsive to the demands of customers. Unlike earlier times, margins are falling to the industry mean. The only way to exist is to be efficient, efficient and more efficient. About the author: Rajendra Varma, Director, Omkar Realtors & Developers, has over 15 years of experience in real estate and infrastructure. His in-depth knowledge and experience, backed with a flair for new technology, has enabled Omkar to engage and adopt the latest and innovative solutions on the technical front.