New products and technologies: In this exhibition, we have introduced 14 new equipment. I would like to classify them into two groups. One is where customers already feel that it would be nice if they have a machine like that. The other group is where customers are not aspiring as yet but because the government has taken certain initiatives the requirement for such machines will come soon. Therefore, as and when the demand generates, we will be in a position offer the machines from the second group to our customers. For example, in group one, our 30 cu m batching plant is very popular in the market, which is a proven workhorse and the customers like this equipment. Initially when we introduced this equipment, it came with a star batcher, which required a huge amount of civil works to create the material bins and scrapper to feed the material. Since this was cumbersome and costly for the users, we came out with four compartment bins. However, now our customers are setting the plants in areas where a lot of aggregates are already piled up and loaders are available for material handling. As such customers desired in line bins at a height where big ramps need be made for loaders to feed the material. We have launched two products: CP 30 with in-line bins and 30 cu m mobile batching plant similar to M30 Z which did not require any civil foundation. Today, our customers have the option to choose from any of four-compartments or in-line bin, M30Z or 30 cu m mobile batching plant.

Government of Maharashtra has recently come out with a regulation that from any concrete production facility, no waste material discharge is allowed. We have a 12 cu m recycling plant in this range and have now come out with a 20 cu m capacity plant. We expect this business to flourish because NGT has extended this mandate to NCR already. We already have many satisfied customers for these plants who have an existing population of 150 plants and we expect others to follow. Government of India?s initiatives such as Swatchch Bharat, cleaning of Ganga river and smart cities will mean urban centres are not going to allow the untreated waste water to be discharged into the water bodies like lakes, rivers etc. We have introduced a sludge pump which will completely recycle the waste water at site. In the process they will be able to collect huge quantities of bio sludge. For finding applications of this sludge, we have been consulting with the US, European countries and more recently, with China. In these countries, the bio sludge is incinerated to produce power and alternatively convert the same into bio fertiliser. In India, there will be a market for bio-fertilisers because the land in the country as well as most parts of the world is acidic and farmers buy alkaline fertisers to neutralise the acidity. It must be understood that bio sludge is dangerous as it is full of pathogens. As such in our process we will add lime and raise the temperature to kill these pathogens and then covert it to alkaline bio fertilser, which will be saleable to farmers at very attractive price. Currently the government is spreading bio sludge on huge lands allowing it to dry in the sun. The obvious impact is that the surrounding area stinks and then they shift the material for landfills. We are now talking about a product with a silo which will only discharge recycled water and make bio fertiliser addressable for a city with a population of 500,000 people. This is a futuristic product and some of the more progressive states of the country are engaged with us. Very soon we expect to launch a pilot project which will adequately address one of the biggest social issues: water management. I would like to mention that the quantity of recycled water used will reduce the requirement of fresh water in the same proportion.

Business deals: Interestingly, some machines which were on the way to the expo from factory got sold in transit. Many of our customers are quite sentimental about this. Without naming them for obvious reasons, I would like to mention that many of they say that all the machines exhibited are mine! On the other hand, some express that the first machine billed by will be his. Such sentiments are very strong and we are thankful to our customers for their blessings.

Technology adoption: Early adaptors for latest technologies in India are very few. But we genuinely feel that things are becoming more favourable for early adaptors in India compared to the past. We hope that this trend will continue and we will be motivated to try and develop new technologies in this manner. In the long run, it is difficult to prove the benefits of a new concept to the company owners. If the environment is conducive, I am ready to plant the seed which is likely to give a good yield. So it will be a collateral education between manufacturer, end user and some academic partners for the benefit of the world. I think the environment is developing for the same.