The end result of all product / technology trends for dozers should result in enhancing the grading accuracy, increasing operator comfort and offering the most efficient cost structure to customers.

As per an Off-Highway Research forecast, the growth of crawler dozers in terms of units will be substantial from the base of 2011 where total units were 550, to over 1,000 units by 2015. In today?s highly competitive scenario, the dozers offered by major players deliver best-in-class powertrain technology for superior track power and outstanding blade force through the turns.

Dozers or track-type tractors as they are more popularly known the world over were the primary tools of choice in the mining and coal segment for stockpiling and ripping applications. In India, this industry was predominantly influenced by the equipment purchase plan of Coal India. ?Today with our customers? focus in utilising the right tool for the multiple construction, infrastructure and mining opportunities that are available in our country, the demand for dozers has become increasingly significant. There are multiple players in this industry, and Caterpillar with our offerings of small, medium and large dozers, can configure these machines to suit our customers? project requirement, be it as a utility or production tool,? says Sam Vedhakumar, Sales and Support Manager, Caterpillar India.

The single most significant growth enabler for the Indian construction market is the Indian government and its focus on nation building. ?The demand for bulldozers is expected to grow to 1,000 units during 2014 as compared to 700 units in 2010, says Sunil Sapru, President, LiuGong India. He further adds, ?With shifts in trends in machine utilisation, types of applications and hours of usage of a machine several technological improvements are making dozers better.The focus is on the whole life cost which includes increasing fuel efficiency, lower maintenance costs and higher performance as there is pressure on margins due to higher fuel costs. Also, the operators` comfort and the operator-friendly features are gaining attention. Customising a product based on application needs is a popular trend and customers have started using product for the right applications.?

Says Vedhakumar, ?With our government?s continued focus on the growing infrastructure needs of our country, projects being identified for execution in the mining and ports segment, and our customers? focus on using the right machines in their jobsites, the future for the dozer industry looks promising.?