First-Ever Studies Evaluating the Construction Market in India's Top 10 Cities to be Published by McGraw-Hill Construction and CRISIL Research

DELHI, India, March 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) today unveiled its Urban India Construction Reports, the first-ever in-depth analysis of the construction industry in India's top 10 cities. Despite the economic downturn, the reports forecast moderate to high growth over the next two years in several key construction categories in India -- including the infrastructure, industrial and institutional sectors, which are being driven by large-scale projects and soaring demand for more high-quality healthcare and educational facilities.

The reports, to be released this month from McGraw-Hill Construction and CRISIL Ltd., a Standard & Poor's company, examine trends, growth areas, and opportunities for global construction firms in India's $215 billion construction market.(1) McGraw-Hill Construction and CRISIL researched India's top 10 urban markets: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, and the National Capital Region including Delhi, with the goal of understanding how these markets are positioned for the next two years.

"India remains one of the world's most robust construction markets. As the global recovery takes hold, this growing market is attracting new players from around the world, and our information and analysis is helping them find the right points of entry," said Harold McGraw III, chairman, president and chief executive officer of The McGraw-Hill Companies. "The combination of McGraw-Hill Construction's unparalleled industry expertise and CRISIL's keen understanding of India's markets will help advance the country's continued economic growth."

Mr. McGraw is in India this week to further deepen McGraw-Hill's relationships with customers, partners, employees and policymakers.

"A young population and rising income levels will continue to drive high growth in construction activity in India," said Roopa Kudva, managing director and chief executive officer, CRISIL, and region head, South Asia, Standard & Poor's. "The availability of high-quality information and analysis will be an important ingredient in the robust development of this sector, and this study is an important step in that direction."

Key findings include:

• Urban infrastructure projects, including metros, roads and sanitation, are a large area of growth in India, with over $35 billion in projects underway in these 10 cities. As infrastructure and standards of living improve, they will contribute to increased urban economic growth.
• Across all 10 cities, growth in institutional construction for hospitals and educational facilities will be driven by demand for quality healthcare and local population growth, resulting in over 160 new large-scale projects being completed by 2011.
• Growth in industrial construction will be driven by local industry demand. For example, the automobile industry in Ahmedabad, Chennai and Pune is fueling 40 new large-scale industrial construction projects in these three cities through 2011.
• Residential developers have adopted new innovative models, such as low-cost housing, to cater to the vast urban middle-income population, and this sector is projected to show moderate growth over the next two years.
• The slowdown in expansion plans of multinational companies, particularly IT and financial services firms, has resulted in pressure on the commercial construction market for office space and retail malls. However, in most urban markets, hotel construction will grow through 2011, driven by tourism and business travel demand. Over 150 premium hotels will be completed in these 10 cities over the next two years.
• Given the complexity and trends of Indian construction projects, there are significant opportunities for international market participants to bring their technologies and global best practices to India.

The reports are based on interviews with more than 600 local experts. In addition to key market characteristics for each city, major project information and breakdowns by construction sector, the reports detail emerging trends, such as sustainability, changes in government regulations, and the impact of new technologies.

"Our study confirms many exciting trends occurring in this rapidly expanding marketplace that firms providing technologies, products and services to the construction industry can capitalize on," said Harvey M. Bernstein, F.ASCE, LEED AP, vice president, global thought leadership and business development, McGraw-Hill Construction. "For example, sustainable design and construction, an important global trend, is increasingly taking hold in urban Indian projects as well, creating significant new opportunities for companies that have expertise in green building."

As the world struggles with depleting natural resources, sustainability in construction practices is an important area of focus in India. Even firms that do not apply for green certification often incorporate sustainability building practices, such as rainwater harvesting, into their projects.

For more information about the 16 Urban India reports, including one overall report, 10 city reports and five construction sector reports, please go to http://construction.com.

About McGraw-Hill Construction:

McGraw-Hill Construction connects people, projects and products across the construction industry. For more than a century, it has remained North America's leading provider of project and product information, plans and specifications, and industry news, trends and forecasts. McGraw-Hill Construction serves more than one million customers in the $5.6 trillion global construction industry through Dodge, Sweets, Architectural Record, Engineering News-Record, GreenSource, and 10 regional publications. To learn more, visit www.construction.com or follow @mhconstruction on Twitter.

About CRISIL:

CRISIL is India's leading Ratings, Research, Risk and Policy Advisory Company. CRISIL's majority shareholder is Standard & Poor's. Standard & Poor's, a subsidiary of The McGraw–Hill Companies, is the world's foremost provider of independent credit ratings, indices, risk evaluation, investment research and data. CRISIL offers domestic and international customers a unique combination of local insights and global perspectives, delivering independent information, opinions and solutions that help them make better informed business and investment decisions, improve the efficiency of markets and market participants, and help shape infrastructure policy and projects. Its integrated range of capabilities includes credit ratings and risk assessment; research on India's economy, industries and companies; financial research and analytics outsourcing; fund services; risk management; and infrastructure advisory services.

About CRISIL Research:

CRISIL Research is India's leading independent, integrated research house. It meets the business research requirements of more than 600 domestic and international clients, including 90 percent of India's commercial banks. With more than 18 years of experience in analyzing the Indian and global business environment, the largest analytical pool in India, and the largest primary source network, CRISIL Research offers unparalleled width and depth of research spanning the entire Economy - Industry - Company spectrum. Through its independent equity research, IPO Grading initiative, and mutual fund services, CRISIL Research has established strong presence in the equity domain, and is poised to expand CRISIL's presence significantly in this area.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies:

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a global information services and education company providing essential knowledge in the financial, education and business information sectors through leading brands including Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2009 were $5.95 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.

(1) Source: IHS Global Insight

SOURCE The McGraw-Hill Companies