ACE believes in providing customised solutions specific to the requirements of the clients. Mayank Pundir, Country Head - Tower Cranes, shares more on the current market trends and the industry outlook.

What is the current market for tower cranes in India? Which class/capacity tower cranes are in demand in the country?
The Indian tower crane market is about 300-350 units annually (average price of Rs 5 million for each crane). The 5-6 tonne capacity is the most poplar, but the market is slowly getting upgraded to bigger capacity cranes of 10 tonne to 16 tonne capacity.

Many contractors who construct 10-20 storey buildings are still not using tower cranes. How do you look at this scenario?
Increased labour cost and time-bound projects are the two major factors which we use to convince them for the use of tower cranes. We also have mobile tower cranes in our product line which they can use for 10-12 storey buildings, which are quite price effective also.

With buildings going taller, how do you visualise the changes in designs of tower cranes for faster and efficient execution? What will be the impact on crane prices and the buying pattern of customers?
We already have floor-climbing cranes in our line-up to cater the demand of skyscrapers. As far as design is concern, our R&D team has developed different models that can reach up to 350 m height. There is a slight increase in price but we always ensure to provide the best valued products to our customers.

What are the emerging technology trends in tower cranes? What are the innovations in crane designs, configurations, enhancing their utility capabilities and safety?
We have introduced anti-collision device in our cranes. This is required for those cranes which are working in close proximity to each other (where jib is overlapping to each other).

What are the safety features associated with tower cranes? What are the key measures needed for the safe operation of tower cranes?
Safety is essential for tower cranes and for this, ACE has its own R&D centre where experienced R&D professionals are working continuously towards product upgradation, development of new products and value engineering. Our R&D team continuously works on implementing new technologies and safety features in our tower cranes, for e.g. safe load indicators (SLI), which provide additional safety apart from other regular safety systems.

Could you describe on your latest tower cranes and applications?
ACE believes in providing customised solutions specific to the requirements of the client. Most up-to-date design, engineering techniques and methods are helpful to make tower crane using world-class functions. We have introduced flat top (topless) crane based on the demand from customers who work with
limited space.

What are the key challenges faced by the tower cranes market in India?
Currently the biggest challenge is the real estate industry. Overall the market is under stress due to low sales in housing sector for the past three years. Government has already taken measures like RERA and affordable housing schemes for growth in real estate market, which will automatically create the demand for tower cranes.

What are the new opportunities emerging in the market for tower cranes?
Government is currently pushing affordable housing scheme in all parts of the country. This will create huge demand for tower cranes in the coming years. We have already stated feeling the demand after these measures.

What is your outlook on the tower cranes market in India? Where do you see the market in 2020?
The market has started showing upward trend in the last 8-10 months. We are hopeful of at least 50 per cent growth in our numbers by 2020.