Daijiworld Media Network - Dubai
Dubai, Oct 5: Faizal Kottikollon is the founder and chairman of KEF Holdings, a diversified company with operations in the Middle East, India, and Singapore. He is a visionary industrialist and philanthropist, widely respected for his, business acumen and passion for giving back. In 2012, he successfully sold his flagship valve – manufacturing venture Emirates Techno Casting (ETC), for USD 400 million. Today, he is at the helm of KEF Holdings leading fast- growing technology driven ventures in offsite infrastructure manufacturing, healthcare development and strategic investments. Faizal is also a member of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s prestigious panel of ‘Champions of Change for Infrastructure’. A humanitarian at heart, he is the co-founder and director of the Faizal and Shabana Foundation that is giving back by creating sustainable initiatives to build a more equitable society.
Q: What is KEF? What is the inspiration behind KEF?
A: KEF Holdings is a diversified holding company with operations in the United Arab Emirates, India and Singapore. We use the latest technology across our primary businesses: infrastructure and healthcare to provide innovative solutions to challenging problems in these sectors transforming human lives and the world around us. We also have a strong investment arm operating from our office in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). Our mission is ‘be different, make a difference’.
Q: When and how did you start KEF?
A: KEF Holdings is a family business with origins dating back to 1995 when I started my entrepreneurial career in the UAE. The first company I built was Emirates Techno Casting (ETC) which became a leading player in the manufacturing of valves for the oil and gas industry that was sold to global giant Tyco International for USD 400 million. Today, KEF continues to build sustainable businesses that improve the quality of life of people and communities. One of our fastest growing verticals is KEF Infra, an offsite manufacturing company, aiming to transform the sector through strategic integration of Building Information Modelling (BIM), automation and robotics for manufacturing hospitals, schools, hotels and homes. Last year, we opened the world’s first and largest fully integrated end-to-end offsite manufacturing plant – KEF Infra One Industrial Park in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu. The facility, valued at USD 100 million, houses five factory units that encompass the offsite manufacturing process, including precast, prefabricated bathroom pods and modular MEP, joinery, fitout and upholstery, aluminium, glazing and PVC, and stone processing, all of which operate on highly advanced technology and robotics.
Q: Could you elaborate on your trendsetting infrastructure? What is the origin of this innovative technology?
A: Catering to emerging construction and urban infrastructure requires a strong understanding of technology and manufacturing markets. We are cultivating this understanding by hiring the right global experts and suppliers, and utilising the best-in-class tools. Using this technology, KEF has been able to offer sustainable and smart solutions to advance healthcare, educational, commercial, housing and overall infrastructure.
We have seen fantastic results and growing demand for these smart integrated solutions in the last few years. KEF Infra currently works with technology experts from Germany, Finland, Austria, Italy, Greece and other countries, learning from and adapting pioneering technologies to meet construction needs in India and eventually, globally.
Q: What is offsite manufacturing? What are the advantages? How does it differ from traditional construction?
A: Offsite manufacturing, as the name suggests, is a method where infrastructure is designed and built within a manufacturing plant and not on a project site. It involves the process of planning, designing, fabricating, and only then transporting and assembling building elements at the project site, which enables tremendous time and cost savings in comparison to onsite construction.
Offsite construction cuts delivery times by 50 per cent and reduces costs by up to 30 per cent, while producing high quality, custom-built buildings and facilities. End-to-end offsite manufacturing makes construction choices as simple as catalogue shopping in a way. We build everything from the structure, façade to bathrooms and furniture at the KEF Infra One Industrial Park, on timelines that can be determined down to the day of handing over. A lot of traditional developers find timely delivery to be their biggest challenge, and this kind of solution can serve to realign the return on investment on their projects.
A good example of our capability is the recent project that we did with the Karnataka government, delivering 101 canteens in 45 days that will serve subsidised food across Bengaluru.
Offsite manufacturing guarantees numerous benefits, both in the business sense and from a long-term sustainability point of view. Think about complete building components such as rooms, bathroom units, walls, entirely manufactured in a factory, in settings that are controlled by computers and aided by automation. Minimization of human intervention means the room for error gets virtually eliminated. The automation process also reduces the dependence on people and additionally makes it possible to reduce health and safety challenges traditionally faced at construction sites. Offsite manufacturing facilitates resource management and reduces wastage as compared to traditional construction methods.
Q: If a customer wants to build a 2-bedroom house, what should be the size of the plot? What should be the built-area and the final cost after delivery? What should be the lifespan?
A: A 2-bedroom house can be manufactured in an affordable value size, mid-size and premium with the cost, design and size depending on the unique requirements of the customer.
Through advanced manufacturing processes that we apply for all our ongoing projects, we can create a high-quality, affordable 2-bedroom house with a price tag of just Rs 5.99 lac or a little over USD 8,500. This home, fully provisioned with two bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen and living room space – can be assembled in just two hours, with a 384 sq. ft. built-area. This solid concrete home comes with a structural lifespan of 100 years.
KEF can also provide the furniture, including living room furniture, dining table, bookshelf, kitchen and bathroom cabinets, beds and wardrobes for the houses again at varied costs. We can build a variety of customised housing solutions across price and area based on an individual customer’s requirement.
Q: Which are the major office and school construction projects that are completed and currently under construction?
A: KEF Infra is currently working on several different projects across sectors. We recently launched our flagship healthcare project, MEITRA Hospital in Calicut, Kerala in India, a 4,00,000 sq ft state-of-the-art healthcare space which we completed in 18 months.
KEF Infra has also manufactured the 1.6 million sq ft Embassy 7B project in Bengaluru, India. In addition, we are developing a 4,00,000 sq ft manufacturing campus for Bosch, in Bengaluru within a timeline of 11 months.
Other noteworthy projects that we are working on include GEMS Modern Academy in Smart City Kochi, which is the first school in Kerala being operated by GEMS Education. The ultra-modern school spanning 1.3 lac sq ft will be completed in the next few months. We have also started work on our first mall project in Lucknow with LULU Mall.
Q: What are KEF’s future plans?
A: KEF Holdings plans to expand strategically across India and the Middle East in the next five years. We plan to develop world-class offsite facilities like KEF Infra One, in Dubai and India. These are both promising and rapidly growing markets in the infrastructure development space, especially given the demand for smart and sustainable social infrastructure.
Q: Who comprises your team and how is their expertise?
A: KEF believes in continuously educating and providing training and skill-building resources to help our employees develop themselves and keep growing in their professional lives. At KEF, we currently employ over 1,000 employees including specialists and subject matter professionals from across 12 countries. We also source local talent for our factories and project sites and upskill them with our latest technology. We work as one global team towards our primary goal to enhance human lives to provide essential and sustainable social infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and homes via the best technological solutions available.
Q: What do you want KEF to be known for?
A: KEF is a technology company that is using global partnerships and knowledge to create social impact in the field of health and infrastructure development. We want to be recognised as a company that builds businesses that make difference to people and the world as a whole.
Q: Could we have the contact telephone numbers in India and name of the contact person if our readers and prospective customers want to get in touch?
A: All interested queries can be emailed to us at the below email IDs:
melissa.pinto@kefholdings.com or meenakshi.puri@kefinfra.com