Reflections

L&T invites you to collaborate and innovate to widen our pool of

collective wisdom, through the latest version of our collaboration
portal L&T-scape 3.0. The portal will transform regular L&T-
ites into influential thought leaders. Read our coverage of the
launch and the accompanying feature on L&T-scape 3.0 to learn
how it stands to re-define collaboration for us all.

Not just work, engineering can also be fun. Participants in

TECHiQ, the quiz contest organised for L&T Heavy Engineering
will confirm this. Engineers across different locations competed
furiously to win. Ditto the ICONS Awards. As part of Hydrocarbon
Engineerings employee recognition practice, two felicitation
ceremonies were held, at Powai and Vadodara, where winners in
team and individual categories received top honours, witnessed
by colleagues and family (details inside).

At CBMC, we are in the business of communication and as

communicators we understand the value of timely and effective
engagement with the media. Besides allowing us to articulate
our goals and strategies as an organisation, interaction with
the press often provides our leadership with crucial input for a
more accurate assessment of ground realities. One such event
was L&Ts meet with the press just before DEFEXPO 2014 held
earlier this year in New Delhi. The informal event made for
a high-quality exchange between L&T and the capitals top
journalists (details inside).

This issue contains a lot more from briefs on L&T Valves growth
ambitions to how its Kancheepuram team is making science
more accessible for poor children through the new Science on
Wheels van it recently donated. Plus, you will find vignettes of
our CSR activities company-wide, office events, and accolades
which came our way. Weve also introduced a new section
(pages 39-40) on developments from the world of science and
technology that may interest readers.

We hope you enjoy this issue, and look forward to your feedback.
Editorial Team
D. Morada
Jairam N. Menon
Editor Lawrence Mohan
Rajendra Chaudhary

Designer
Jayanta Behera

Photographer
Tushar Thakur
Nirav Dave
Sushil Shinde

L&T-ite! Your opinion and feedback are

welcome at: letters2editor@Larsentoubro.com
Enter L&T-scape 3.0;
A New Face, A New Pace

Mr. Yogi Sriram, Senior Vice President, Corporate HR, addresses the gathering after launching L&T-scape 3.0. Mr. Anantha Sayana, Vice President
- Corporate IT, is at left.

We live in a share market! Ever stopped to think how frequently the word share crops
up these days as we use every medium within reach to share our experiences, share
our emotions, share our expectations? Naturally, technology platforms must keep
pace. And so the bright, young minds of our Corporate IT got together to come up
with a newer avatar of our employee communication portal. It has added functionalities,
enhanced aesthetics and, yes, it helps you share your views with more of your
colleagues than ever before. Excitement awaits!

O
ut with the old and in with the new. Nowhere does this
adage find a better fit than in the digital world where
technology lifecycles are painfully short and frequent
upgrades are considered the norm. In the digital realm things
become obsolete as soon as a newer version appears on the
horizon and users who continue to live with the older junk are
quickly derided as digital dinosaurs. L&T-ites, however, dont have
to fret over any such digital obsolescence, for a dedicated team
of IT wizards is always on the job, ensuring they remain updated
with the latest technology has to offer. The recent launch of L&T-
scape 3.0 amply illustrates the measure of that commitment.
L&T-scape 3.0 the updated version of the erstwhile L&T-
scape 2.0, Companys enterprise-wide collaboration portal was
unveiled at a formal launch ceremony on May 15, 2014, in Powai.
In attendance was a large audience, comprising senior L&T-ites,
managers, and employees from various business units. Mr. Yogi

The L&T-ite, April-June 2014 3

Sriram, Senior Vice President, Corporate HR, presided over the
function as Chief Guest.
The emcees, Ms. Himangi Desai and Mr. Mukul Agarwal from
Corporate IT, kicked off the proceedings as they welcomed the
gathering. The duo was joined briefly by Mr. Ajit Awasare, Head
- Enterprise IT Infrastructure, Corporate - IT, who delivered a
welcome speech.
Mr. Anantha Sayana, Vice President - Corporate IT, took over
the proceedings as he narrated for the benefit of the audience
the history of L&T-scape and the events that had shaped the
platform in its current avatar. Terming it the digital equivalent
of great rivers around which ancient civilizations flourished,
Mr. Sayana said that the sole purpose behind L&T-scape is to
drive employee interaction across the group and shape the
organisational discourse such that it creates value for both,
L&T-scape 3.0 Go-live At A Glance
4 The L&T-ite, April-June 2014
employees as well as for the company.
Offering the audience glimpses of new features and
functionalities in L&T-scape 3.0, he said that the current version
promises to offer users a personalised experience and broadens
the scope for communication by incorporating the best of social
media features available in the market. He cited new features such
as Facebook & Twitter like updates in the form of Newsfeeds,
the option to Follow individuals and user communities, and
Microblogs among others.
Mr. Yogi Sriram, Chief Guest, clicked the mouse and unveiled
the new and improved version of the collaboration platform.
Delivering his address, Mr. Sriram read from a blog post (his
own) on L&T-scape 3.0 in which he had talked about various
emotions one goes through during the lifespan of a project. He
said that L&T-scape 3.0 gives us an opportunity to share what
is in our hearts and minds.
Alluding to the power of social media in shaping opinions, he
said that L&T-scape 3.0 ushers in a new era of communication
within L&T as it gives users the power to not just express
themselves and communicate but also to influence thoughts
and opinions of a large cross-section of L&T-ites. As we get
ready to replicate L&Ts India story and embark on our mission
to create L&T 2, this platform will help us better embrace the
diversity which we are likely to encounter in the near future. The
platform is a wonderful way of reaching out to people, he added.
The gathering in its midst had L&T-ites who had used L&T-
scape in its previous avatar and drawn benefits from it. Three
such users, viz., Ashish Malik, Corporate Initiatives, Praggya Garg
L&T-scape 3.0: Goodies Under the Hood
C
ommunicate. Collaborate. Innovate reads the caption
under L&T-scapes modest looking logo on the portals
homepage. Dry as it may appear to some, a more
succinct description of all that one can do with L&T-scape 3.0
would not have been possible. Built for the modern age where
communication doesnt necessarily adhere to a type, where
collaboration knows no boundaries - physical or virtual, and
where innovation is becoming an increasingly democratic
philosophy, L&T-scape in its latest avatar is quite possibly one
of the best examples of all that an enterprise collaboration
platform should aspire to be.
Developed in-house, L&T-scape 3.0 is designed for greater
user interactivity and increased collaboration among users
from across disparate functions, business units, and ICs of L&T.
The L&T-ite, April-June 2014 5
from HO-HR, and Mohit Jain, Corporate Audit Services, shared
their experiences with the audience on the occasion.
The user testimonials were followed by an elaborate, live
demo session by HO-IT team led by Mr. Sunil Sevak, Head,
HO-IT. Accompanying Mr. Sevak were Harsh Damania, Virali
Zaveri, Vedika Mundhekar, and Preeti Kadam, who had worked
tirelessly for the past eight months to bring L&T-scape 3.0 to
reality. The quartet took the audience on a detailed tour of the
revamped portal and the various new features it offered. (See the
accompanying article on L&T-scape features for details.)
The event ended with a formal vote of thanks by Mr.
Bhupendra Pant from Corporate IT.
While most of the key features of the previous version of the
platform have been retained, a number of useful functionalities
and tweaks have been added in the new version to make it more
user friendly and increase its utility.
The homepage of the L&T-scape 3.0 presents a nice, clean
interface with neatly spaced tabs and sections. The uncluttered
look complements the overall user experience and has been
kept such keeping in mind the diverse user base which spans
across multiple age groups. The homepage is customised to give
users a sense of personal space through something called My
Sites. In it, a My Newsfeed section gives users all the company
related news and updates right on the homepage. They also get
a snapshot of all the activities across the communities they are
part of through My Communities section. Not only this but any
updates pertaining to people sites or documents a user follows
are delivered through a neatly designed Im Following section
on the homepage.
L&T has a large employee base spread across project sites and
office locations hundreds and thousands of kilometres apart.
The communities section on L&T-scape is designed such that
employees with similar interests can connect with each other
regardless of where they might be. There are no barriers. Design
engineers working on a particular software irrespective of which
IC they belong to may interact by forming a community. Or risk
management professionals or people working on indirect taxation
across ICs can share knowledge and find innovative solutions
in the process. Employees can create a new community or join
an existing one with a few simple clicks of the mouse. They can
share documents, post queries on a given topic, and participate
in discussions which interest them. The contents of discussions
and the activities of the community can be controlled by a
moderator to ensure structured exchange between members.
A blogs section intended for users to express their views, ideas
and opinions has been created in L&T-scape 3.0. The section
has been categorised in three categories, viz. Directors Blog,
Sr. Management Blogs and General Blogs meant for all other
employees. The feature offers an instant and effective way for
people to reach out.
One of the new additions in this version is the Wiki section.
Meant for L&T-ites to better manage the knowledge which exists
across the group, Wiki section will enable users to create online
documents in a collaborative manner which can be accessed by
others for study and research purposes. The best thing about
Wikis is that they remain open for editing and modification by
contributors at all times.
L&T-scape 3.0 adopts the latest innovations in social media
and brings them to the user at the centre of the communication
6 The L&T-ite, April-June 2014
stream. With features such as Newsfeed, Blogs and Wikis, the
new version empowers users by giving them multiple choices
of communication.
The homepage also features popular sections, viz. Office Caf
(which offers numerous tips and tricks related to using MS
Office), News (which gives users a comprehensive view of all
the Company related news in the media and important business
developments), Stock (which lists the latest stock performances
of L&T and its group companies), Idea (where employees can
pitch their ideas and suggestions), and Classifieds (where it is
possible for employees to post classifieds and list products or
services they might want to sell to their colleagues).
Also, on L&T-scape homepage, space has been provided for L&T
Group Companies and Subsidiaries to post advertisements. The
feature can be used by them to reach out to the Groups large user
base with useful products and services in an effective manner.
Through L&T-scape, users can access all the HO-sites using
a single sign-on feature. This does away with the need of them
having to remember multiple passwords for accessing various
HO-sites. Also, L&T-scape 3.0 is integrated with the mailing
system and allows users to message and chat instantaneously
with others in a seamless manner.
L&T-scape 3.0 features L&T-Cart (think of it as L&Ts very
own online store for internal employees). A new and exciting
addition, here L&T-ites can purchase useful software like MS
Office (Home edition) and Norton antivirus program at subsidized
rates. Although its only early days for this feature and currently
the product catalogue is fairly limited, depending on the success
of L&T-cart, many more products will likely be offered here in
the future.
L&T-scape 3.0 is accessible on URL:
http://lntscape.ltindia.com
L&T Meets Delhi Press
Mr. M.V. Kotwal addressing the mediapersons.
O
n the eve of DEFEXPO - Indias
marquee exposition for defence
related businesses - L&T hosted
an interaction with the Delhi press. In
Mr. Kotwal and Mr. J.D. Patil during the Q&A with the members of the press.
The L&T-ite, April-June 2014 7
addition to projecting the Companys
capabilities and offerings in weapon &
missile systems for sea, land and air, the
meeting on February 5, 2014 also helped
to provide an insight into the medias
views on Indias defence policy.
Mr. M.V. Kotwal, President (Heavy
Engineering) & Member of the Board,
L&T, showcased L&Ts expertise in
defence through a comprehensive audio-
visual presentation.
The subsequent question and answer
session which were handled by Mr.
Kotwal and Mr. J.D. Patil, Executive
Vice-president (D&A), stretched late into
the evening over cocktails and dinner
as the developments in the defence
space were discussed in detail. There
was unanimous approval among the
journalists present about the need to
ensure adequate defence capability
for the nation, and for greater private
participation in defence production.
The event was well reported in
the next days newspapers and L&Ts
coverage in the media gained strength
over the next few days as developments
at the high profile DEFEXPO captured
the Capitals imagination.
Interaction with the Capitals Media

8 The L&T-ite, April-June 2014

L&T in Forbes List of
Worlds Most Powerful Companies
L&T has earned the proud dis-
tinction of featuring in the
Forbes Global 2000 list of the worlds
largest, most powerful public compa-
nies. 54 Indian companies have made
it to the prestigious list, and L&T is the
highest ranked company in the engi-
neering and construction space.
The magazines annual list of 2000 of
the worlds largest and most powerful
public companies evaluates companies
based on key factors such as revenues,
profits, assets and market value.
Forbes does not distinguish between
companies in the public and private
sectors. Hence, companies ranked ahead
of L&T include public sector organisations
- State Bank, ONGC, Indian Oil and Coal
India. L&T is ahead of several leading
companies including TCS (rank 543),
Infosys (727), Bank of Baroda (801),
Mahindra & Mahindra (803), ITC (830),
Wipro (849), BHEL (873), GAIL India (955),
and Tata Steel (983).
This years Global 2000 companies
are from 62 countries, up from 46 in the
inaugural 2003 rankings. In total, they
raked in revenues of USD 38 trillion and
profits of USD 3 trillion, with assets worth
USD 161 trillion and a market value of
44 trillion dollars. These firms employ
90 million people worldwide according
to Forbes.

Mr. S.N. Subrahmanyan Calls for

Greater Industry-Academia Engagement

T
he seed of industry-academia
collaboration which L&T had
sown jointly with IIT-Madras
and IIT-Delhi fifteen years ago has now
taken the shape of a fully grown tree.
L&T Build India Scholarship (L&T BIS),
which was set up with the aim of taking
young engineering talent and turning
them into highly skilled, industry-ready
engineers has till date produced more than
500 engineers and business leaders and
continues to lead the charge against the
dearth of employable engineering talent
in the country.
At the recently concluded L&T Build
India Scholarship Conclave, Mr. S.N.
Subrahmanyan, Whole-time Director & Mr. Subrahmanyan and Mr. Sunderrajan exchanging MoU papers at L&T BIS conclave.
Sr. EVP (Construction & Infrastructure),
L&T, said that the initiative continues and senior members from L&T, Mr. Mr. Subrahmanyan also signed a
to provide L&T with a steady source of Subrahmanyan noted that while the memorandum of understanding (MoU)
engineers excellently suited to performing initiative had been successful, it was with Mr. Srinivasan Sunderrajan, Director,
in the construction arena and that it has critical that the curriculum was updated NIT Tiruchy, to adopt and implement the
become a benchmark in how the industry with time and aspects such as quantity L&T BIS programme at NIT Trichy, on the
and academia can come together to survey, estimation, facility management, occasion. He expressed hope that success
transform bright young engineers into legal and commercial were added to the of L&T BIS would encourage more colleges
great leaders for tomorrow. syllabus so that students could learn about and institutes of repute to engage with
Speaking to a large gathering of both theoretical and practical sides of the industry.
eminent professors from IITs and NITs managing mega construction projects.

The L&T-ite, April-June 2014 9

TECHiQ Where Engineers Go to
Get Quizzed

Quiz finalists with seniors and members of the Design Team.

W
ith a view to reignite the in-
terest of HE IC staffers and
challenge their prowess in
engineering and technology, a quiz con-
test was organised by HE-HR team. Called
TECHiQ, the quiz was designed in-house
by a core team of 11 members from across
different locations, bands & domains who
worked tirelessly under the guidance of
its sponsors: Mr. G.K. Sadekar (VP-Tech-
nology, Product & Process Development)
and Mr. A.T. Ramchandani (VP-Product
& Technology Development).
The contest comprised 3 Levels, each
designed to progressively engage employees
into a more challenging and exciting round
of technical trivia. Participation was open
to all HE IC employees across all locations,
including international ones. First prize winning team - D RAM, felicitated by Mr. Kotwal.
Level 1 of the contest was an online
round for individual participation. It was took the test at Level 1, out of which 178 were posed multi-disciplinary questions
open for all employees across HE IC with qualified for Level 2. from Mechanical, Metallurgy, Electronics
24 hours access. A time-bound round Level 2 was again an online round with & Electrical and HE ICs Operational
with multiple-choice questions, here cross-functional team participation. This Excellence Initiatives. Total 44 teams
participants were tested on fundamentals too was a time-bound affair with questions spread across 9 locations participated in
of engineering. A total 798 employees of a higher difficulty level. Here, contestants this round. The online platforms for Level

10 The L&T-ite, April-June 2014

1 & Level 2 were designed in-house by the
HE-IT team.
Level 3 of the contest comprised the
Semi-Final & Final rounds. Out of the 44
teams which took a crack at Level 2, only 9
could qualify for Level 3 semi-final round.
These included teams from Powai, Ranoli
and Talegaon locations of HE IC. They
were: TECHNIQZ (Powai), TECHNOCRATS
(Ranoli), IMPULSE (Powai), INGENIUM
(Talegaon), D RAM (Powai), CYPHER
(Powai), ARSENAL (Powai), IMAGINEERS
(Powai) and ELCHEMECS (Powai).
The semi-final round was based on
multi-disciplinary approach and tested the
problem solving abilities of the contestants.
The top 5 teams after the semi-final round
made the cut for the finals and competed
at the Grand Finale Event on February
17, 2014. The finalist teams included D TECHiQ organising team.
RAM, ARSENAL, IMAGINEERS, TECHNIQZ
and IMPULSE.
The finale was a Live Quiz event
Roll of Honour:
conducted at Powai. The event was D RAM (Dynamic Arthur W. Rego, Abhishek Winner Team
graced by Mr. M.V. Kotwal (Whole-time Random Access Pal, Ajaykumar N. Agrawal,
Director & President-Heavy Engineering), Memory) Vijayabaskar Veerarajan
and a number of seniors from HE IC and
Corporate HR. All 7 locations (including ARSENAL Vinayan Mohandas, Vipul 1st Runners-Up
Oman) of HE IC witnessed this live event P. Dholariya, Kaushik Y.
through Web-connect. Mr. Koustubh Kulkarni, Yashvanth Bt
Phalnikar was the Quiz Master for the
event. The final had three rounds, viz., IMAGINEERS Prashant A. Mahajan, 2nd Runners-Up
Rapid Fire, Visuals and Buzzer. Thattil Febin Mathew,
An indigenously designed electronic Nityanand S. Dongale,
quiz buzzer panel, accurate up to micro- Pranav V. Biwalkar
seconds, was designed especially by the
ICs Product & Technology Development
Electronics team for the finals.
After a fiercely competitive round
of quizzing, team D RAM emerged as
champions while team ARSENAL and
team IMAGINEERS took the second and
third spot respectively. Mr. M.V. Kotwal
announced the winners & felicitated all
the three teams. The core design team
members who had helped design the
contest were also felicitated as part of
the event.
Mr. G.K. Sadekar and Mr. A.T.
Ramchandani shared their experience of
various challenges & joy while designing
TECHiQ which had brought out to fore,
the sharpest minds from across HE IC.
The event concluded with an appreciative
address by Mr. Kotwal.
A section of the audience.

The L&T-ite, April-June 2014 11

CHAMPIONING ICONS CONCEPT
An Iconic Evening in Powai
OGSP Domestic wins the ICONS Award for Best Department, January-June 2013.
O
n February 20, 2014, the Learn-
ing Centre of EPC Block at Powai
was packed to capacity to cheer
for the ICONS winners. At a grand fe-
licitation ceremony, 29 individual and
team contributors were felicitated from
out of more than 100 nominations re-
ceived for January-June 2013 period.
The winners made an exemplary display
of their creativity in the Learning Caf.
This years surprise was the introduc-
tion of award categories: Gold, Silver
and Bronze.
ICONS - an acronym for Immense
Contribution of Noteworthy Significance
- is a signature employee recognition
practice at L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering
Limited (LTHE). The innovations &
process improvements done by the
employees have been recognised and
celebrated through ICONS since 2006.
With the advent of time, a need was felt
to improvise the process. The idea was
to sustain the process of recognition
with novel interventions, which can
12 The L&T-ite, April-June 2014
have a positive impact on the business.
Therefore, a new ICONS process was
co-created in partnership with the
line managers and new categories like
Award for Best Innovation, Award for
Best Institutionalisation, Rolling Trophy
for Best Department and Best CID
(Championing ICONS in Department)
were introduced this year.
The Senior Management team from
LTHE was present to encourage the
young ignited minds. The felicitation
ceremony started with the safety brief by
CID, Ms. Digantika Ghosh. Mr. Shubhajit
Bose, Head - Talent Management, LTHE,
welcomed the gathering and took
everyone through the ICONS journey
since its inception. Mr. Sidharath Tuli, VP
& Head Human Resources, LTHE, set the
context for the ceremony and spoke about
how important it is for organisations to
innovate. Mr. U. Dasgupta, Sr. VP & Head
Upstream, emphasised on the increasingly
challenging international market and
the need to innovate to stay competitive
and lead. Speaking on the occasion, Mr.
K. Ravindranath, EVP & Head Mid &
Downstream, complimented the winners
and focused on the achievements at
different project sites. Ms. Nupur Duggal
played the perfect anchor and kept the
audience engaged throughout.
An indispensable part of the ceremony
was the Review Committee: Mr. D.K. Gupta,
Dr. Barun Chakrabati, Mr. A. Radharaman,
Mr. G.U. Pai, Mr. Suhas Bhagwat and
Mr. T.N. Ramakrishnan, who were also
the juries for the Learning Caf. While
announcing the Best Learning Caf, Mr.
D.K. Gupta also shared his experience
during the process of evaluation for the
last quarter.
The team consisting of Ms. Nutan
Kondilkar, Ms. Ketki Seth, Mr. Chetan
Phani Parchuri, Mr. Rajesh Ahir and
Mr. Suvadip Das from Upstream
OGSP Domestic, was felicitated with
Best Innovation Award. The team was
recognised for developing an innovative
access from boat landing to PLQP Platform
Team from Mid & Downstream, Ms. Kiruthika Sadagopan and Mr. Sreenath received the awards.

with the installation of a walkway and two
connecting foldable hinged staircases, at
offshore, within 24 hours. This helped
in saving of two critical hook-up days
amounting to approximately Rs. 1 crore.
The award for Best Institutionalisation
was bagged by Mr. Shripad Phadnis, Ms.
Vrishali Mali, Mr. Vinod Thokal, Mr.
Kapil Warghade and Mr. Ankit Agrawal
from Mid & Downstream Supply Chain
Management. The team was recognised
for their noteworthy contribution
for insulation work at ONGC-Uran
project. With a new approach, a sum of
approximately Rs 2.75 crore was saved
and the insulation work was completed
in a record time of 6 months.
Mr. Utkarsh Shah from PRDH was
awarded as the Best CID (Championing
ICONS in the Department) for
January-June 2013. The audience
applauded enthusiastically as Upstream
OGSP Domestic was felicitated as the
Best Department.
On behalf of the Review Committee, a
vote of thanks was delivered by Mr. Girish
Pai who encouraged the winners for their
commendable performances. He thanked
all the seniors and HR for rejuvenating
the climate of innovation and recognition
through the new and improved ICONS.

Felicitation and Organising Teams that made it possible another ICONS.

The L&T-ite, April-June 2014 13

CHAMPIONING ICONS CONCEPT...
Felicitation of ICONS Winners at HMD, Vadodara

O
n March 11, 2014, a special fe-
licitation ceremony was held at
HMD, Vadodara, to honour this
years ICONS winners. Graced by Mr.
Sidharath Tuli, Vice President & Head
HR, LTHE, and Mr. P.M. Dharmadhikari,
General Manager & Head Refinery &
Project Controls (Vadodara) Business,
HMD, the ceremony witnessed seven
winners (in Team & Individual category)
get honoured amidst a gathering of col-
leagues and members of their family.
After the customary L&T Anthem, and a
welcome address by Mr. Sandeep Dipankar
(Head - HMD L&D), Mr. Sidharath Tuli took
to the stage. Putting the concept behind
ICONS into perspective, he said that the
achievements recognised as part of the Mr. Sidharath Tuli addressing the gathering.
initiative represent very high standards of
business process and innovations which
will aid the Company and, in the longer
run, offer the edge it needs in todays
highly competitive, global marketplace.
In his address, Mr. P.M. Dharmadhikari
talked about how recognition given
through an initiative like ICONS plays
a vital role in promoting excellence
across various facets of work, whether at
an individual or team level, and fosters
a culture of appreciation throughout
the organisation.
Following Mr. Dharmadhikaris lead,
Ms. Vimla Nigania, Sr. DGM HR, spoke
about how performance and excellence
are interlinked. During her speech, she also
shared with the audience a video featuring
famous cricket commentator Harsha
Bhogle which talked about sporting the
right attitude and how excellence is more A board displaying all the ICONS winners.
about the right attitude than talent.
There were seven ICONS winners, each team members achievement. The Best Learning Caf award this year
representing a remarkable achievement The ICONS winners had showcased was given to the youngest team among
ranging from saving the Company their achievements using models and the seven winners.
precious time and monetary resources to diagrammatic presentation at different The latter part of the ceremony saw
paper presentations at national level and Learning Caf so as to enable (and achievers in the category of ATL certificate
winning accolades for the Company. As perhaps to inspire) those gathered at the qualifiers, E-MBA qualifiers, Harvard
the winners were presented their awards, venue to better understand their work. Manage Mentor achiever and IPM Level
the HOD/IS of each winner was invited One of these cafes would ultimately be II qualifiers get felicitated.
onto the stage to speak about their teams/ conferred the Best Learning Caf award.

14 The L&T-ite, April-June 2014

LTSHF Saves Crores with Customised VAM
The customised Vapour Absorption Machine.
T
he wheels of innovation never
stop turning at L&T. The innova-
tive use of customised Vapour
Absorption Machine (VAM) at L&T Spe-
cial Steels and Heavy Forgings (LTSHF)
is proof of this.
LTSHF had installed a VAM of 200TR
capacity which generated chilled water (7
to 9 deg C) from Natural Gas. The Thermax
built machine was designed to run on
Natural Gas (NG) as well as on hot fumes
emanating from typical equipment like
Diesel Electric (DG) generators.
LTSHF modified this machine suitably
to run on hot exhaust fumes emanating
from NG fired forging-reheating furnaces.
Modifications in the VAM and exhaust
fumes circuit were necessary since the
temperature and the quantity of exhaust
fumes vary greatly (400 deg C to 900 deg
C) compared to that of the hot fumes (400
The L&T-ite, April-June 2014 15
deg C) from the DG set.
Modifications were done so as to ensure
that only required quantity of exhaust
fumes were diverted into VAM and the
temperature of exhaust fumes entering
into VAM remained between 400 deg C to
600 deg C (which is achieved by diluting
exhaust fumes with cool air).
The VAM consumes 52 NM3 of NG/
hour while running at its full capacity. At
prevailing NG cost, which is Rs. 45/NM3,
the hourly cost of running it comes to
Rs. 2340. This is now a direct saving and
annually LTSHF stands to save Rs. 63 lakh,
as the machine normally runs for 9 hrs
every day for 300 days a year.
Apart from this, LTSHF also needs
chilled water at 20 deg C for quenching
operation on manufactured black
forgings. The quantity of water involved
in quenching is 10 Lakh litres. When
quenching operations are planned, VAM
is run continuously for 24 hrs in advance
while chilled water is diverted towards
heat exchanger. This brings down the
temperature in quench tank to 20 deg C.
The estimated annual savings, assuming
50 quenching operations in a year are
performed, comes to about Rs. 30 lakhs.
LTSHF has further plans to use the
balance exhaust fumes to generate chilled
water / ice for running cold storages or
for generating power. LTSHF is currently
searching for suitable partners for this
project. It is estimated that annual
net savings/income to L&T from such
operations could be anywhere between
Rs. 3-4 Crs.
Such process-related savings as well as
emerging prospects in the industry could
spell a new future for LTSHF.
Making Science Accessible for Students

T
he Science on Wheels initiative
of L&Ts Mysore Campus has be-
gun to bear fruit. School children
who have had a chance to attend the
practical sessions and classes organised
through the specially equipped van,
seem much more confident in their
ability to comprehend otherwise tricky
science concepts and appear far more
interested in the subject than before.
A recent report in the local edition of
The Times of India, quoted several students
and public education system officers, all
of whom lauded the initiative for making
science more accessible to students and
making the subject more attractive
for them.
As per the report, the van manned by
two BSc and BEd graduates and carrying
specially designed science models, visits
various schools and explains scientific
models through simple and innovative
experiments and also conduct workshops.
During sessions conducted at schools,
students learn about astronomical
bodies, rotation and revolution, effect
of gravitation, eclipses and brain signals
through interesting models.
A total 3,965 students from 20
government schools have benefited from
the programme during 2013-14, said
the report.

KOCHI KALEIDOSCOPE
ESP Kochi Team Wins Branch of the Year Award
ESP Kochi team has won the Branch of
the Year distinction for the FY 2013-14.
The photo shows jubilant team members
flash V sign after the announcement.

ESP Kochi staffers pose for a group photo.

Annual Get-together
An annual get-together for the employees
of Kochi branch was organised in the
backwaters of Alleppy on April 05, 2014.
Cutting the friendly waves and floating
in the calm and salubrious backwaters
made for a thrilling experience for the
staffers. As the employees took in the
picturesque view of coconut trees and
paddy fields, delicious food, fun-filled
games and entertainment activities
added greatly to their joy. The employee
outing was made even more special by
the fact that the Kochi Branch Office had
managed to achieve Rs. 200 Cr worth of
business during FY 2013-14. KBO staffers at Alleppy during the annual get-together.

16 The L&T-ite, April-June 2014

L&T VALVES - THE NEW VISAGE
L&T Valves Unveils Aggressive Growth Plans
Mr. N.V. Venkatasubramanian addressing
company employees.
L&T Valves Limited, after integrating its
manufacturing and marketing operations
mid-last year, has registered an impressive
25% growth during FY 2013-14 and will
be looking to clock 40% growth during FY
2014-15 said Mr. N.V. Venkatasubramanian,
Chief Executive, L&T Valves Limited (LTV),
recently during a live webcast for the
Company employees. The webcast was
viewed by more than 600 employees at 15
locations across the globe, from Houston
to Dubai to Kuala Lumpur, and at plants
and offices across India.
Presenting his vision for the future of L&T
Employees listening attentively to the webcast at Chennai plant (above) and at Kancheepuram Plant (top).
The L&T-ite, April-June 2014 17
Valves, Mr. Venkatasubramanian said that
the Company is looking to build further on
its integrated competencies and thanks to
a healthy order book and positive market
sentiment is confident of sustaining the
growth momentum through 2015-16 and
achieve the growth targets laid down in
Project LAKSHYA.
He said that the growth would be powered
by customised high-end products such
as Metal-seated Valves for Upstream
Applications, Cryogenic Valves, Double
Block & Bleed Plug Valves, Valves for
Supercritical Power Plants, and automated
and control solutions including High
Integrity Pressure Protection Systems
(HIPPS). Expansion of international
market coverage would be vital for
continued success, he added.
Mr. Venkatasubramanian in his address
also announced a number of initiatives
aimed at revitalising the Company
including an ambitious business
excellence programme.
L&T Valves, Kancheepuram Launches Science on Wheels Van
The Kancheepuram team of L&T Valves
Limited (LTV) launched the Science on
Wheels project last month in association
with Agastya International Foundation.
On March 12, 2014, a vehicle with a well-
equipped mobile laboratory was flagged
off by Mr. J.P. Nayak, Non-Executive
Chairman of MIP IC Board, in the presence
of Mr. S. Raghavan, Director; Mr. N.V.
Venkatasubramanian, Chief Executive,
and Mr. G. Ravindran, General Manager
and Plant Head of the Kancheepuram
unit. Several other senior executives of
L&T Valves Limited were also present on
the occasion.

The aim of the project is to reach up to

3,500 students from government schools
in the vicinity of Kancheepuram City,
thus ensuring that the less fortunate
are able to benefit from the wonders of
science. This joint venture of L&T Valves
and Agastya Foundation is committed to
help underprivileged members of society
gain access to quality education, which is
(Left) Mr. J.P. Nayak hands over the key of Science on Wheels van to the official of Agastya
International Foundation.
one of the most important aspects of life. education, while imparting the joy of
It will offer innovative science experiences hands-on experiments.
and help them achieve excellence in

Mobile Clinic Medical Assistance on the Move

To help the underprivileged members
of the society gain access to basic
healthcare facilities, L&T Valves Limiteds
Kancheepuram team launched a mobile
clinic in association with Hand in Hand,
India. Mr. S. Raghavan, Director, LTV,
handed over the keys of the Mobile Clinic
to Mr. K.S. Sudhakar, Project Director for
Health, Hand in Hand, India.

The idea behind the initiative is to

provide medical assistance to people
living in remote areas besides conducting
health awareness and screening camps.
The project is expected to be a boon for
those members of the society who do not
have access to quality healthcare and is
expected to reach about 10000 people.

Mr. S. Raghavan flags off the Mobile Clinic van.

18 The L&T-ite, April-June 2014

HAPPENINGS @PAO
Golf Anyone?
Mr. A.K. Srivastava, Area Manager, Pune conducted a session on Golf for Pune Area
Office (PAO) staffers interested in the game. During the session he emphasised on
how the game is beneficial for health and relaxation and how it offers a chance to
network with people and generate business opportunities.

Mr. A.K. Srivastava explaining the benefits

of Golf.

Tree Plantation Drives

A tree plantation drive was carried out on May 06, 2014 at Exotica and Tanna Retreat,
Khandala. 113 saplings of Faycal, Codiya, Astoniya, Kanchan, Mango, and Chikku
were planted. Employees from PAO participated in large numbers in the event.

On the International Womens Day,

staffers at PAO and STC planted 62
Ashoka and a variety of fruit bearing
trees at STC-Bhosari, Pune.

Employee Engagement Activity

As a part of employee engagement activity, in association with the leading FM radio
channel, Red FM 93.5, PAO organised an event called Office Ka Bathroom Singer on
May 29, 2014. Employees participated in large numbers and had a gala time. Apart
from a quiz, there were various office scenarios given to each participant, on which
one had to sing a song. The song sung by Mr. Manish Sharma from DSP won the 1st
prize and was broadcast on the radio channel.

Office Ka Bathroom Singer contest participants.

The L&T-ite, April-June 2014 19

CHENNAI NEWS COVERAGE
L&T-ites Participate in Cool Runners Marathon
Chennai Area Office (CAO) supported the
fourth edition of Cool Runners Marathon
held on February 2, 2014 as more than 65
L&T-ites from Chennai participated in the
run organised for promoting road safety
and spreading the message of healthy
living. Actor Karthi Sivakumar attended
the run to cheer on the participants and
later handed over mementos to those
supporting the event including CAO.

Team L&T which participated in the run.

Provision of Educational Aids for ADW School, Pulianthope

As part of CAOs CSI efforts, educational
aids and painting kits were distributed
among the primary class students of
ADW School, Pulianthope. Additionally,
the CSI team at CAO also decided to
sponsor light snacks in the evening for
Class 10 students undergoing special
classes through the months leading to
the board exams as well as cover the cost
of special teachers hired for conducting
the evening classes at the school.
CAO has been supporting the school as
part of its CSI programme for more than
five years.
Educational aids were distributed among the
students.

Ananya Members Donate Sewing Machines for Needy Women

Each year, CAO Prayas Trust Ananya
(Ladies Club of L&T Chennai Area Office)
identifies women from underprivileged
backgrounds and supports them in
their endeavours to become financially
independent through a variety of
means. On January 31, 2014, Ananya
members distributed sewing machines
to six such women through Christ Jesus
Home, an orphanage for women &
children at Manapakkam, Chennai. Mrs.
Helen Karkada, presided over a formal
ceremony and handed over the sewing
machines to the vice-president of Christ
Jesus Home. Mr. M. Ranjith Gabriel,
Area Manager - Chennai, Mrs. Sona
Gabriel, President - Ananya, Mrs. Shiela
Chandran, Coordinator - Ananya and a
number of Ladies Club members attended
the programme. Sewing machine handing over ceremony in progress.

20 The L&T-ite, April-June 2014

CAO Prayas Trust - Ananya Members Meet
Prayas Trust Ananya members met
at Chennai Area Office to take stock of
all their activities through the last year
and discuss the agenda for the current
year. Mrs. Helen Karkada participated
in the programme and interacted with
the members of Ananya. A special
session on womens health by Dr. (Mrs.)
Vidhya Mythili was also organised on
the occasion. Additionally, special stalls
displaying hand-made items of daily
use made by women from various self-
help groups were set up as part of the
event. CAO staffers visited the stalls and
purchased various items in a show of
their support for the women. Ananya members and guests pose for a group photo.

International Womens Day

On International Womens Day Ananya
members organised a formal gathering
and celebrated the occasion at MGM
Beach. The members planted tree saplings
and participated in an outbound training
programme during the day.

Ananya members planting a tree sapling.

Chennai Area Office Wins ECC Recreation Club Cricket Championship

Earlier this year, the CAO Cricket Team
led by Mr. G. Balamurali (EWAC) won
the Inter-Unit Cricket Championship
organised by ECC Recreation Club.
Winning the trophy for the second
consecutive year, CAO Team displayed
excellent cricketing skills throughout
the tournament which had more than
85 teams from L&T units in and around
Chennai participating in it. The winners
trophy was awarded to the team by Mr.
M.V. Kotwal, Whole Time Director &
President (HE) and Mrs. Kotwal, during
the ECC Recreation Club Annual Day
held on February 8, 2014. Mr. & Mrs. Kotwal handing over winners trophy to CAO Cricket Team.

The L&T-ite, April-June 2014 21

VADODARA VIEWS
EEPC Award for L&T-Sargent & Lundy
L&T-Sargent & Lundy won the Regional
Export Award from EEPC (Engineering
Export Promotion Council) India in the
Star Performer-Medium Enterprise-
Engineering Services category for
outstanding export performance during
2011-12. Mr. Sachin Deole - Head Business
Development, received the award on behalf
of L&T-Sargent & Lundy from Mr. P.K. Dash,
Additional Chief Secretary, Department of
Commerce, Industry and Employment -
Government of Madhya Pradesh, in Bhopal
on March 5, 2014. Mr. Sachin Deole receiving the award from Mr. P.K. Dash.

Annual Day Celebrations at L&T Knowledge City

L&T Knowledge City campus was painted
in the seven hues of Indradhanush
(rainbow) on the evening of February
9, 2014, as L&T-ites flocked to the Cross
Maidan grounds to witness the vibrant
performances of Annual Day 2014.
Partaking in the cultural confluence
was Mr. K. Venkataramanan, MD & CEO,
accompanied by Mrs. Venkataramanan.
L&T employees, family members, Darshan
Ladies Club members put on some stellar
performances including Krishna Leela,
Ghoomer dance, Punjabi folk dance, live
band performance, musical play on the life
of Gautam Buddha and a special tribute to
the leading ladies of Bollywood celebrating
100 years of Indian cinema. The audience
applauded the talented performers. An
evening live-counter buffet was also
arranged at the end of the show. A dance performance in progress.

Creating Competency in NDT

Three employees of QMCC have
cleared the NDT Level III International
Certification, conducted by the American
Society of Non Destructive Testing (ASNT),
USA. This is in addition to one NDT Level-3
in all disciplines, already available with
QMCC. Mr. Raghavendra Shenoy (Central
QM) cleared Ultrasonic Testing (UT) &
Visual Testing (VT) to his existing Level
III in Magnetic Particle testing (MT). Mr.
Vinod Srinivasa (Central QM) cleared
Radiographic Testing (RT) to his existing
Level III Liquid Penetrant Testing (PT).
Mr. A. Subrhamanyam (Koradi Site QM)
cleared basic exam and Radiographic
Testing (RT). It is a noteworthy
achievement considering there are only
about 1200 certified NDT professionals
in India. Kudos to the special achievers!

The Winning Picture

L&Ts CSI team recently won the runners-up
trophy at Yuvantas - a CSR-themed short
film festival organised at M.S. University
of Vadodara. Organised by the Faculty of
Management Studies, the film festival had
invited entries from youth highlighting
social and environmental action as well
as corporate houses talking about their
companys CSR initiatives. The film festival
received entries from all corners of the
country (and a couple from Denmark).
After being reviewed by a panel of experts
and voting by professors and students, 5
best films on CSR were shortlisted and
showcased at the film festival. L&Ts CSR
film titled The Other India made the list
and went on to win the runners-up prize
in its category. The CSI representatives
Mr. Ashok Monga and Mr. Sanjiv Trivedi,
received a trophy, certificates and a cheque
of Rs 30,000.

22 The L&T-ite, April-June 2014

L&T CONSTRUCTION NEWS

ABRO Donates Bus for Primary School Children

L&T Constructions Ahmedabad Regional
Office (ABRO) has always taken a keen
interest in supporting the community
through its CSR initiatives. As part of
one such effort, ABRO donated a bus
to J R Desai Primary School, Mora, Dist
Panchmal, Gujarat on February 25, 2014.

Gujarat Bal Vikas Mandal, an NGO working

towards the welfare of tribal people in the
districts of Gujarat approached L&T seeking
support for those tribal children who travel
20 to 30 kms to school each day. These
tribal areas lack bus facilities and many
kids either walk long distances or use the
jeep facility to reach school. Due to such
difficulties, the children often drop out
of school midterm. To help alleviate this
problem, L&T donated a 44 seater bus to The school bus being flagged off.
facilitate hassle free travel for the kids.
GM-CSR & Construction Skills Training during an event. The occasion was coloured
1600 children studying in this school will along with Mr. S.H. Vora, Regional Manager by the traditional dance performance of
benefit from this gesture. The bus was ABRO, Mr. Jaydeep Acharya, Accounts & the school children followed by a joy ride
presented to the school by Mr. V.S Ramana, Admin In-charge, and other staff of ABRO in the new bus.

Bangalore Region Creates Sports & Games Library in Gorur Village

L&T Constructions Bangalore Regional Office
has set up a sports and games library in Gorur
Village, Hassan District, for the benefit of
children and women folk in the village.
Equipment for outdoor activities like
cricket, volley ball, tennikoit, skipping
ropes along with carrom, chess, dartboard,
snakes & ladders, ludo, solitaire, scrabble,
monopoly, house-housie, etc., were
donated by L&T. Traditional and popular
games such as pallankuli, kavade, chouka
bhaara, goat & tiger, hex, pagade, were also
given to the library.
Ms. Geetha Subramanian, Manager
(Marketing) & CSR Co-ordinator, and Ms.
Hema Srinivas, Founder Member, Prayas
along with other staff visited some schools
in the village to encourage children to take
up sports and games.

CIIs EHS Excellence Award for Metro Tunnelling Chennai Project

L&T SUCG JV U/G team has received a
4 star rating from CII for its Excellent
Commitment towards Environment,
Health and Safety practices and policies
for the year 2013 as assessed during
the audit conducted in the last week of
December 2013.
Over 126 large sector companies were
audited by CII and L&T was the only
organisation in the construction sector to
receive a 4-star rating.
The award was presented by Mr. Ramesh
Kymal, Chairman Sub-committee on
Sustainability, CII Southern Region and
Chairman & Managing Director, Gamesa
Wind Turbine Company to Mr. S. Vasudeva
Rao, Project Director, L&T SUCG JV and Mr.
N. Radhakrishnan, EHS Head at a glittering
ceremony organised by CII on March 7,
2014, in Chennai.

The L&T-ite, April-June 2014 23

Kolkata Ladies Spread Cheers Among Girls of Gobinda Home

The ladies at Kolkata celebrated
International Womens Day with the young
girls of Gobinda Home, an orphanage
located at Panihati on the right banks of
the river Ganges. The staff of M&M BU,
EDRC-M&M, EDRC-BMH, CLUSTER, DC
(MMH-IC) / B&F / PT&D / WET and TPPC
ICs participated in this event. covers, cakes, biscuits and chocolates to
the young girls. The innocent smiles on the
Founded in 1926, Gobinda Home currently faces of the girls was something that one
houses a total 110 girls aged between 6 needed to see to believe. A great sense of
and 18 years. joy and fulfilment, some warm hugs and a
beautifully sung song by the girls was the
The ladies presented bed spreads, pillow gift the ladies got in return.

Heritage Tour to Mahabalipuram for the Elderly

For the second consecutive year, L&T
Construction extended supportive hands to
the inmates of Helpage India by organising
a Heritage Tour to Mahabalipuram on
March 15, 2014.
The event was flagged off from the
Headquarters in Chennai by Mr. V.S.
Ramana, GM CSR & CSTI along with
the IC CSR Coordinators and senior
officials from Helpage India. A breakfast
and a special pooja at the Ganesha temple
preceded the flag off.
The elders expressed their heartfelt
gratitude for the hospitality extended
by L&T and the kind gesture. Mr. R.
Anbazhakan, Director Helpage India
thanked L&T for the initiative.

L&T Supports DEFs Mela for Hearing and Speech Impaired Children
On February 28, 2014, at the YMCA
grounds in Nandanam, Chennai, over 350
children from various schools for hearing
and speech impaired excitedly chattered
away in sign language as they played
games and relished a wholesome meal
at the day-long Mela organised by Deaf
Enabled Foundation (DEF).
There were total 21 games and the kids on
arrival had a sticker stuck on their sleeve
indicating all the games they could play. On
completion of each game, the organisers
ticked or coloured the respective circle
to ensure that they completed as many
as they could. Children showed their
competency across all the games.
Games like dart, knocking off tumbler piles,
fishing off the bucket, balloon shooting,
throwing the ring, bouncing ball into a
bucket, cricket, tug of war, stumping game
with tennis ball / football, etc., were greatly
enjoyed by the children. All these games
and the stalls were managed by volunteers
from various colleges and MNCs. In the
overall silent and muted affair, Tug-Of-
War was one event where the kids made
enough noise to express their absolute joy.

24 The L&T-ite, April-June 2014

BENGALURU BULLETIN
LTCEL Sports & Fine Arts Club Celebrates Annual Day
On January 26, 2014, L&T Construction
Equipment Limiteds Sports & Fine Arts
Club celebrated its Annual Day at the
Companys sports complex. The annual day
was the culmination of year long sporting
and fine arts activities conducted for club
members and their families.

A large, beautiful open air auditorium

was set up for the event and elaborate
arrangements were made for members and
their families not just to reach the venue
on time but also have a fun-filled evening.
Mr. J.P. Nayak, Chairman, MIP IC, L&T,
graced the event as Chief Guest. He was
accompanied on stage by several other
equally distinguished guests including Mrs.
Neetha Nayak (wife of Mr. J.P. Nayak), Mr. S.
Raghavan, Senior Vice President & Business
Head, MIP IC, L&T; Mr. S.R. Subramanian,
EVP & Head-Strategic Machinery and
Business Group; Mr. C.V. Alavandi, (VP
& Head Product Development Centre);
Mr. D. Keshava Kumar, Chief Executive-
LTCEL; Mr. H. Mahadevan, President-LTEA;
and Mr. B.B. Ganesh. (Dy.General Manager
Chief Guest, special invitees and other dignitaries pose for a group photo.
Central Materials).
The Club President, Mr. B.B. Ganesh
extended a warm welcome to all the
invitees, guests, club members and their
families. Mr. Laxmiramana, Secretary of the
Club, presented the annual report of the
Club listing the details of all its activities in
the previous year. He also highlighted the
significant achievements and the laurels
brought to the company by the members
and their families during the year. The
Chief Guest and other dignitaries on the
dais spoke about the clubs activities and
its achievements.
A special felicitation ceremony was organised
to honour individual & team events
champions of various sporting activities.
Those who had won prizes in external events
outside the Company were also honoured
on the occasion. The Chief Guest and the
dignitaries gave away the prizes.
Entertainment programmes followed the
award ceremony. The highlight of the
evenings entertainment was a classical
dance item performed by Dr. Rekha Raju
& troupe. Comedy sketches, a magic
show and other variety acts added to the
audiences excitement.

L&T Mighty Movers Beat KIPL Samurais in a T20

In keeping with the bonhomie and true
spirit of friendship, L&T Mighty Movers
(Construction & Mining Machinery) played
a 20-over cricket match with Komatsu
Samurais at LTCEL Grounds, Bangalore
on March 15, 2014. L&T Mighty Movers
posted an easy win thanks to the fine knock
of 48 runs by the captain Manish Lengade.
The Samurais, led by Mayank Bassi, chasing
a target of 156 runs, were all out for 121.

Top scorers from the home team included

Byresh Kumar with 24 runs followed by
Hariprasad Dammu (16 runs), Prashant
Kumar (11 runs), Prabhanjan Pal (11
runs) and Ashok Kumar who remained
not out with 12 runs. L&Ts Krishna Pratik
was the most successful bowler with 3
wickets followed by Prashant, Dammu
L&T Mighty Movers with the winners trophy.
and Vinayak Nayak each of whom took visitors score. Mr. Arvind K. Garg, Vice-
2 wickets. Some exceptional work in the President-CMB, presented the trophy to the
field by the likes of B. Dinesh, Laeeq- winning team.
ur-Rahman, K.R. Bhalabhaskar and the
rest of the team helped them limit the

The L&T-ite, April-June 2014 25

New Ladies Club for CMB
Sparsh is the new Ladies Club of
Construction & Mining Machinery
Business-Bangalore. The club was
inaugurated at Bangalore Area Office
by Dr. Padmini Prasad, Obstetrician &
Gynaecologist and Director, Ramamani
Nursing & Maternity Home. Mrs. Sandhya
Garg, the newly-elected President of
Sparsh, addressed the members on the
clubs agenda and spoke of the community
initiatives being taken up while aligning
with the corporate objectives of
the company.

Mr. Arvind K. Garg, Vice-President-CMB,

lighted the traditional lamp and delivered
the keynote address. A presentation was
made on various social projects handled
by Ladies Clubs in L&T across the country.

Sparsh members getting to know one another at the inaugural event of the club.

Guidelines for Contributing Photographs for

Publication in L&T Magazines
The magazines like the one in your hand, printed using off-set machines, need high resolution
images to ensure proper reproduction. We request you to adhere to the guidelines given below
while sending photographs for publication in our magazines:

1. Every photograph is considered worth 10000 words. Hence it should be telling the story by itself. Make sure that
important objects and people are properly covered and positioned, while taking the photograph.

2. Make sure that the photograph is of high resolution. Roll over the mouse pointer on the image file on your PC. The pop
up will indicate the image type and size. If the size is above 1.5 MB, one is sure the image is of high resolution. Next, right
click on image, select Properties in the dialogue box and click Summary tab and then Advanced button. Youll see many
image parameters. Out of that, if you find width & height around: 7x5 (1400x1000 pixels), and Horizontal Resolution
and Vertical Resolution above 200 dpi, you are sure that the image will have good reproduction in offset printing.

3. Tagged Image Format (TIFF or TIF) is the best format for the image. It ensures good reproduction. However, TIFF images
tend to be rather huge. The next best format is JPEG. Do not use other image formats available.

4. Make sure that the image you intend to send is sharp. Do not send blurred and out of focus images.

26 The L&T-ite, April-June 2014

COIMBATORE CONNECTION
IMC RBNQA Certificate of Merit for Precision Machining Centre
ETS-PMC (Precision Machining Centre,
Coimbatore Unit of Engineered Tooling
Solutions of EAIC) has been awarded
the Certificate of Merit in the Small
Business Category at the prestigious
IMC Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality
Award 2013.

Instituted by IMC RBNQA Trust in 1997,

the award encourages Indian organisations
to adopt a Performance Excellence
model to bring operational and business
improvements and showcase world-
class best practices. The requirements of
the criteria for performance excellence
are embodied in seven categories, viz.
Leadership; Strategic Planning; Customer
Focus; Measurement, Analysis and
Knowledge Management; Workforce
Focus; Operations Focus; and Results. Mr. V.V. Deshmukh and Mr. Amol Gadre receiving the prestigious award.

The esteemed jury was headed by Dr.

Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairman, Narayana with Mr. Amol Gadre and Mr. Omkar Commission, in Mumbai on March
Hrudayalaya Group of Hospitals. Mr. V.V. Rao received the prestigious award from 19, 2014.
Deshmukh, Vice President - ETS, along Mr. Arun Maira, Member, Planning

Prof. G.R. Damodaran Centenary Lecture by Mr. M.V. Kotwal

Dr. Baldev Raj, President Research, PSG
Institutions and former Director, Indira
Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research,
Kalpakkam, who recently received the
Eminent Engineer Award from the
Engineering Council of India, had invited
Mr. M.V. Kotwal, Whole-time Director and
President-Heavy Engineering, to deliver a
lecture under the Distinguished Speaker
Series as part of Prof. G.R. Damodaran
Centenary Celebrations being organised
by PSG Sons & Charities, Coimbatore. Mr. M.V. Kotwal is being welcomed with a memento. Right: A section of the audience that
attended the Distinguished Speaker Series.
In his lecture delivered at PSG Tech
Auditorium on March 12, 2014, Mr. technology, management and medicine. of which he is a Director from India. L&Ts
Kotwal recalled the vision and path- He also narrated his own rich experience contribution to Indian defence sector and
breaking efforts of Prof. Damodaran in private sector spanning over four contribution to the nuclear submarine
and seminal role of PSG Institutions in decades, especially his involvement with project also found a mention in his lecture.
areas of higher education in engineering, the International Fusion Reactor Project

The L&T-ite, April-June 2014 27

National Science Day Celebrations
As part of the National Science Day
celebrations, a Block level Mega Science
Fair was organised on March 1, 2014 at
the Panchayat Union Primary School,
Malumichampatti. Science models prepared
by students from 14 Panchayat Union
Middle Schools of Madukkarai Block,
Coimbatore were displayed in the fair.

Mr. R. Sundar, General Manager & Head,

Coimbatore Central Management, L&T
Coimbatore, and Ms. S. Roseline Sahaya
Rani, AEEO, Kinathukadavu Block,
inaugurated the event. Around 500
students, 30 teachers and 70 community
members attended the fair and out of (Left) Inauguration of the fair and (right) students explaining models to the visitors.
more than 40 models exhibited at the
event, five best models won prizes.

Felicitation of L&T Vocational Training Centre Trainees

A glittering function was organised on
March 26, 2014 to felicitate the 2nd
batch of 150 trainees of the Vocational
Training Centre -- an Uddyam initiative
of L&T Public Charitable Trust with
Avinashilingam Jan Shikshan Sansthan
as the knowledge partner.

Majority in the elated group of second

batch trainees have already started putting
their training to use and contributing
to their family income. Of the 150
trainees, 35 did not miss a single class
during the training period spread over
six months. The trainees were in full
praise of the Life Enrichment Education
sessions, an integral part of the course
curriculum adopted for transforming and
Mrs. J. Mohanasundary hands over the certificate to one of the trainees. (Right) Other trainees
proudly display their certificates.
empowering them. for her contribution towards providing
opportunities to empowering women, was
Mrs. J. Mohanasundary, Managing the Chief Guest at the felicitation function.
Director, Sharp Electrodes, who is the The function was also attended by many
recipient of many prestigious awards both L&T-eers and NGO partners of L&Ts Social
as a successful women entrepreneur and Development projects.

International Womens Day Celebrations

To celebrate International Womens
Day 2014, an awareness programme
titled Inspiring Women was organised
on March 8, 2014 at the community
health centre.
Topics covered in the programme
included Women Rights, Women Health
and Empowerment. Special games and
contests were conducted and prizes were
given as part of the event.

The session was handled by Dr. The session benefited 210 women and
Sathiyavathi Muthu, Former Dean, adolescent girls. Dr. Sathiyavathi Muthu addressing the
Avinashilingam University for Women. gathering.

28 The L&T-ite, April-June 2014

New Vocational Skills Training Centre at Rathinam Campus
Post the successful launch of its very first
Vocational Training Centre for women and
adolescent girls, L&T Public Charitable
Trust under its Uddyam initiative,
partnering with Rathinam Aramugam
Research & Educational Foundation, has
set up a Vocational Training Centre for
youth at Rathinam Campus, Eachanari.

The Centre was formally inaugurated on

March 24, 2014 by Mr. C.R. Swaminathan,
past Chairman, CII Southern Region
and former Chief Executive, PSG
Industrial Institute. Mr. P. Thangavelu,
Chief Engineer, Tamilnadu Energy and
Distribution Corporation, Coimbatore,
was the Guest of Honour. The function
was also attended by senior faculty & Mr. C.R. Swaminathan unveils the plaque to inaugurate the Vocational Training Centre.
students of Rathinam Institute Technology
& Management, senior officials of have completed Std. VIII and are above in all domestic and industrial fields. The
TANGEDCO, L&T-eers, Ladies Club 18 years of age. Coimbatore Central Centre will follow a tailor-made course
representatives, et al. Management will be supported by ESE curriculum derived from the one followed
in successfully implementing the training by L&T Construction Skills Training
The new centre, to start with, will impart programme. It aims to develop well- Institutes across the country.
training in electrical skills to youth who qualified electricians capable of working

World Water Day Model Making Contest

Coinciding with the World Water Day
on March 22, 2014, Coimbatore Unit of
Robert Bosch, along with Save the Globe,
Indias first leadership centred NGO, and
Brookefields organised a model making
competition on water conservation. Entry
to the competition, held at Brookfields
Mall, was open to all government schools
in and around Coimbatore.

The Science on Wheels project being

implemented with the help of NGO
Partner, Agastya International Foundation,
under the Vidyaa initiative of L&T Public
Charitable Trust, supported the Panchayat
Union Middle School, Samathuvapuram
in Chettipalayam, to participate in
the competition.
With the guidance of their Science
Crowds throng to learn more about water conservation at the mall. Right: The project by
Panchayat Union Middle School.
Teachers and support from our SoW team, Water Planet). This model was adjudged
four students of the school developed a the best among six models from five
working model on water conservation schools selected to be displayed at
titled Nam Thanneer Giragam (Our the mall.

The L&T-ite, April-June 2014 29

Ooty Holiday Home Wins Flower Show Awards
L&T Ooty Holiday Home won four awards
at the 118th Ooty Flower Show held at the
Government Botanical Gardens, Ooty on
May 25, 2014.

The prizes won by the Holiday Home

include one Special Prize, two first prizes
and a second prize. In addition, L&Ts
Switchgear Training Centre at Coonoor
also won five awards at the same event.

The awards were presented at a ceremony
by the District collector of Nilgiris, Dr.
P. Shankar, I.A.S., in the presence of
other dignitaries from the District
Administration. The awards were received
on behalf of L&T by Coimbatore Branch
Manager, Mr. Shashi Kiran.
Mr. Shashi Kiran receives the awards from Dr. P Shankar.
These awards are given for the best staff. The beautifully landscaped gardens
maintained private gardens in and around of L&T Ooty Holiday Home are a visual
Ooty in various categories. This year L&T treat to all the L&T guests who come to
has achieved highest tally of nine awards Ooty to enjoy the salubrious climate and
thanks to relentless efforts of the enthused the serenity.

VIZAG VISTAS
Focus on Healthcare
A number of healthcare-related initiatives
were undertaken during the months of
January and February, earlier this year in
Vizag as part of HE ICs CSR efforts. These
included: Blood Donation Camp (650
donors); Medical Camp (HB check-up - 755
beneficiaries); Eye Donation Awareness
Programme (660 participants); Eye
Check-Up Camp (660 beneficiaries); Road
& Home Safety Awareness Programme
(830 beneficiaries); HIV Awareness Camp
(750 participants); Dental Check-Up
Camp (720 beneficiaries); Ortho Check
(720 beneficiaries); Free Medicines (1575
beneficiaries). Blood donation camp held on January 25, 2014.

Adoption of Anganwadi Centres in Malkapuram

HE IC, Vizag, adopted 17 anganwadi centres
in Malkapuram on March 24, 2014 and
donated various items of use for the
facilities as part of its CSR efforts. These
included: tables, chairs, mats, weighting
machines, plastic buckets, plastic mugs,
white boards, dusters, water filters, slates &
slate pencil boxes. Mrs. G. Usharani, Child
Development Project Officer, ICDS Project,
Vizag accepted the gifts from the CSR team.

30 The L&T-ite, April-June 2014

World CSR Congress Award for Heavy Engineering
L&T Heavy Engineering , Vizag ,
recently won the Global Sustainability
Leadership Awards 2014 from the World
CSR Congress under Outstanding
Social Impacts category for its
exemplary work in reaching out to the
community through a series of lasting
and meaningful initiatives.

Out of the 1500 entries received by the

World CSR Congress, it shortlisted 150
for the Jury Round. Mr. A. Viswanathan
and Mr. KVMK Raju from HE Vizag made
a presentation on Outstanding Social
Impacts on February 6, 2014, in Mumbai
as one of the entrants shortlisted for the
jury round. Mr. Ajit Singh, EVP-Corporate
Infrastructure Services, received the
Global Sustainability Leadership Awards
2014 won by HE Vizag at the by World
Mr. Ajit Singh receiving the award.
CSR Congress on February 18, 2014.
Mr. J.D. Patil, EVP, handed over the Trophy
and Certificate of the award to Mr. V.V.
Risbud, VP, HE Vizag, and his team on
February 22, 2014. M/s Shobha Patil, Ketki
Mr. J.D. Patil handing over the award to Mr.
V.V. Risbud and his team.
Risbud, Nagalakshmi Viswanathan & A
Viswanathan of Kartavya HE Vizag CSR
Team were also present on the occasion.

Computer Training Programme for Community Youth

On March 22, 2014, Mrs. Ketki Risbud
inaugurated the fourth batch of computer
training programme for community youth
at M/S Techno Soft in Vizag. The initiative
is expected to help youngsters learn the
much needed computer skills which may
help them gain employment.

Inauguration of the fourth batch of computer training programme.

Library Books for Adopted Schools

On March 22, 2014, the CSR team at HE
IC, Vizag, donated library books for its
adopted schools including Sri Sri Narayana
Vidyalayam, Visakha Seva Sadan School,
and Ashreya School.

Books being donated at an adopted school.

The L&T-ite, April-June 2014 31

FARIDABAD FOCUS
Annual Cultural Evening
The Faridabad Campus organised its Annual Cultural Evening on
February 23, 2014. The event was graced by several dignitaries
including Mrs. & Mr. K. Venkataramanan, CEO & MD, who were
the Chief Guests for the occasion, Mrs. & Mr. A.S. Lamba, Group
C.E. & Whole - time Director of L&T-MHI Boilers, Mrs. & Mr. K.R.
Palta, Advisor to the Group Executive Chairman, Mrs. & Mr. D.S.
Kapoor, Head Project Impl. & Admin.

The evening witnessed some rather extraordinary song and dance

performances by the staffers, their spouses and children. More
than 1500 people attended the event.

Mrs. & Mr. K. Venkataramanan lighting the auspicious lamp.

Employees perform a group dance. Dignitaries and performers on the stage.

SWARA Programme at Faridabad Campus

Faridabad campus organised a one-day
programme titled SWARAS - Sound
Waves Allow Relaxation & Alleviate
Stress in coordination with Corporate
HR, Learning & Development and the
Shankar Mahadevan Academy on
January 31, 2014. Mrs. Padma Shankar
and Mr. Sridhar Ranganathan took classes
for around 35 participants. Participants
received precious advice and invaluable
tips from the masters.
Participants and faculty members at SWARAS.

32 The L&T-ite, April-June 2014

Science on Wheels Launched at Faridabad Campus
February 23, 2014, was a momentous
day for Faridabad Campus as Mr. K.
Venkataramanan, CEO & MD, flagged
off a Science on Wheels Van right
before the start of the Annual Day
Function. The van owned by L&T Public
Charitable Trust will be operated by
Agastya International Foundation and
managed by Faridabad Campus.

The vehicle is fully equipped with

around 250 basic science models with
two trainers. The van will be used for
explaining concepts through teaching aids
and science models to government school
children in and around Faridabad. This
is the first van of L&T Public Charitable Mr. K. Venkataramanan hands over the key of Science on wheels to Agastya International
Trust in the northern region. Foundation at L&T-Faridabad Campus on February 23, 2014.

Mrs. Jyoti Venkataramanan, Mrs. & Mr.

K.R. Palta - Advisor to the Group Executive
Chairman, Mrs. & Mr. A.S. Lamba - Group
C.E. & Whole-time Director - LTMHI-Boiler,
Mrs. & Mr. D.S. Kapoor - Head-Project
Impl. & Admin. Faridabad Campus,
Mr. R.P. Deshpande, Secretary L&T
Public Charitable Trust, and employees
of Faridabad Campus with their families
were present on the occasion.

An exhibition of the science models

was also displayed at the venue for the
benefit of Faridabad Campus employees
children. Two children of employees were
also trained to demonstrate the exhibits
to students and visitors. Mr. K. Venkataramanan flags off Science on wheels van.

Wellness Activities - Health Talk on Diet & Cancer

A talk on healthy dietary habits and
Cancer was organised on January 29,
2014 at the campus. The faculty, Dr. V.
Goshwami from Asian Institute of Medical
Sciences, Faridabad, in a presentation
offered useful tips on healthy eating habits
and Cancer prevention.

Dr. V. Goshwami conducting the session.

The L&T-ite, April-June 2014 33

Wellness Activities - Talk on Asthma and Pulmonary Disease
A talk on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
Disease (COPD) & Asthma was organised
at Faridabad Campus on February 4, 2014
wherein Dr. Danish Jamal from Sarvodaya
Hospital & Research Centre, Faridabad
spoke about the types, causes, treatment &
precautions of the said ailments. Around
45 employees attended the session.

Employees listening intently to the talk.

Computer Class for Students of Std XII

Faridabad campus arranged a guest lecture
for the computer science students of Class
XII at Govt. Model Senior Secondary
School, Sarai Khwaja, Faridabad on
February 3, 2014. Around 40 students
attended the lecture and received useful
tips during the two hours session.

Students of computer science of class 12th during the lecture.

Faridabad Cricket Cup 2014: KV-XI Versus ASL-XI

A friendly cricket match played between
KV-XI and ASL-XI witnessed some edge-
of-the-seat cricketing action at this
years Faridabad Cricket Cup 2014. Mr.
K. Venkataramanan, CEO & MD, L&T,
delivered a superb all-round performance
winning both the matches as well as the
man of the match trophy for his team. Mr.
K.R. Palta, Advisor to the Group Executive
Chairman, did the honours.

Mr. K.R. Palta handing over the man of the match trophy to Mr. K. Venkataramanan. Mr. A.S.
Lamba is at right.

34 The L&T-ite, April-June 2014

DELHI DIARY
Blood Donation Camp at Chandani Chowk
On March 19, 2014, a Blood Donation
Camp was organised in Delhis Chandani
Chowk area. A joint effort of Switchgear
Stockists Network, Delhi Electrical Traders
Association (DETA), LIONS Club and L&Ts
Domestic Marketing Network, the camp
saw 318 people donate 272 units of blood
and contribute to the noble cause. Fifteen
Bhajan Programme at Old-Age Home
With Bhajan-Kirtan forming an integral
part of the daily routine for most Indian
elders, a Bhajan programme was organised
by Delhi Area Office (DAO) at Arya Mahila
Ashram, Rajendar Nagar, New Delhi. The
programme offered ashrams residents a
Braille Paper for Visually Impaired School Students
In a bid to help the students of Akhil
Bhartiya Netrahin Sangh located in
Raghubir Nagar (New Delhi) prepare
better for their forthcoming exams, DAO
DAO Employees Donate Groceries for Girls Orphanage
Employees at DAO donated groceries
and various items of daily use to Arya
Kanya Gurukul, a residential school cum
The L&T-ite, April-June 2014 35
employees from DAO participated in the
camp. A number of channel partners
and dealers of various other electrical
products and nearby shopkeepers also
lent a helping hand in organising the
camp and looked after the donors. L&T
also distributed t-shirts, caps, and pouches
to the donors on the occasion.
Donors during the Blood Donation Camp.
chance to hear a deeply spiritual sermon
and some beautiful prayers by a learned
Hindu priest. A special lunch followed
the programme.
Ladies of ashram listening intently to the
sermon.
donated Braille Papers to the school. Total
75 students benefitted from the initiative.
A student being presented the Braille paper.
orphanage for girls at Rajendar Nagar,
Delhi. The orphanage is home to nearly
120 girls.
Some of the items which were given to the
orphanage.
DAO Donates New Candle Making Machine
A Candle Making Machine capable of
producing 100 candles per cycle was
recently donated to the Akhil Bhartiya
Netrahin Sangh at Raghubir Nagar (New
Delhi). The new machine is expected to
increase the organisations production
Race Day at MCD School
A special running competition was
organised recently for the children of
DAOs adopted MCD School at Karampura.
The event was part of the Sports Day
function at the school in which close of
300 children took part. DAO sponsored
prizes for the winners of the race
Womens Day at DAO
On the occasion of the International
Womens Day on March 8, 2014, women
employees at DAO were given a treat
during a function organised at the office.
Ergonomics Session for Employees
With a view to instill the basics of
ergonomics among staffers and educate
them how best to take care of their bodies
and stay fit, DAO organised a programme
36 The L&T-ite, April-June 2014
capacity which in turn will help it earn
more to better support its activities at the
blind school.
Students and representatives of the blind
school pose for a photo alongside the machine.
competition. In another initiative, to
encourage cleanliness among children
and boost attendance levels, children who
came to school neat & clean and didnt
remain absent were also given special
prizes on the occasion.
Young runners participated in the race with
great enthusiasm.
Women of L&T-DAO expressed their
views on the day and cut a special cake
on the occasion.
Women staffers cut a specially ordered cake
to celebrate International Womens Day.
in association with Apollo Hospital.
Employees attended the programme with
great interest and enthusiasm.
Employees learn more about ergonomics.
L&T Sports Club Organises TT and Carom Championship
L&T Sports Club recently organised a participated in the two events with great
Table Tennis Tournament and a Carom gusto. Winners were awarded trophies
Championship. Close to 40 employees as their prize.

A game of Carom in progress.

Free Health Check-up for DAO Staffers

A free health check-up programme for get themselves checked by experienced
DAO staffers organised in association with physicians for various ailments.
Kalra Hospital, New Delhi saw employees

A DAO employee getting her blood-pressure

checked.

Free Health Check-up for MCD School Children & Mothers

Under L&Ts Mother & Child Healthcare School, Karampura. About 122 children
programme, a free medical health check- and 75 mothers were checked for Random
up camp was organised for children and Sugar, BP, Gynae and General Health
their mothers at the DAO adopted MCD during the camp.

Mother & Child health forms a key part of

L&Ts CSR agenda.

Picnic Time!
A picnic was organised for the employees fun events. The event also afforded the
of Corporate Office, PSD Bahadurgarh employees a chance to interact with each
Workshop and DAO employees and their others families. Dance, music, games and
families at Pratapgarh Village, Jhajjar, delicious food marked the fun outing.
Haryana. Attended by 172 people, the
picnic had the flavour of a full-blown
country fair as employees and their
families indulged in various games and

The kids had a ball, literally!

The L&T-ite, April-June 2014 37

L&T Wins Dun & Bradstreet Award
L&T has been awarded the pres-
tigious D&B Corporate
Award 2014. The award was received on
behalf of the Company by Mr. Y.S. Trive-
di, Executive Vice President - Heavy En-
gineering, from Mr. V.P. Nandakumar,
MD and CEO of Manappuram Finance,
in the presence of the former Union
Minister and eminent economist and
journalist, Dr. Arun Shourie.
The 14th Dun & Bradstreet (D&B)
Corporate Awards ceremony was held in
Mumbai on May 28, 2014. L&T received
the award in the category of Engineering
/ Capital Goods sector.
The occasion also marked the launch
of the fourteenth edition of D&B Indias
premium publication, Indias Top 500
Companies 2014 by the Chief Guest, Dr.
Arun Shourie.
D&B is the leading provider of Mr. Y.S. Trivedi (middle) receives the D&B Corporate Award 2014 for L&T from Mr. V.P.
information services to clients worldwide. Nandakumar. Dr. Arun Shourie is at right.

L&T-S&L Wins Golden Peacock Award

R
ecognising its commitment to total
quality management, the Institute
of Directors (IOD), has conferred
on L&T-Sargent & Lundy Limited (L&T-
S&L), the prestigious Golden Peacock
National Quality Award 2014.
The award was presented at the 24th
World Congress on Total Quality &
Leadership, at Trivandrum, Kerala on May
23, 2014. Mr. Anjan De, Head-Projects, Mr.
Santanu Biswas, Head-Quality Assurance,
and Mr. Vivek Shah, Manager-Quality
Assurance, received the award from the
Chief Minister of Kerala, Mr. Oommen
Chandy.
L&T-S&L is a joint venture company
of L&T and Sargent & Lundy LLC - USA, a
premier consultant in power industry for
more than 120 years. L&T-S&L provides
engineering and consulting services from
concept to commissioning in power sector
across the globe. L&T-S&L team receives the Golden Peacock National Quality Award from Mr. Oommen Chandy
(middle), CM of Kerala. Lt Gen J.S. Ahluwalia, PVSM (retd), President, IOD, is second from left.

38 The L&T-ite, April-June 2014

OFFBEAT

I Am Blind. So What? I Have Licence

To Drive

S
cent of A Woman, the 1992 film
featuring the inimitable Al Pacino
has many memorable scenes which
in the time since have gone on to acquire
a cult status among movie buffs and film
connoisseurs alike. Among them is a scene
in which Pacinos blind Col. Frank Slade
test drives a brand new Ferrari through
the streets of New York like a maniac on
a death wish. The scene, exhilarating as it
is doesnt do much good to the cause of
blind people behind the wheels of cars,
something that researchers at Virginia Tech
have been trying do for the last few years.
Led by Dr. Dennis Hong, Director of
Virginia Techs Robotics and Mechanisms
Laboratory, a team comprising students
and faculty members has been attempting
to build a car that can be driven safely by
the visually impaired. The idea is to offer
greater freedom and independence to the
blind and challenge the general belief
that driving is an activity meant purely
for the sighted.
It all began some seven years ago when
US-based National Federation of the
Blind (NFB) challenged the participants
of the DARPA Grand Challenge, a prize
competition for autonomous vehicles to
develop a car that allowed a blind person to
drive it independently, without assistance
from anyone else. The car couldnt be
autonomous which ferried the blind
person. Rather, NFB insisted on a vehicle
which a blind person could actually take
control of and maneuver on the road.
This insistence was predicated on the idea
that like most able-bodied individuals,
blind people too would like to experience
the freedom (and joy) of driving. Also,
that with the help of technology the
blind people can accomplish this and
other similar feats which have long been
thought impossible for them.
Autonomous vehicles like Googles
Self-Driving Car which have consistently
Differently able, but still can experience the joy of driving.
grabbed the headlines in the last couple
of years with a number of successful
trial runs (most of it in controlled
environments and some on public roads)
rely on highly sophisticated, software-
based vehicle systems which make use
of radars, lasers, cameras, sensors, GPS,
internet, high-speed connectivity to the
local traffic control centre and a whole
lot of gadgetry to get from point A to
point B. Such systems usually need to be
programmed for specific routes and cant
be taken out on just any road willy-nilly.
Besides, these vehicles arent always fully
autonomous in the truest sense either; a
person is usually seated in the drivers
seat to take control of the car in case of
any unforeseen eventuality. As opposed
to this, the vehicle that Dr. Hong and his
team are working on focuses on letting the
driver, a blind person in this case, remain
in control of the vehicle the whole time.
The system Dr. Hongs team is currently
working on uses a combination of
perception tools, computer technology and
non-visual interfaces to enable the blind
driver navigate the car safely on the road.
Since the subject is blind, a sensor-based
system studies the environment and fuses
that information with a GPS unit to get an
estimate of the location of the car. Also used
are cameras to detect the lanes of the road
and laser range finders. The lasers scan the
environment to detect obstacles like other
vehicles around the subjects car.
This data is then fed into computer
which processes it further and conveys
instructions as to how the driver can
operate the car. How? Well, heres where
it gets really interesting.
Dr. Hongs team has developed a
number of non-visual user interfaces
which allow the blind person to see the
road and drive. One such interface is called
the Drive Grip which is essentially a pair
of gloves with vibrating elements on the
knuckle which convey instructions to
the driver about how to steer, in which
direction and with how much intensity.
Similarly theres Speed Strip a chair
with vibrating elements in different
patterns which convey information about
the speed, sends instructions how to use
the gas and the brake pedal. Basically, all
the data fed into the computer is turned
into sensory data and transferred to these

The L&T-ite, April-June 2014 39


The project team.
customised devices for the driver.
But perhaps the most revolutionary
non-visual interface developed by the
team is Air Pix. Its a small tablet with
many holes in it. Compressed air is passed
through these pinholes in varying degree.
Think a refreshable slate which can write
Braille or create a tactile image. A blind
person can simply put his hand over it and
see the lanes of the road and the obstacles
on it and react accordingly.
These and other non-visual interfaces
L&T Wows Audiences at OTA
L&T , having recently executed
the prestigious Zawtika
Wellhead Platforms and Sealines Pro-
ject and the currently ongoing Yetagun
North Development Project in Myan-
mar, was invited to participate in Off-
shore Technology Asia (OTA), APACs
largest and most reputable offshore in-
dustry event held recently in Yangon,
Myanmar. Themed Exploring Myan-
mars Offshore E&P Opportunities, the
event offered an ideal platform for L&T
to not just familiarise itself with the cur-
rent developments in the fast-growing
South-East Asian offshore markets but
also establish international business re-
lationships in the region.
This years event was attended by
distinguished participants from the global
offshore industry including regulators,
Edited by D. Morada for Larsen & Toubro Limited, Corporate Brand Management & Communications, Landmark A, 2nd Floor, Suren Road, Off.
Andheri-Kurla Road, Andheri (East), Mumbai 400 093. . The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Management of
ABCI Larsen & Toubro Limited. The contents of this magazine should not be reproduced without the permission of the Editor. Not for sale - only for
circulation among the employees of L&T Group of companies.
Member
like a three-dimensional ping sound
system, a vibrating vest, a click wheel
with voice commands, a leg strip, even a
shoe that applies pressure to the foot pass
on enough information to the driver for
him to drive the car safely much like a
sighted person.
Trial runs of customised vehicles and
prototype cars have shown results which
have been fairly positive and researchers
believe that non-visual interfaces like Air
Pix and other such technologies could
EPC contractors, various oilfield services
companies, drilling contractors, equipment
& technical solution providers, investment
banks and funds and legal firms.
At the conference, Mr. Swapan Mukerji,
General Manager and SBU Head, IOGP-
Other Regions and Mr. Kaustuv Bagchi,
Joint General Manager and Project
Manager, Zawtika Project, shared the
Companys experiences in a presentation
themed An EPC Companys Success in
Effective Management of the Recently
Completed Zawtika and Other Project. The
presentation explained to the audience,
L&Ts world class manufacturing facilities,
global sourcing skills to ensure availability
of deliverables and seamless coordination
between various disciplines in a
multilingual multicultural environment
with Indian, Thai, Omani, Singaporean,
put road ready vehicles on the streets
in the next ten years. The real question,
however, for Dr. Hong and the likes of him
is not whether technology can actually
deliver but whether the society will
accept something like this. How would
the normal people, the ones who can see,
feel about sharing the road with a blind
person driving a car? How would agencies
responsible for vehicular traffic and road
safety accommodate something like this?
How would insurance companies react
to such a drastic change? Beyond the
more advanced countries, in places like
India where road infrastructure is still
being developed, what will be the shape
of things? These are tough questions
which will need to be answered, not by
the scientists but perhaps by legislators.
- Rajendra Chaudhary,
CBMC, Landmark, Mumbai
Photographs copyright: Virginia Tech
Malaysian, Indonesian, Burmese, British
and American nationalities to achieve
pre-set targets. Mr. Mukerji emphasised on
L&Ts growth aspirations in the South-East
Asian offshore market and elaborated on
the measures being taken to address the
same. The gathering seemed extremely
appreciative of L&Ts performance.
L&T has set its footprints in the South-
East Asian offshore market by successfully
installing all the Zawtika structures in
Myanmar waters as per agreed schedule
with commencement of gas production
by PTTEPI on one of the platforms
from January 2014. Subsequently,
L&T was awarded the Yetagun Phase V
Development Project by Petronas Carigali
Myanmar (Hongkong) Ltd (PCML) which
is currently under implementaion in
Myanmar waters.