Sure enough, excellence is an attitude. And attitude will usually determine one’s altitude. The better the attitude, the greater the altitude.
Great success stories in business are scripted brick by brick, always with the right foundations in place. As the legendary Greek philosopher Plato famously quoted with the simplicity that one associates with a genius, “The beginning is the most important part of the work.” In the world of business, excellence cannot be achieved, greatness cannot be acquired, credibility cannot be garnered, distinction cannot be attained, lives cannot be transformed, and the doors of prosperity cannot be unlocked, if the bricks and mortars, and the all-important foundation have not been laid out thoughtfully, and intelligently, right at the very beginning.
Welcome to Tulip Infratech, a group that has laid its foundation very well, and is synonymous with excellence, committment of devliery and trust. Today, the Group is happily poised on the brink of raising a series of excellent projects (see story on projects separately). The name draws inspiration from the Tulip flower—fragrant, radiant and full of life. Famous Chinese philosopher Lao Tsu, known always for his shimmering wisdom, and life-altering words, had said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Tulip’s first step in this journey of excellence was taken nearly two decades ago. No journey, though, can begin without a deep clarity of vision, and an unwavering will—the family vision and will for creating a construction giant revolved around the wisdom and futuristic vision of Mr. S.C. Jain, fondly called Babuji by everyone including his sons.
Policy Decisions to Attract NRI Investments
Real estate sector in India has seen many positive changes in the last few years, thanks to the favourable policies adopted and reforms undertaken by the Indian Government. It has observed tremendous growth in all areas and has widely categorized its services into Residential, Commercial and Retail to offer a distinctive approach. In country like India where property is considered an asset, Real Estate companies have taken the liberty to change the definition and add the element of lifestyle to it as can be seen from the splurge of luxurious apartments, beautiful commercial complexes and extraordinary retail ventures that have attracted the attention of potential buyers, not only from India but abroad as well. Going by the recent observations, number of people relocating to India or showing interest to own a property here is on the rise ever since the real estate sector underwent a boom and come up with services that match international standards both in quality and structure. A major contributing factor towards this is the relaxation in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy initiated by the government along with investor policies that have been revised and made friendlier to allow NRIs to invest in properties in India, both in residential and commercial space. |
As per the family’s plans, Parveen Jain, the CMD of Tulip Infratech would be the executor-in-chief of the group’s projects, bringing in as he did years of experience in the real estate and construction industry. His brother, Vipin Jain, director of the company is tasked to oversee marketing and finance operations, an important area of business development that all companies want to monitor at the helm closely. Another brother, Vikas Jain, director of the company pitched in with his legal acumen, bringing to the table his skills as a lawyer, one who would be able to rummage through a maze of confusing documents and quickly interpret complex municipal and state bye-laws, acquisition procedures, settlements and land deeds, and, of course, the never-easy-to-comprehend legal jargon. As noted writer Daniella Kessler beautifully puts it, “Every person is a tulip. While they may blend together, each one is special in its own light.” It is difficult to miss the truth in her well-chosen words. Each Jain family member blended together, while retaining his own, individual characteristic and USP, and this unique team of brothers set about rewriting excellence in the construction industry.
THE STRATEGY THAT WORKED
The simple things have worked out well. Apart from following Vaastu, Tulip dwelling units have been designed in such a way that every flat gets sunshine early in the morning. There is a deliberate effort to keep a wall on the southern side to ensure a substantial cut in the cost of running air-conditioning units during summer seasons. Tulip flats are open from three sides. There is enough light to ensure that during day time, any artificial lighting would not be required. Tulip Infratech has already undertaken a challenge to build nearly 10 million sq. ft. of residential areas in the National Capital Region (NCR). Of them, a sizeable number will be of affordable houses.
When a few years ago, 3-bed room Tulip apartments at the Sohna Road were sold off at Rs 25 lakh apiece, the prices may have seemed high. Today, although the prices have more than doubled at some of the fancier locations, indicating that when it comes to giving value for money, Tulip is second to none. Similarly, the company has taken a conscious decision to maximize power efficiency by using solar energy. In the various projects undertaken by the company, solar lights for the common areas have been used in order to ensure that power costs are minimized. It is true that initially solar lights appear to be very costly, but in the long-run they are cost effective and environment-friendly. Under strict supervision of civil engineers, the company has successfully used fly-ash at its construction sites. The various projects offered by the group are equipped with all modern day amenities using state-of-the-art technologies.
DRAWING LESSONS FROM THE TULIP FLOWER
Some of the proud owners of the Tulip flats say that the moment they enter into a Tulip property, their spirits are lifted. It is as if there is a new song on their lips, a new beat in their hearts. It is a silent message, but the group has been able to raise the bar to a level where excellence is scripted on every wall. Here, we are constantly reminded of the Tulip flowers, beautiful and vivacious, speaking a language of their own, charming our wits, and tickling our fancy like few flowers can. Tulip’s buildings are built with utmost care. Most of the gardeners and flower-lovers know that a high temperature can ruin the Tulip bulb or result in poor quality of new plants. The Tulip constructions are following this simple but very meaningful message of the nature. During construction, Tulip engineers and supervisors take special care to maintain the highest standards while maintaining quality checks.
TEAM WORK
The secret of the successes of Tulip’s nearly 18-year-old existence in the real-estate business can be attributed to the strong feeling of team spirit among all the employees irrespective of the position they hold. They share the Tulip dream of providing the very best to customers. They have evolved interactive ideas exchange programmes for the optimum use of material and best tested construction strategies. Perhaps, for this reason, Tulip has been able to meet delivery schedules without compromising on quality standards as well as international standard best practices.
During the construction of the Tulip buildings, the company works out a mechanism to recycle kitchen water to the toilets. The remaining water is treated for being used in adjoining gardens and plants. The additional cost to reuse of the water works means an additional financial burden on the flat owners, but the Tulip team has taken special efforts to reduce the cost by innovating efficient strategies. The recycling cost is merged with the overall cost of the construction.
Commercial Sites
At present most of the people owning commercial establishments having either office or shops complain that they have to cough-up a huge maintenance for the central air-conditioning even if they are not using the facility. While developing nearly two million sq. ft. of commercial space, Tulip has adopted the formula, use and pay. It means if the owner of a shop uses the facility, only then he will be charged. The initial cost of such facilities is a little higher, but in the long-run, it will be more user-friendly and economical.
Affordable Houses
Tulip Infratech has submitted an ambitious plan to the Haryana Government to construct 100,000 dwelling units for the economically weaker sections, low and middle- income group families. The company firmly believes in serving various sections of the society. As a matter of fact, for sustainable development, it is mandatory that all the members of the society have a fundamental right of leading a dignified life. People wonder how this relatively new company would be able to construct such a large number of dwelling units even without seeking the Government’s land for this purpose. The answer is that only through cross subsidy, the weaker sections of our society could be served. This is only possible when we apply our mind and are keen to help them. The company’s vision is to develop commercial space simultaneously in order to reduce the cost of the dwelling units at the minimum. They will be costing between Rs. 4 to 10 lakh, depending upon their size and locations.
Spreading Tulip Umbrella
Tulip Infratech, is working round-the-clock to complete nearly 14 projects. “Our efforts are to keep the announced schedule strictly adhered to”, says Mr. Praveen Jain. Possession for Tulip Grand in Sonepat, at KMP expressway near NH-1 on the Haryana-Delhi border, which is about a twenty-minute drive from south Delhi, has already started. Following the strict time schedule has reinforced the company’s commitment to the timely delivery of its flats and also has given it strength to launch Tulip Ace, Tulip Petals, Tulip Orange, Tulip White, Tulip Ivory, Tulip Purple, Tulip Violet and many other projects which are in the pipeline. As soon as they are off the drawing board, the company will announce the new plans to its customers and valued patrons.
The beauty of each one of Tulip’s projects is that it is developed keeping the customers need foremost in mind. Every building is designed keeping in mind the natural environment and state-of-the art facilities to the advantage of the inhabitants. For example, Tulip Grand in Sector 35, Sonepat, though away from the crowded urban centers offers good connectivity and all possible facilities, that too of international standards. All this could be made a reality due to the support and commitment of the Tulip team to the ongoing projects. The team is so harmonized that it has become almost like a closely knit family, with caring and sharing ethos. Tulip Infratech CMD, Praveen Jain says, “At Tulip we believe that life is precious. And so we must make value addition to make our life more meaningful. Only for this we are in real estate business to provide a quality life to each and every customer who the company calls patrons.”
Apart from the Sonepat project, Tulip team is also focused to the Gurgaon projects, the new destination of the corporate world. In Tulip Orange, it has been ensured that the prices must be kept under check, but there is no compromise in deliverables and quality. The in-built elegance of Tulip White in Sector 70, Gurgaon is yet another effort to provide a user-friendly environment to the residents. Tulip Ace is expected to provide one of the finest residential accommodations in the National Capital Region (NCR). The dwelling units are fully air-conditioned. Within the campus, severe security checks are being installed to ensure trouble-free life. In the new residential units of Tulip Ivory, the new architectural designs have been introduced to provide super facilities and spaces.
People often ask about the secret behind Tulip Company’s success in this highly competitive sector. The reply, perhaps, is that at Tulip Infratech every dwelling unit is constructed with total dedication utilizing the professional expertise of the engineers coupled with excellence at their command. All this is done with a singular objective of serving the customers in order to attain customer satisfaction as the centre of the fulcrum.
Excellence then, is all about attitude.
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