Liebherr is a major player in the crawler cranes market in India. Ghananeel Molankar, Divisional Head - Construction Machinery, Liebherr India, elaborates on the current market scenario in India and the products and services offered by
the company in India.

Which are your latest products in crawler cranes? What are the key features in terms of: safety, productivity, fuel economy and emission compliance?
Until now, the LR 1110 remains our latest offering. The predecessor
100 t capacity crawler crane was completely redesigned with stronger boom, an optimised steel structure, swinging counterweights which can be swung backwards. The LR 1110 has been innovatively designed, keeping focus on higher customer benefits.

Liebherr cranes have an array of safety equipment. We continuously develop new technologies to make further improvements to quality and safety. With state-of-the-art electronic control systems based on CAN-Bus and stringent norms, Liebherr cranes are one of the safest in the world.

Liebherr engines are designed for high degree of efficiency and low fuel consumption and emissions. We achieve this through the exact coordination of the engine architecture, injection system, engine control unit and exhaust gas after treatment. We develop and design almost all of these components ourselves and manufacture key components in-house. To comply with global emission standards and meet the various demands, we provide Tier-3 as well as Tier-4 engines.

What are the after-sales services you provide to your customers?
We at Liebherr India have a team of highly trained service engineers who are trained at our factory in Nenzing, Austria. In addition to an unmatched service, we also offer 'Service and Maintenance Contracts'. This is a very special contract which is designed for Indian customers. The contract has been formulated keeping in mind the service needs of our customers and we have received a very positive feedback for the same.

What are the key challenges faced by the crawler crane industry?
A major concern as of now is the rental rates for cranes. The rental rates have been reducing drastically which again puts our focus on the unbalanced demand and supply equation. A major deployment of crawler cranes was seen in the wind energy sector. In the past one-and-a-half year the wind energy sector has been sailing through very rough waters. As a result, many crane rental companies engaged in erection of wind mills had to explore for
new sectors.  
   
There are more investments happening in infrastructure projects. Do you see a demand growth for crawler cranes?
We have witnessed demand in the smaller capacity crawler cranes - 50 t to 200 t capacity. There has been a major spending on roads and metros as far as infrastructure is concerned. These projects mainly require tyre mounted cranes which are highly agile for such site conditions.
 
What is the role of rental market in the growth of crawler cranes? What is the market share?
The rental market plays a vital role in the growth of crawler cranes. They cater to nearly 70- 80per cent of the market requirement. Crane rental companies, not only in India but all over the world, are a very important segment for crane manufacturers.