To focus on design & build interiors, EPC civil contracts and BTS development like, says SK Peter, MD & CEO, Ocean Lifespaces

Civil construction company, Ocean Lifespaces, involved in Civil construction, design & build works & general contracting Interior works in south India will now also focus on design & build interiors, EPC civil contracts and BTS development like IT parks, says SK Peter, MD & CEO of the company in an exclusive chat with Realty & More. Following is the text of his conversation – 

Q. How has been your Journey so far?

A. This has been an extremely eventful journey of over 26 years, during which we have seen ourselves grow tremendously. A business that started with a small ATM interior labour  contract has now grown to have some of the world’s Fortune 500 companies as its clients. It has been a great pleasure and honour to be a part of this phenomenal journey.   

Q. Notable projects that you have done?

A. Our list of clients includes both international conglomerates as well as local heavyweights. Some of the most reputed corporate clients that we have worked with in the past include Google, Dell, Oracle, HSBC, Ford, Adobe, Wipro, Nestle, Deutsche Bank, KPMG, SWISS RE etc. each of these partnerships have been a unique and fulfilling experience. 

Civil projects completed – Kone Elevators, ZF Rane, Colgate Palmolive, EMERSON 

Ongoing Projects- Bagged 1.2 mn sft world’s second largest Lube plant from IOCL & Ocean has bagged recently DP world EPC Contract in Chennai around 6 lacs sft Industrial Development , Rane ZF – 1 lacs sft Trichy . Last Quarter they have bagged 2 Auditoriums Projects in Chennai of around 20,000 Seater & 6000 seater in Chennai.

Q. What are some of the challenges you are facing in the post pandemic era?

A. With the normalcy returning post-pandemic and business activity gaining momentum, we have seen a flood of work in the past one year. However, for a brand that believes in providing only the best quality services to our customers, finding qualified and suitable workforce in the engineering and construction segment remains a challenge. This is more so because we have put in place various procedural checks to ensure we hire people with the right skill set.

Q. Can you tell us more about your Real Estate business activities?

A. Recently we have leased around 1 lakh sq ft of office space to IndiQube, a tech-enabled, integrated workspace start-up in Chennai. Earlier we have leased to Hyundai, SPARKY ( An Animation Film making ) company & we are planning to new developments in  Chennai & Bengaluru as well.

Q. What are the future business and growth plans?A. We have already carved a niche for ourselves when it comes to our existing businesses spanning residential & commercial real estate constructions, and corporate interior design & development.  In the next phase of growth, we are planning to focus on design & build interiors, EPC civil contracts and BTS development like IT parks. Considering the huge potential of this segment, we are also planning to foray into warehouse developments