Caterpillar has been associated with India's infrastructure development for the past many years with its vast range of products and matching technologies. Amit Bansal, Director, Sales and Marketing, Building Construction Products Division, Caterpillar India, shares more.

Current market scenario: We see some improvement in the construction equipment market in the last quarter of this year. As per the Indian Construction Equipment Manufactures Association (ICEMA) report, the last two months have been good. We can expect some upward trend in the industry and hope to continue the trend for some time.

Market opportunities: Our country is aiming to be a $5 trillion economy by 2024 and infrastructure is going to play a vital role in achieving this goal. I believe there are some temporary disruptions, but the long term outlook of the country is positive. We have tremendous opportunities for at least two decades to grow continuously. We have the capability and potential to grow and Caterpillar as a company can grow with. We have a long term association with the country's growth and we expect to continue this in future.

Major challenges: There were challenges associated with policy and general economy. However, the new initiatives of the government are going to lead the overall development of the country.

Technologies for better productivity: Digital is the buzzword when we talk about technology. We have invested in certain digital technologies that are needed to fulfill the customer requirements. We already have some of the best technologies available in the world. But we are providing the technologies according to the customer requirements in the country. So our products are a mix of some of the global technologies with some local flavour. We are providing technologies keeping the future requirement of the customer based on how the machine is going to be used, where and for what purpose. Keeping these into consideration, we look at the right technology that is appropriate for the country to help the customer succeed in his business.

Skill development initiatives: As per the current data available, there is a gap of 75 per cent in the availability of skilled operators. We are working with various government organisations at various parts of the country and trying to bridge the gap. Currently, we are working with Government of Rajasthan and we are supporting a school there which trains the operators. I understand that about 300 operators including five women operators have been trained from that school. The women operators have become master trainers and they are now entrepreneurs starting their own ventures.

Customer focus: The most important thing for a customer is doing things right, which we assure. If a person is buying a Caterpillar product, he can be assured of two things, one he is buying one of the best products in the country and second he is going to get the best after-sales support.