THE Bhopal-based Dilip Buildcon Ltd (DBL) with accreditation from the IRQAO and ASCB(E), UK, is presently the largest private sector road-focused Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) player in the country, executing projects over Rs 6,000 crore. DBL is also the fastest growing infrastructure development company of India with about 100 per cent growth year-on-year for the last 10 years. The company is a key player in developing infrastructure across the country in diverse areas such as roads and bridges, water sanitation and sewage, power and telecom transmission towers, transmission lines, irrigation, industrial, commercial and residential buildings.

DBL?s equipment bank plays a critical role in its business growth. It does not believe in subcontracting. Hence all projects are executed and completed before schedule with the help of its equipment bank. Devendra Jain, Director, DBL, elaborates, ?In 2003, when we started expanding our business by taking up several road infrastructure projects, we decided to buy internationally reputed brands. We planned on focusing over a single brand for each segment of machines, which would help in getting good service and simplify parts procurement. We now have a fleet of world famous brand machines, which have helped us complete our projects on time without compromising on quality.?

DBL is upsizing its equipment bank to meet the growing requirements of its future projects.

A successful association
?Our association with Caterpillar dates back to eight years. In 2006, we bought a few Cat graders and loaders for road projects. We were very happy with the high performance levels and the timely service support provided by GMMCO network. Whenever we expanded our fleet, we chose Cat machines. We now have a total of 487 Cat machines in our fleet,? says Jain.

One of DLF?s current infrastructure development projects includes the four lane highway project between Budhani and Itarsi. The 40 km stretch is being executed with the help of 10 Cat excavators (8x320D, 2x320D2). ?Cat machines have excellent performance, high reliability and remarkable productivity as compared to other machines,? says Saurabh Sinha, Workshop Manager, DBL. ?The increased bucket size of the Cat 320D2 has enabled multiple functions and faster execution of projects. Our oldest machines have clocked more than 25,000 hours. They are still in peak working condition. We rarely experience premature failure.?

Maximising machine uptime requires continuous care and maintenance. Jain says, ?We share a very good association with GMMCO and Caterpillar. Together, we have done a lot of research, incorporating changes to suit our requirements so that the machines are used optimally in our projects. Operators have been regularly trained. Our productivity has improved tremendously, and this has helped us complete our projects on time.?

DBL homed onto Caterpillar and GMMCO for its requirements after a lot of deliberation. ?Our main criterion of machine selection is the after-sale service network,? says Jain. ?We get excellent service support from GMMCO. In our association of eight years, we have been buying many machines over the years and GMMCO has ensured that we have received excellent service in terms of operator training and maintenance. This has ensured maximum uptime and we have successfully completed our projects before schedule. Machine productivity follows closely as the second most important criterion for selection.?

Fleet Maintenance
Maintaining a large fleet of Cat machines is a daunting task. But with proper after-sales service provided by GMMCO, Cat machines have been performing in peak condition. ?Total Solutions has helped us by giving us an excellent annual maintenance,? says Jain. ?Whenever we took up new projects and our requirements increased, we conveyed our needs to the GMMCO team. They chalked out solutions to suit our requirements. They helped us by planning the type and number of machines to be bought at various intervals. They maintained uniform pricing for those machines throughout the year and gave us an Annual Maintenance Contract which ensured our fleet was in peak condition at all times. This has indeed increased machine uptime.? ?Float engine system is an excellent initiative that has helped us immensely. Health auditing is another excellent system adopted by GMMCO, wherein mobile service engineers give us inputs regarding preventive care of machines to reduce wear and tear of machines. This has increased the life of our machines. We have together designed maintenance plans to suit our needs., says Jain.

He adds, ?Scheduled Oil Sampling is a very important check. We can easily run our machines and maintain them properly. With your experienced maintenance team?s guidance, our workshop managers learnt some valuable methods of on-site maintenance of the fleet and this interaction has helped in developing a good rapport with each other. This harmony has led to an increase in our productivity.? Jain is a satisfied customer and reiterates his faith in Cat machines, ?This year has been a good one in terms of business growth. We have taken up new projects in 5 states in South India. We have started work and have accordingly placed an order for 500 machines, which is the largest fleet increment in a single year.?

DBL has forayed into water projects and has steadily risen to become one of the top 10 infrastructure development companies. Jain signs off, ?With our strong association with Caterpillar, we hope to rise further and experience exponential growth in the years to come.?

- Devendra Jain, Director, DBL ?We now have a total of 487 Cat machines in our fleet.?
DBL is upsizing its equipment bank to meet the growing requirements of its future projects.
With a proper after-sales service provided by GMMCO, Cat machines have been performing in peak condition.
DBL?s fleet of Cat machines
Motor grader: 97 (120H + 120K)
Excavator: 153 (112x320D, 41x320D2)
Excavator: 4 (329D)
Track type tractor: 3xD6R, 3xD6G
Wheel Loader HM 2021: 162
Backhoe loader: 58x424B
Soil compactor: 5xCS533E
Piling rig: 2