KIRBY: A Crusader in Country's Infra Growth

Kirby Building Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuwait based multi-billion dollar conglomerate Alghanim Industries, is one of the world's largest Pre-Engineered Steel Building (PEB) manufacturers. The company with total annual capacity of 400,000 MT across 5 different locations (Kuwait, UAE, Vietnam, Hyderabad & Haridwar in India) has vast experience of serving more than 60,000 customers across the globe since 1976. Kirby brings the revolution in the construction industry with the introduction of PEB concept in India in 1999. Since then it has gained impetus in the construction industry and is leading the revolution with its constant innovation in products and applications thereby setting new benchmarks for the PEB industry.

Kirby's Hyderabad and Haridwar factories are ISO 9001:2008 certified. The company is also a member of Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) and Institute for Steel Development & Growth (INSDAG). It has also been awarded with British Safety Council membership after meeting their stringent qualifying criteria. Its internal processes and operations are well integrated through SAP thereby ensuring the best customer service. Kirby's buildings are designed as per the international standards in norms with AISC, AISI, MBMA, BIS, etc. and as per the customer's requirements. The company uses its proprietary software for design and detailing of PEB structures, in addition to the standard packages which include AutoCAD, STAADPro, ProSteel, Tekla, etc. and allows all the buildings to be customized as per the unique demands of the customers. One of its popular products include KSS-600 (Kirby Standing Seam Panel) roofing system which is having double lock standing seam ends and is 100% leak proof. Kirby is the first PEB manufacturer in India to achieve FM Global approval for its KSS-600 roofing system.

Market Leadership

Kirby India has a capacity of 200,000 MT per annum with Hyderabad and Haridwar having an annual capacity of 100,000 MT each, thereby making the company a leading player in the Indian PEB market with a market share of over 35%. It has over 27 sales offices and a network of more than 100 certified builders to cater to the erection procedure as per the international standards capable to handle any type of complexity under adverse site conditions. The company has served over 4,500 customers with more than 12,000 buildings spread over an area of 18 million sqm since its inception. Kirby India has the privilege of partnering who's who of corporates both from national and international front operating across all industry segments by setting up their facilities in India and across the globe. The company is estimated to exceed the turnover of more than Rs.1,200 crores in 2012 and the current order backlog for both the plants together is over 6-8 months approximately.

Sustainable Construction Materials

Steel is the preferred material for all Prefab structures and all Kirby buildings use steel which is more than 90% recyclable thereby making them an ideal choice for green buildings. These buildings are cost-effective, energy efficient and provide better quality environment due to the favorable roofing material and natural ventilation. These buildings also help in energy saving due to more amount of natural sunlight through skylights used on the roof of the building thereby reducing the overall power consumption. Effective usage of insulation materials, louvers and other materials also help in making Kirby buildings as green buildings. All the materials used in making these buildings are recyclable and are not harmful to the environment. The company is always looking forward to be a part of eco-friendly products and the ongoing green revolution in the construction industry.

Landmark Projects

The company has also demonstrated its capability to design and manufacture complex & heavy structures by executing mega projects in the automobile, shipyard, general engineering, infrastructure, logistics and various other industry segments. These big projects require not only the superior design but also an excellent project management right from beginning to the end. Some of the unique projects the company has executed include:

1. Renault-Nissan, Chennai – World's single largest PEB at one single location involving over 20,000MT of steel and spread over an area of 300,000 sqm.
2. Pipavav Shipyard Ltd.– One of the largest ship building facilities built with a height of 40m.
3. Toshiba-JSW, Chennai – Unique structure consisting of a single 500 MT crane.
4. Hindustan National Glass, Nasik – World's largest container glass manufacturing facility
5. Hansen Drives, Coimbatore – World's largest wind turbine gear box manufacturing facility
6. Danieli India Ltd. – Complex structure with 42 nos of cranes running across different directions.
7. Delhi Metro, Delhi, – First of its type with curved rafters and the first metro rail to use PEB technology.
8. Bangalore Metro

Recognitions

Kirby also secured scores of recognitions and accolades including CNBC-TV18 Infrastructure Excellence Award 2011, Greentech Environment & Safety Awards 2011, EPC World Awards 2011, Greentech Safety Award 2012 and various other awards in seminars or events where the company has participated or sponsored over these years.

Due to the increasing demand for these type of structures, Kirby has entered into heavy engineering applications that include offices/commercial buildings/highrise buildings, shopping malls, multiplexes, power plants, oil & gas structures, steel plants, bridge girders, multi-level car parking structures, airport terminal buildings, residential buildings, etc. to cater to growing structural steel demand in the country.

Over a period of time, Kirby India has evolved from a mere manufacturer of PEB to a total solution provider capable of supplying a packaged solution for all building requirements maintaining international quality standards and fulfilling the entire customer demand. Like a true leader, it has constantly tried to set new standards in the PEB industry. Its buildings have stood the test of time, time and again against all odds – manmade and natural.