Photos: The KEF Infra One facility in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu.  The prefab home shown  can be assembled in 5 hours. Group shows from left Ms Shabana Faizal, NR Narayana Murthy, Faizal Kottikollon  and Sumesh Sachar at the formal launch of KEF Infra One.
By V. Sudhakshina, recently in Krishnagiri
Bangalore, December 19 2016: KEF Infra,  a Bangalore based manufacturing and engineering company and a subsidiary of UAE-based  KEF Holdings is one of the few players in the Indian construction business that is using advanced automation techniques and robotics in large scale for their infrastructure projects.
The company recently opened the doors  of its first offsite manufacturing factory, KEF Infra One in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu just across the Karnataka  border.  Built on an area of one million square feet and developed  with an investment of INR 650 crores, KEF Infra One  is  the largest fully integrated offsite manufacturing park in the world, said CEO Sumesh Sachar. The facility was officially launched in a function in Bangalore this week with Infosys co-founder N  R Narayana Murthy as chief guest.
The facility  has five dedicated units – Precast, Modular pod factory that can prefabricate Rooms, Bathrooms and Modular Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP), Joinery, Glazing and Stone Processing. It takes care of end-to-end manufacturing for building components that include columns, beams, hollow core slabs, wall panels, staircases, windows and facades, doors, bathroom units, woodwork including furniture and upholstery and fit-outs. |The prefabricated buildings are developed using automation and robotics technology that includes BIM level 6 (Building Information Model Level 6), Internet of Things and Sensors, Automated Double Wall technology, Mobile Precast technology, etc.
According to Faizal E. Kottikollon, Chairman and Founder, KEF Holdings, the Krishnagiri plant has capacity of producing 50,000 homes per annum with an area of 400 square feet, which would cost around Rs. 5 lakh per home.  It takes 4 to 5 hours for them to build a single house. These houses would come with a life span of 50 to 60 years. Hence, it is ideal for building affordable housing in India, He added.
As part of their philanthropy initiative, KEF Holdings started a non-profit organization, the Faizal and Shabana Foundation and partnered with the Kerala government for renovating the Government Vocational Higher Secondary School for Girls at Nadakkavu, Kozikode. They used the same process of manufacturing building elements offsite and rebuilt the school in 95 days with proper facilities like new classrooms, toilets, gymnasium, library, sports center, etc.  Their second project includes partnership Tamil Nadu government to revamp a government school in Krishnagiri.
Earlier this year, KEF Infra bagged the project of building the tallest clock tower for Infosys in its Mysore campus. Their other projects include Infosys Electronic City Phase II and Embassy 7B in Bangalore, Meitra Hospital in Kozhikode, Gems Modern Academy in Kochi.