Interview Insights:
Rail Analysis: Please share with us your journey with Bentley Systems so far and how did you get started in this sector?
Shri Kaushik Chakraborty: Interesting question! I have been with Bentley Systems since 2015 and my journey in the AEC engineering world came from the GIS technology industry. Its connected but its not the same. The great aspect now is the impact which we are able to create with our work. It is a major pride for us when our work is able to enhance the quality of life for everybody. It has been an exciting journey and I look forward to working closely with all stakeholders and supporting our customers further.
As you might be aware, construction in India is one of the most underdigitalized industries in India and we look forward to changing that. Now, with the Government programs such as the National Rail Plan and PM Gati Shakti, the nation is looking to spend 3 to 4 times more in the next 5 years of infrastructural development. Our technology provides better checks and balances to ensure the projects are completed in time and in cost.
Rail Analysis: Digital twin is becoming almost an engineering requirement now in most projects. Please share with us some details about the Bentley i-twin platform?
Shri Kaushik Chakraborty: The i-twin platform is our digital twin platform. Our vision is to create a complete open platform. It is very important for us that our platform works with all kinds of industry softwares. The file formats are open source formats and a large part of the platform is also available as open source. We want to encourage more people to use as we recognize that in any project multiple vendors solutions will be used so it is an important aspect in the foundation of our platform.
Further, most industry formats can be seamlessly integrated in the platform and can be further connected with ERP systems etc. The focus is to provide a fully connected visualization platform which allows you to manage your project efficiently and effectively. This platform is available for all infrastructure projects such as railways, metro, road, water projects etc. It is a cloud based platform and is easily accessible to all our users.
Rail Analysis: In terms of the Bentley Systems’ solutions, what solutions are available to sub contractors and tier 2-3 contractors who are doing these projects at the ground level?
Shri Kaushik Chakraborty: This is a very relevant question! We have been very positively surprised and encouraged with the adoption of our solutions with Tier 2 and Tier 3 contractors. Infact, two years ago we launched our own e- store and our own small business initiative called Virtuosity. We understand that the subcontractors prefer flexible purchasing models, quick adoption and low cost models for such solutions.
Further, they also want to quickly learn these solutions and adopt them. We acknowledge this and have created our solution for this use. Virtuosity works on an annual subscription model which is very cost effective. If you look at the pricing for the Indian market, it’s highly workable for the subcontractors. This can be purchased online via a credit card and we are glad to share that the adoption rate has been very fast in India. Post the purchase of the subscription, we are able to guide our customers as per their specific requirement and train them to use those products in a matter of a few days. This saves them training costs and gets them started quickly.
This user based subscription model has also helped us to be consistent and provide high quality service to our users and we are glad to share that it has been a very successful endeavor. we have noticed more than 200+ customers have subscribed to this in the last few months to this product owing to its workable pricing and quick adoption of this software to their projects. We continue to provide them support to be successful in their projects in India. The subscription models can vary depending on the users such as annual subscription, flexi-license, etc. and we also offer models which are enterprise licenses but are more focused on large scale projects and their contractors.
Rail Analysis: In terms of older projects, is there any solution you offer for management or renovation of these projects?
“Technology doesn’t differentiate between new or old.”
Shri Kaushik Chakraborty: It depends on the requirements of the projects. For example, Kolkata metro is an old project but it requires constant updation and maintenance. The same technologies can also be applied to such projects. Furthermore, for refurbishment projects, our solutions are highly capable to support the requirements of the contractors. It depends on the asset and the phase of its development or maintenance.
Furthermore, We are also able to map out older infrastructure projects and convert them into 3D Models along with various other vital information. Companies now use drones to capture this information and convert them into 3D models. These 3D models also help to reach out to all stakeholders faster and for quick decision making and budgeting for their consistent maintenance and refurbishment.
Rail Analysis: Bentley Systems solutions are being adopted in multiple metro projects in India. What is the impact your solutions have on a typical project?
Shri Kaushik Chakraborty: Nagpur metro was one of the first projects which adopted this solution of a very digitally planned construction. This led to better construction and better construction leads to better operations. They have updated all the data so today we have a good digital representation of what was built, why it was built and what decisions were taken. Same has been also with the DMRC team for the metro lines in Delhi. They have focused a lot on construction in order to lower the cost of construction and to finish the construction on time. It is imperative to complete the project in time plus they have to be on budget.
Technology is not an actual cost, it in fact should be measured in terms of ROI. Further, if the money saved can be used for other developments in the project then that is a big and good positive uptake and further, a lot more can be done to enhance the quantity of the project. Enabling a better ROI on infrastructure projects via better planning, better execution and the digitalisation leads to a better result for all the stakeholders.
Rail Analysis: What are some of the steps you have taken to develop the existing Human resource talent pool and skill development in India?
Shri Kaushik Chakraborty: We have followed a two pronged approach towards skill development in India:
1) We have very good programs in our own Bentley institute and we have now made these programs free of charge. We are trying to take these programs to the students and are providing training through Bentley institute and Bentley institute student portals. Many training methods are available such as certifications, challenges etc. We have teams in Kolkata, Pune and Delhi managing these institutes and programs.
2) We have also been engaging with our large customers in India and internationally and understanding the colleges or universities they hire from. We are further approaching these institutes and offering our programs to them to train the students in order to also increase their employability and enhance their career prospects. We are trying to bridge the gap between the requirement and the skill availability and we have been quite successful in this step also.
India is a great country for our talent pool and we are looking forward to further developing them in India to cater to Indian and International projects. We are also working closely with NICMAR and IITs to develop the skill set further and make them more industry-ready.
Rail Analysis: How do you view the Indian market today and the future growth planned? How can Bentley Systems’ contribute to the Indian Growth Story?
Shri Kaushik Chakraborty: We are very focused on supporting the development of the country. Further, We have also acquired companies in India to increase our presence here and are looking for more innovative companies in the future who can be a part of the Bentley family. We will innovate and invest in innovation and push the digital integrated ecosystem towards a more future ready nation.
India is forecasted to become the world’s largest construction market by 2030. This means there is so much opportunity and the national pipeline is huge and it is across sectors such as metros, railways, roads, highways, airports and water etc. This can be an exciting career path for engineers. Hence, to young students in India, my earnest appeal is to become an engineer, study engineering or gain expertise in IT and help India’s next 5-10 years in infrastructure engineering.
Additionally, we need more earthquake engineers and we also need to spend more focus on studying the sub surface and geotechnical areas since this is a very undervalued path today but will be very important tomorrow.
Rail Analysis: Any special message you would like to convey to our readers?
Shri Kaushik Chakraborty: There are many railway and metro projects in the pipeline. They will transform the nation and will lead to the development of a lot of careers. There is a lot to be done and we shall achieve it together!
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