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With public transport systems getting overcrowded in Indian cities and commuting time increasing by the day, the need for personal transportation is on the rise. India is home to a large number of aspiring middle-class families and with rising affluence and a larger disposable income, more people are aspiring to own a car. More cars on the roads mean more congestion and a severe shortage of parking space. To control congestion, traffic polices in most Indian cities prohibit the parking of cars by the roadside in business areas.

The affected are not just the shoppers; even executives and employees of corporate companies based in places like Goa and Belgaum feel the pinch when they have to park their cars on a busy road. Increasingly, corporate companies are finding it extremely difficult to provide parking space to its employees because land prices are shooting upward, and more importantly there isn’t any land around to buy. Though the situation appears to be dismal, not everything is lost; thanks to multi-level car-parking concept that is fast catching up in India.

What is Multi-level Car Parking?

Multi-level car parking is a concept in which parking space providers use vertical space rather than horizontal space for vehicle parking. The advantage is that the provider is able to use ground space more efficiently. Typically a piece of land that has the potential to park 100 cars will be able to accommodate 400 or even more. Yet another advantage of a parking system like this reduces the chances of theft and accident manifold.

Is Multi-level Car Parking a Business Opportunity?

The answer to this question is definitely yes if you are planning to set up a parking lot facility and propose to operate it as a service. In busy places like Goa or Belgaum, with increasing need for parking space, there is a huge untapped potential. Talk to a local steel building supplier or steel building manufacturer to learn more about the potentiality of the business. ROI is usually higher than most businesses if only you are able to find a suitable location.

Role of Steel Building Manufacturers in Development of Car Parking Systems

Steel building manufacturers are nowadays able to offer corporate companies parking lots that are more efficient and utilise land space frugally. Most multi level car parking system manufacturers in India have their genesis in the steel section manufacturing industry making it easier to understand customer requirements and expectations.

With rising demand from corporate clients, multi-level car parking system manufacturers in India are making bigger investments considering the big opportunities that lay ahead. It is also interesting to note that independent companies are beginning to see the business potentials in providing car parking facilities as a service.

Why Steel in Place of Concrete?

Multi-level car parking is actually a multi-storey building with ramps for driving cars to a floor above or down. The earliest of multi-level car parking system manufacturers in India depended on cement concrete buildings for car parking. As it so happened, constructing a concrete building for this purpose had major problems, chiefly because of design constraints, maintenance and durability of the concrete structure. However, most problems associated with multi-level parking are now history with the introduction of pre-engineered steel buildings.

Here are a few other reasons to opt for steel structures for car parking systems.

1. Steel structures are stronger and can be made to exacting standards. It is reputed to be more appealing aesthetically.
2. Steel structures come as ready-to-erect kits. This means less expenditure on designing and architect fees.
3. Steel is more durable than concrete and has better value at the end of its lifecycle. Concrete is a liability – difficult to demolish and move the debris out.

Multi-level Car Parking in North Karnataka and South Maharashtra

Like in most regions of India, corporate companies in North Karnataka and South Maharashtra too patronise steel-made parking lots. There are many local steel building suppliers who can provide parking systems down from multi level parking design up to erection and commissioning. Contacting a local steel building supplier has its own advantages – they are more in tune with local requirements and municipal requirements.

Storing manufactured products and agricultural produce before transporting them to consuming points is a work. For many people, a warehouse is just a storage point but from an experts perspective, it is a complex process in which, warehouse construction cost, safe storage, material handling compatibility and owning all play a major role. Not all produce can be stored in a similar building. For example a cold storage warehouse will need a lower ceiling, while a warehouse for process machinery may require taller vertical space.

There is still some equipment such as electric transformers and earth-moving equipment that may require an open yard with fuelling facilities. Open yard doesn’t mean lesser complexity; it has its own complex nuances.

Warehousing as a Business Service

Large manufacturing and supply-chain businesses have their own warehouses but smaller operators usually use warehousing businesses for stocking and distribution of their products. Warehouses that offer warehousing as a service are much preferred even by big manufacturing companies and merchants because it is comparatively cheaper than a and maintaining a warehouse on their own.

In the warehousing as a service business model, users pay warehouse operators for what they use which is based on multiple criteria. It can be for the space used, the time for which it is used and any additional services that the operator provides. For example an agricultural-produce company in North Karnataka and South Maharashtra where agriculture is a dominant activity, merchants will want the operator to provide special protection from rodents and a food storage business may want a cold storage along with packing facilities.

Operating a warehouse is no mean job and requires warehouse building design that is compatible with potential customers’ expectations.

Constructing a Warehouse – Criteria to Consider

1. Warehouse construction cost: The profitability of a warehouse is mostly dependent on the construction cost. If the expenditures on construction is high then the rate of return (ROI) will come down drastically and may even become unviable. For good returns keep warehouse construction cost at its minimum through prudent selection of the type of construction. It is normal for operators to closely examine the “warehouse construction cost per square foot” criteria before deciding the building type.
2. Cold storage warehouse construction: Cold storages once used to be all-concrete structures, but are fast shifting to pre-engineered steel buildings due to the minimised construction cost and quicker project implementation time frame. This means operators can start to deliver services faster and more effectively.
3. Warehouse construction plan: A proper plan is critical for implementing a warehousing project and the type of warehouse construction materials that you propose to use will decide the final outcome.
4. Location of warehouse is important: Constructing a warehouse in some remote location with little or no good roads, railroad connectivity, international airports or harbour can lead to poor patronage and will consequently reflect in profitability. A few places to consider for providing a warehouse as a service include Belgaum in Karnataka and Goa where warehousing as a service has a big demand.

The Rise of Pre-engineered Steel Building in Warehouse Construction

Steel buildings are much preferred over normal buildings for the simple reason that concrete warehouse construction costs are higher without any proportionate advantage. Pre-engineered metal building manufacturers offer prices that are unbeatable as compared with normal buildings contractors.

Here are few other reasons besides costs that pre-engineered metal building manufacturers offer their customers.

1. Projects are completed faster bringing down the gestation time. Normal buildings take longer than usual to construct and project delays are normal when there is to warehouse shortage of critical materials like sand for example.
2. Higher lifetime for structures with better aesthetic appeal. Normal buildings that use concrete have design limitations and cannot be shaped like steel. This means compromising on good looks.
3. More design options to choose – all readymade offers. Normal buildings require that you conscript the services of architects. Whereas steel buildings are pre-designed, tried and tested.
4. Lower maintenance costs as compared to normal cement concrete construction.
5. More plinth area for same price.
6. Fewer columns within the building interior provide flexibility in moving material handling equipment.

One of the major stumbling blocks in the food and medicine supply and distribution chain is proper storage and logistic shortcomings. While most of the farm-fresh food is produced in remote locations in under-connected rural areas, large-scale consumption areas are the big metropolitan cities. It is estimated that farmers lose close to 50% of their perishable farm produce due to lack of proper cold storage and processing facilities locally. Perishable produces include milk, fruits, fish, meat and vegetables.

If only cold storages can be established, most problems associated with selling farmers’ produce can be solved. Cold storage business in India, though in its nascent stage is considered as a sound business opportunity that is yet to be escalated and exploited by entrepreneurs on a large scale.

Cold storage investment is considered to be highly profitable though it entails bigger investment. It offers enormous potential in areas such as Belgaum, Goa, North Karnataka and South Maharashtra where farming is the principal source of income for many small and medium size farm households.

What is a Cold Storage?

Cold storages are more like huge refrigerators that keep the products cool at pre-determined temperatures (some commodities require temperatures as low as minus 25 degrees centigrade) until it is moved to consumption areas for sale to consumers.

There are vast numbers of cold storage types. Some of the common types of cold storages are:

1. Refrigerated containers. They are the most basic type of cold storage and ideally suited for short-term storage of small quantities of produce. Entrepreneur can offer refrigerated container storage if the quantity is small and requires to be transported to consumption areas without any transhipment.
2. Walk-in cold storages. Walk-ins are bigger types of cold storages (kind of insulated rooms that offer large space for storage over longer durations. Typically, such storages will contain large number of racks for better utilisation of vertical space. If products are the same or require a particular temperature then entrepreneurs can consider this as an option for providing services.
3. Combined cold rooms. Combined cold rooms are really variations of walk-in cold storages and the most prominent difference is that unlike a walk-in cold storage there are different storage zones within the facility. The advantage of a combined cold storage is that entrepreneurs can offer services that require different parameters.
4. Customised cold storages. These are cold storages that offer services for a specific purpose or produce. In building customised cold storages, entrepreneurs should a specific purpose and mostly cater to in-house requirements. Fish and meat producers prefer this type of cold storage. If you plan to invest in a cold storage in India specifically for fish-processing then a customised facility is recommended.

Ultimately your choice of an appropriate cold storage will depend upon factors such as: nature of produce (liquid, solid, packaged etc.); storage temperature, storage time; volume of commodity and transportability.

Is Cold Storage Business Profitable?

Making a cold storage investment is generally considered a sound proposition and the driving factor is the realisation that there is a vast requirement for this service among producers. Realising the big potential for profit in cold storage business in India, the Government of India has set up the National Centre for Cold-chain Development under the Ministry of Agriculture. There are already 7,000+ chains operating under the aegis of the ministry and more are being planned for the future.

Typically cold storage profit margins in India when set up in an appropriate location give a decent return. Cold storage investment cost in India is generally lower than in most developed countries and cold storage investment cost can be recovered much earlier than in other parts of the world. As a rule, it pays if you can keep cold storage business cost to its minimum with a focus on serving a larger customer base of small producers.

Local Steel Building Suppliers for Cold Storages

The days of concrete buildings for cold storage is gone and in its place have come steel building manufacturers with better options and durability. Contact a local steel building supplier with your requirements; often steel building manufacturers will give you readymade solutions – it’s cheaper and cost effective too.

Air travel has come a long way in India. It is no longer considered as a luxury or a preferred mode of the rich. The advantages are many and include: comfort and shorter travel time. As air travel becomes common, old and unused airports are receiving due attention with new airport construction taking off on a larger scale. A few examples of this trend are the renewing of airports in Belgaum that takes care of air travel in North Karnataka and South Maharashtra, and the modernisation of Goa airport.

Investing in airport construction is not all about improving mobility for people; it is more about providing an impetus to business and industry, more particularly to the tourism industry. Though the Indian air-travel industry is highly developed, there is yet a vast area that still does provide access to air travel. Building new airports in remote corners of the country is a priority of the Indian government.

Airport Construction Challenges

Airport construction once used to be the exclusive domain of the Indian government, but this has changed dramatically with the government deregulating and liberalising the airport construction process in which private parties participate extensively. Yet another policy change that is likely to give the fresh push to the airport construction industry is the introduction of private airports for parking corporate-owned jets.

Constructing airports and maintaining them can be a challenging work both for the airport management and the construction companies. The biggest challenge is the designing process that requires a good layout and use of technologies that make passenger clearance a streamlined process. In addition to this is the airport security issue. When speaking about airport security, we are not just facing the terrorism issue; there is more to it – safe baggage handling, pre-boarding and post boarding, and proper aircraft movement are the other issues that need to be addressed adequately.

Considerations in Constructing Airports

Airport structures are expected to go through extended lifecycle phase and therefore must cheap to maintain and add to this they must be also aesthetically appealing. Though the terminal is the principal area that should receive maximum attention, it is also imperative to consider other supporting facilities. Here a few things to keep in mind when constructing an airport.

1. Provide adequate space for passenger movement within the terminal for ticketing, restaurant and rest rooms.
2. Provide automated steel multi-level car parking space to facilitate easier movement for passengers and handling of air cargo.
3. Provide structures for meeting emergency handling space to evacuate passengers during a fire or natural calamity.
4. Use materials that are less prone to damage from fire and salty moisture.
5. Provide a futuristic baggage handling system in international airports for easy clearance from customs.

Steel Structures in Airport Construction Project Management

Airport construction once used to be a long drawn out process, but thanks to the steel building manufacturers, airport construction nowadays is accomplished in lesser time than before. The advantage of using steel building structures in the design of airport terminals is that they shorten the construction time resulting in the lower project and interest costs during the construction phase.

The various parts of an airport terminal that can use steel structures include: aircraft hangers, multi-level car parking lots, baggage handling facilities and of course the main passenger movement areas. Airports have vastly reduced the areas that require the use of a concrete structure that take a long time to build.

Overall steel building manufacturers are able to accomplish project implementation in lesser time because most of the substructures are manufactured at their factories and then transported to the airport. It is just a matter of , couple months before airports become fully operational.

Pre Engineering Building Company in India

Apeiron is expertise of pre engineering building company in India is renowned throughout the world and Indian companies enjoy the privilege of a good reputation worldwide.

Indian steel building manufacturers are today able to offer a wide range of ready-to-erect airport structures in pre-engineered form factor. All that a typical airport management has to do these days is take a look at a few functional airports with steel structures and order the requirements.