--By Gaurav Aryal
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| Ajay Kumar Mudbhary Executive Chairman Mudbhary and Joshi Construction (MJC) Pvt Ltd |
Mudbhary and Joshi Construction (MJC) Pvt Ltd, one of the leading companies in power line industry of Nepal plans to venture into the power production and tourism industry too. Ajay Kumar Mudbhary, Executive Chairman of the company who believes that hydropower and tourism are two major sectors that can push Nepal towards prosperity, however, did not reveal the details of the plans. But, he promised to venture into these sectors soon and the company is working towards it.
Mudbhary said, “We do not dive into any new venture without plans. Power generation is a capital intensive activity, so, to move into it, we need to make sure that the current business is not affected.”
MJC is a part of three companies involved in the energy sector including Nepal Ekarat Engineering Co Pvt Ltd (NEEK) and a wooden pole manufacturer inside the Hetauda Industrial District in Hetauda.
According to Mudbhary, the group of companies is specialised on construction of transmission line, substation and manufacturing of transformers. He said that the company has been involved in this sector since the establishment of the company in 1982.
Expanding the Horizon
Although the company does not have plans to go into a particular sector at the moment, it has been constantly involved in expanding the construction business within the energy sector. Mudbhary says, “There are few companies involved in the transmission line development. So, there are enough opportunities and we are concentrating on enhancing capacity needed for expansion in this particular area.”
Mudbhary says that his company wants to tap the opportunities in the transmission line and grid expansion of the country that is growing with the number of new hydropower plants entering the construction phase. “We prioritise what we have in front of us at the moment. We have realised that the country needs a company like us in the power distribution channel. So, we will continue working either as a prime contractor or as a sub contractor for an international contractor.” To, materialise this goal the company is involved in producing a capable work force.
He says that there is a soaring demand of human resources not only in Nepal but also in the entire South Asia, South East Asia and the Middle East regions. He explains, because of the high demand in these areas, we have to face shortage of human resource, which is a challenge of working in the power sector.
Mudbhary further says that the company does not want to supply human resource to other countries but would go as a contractor there if the resources would remain in favour of his company. “There were invitations from India, Cambodia and Myanmar, but, we are busy in Nepal. And, we do not want to overtrade works beyond our capacity and size as we must complete the assigned tasks within the stipulated time. So, we want to wait for a while and emerge strongly within the country before looking beyond the borders” he says.
Grabbing Opportunities
The company is involved in developing transmission lines and substation across the country. Mudbhary shares that the company is currently involved in 10 different projects including Khimti-Dhalkebar 220 kV transmission line, Kusaha- Kattaiya 132 kV cross border transmission line, Butwol- Kohalpur, Dumre-Damauli, and other power grids in Dang, Hetauda, Damak and Dhulabari. Mudbhary believes that there are ample opportunities within the country because of the new power plants in the development stage.
He says that his company has always believed in capacity building and proving with quality works. “In the power sector, competitiveness comes only through experience. The competency we have developed is a result of hard work for almost two decades. Now, we are known as a competitive company that holds a leading position in Nepal with a market share of roughly 35 per cent,” he says. He also says that around five companies in the market are working in the similar field.
Power Specialisation Along with the MJC, two other companies are also involved in production of power equipment. The company’s journey towards the energy sector was guided by Mudbhary’s knowledge gained as a student of electrical engineering at Pulchowk Engineering Campus. He is the first generation business person in his family and started business that matches his knowledge and interest. The determined and gradual move in this sector has made him and his company, one of the established names in the power transmission industry of Nepal.
The MJC had started with road construction project in Rupandehi almost three decades back. However, the company did not stick to just road construction. Mudbhary says that his company gradually moved into power distribution works and then to development of substations and transmission lines. The company through its sister concerns also manufactures transformers and electricity poles.
NEEK produces 3000 transformers in a year and certain portion of the production is exported to Bhutan. Mudbhary says that NEEK products capture 75 per cent market share in the Nepali market.
Managing Human Resources
As the company works on various projects, Mudbhary says that up to 1000 employees have worked with the company at a point of time. But, at the moment around 600 employees are working in 10 different projects. He says that majority of staff are temporary employees.
However, Mudbhary says employee retention high in his business. There are employees working with the company for more than two decades - since the beginning days of the company, he adds. He also says that those who left the company when a project came to an end returned back when another project began.
A team of professionals assigned for a particular project looks after all the managerial tasks including the human resource management. He says that the projects are supervised by the top management on a regular basis. “The project manager is provided with all the managerial responsibilities under our close supervision. We facilitate as and when required,” he shares his management style.
Project Management
MJC acquires projects through both national and international competitive bidding process and executes according to the mentioned norms and requirements of the project. Mudbhary says that various factors are taken into account before bidding, such as proximity of new project to the current area of works.
Similar to the human resource management, Mudhbary says that the projects are also managed by a team of professionals under the supervision of the top level management. He further explains that the team of technicians and employees consists of only Nepali staff.
When it comes to developing projects, most of the construction materials are local products while other equipment like conductors, tower materials and others are imported from Germany, India, China, USA or any other country if Nepali products are not approved in the contract provision.
| Company’s Involvement MJC was incorporated by a team of young entrepreneurs in 1982 with the objective of establishing a professionally managed and well equipped construction company. The company was registered as “A” class contractor in 1993 by Ministry of Works and Transport. With three decades of construction experience, MJC has been helping its customers to move energy where it is needed from power plant to the user through Transmission and Distribution lines. MJC has constructed Transmission Line ranging from 11 kV to 400 kV with Optical Fibre Overhead Ground Wire (OPGW) and Substation raging from 33 kV to 132 kV with Power Transformer raging from 1 MVA to 63 MVA. MJC has also constructed some national road projects and has also completed Oil Storage Project with its own design. Some Projects of MCJ • Hetauda 132kV Substation and Transmission Line Project • Kusum-Hapure 132kV T/L Project • Kabeli Corridor 132kV T/L Project • Supply and construction of Dhulabari (Jhapa) 33/11kV Substation • Middle Marsyangdi Hydroelectric Power P. 132kV Transmission Line Project • Khimti-Dhalkebar 220kV T/L Project • Erection of 400kV Dhauliganga- Barreilley Transmission Line Tanakpur, India (5 km) • 400kV DC Vishnuprayag- Muzaffarnagar Transmission Line, India (3 km) • Supply, delivery and installation, testing and commissioning of two numbers of 33/11kV, 16.6 MVA PT at Duhabi S/S with overhauling and shifting of existing transformers to Anarmani • Supply, delivery and commissioning of 132/33kV transformer at Lahan Subsation • Supply, delivery, stringing and testing of optical fiber with ground wire in Hetauda - Pathlaiya and Lahan - Duhabi 132kV T/L project • Supply, delivery, installation, testing and commissioning of 33/11kV 2x10/13.3/16. 6 MVA new substation at Tankisinuwari, Morang, Nepal • Erection of 400km of 11kV overhead lines and distribution line for Kailali - Kanchanpur Rural Electrification Project • Rural electrification of various districts • Thankot-Chapagaon-Bhaktapur 132kV Transmission Line Project • Re-routing work of Chilime-Trishuli 66kV transmission line at Thade in Rasuwa • Supply, relocation and commissioning of power transformer (3 nos. 15 MVA, 1No. 30 MVA, Circuit Breakers, Control and Relay Panels) • Supply and delivery of three phase whole current energy meter • Stringing of OPGW in 11kV line from dam site to power house in Kali- Gankadi “A” hydroelectric power project (9km) • Supply and installation of 11kV vacuum circuit breaker panel board at sub-station in Hetauda Industrial District • Shifting, erection and commissioning of power transformer from Anarmani to Lamahi substation CSR Activities Mudbhary has been carrying out philanthropic activities through rotary clubs at a personal level but he says that his company has not officially carried out any such activities as of now. But, he understands the importance of CSR activities and promises to gradually involve in it. |
