The four main targets for Bauer Maschinen and their Indian affiliate, Bauer Equipment India, were discussion forum and meeting place, presentation of drilling rigs, presentation of drilling tools, and presentation of service and training aspects.

BC India, the international trade fair for construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines and construction vehicles, was held from 5?8 February at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai. The significance of the fair can be demonstrated with a few figures. More than 28,000 visitors have come to Mumbai. They could meet and discuss with 710 exhibitors. Some 61 per cent of the exhibitors were international - a strong indication of the global interest for the Indian market. Thomas L?ffler, Chief Executive Officer, bC Expo India, looks upon the results as highly favourable.He says, "The visitor numbers are satisfying in times like these. Therefore, I hope that the success of bC India indicates a return to growth in the Indian construction market." For Bauer Maschinen, the fair is considered as a major meeting place for professionals of the Indian foundation community. The four main targets for Bauer Maschinen and their Indian affiliate Bauer Equipment India (BEI) were:

? Discussion forum and meeting place;
? Presentation of drilling rigs;
? Presentation of drilling tools;
? Presentation of service and training aspects.

bC India as discussion forum

Many high-quality visitors were welcomed on the Bauer stand. A great number of these visitors came with very specific requirements for new solutions. This coincides perfectly with Bauer's business strategy in India, as stated by Jagpal Singh, Managing Director, Bauer Equipment India. Singh said, "We at Bauer work with our customers, right from the planning stage of a contract to the execution stage for better results. The biggest strength of Bauer Equipment is not being only a supplier of equipment but having the engineering knowledge of developing projects with our customers and all involved parties. So, we work closely with customers on the new developments to suggest the best solutions by helping them adopt new, productive and efficient techniques."

The Bauer stand on the bC India attracted a good amount of interest from existing customers and also offered promising opportunities to meet and discuss with new potential customers.

Presentation of drilling rigs

These are specifically suitable for the Indian market. The pile drilling rig BG 20 H was showcased as a typical example. It is a rig which is designed to achieve the maximum performance out of all installed components, and so to guarantee maximum efficiency in both the cost aspect, as also the ecological aspect. The power of the diesel engine which is installed in the machine must be transferred to the drilling tool in an optimal way with minimal losses through all the different systems of the drilling rig. The company attaches premium importance to get an efficiency level which is distinctly higher than 70 per cent. Another very important aspect for the performance of the BG drilling rig is the main winch. With the BG 20 H, the main winch is equipped with a heavy-duty gearbox, so that 17 tonne can be lifted in each position. Each machine which leaves the production facility in Germany is tested and approved, in order to guarantee this main winch effective capacity of 170 kN, whereas the nominal capacity of the installed main winch is 210 kN.

Presentation of drilling tools

The Kelly rotary drilling method is the most common way of installing bored piles. For common geology such as sand, gravel or clay layers there are plenty of different rotary drilling tools available on the market. Equipped with either flat teeth or round shank chisels, these tools work perfectly even in cemented soil.

When it comes to drill into rock or boulder layers, projects face difficulties regarding drilling performance and wear-and-tear. The challenge is to develop a drilling tool with the capacity to overcome these problems and the possibility to transfer the full torque and crowd of the drilling rig.

The variety of Bauer tools was presented with three typical tools. All of them are armed with high quality tungsten carbide round shank chisels and capable of drilling in rocky conditions.

Presentation of service and training

With big banners on the stand, Bauer highlighted the importance of service and training:

? Proximity to the customer with regional service points in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai;
? Well trained technicians to ensure maximum availability of equipment;
? Offering regular inspections to contribute to a minimised failure risk and consequently to an increased plant availability;
? Reliable and efficient supply of genuine spare parts;
? Long term on-site service and support;
? Professional commissioning of new equipment;
? Offering a variety of theoretical and practical training.

Another banner was titled 'Everything out of one hand.' It emphasised Bauer?s full coverage of all aspects of foundation engineering with appropriate equipment, from bored piling, diaphragm walling, ground improvement, soil mixing, ground anchorage to oil and gas drilling systems.

The message was well conceived by many visitors and created numerous positive discussions.

Last year was a tough one for most CE manufacturers, especially for foundation equipment manufacturers. But in the long term, the CE industry, including the foundation industry in India, holds huge potential due to the requirement of infrastructure development across the country. There lies a huge potential for foundation equipment in roads, railways, Metro, hydro, marine and urban infrastructure development projects in the coming years. Trade fairs like the bC India are a very useful means to strengthen the potential for future development.