We expect a growth of 15-20 per cent after the market opens up
The foundation equipment market is driven by vibratory hammers and RCDs besides piling rigs. Surajit Mukherjee, Managing Director, Suretech Infrastructure, shares more on the market trends.

What is the current market scenario of foundation equipment in India?
Prior to the COVID 19 outbreak, the market seemed promising but currently many big construction companies have put their equipment procurement plans on hold.

What are the technology trends in foundation equipment and accessories?
Customers are going for larger diameter piles and thus bigger equipment are required. Lots of sensors are electronics for better efficiency of equipment.

What are the latest products and solutions offered?
We have now added side grip vibratory hammer from ICE PVE and BELL dredge pumps to our portfolio.

What are the safety and performance enhancing features of your foundation equipment?
The ICE power pack is equipped with the below safety measures:
Emergency stop switches on: control panel of power pack, remote control, wireless remote control (optional), and housing (skid) of power pack (not on all power packs).
Limit switch on the butterfly valve, located at the suction side of the main pump(s). This safety feature ensures that engine will start only if the hydraulic valve is open.
Hydraulic oil level floater switch: If the hydraulic oil level is too low, the diesel engine will stop immediately. Engine of power pack can only be started if hydraulic oil is at the correct level.
The hydraulic drive system of the power pack is an open loop system. The system is protected by pressure relief valves and equipped with a return filter.
There is also a built-in safety in vibratory hammer. The hammer will not start when clamp is not closed.
A pilot operated check valve in the clamp system holds the pressure in case of any hose damage.
Support block maintains a connection between the gearbox and suppressor housing if one or several elastomers become defective.

Performance enhancing features:
ICE power packs are built with engines with the latest emission regulations: Tier 3/Stage IIIA-Tier 4 final/Stage IV; durable saving; idle time reducer start-stop system; and fuel saving.
The power pack for ICE unit is supplied with an electronically controlled variable displacement hydraulic pump and the latest
Tier 3 engine. These features increase the efficiency to easily adapt other hydraulic applications such as hydraulic impact hammers and augers.
Power pack is equipped with an IQAN control module that displays all parameters and error messages in case of any faults. Operator can easily and quickly respond to these faults, thereby reducing the downtime of the machine.

How do you look at the revival of the construction market? What are the measures needed for the revival?
We believe that it will take at least a year for the market to stabilise. The government has already classified the districts in India into Red Zones and Green Zones based on the severity of the spread of COVID 19. We believe that all the construction projects in the green zones should not be subject to the stringent laws and rules that have been imposed everywhere else and should be allowed to continue as they were before the lockdown.

What is your outlook on the foundation equipment market for the next five years?
In the current scenario, we expect a slow growth of 5 per cent and once the market opens up we can expect a growth of 15-20 per cent.