Powerscreen offers a comprehensive portfolio of products.
The Powerscreen dual power mobile screens can reduce diesel fuel oil consumption, operating costs and depending on the set- up, and also reduce machine downtime, says Rajen Khoda, Director, Sales, South Asia & Middle East, Powerscreen.Excerpts from the interview.
 
What is the overall market for crushers and screen for aggregate and mining segments?  
Despite the concerns in the Indian market Powerscreen still sees India as an important strategic market with potential and this is supported by the continued year-on-year growth in output from the Hosur facility.  
 
What has Powerscreen's performance been in 2012?  
Our performance in the Q4 should help us secure a satisfactory result for the full year of 2012.  

When do you expect a revival of the market and which verticals are expected to drive the demand?  
Demand in the iron ore segment has dropped due to the closure of some mines but demand for tracked equipment in the aggregates sector is growing. The machines most in demand are our Powerscreen? XA400S jaw crusher, 1000 Maxtrak cone crusher and Chieftain 1700 triple deck screen.
 
What has been Powerscreen's strategy in the current scenario where the off-take of crushers has dipped considerably?   
Powerscreen crusher sales have not dipped too much in 2012 but we are aware of the wider market conditions and have strong plans in place to address them. We believe our experienced and dedicated dealer network can gain a market share to continue our positive growth trend in India.

How has the company been addressing issues like devaluation of rupee, high cost of funding, ever-increasing cost of input materials?  
The volatility of the rupee has been severe on the crushing and screening industry, due to the fact that we import some equipment and components required for machine assembly. As  
Powerscreen has a manufacturing facility in Hosur, we are able to absorb the volatility to a certain extent and still remain competitive.     
 
What are the major technology/product trends in this sector? What is the demand-supply scenario for tracked crushers and screens?  
India is following the trend we have seen in other markets of favouring tracked crushing and screening machinery in place of traditional static installations. There is, of course, a period of education and change but it is evident from our growth that tracked crushers and screens are the way forward for India. 

Globally, Powerscreen has seen an increase in the demand for alternative power solutions. To meet this demand, we have designed dual power options for our screen range. Once positioned onsite and connected to an external electricity source, the unit can be switched on to operate on electricity, meaning it will have zero emissions, while retaining all the benefits of a mobile machine. By having the option to operate on diesel fuel oil or electricity, the Powerscreen dual power mobile screens can reduce diesel fuel oil consumption, operating costs and depending on set up, may also reduce machine downtime due to reduced refueling and engine servicing.
 
How do you address the issue of lack of skilled operators? What are the training programmes being initiated by Powerscreen?  
We have been able to recruit plenty of skilled team members who we have subsequently trained for a variety of jobs.Our sales staff is trained on all our crushing and screening products to help make certain the client gets the right machines for your application, giving them the volume, shape and size of the end product they need. Our trained and skilled service engineers will help maximise client efficiency, resolving issues in the field to minimise downtime.
 
Tell us about the range of crushers and screen offered by Powerscreen.  
Powerscreen offers a comprehensive portfolio of tracked mobile jaws, cones and impact crushers, as well as incline and horizontal screens to meet the needs of our customers worldwide. Operators of our equipment vary from small family-owned quarry and mine operators to multi-national industry players, as well as contractors of all types. Our equipment is suitable for a multitude of applications across the mining, aggregates, recycling and sand and gravel segments.  
 
How is Powerscreen geared to meet the rapidly changing service parameters and high level of expectations from the end-user segment?  
There is a strong belief within Powerscreen that our dealer network is a key differentiator between us and the competition.All our dealers in India take customer satisfaction very seriously and have invested considerable time and effort in training their staff to the highest level.With in-depth product knowledge and up-to-date technical capability, our dealers are best placed to serve the diverse range of customer needs. This is backed up with direct support from our factory in Hosur to maximise machine uptime and ensure the high productivity customers have come to expect from Powerscreen.
 
How different is your product in terms of competition?    
Our engineering division continuously strives to incorporate the latest technology into our products. From fully integrated control systems which drive more intuitive operator interfaces, to implementing control system based fuel-saving innovations and energy-efficient direct drive transmission strategies, our equipment is at the forefront of the latest industry advancements. 

Our crusher range allows for complete interplant linking, ensuring more effective material flow through the entire process. This improves the ability of the operator to understand the process control and to manipulate the operating characteristics of the plant for differing applications and machine throughput.  
 
Is there any more capex lined up or new product launches planned?  
The current product line-up is continually evolving as we move towards designing larger mobile equipment while introducing improvements to the complete Powerscreen range. In 2012, we launched the Warrior 1400X screen, XH320X impact crusher and the X400S with pre-screen. 
 
"Globally, Powerscreen has seen an increase in the demand for alternative power solutions. To meet this demand, we have designed dual power options for our screen range."