The use of specialised attachments, which greatly increase the versatility of a machine, is on the rise in the Indian market. Excavators are widely used in quarrying; hence, the rock breaker is the most common attachment that is fitted with an excavator. Then there are various sizes of buckets for different excavation applications. And attachments like jaw buckets and grabs are extensively used for solid waste management applications.

Says AM Muralidharan, President, Volvo Construction Equipment, ?While one part of India is being built, there is the old India (in the old cities) where a lot of demolition and construction is happening currently and we expect this to continue in the coming years. This has, to a large extent, helped in the growth of the attachment industry due to the continuous demand for various attachments. Also, companies are gradually realising the benefits of using correct attachments for each application, like shear-mounted exca?vators for demolition, vibratory plate compactor attachment for canal side slopes, crusher bucket for recycling, auger attachment for piling, etc.?

Doosan has introduced wide range of crusher buckets in India that can handle the crushing of all types of inert material such as stone, concrete and asphalt debris, mine and quarry waste. Says Neeraj Sharan, Director, Product Support, Doosan Infracore India, ?Doosan?s Montabert crusher bucket is a smart approach to the processing and recycling of construction material. This comes as a perfect solution to obtain resources effectively at the lowest cost and time. This attachment cuts down cost and time which is usually wasted by transportation, dumping and manpower utilisation.?

States Amit Gossain, VP - Marketing & Business Development, JCB India, ?The global ECE industry has followed a growing trend over the past 10-15 years except for a few years of de-growth because of economic uncertainties. The current slowdown in construction activity, coupled with fiscal constraints in the erstwhile high-growth markets such as US, Japan, and Europe, has resulted in reduced infrastructure spending by governments, thus impacting the attachment business. However, if the ongoing projects are executed within a proper timeframe, we feel the attachment market will also gain momentum.?

Vikas Sawhney, Business Line Manager, Construction Tools, Atlas Copco (India) points out, ?As we are progressing with new projects and new avenues are opening up, the demand for different applications required in material handling and demolition is increasing with time-bound jobs being allocated though at a slow pace. Sectors like ports for grabs and buckets, and crushers in demolition, are moving at the same pace; a steep rise of nearly 20 per cent has been seen only in the case of hydraulic breakers. In times to come, we will see more use of grabs and crushers as fast as we share the knowledge and applications with prospective buyers.?