Business
Shriram Properties deploys painting robots as labour thins
The Hindu BusinessLine··2 Oct
Shriram Properties is using start-up robots for painting and studying tiling robots after labour fell near zero in parts of Tamil Nadu and north India. Chairman Murali Malayappan said automation can cut skilled-labour dependence and speed finishes. The firm has 41 projects totaling about 34 million square feet. Construction costs are up 8 to 10 percent, it said.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Larger developers may absorb robot capital costs more easily by spreading machines across many sites.
- Other big builders told BusinessLine they have not yet deployed construction robots.
- CREDAI Chennai Youth Wing plans a China visit later this year to study robotisation.
What's Happening
- Sixteen million square feet of Shriram's pipeline is already under construction.
- Vividobots founder Dhinesh Babu said plastering robots are seeing developer interest in pilot use.
- He estimated labour needs could fall 60 to 70 percent versus traditional methods on some jobs.
Where Costs Are Rising
- Malayappan said steel and cement have stayed relatively controlled while lifts, fittings and tiles rose.
- Industry officials link the robot push to worsening skilled labour shortages.
- Shriram says higher upfront robot spending can pay back when machines move across projects.
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