Interview: Ramesh Palagiri, MD & CEO, Wirtgen India

Ramesh Palagiri speaks on the company’s participation at Excon.

Navigating the Road Ahead

The market for sensor pavers is expected to grow at 7-8 per cent CAGR over five years.

Sustainability is essential in design, construction of all our group products

Ramesh Palagiri, Managing Director & CEO, Wirtgen India

Infra development is a primary growth driver of Indian economy

In this exclusive interaction, Bhupinder Singh, CEO, Messe Muenchen India, elaborates on the company’s partnership with the Gujarat Contractors Association (GCA) and K and D Communication to launch the inaugural edition of Gujarat CONEX 2023, which will be held from 21-23 September 2023 at the Helipad Exhibition Centre, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Lt Gen Harpal Singh & Awanish Awasthi bag top honours at 20th CW Awards

An evening extravaganza, CONSTRUCTION WORLD Global Awards, in its 20th Edition, concluded in great success in Mumbai on October 14th at ITC Grand Central, Parel.

Indian Army’s Lt Gen Harpal Singh & Awanish Awasthi, Advisor, Chief Minister UP, bag top honours at 20th Construction World Global Awards

Indian Army’s Lt Gen Harpal Singh & Awanish Awasthi, Advisor, Chief Minister UP, bag top honours at 20th Construction World Global Awards

ACE’s Sorab Agarwal is Equipment India Person of the Year 2022 at 8th India Construction Festival

Besides, the 10th Equipment India Awards 2022 presented 18 awards to construction equipment companies

CE industry stalwarts honoured at Equipment India Awards 2022

Besides, the 10th Equipment India Awards 2022 presented 18 awards to construction equipment companies

Komatsu wins Innovation of the Year award for KOMTRAX

Komatsu India won the Innovation of the Year – Components & Accessories award for their product – KOMTRAX – during the 10th BKT Tires Equipment India Awards 2022

LiuGong India wins Equipment India award for wheeled loaders

LiuGong India won an award in the Bestseller in Wheeled Loaders category during the 10th BKT Tires Equipment India Awards 2022

Schwing Stetter bags Green Factory of the Year award

Schwing Stetter India won the Green Factory of the Year award during the 10th BKT Tires Equipment India Awards 2022

JCB wins big at Equipment India Awards 2022

JCB India bagged three awards during the 10th BKT Tires Equipment India Awards 2022

Stalwarts of CE industry honoured at 10th Equipment India Awards

Sorab Agarwal is EI Person of the Year 2022

The Concrete Advantage!

The concrete equipment market is expected to rise on account of anticipated growth in the construction industry, increasing FDIs, and the rising number of smart city projects in the country.

Paving the way

The Indian market has a presence of technologically-advanced pavers with the presence of many national and international manufacturers.

Crushing Need: Energy-Efficiency

Environmental and energy-cost issues make it vital for the crusher and screening equipment industry to focus on energy-efficient machines.

A sustainable solution for waste management using Kleemann mobile screens

Kleemann MOBISCREEN MS 952 is double deck classifying screen equipped with 9.5 sq m screen casing.

What new construction equipment will 2022 bring?

The outlook on India’s construction equipment sector is optimistic since the country’s needs for infrastructure will continue to grow massively.

Concrete proof

Growth is round the corner for concrete equipment as market is projected to cross $1,300 million by 2024, exhibiting a CAGR of 13 per cent because of anticipated growth in the construction industry.

We are a market leader in surface mining

Wirtgen is global market leader in the manufacturing of machines for cutting rock in open cast mining operations. Wirtgen surface miners cut primary resources such as coal, gypsum, iron ore, salt, phosphate, bauxite, limestone or granite, achieving high degrees of purity in the process.

Ramesh Palagiri of Wirtgen: We are a market leader in surface mining

Ramesh Palagiri, MD & CEO, Wirtgen India, speaks on the revival in the mining market after the Covid-impact.

Crushing it!

With an increase in mining activities and infrastructure development in India, the demand for crushing and screening equipment will also rise.

Kleemann screening plants for iron ore mining in Odisha

Orrisa Mining Corporation (OMC) has awarded its iron ore mining contract to Kalinga Commercial Corporation (KCCL) for its Gandamardhan Hill top mine located at Keonjhar.

Mini Machines, Maximum Demand

The demand for compact equipment from urban projects is expected to continue.

Trending mining equipment and features

The upcoming mining reforms are expected to drive the demand for advanced mining equipment technologies and solutions.

ICF 2020: A Virtual Construction Extravaganza

Just when the 2020 financial year was coming to a close, it was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the industry was already battling issues such as a liquidity crunch, rising bad loans, slowdown in capex, project delays and insolvencies, among others, the last quarter witnessed growth in the negative territory for most businesses. However, despite obstacles and uncertainties being at their peak, a few entities managed to persevere and prevail, posting growth and exhibiting excellence.

Road Equipment: Road to Recovery

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has big plans of constructing expressways, national highways, state highways and rural roads in the coming years. However, any uncertain economic situation in future may affect the recovery of the market as this will affect the payment of contractors, financing and thus equipment mobilisation.

Crushers & Screens: Gaining Momentum?

The growing aggregate requirements in the infrastructure projects and the improving mineral mining activities in the country demand crushers and screens in large numbers. But with some roadblocks pose as challenges in this positive scenario, can the crusher segment gather momentum

World’s largest concrete paver commissioned

Wirtgen slipform paver SP 1600, the world’s largest concrete slipform paver was commissioned at Patel Infrastructure on February 25, 2020 for the construction of eight-lane Vadodara-Kim Expressway, a part of the Mumbai-New Delhi Expressway.

Care during Covid crisis

Wirtgen India through its ‘WE CARE’ initiative has supported the fight for Covid-19 through various CSR initiatives. The organisation along with a substantial contribution by the employees has donated Rs three million to the PM CARES fund.

We will continue to innovate and expand: Ramesh Palagiri

Ramesh Palagiri, Managing Director & CEO, Wirtgen India, speaks on the market opportunities

Biggest is the Best

Patel Infrastructure acquired the world's largest concrete paver from Wirtgen Group. The 18.75 m full paving width paver is currently working at the Vadodara-Kim Expressway project.

Wirtgen India rolls out 500th Kleemann screen from Pune

Wirtgen India celebrated the roll out of 500th Kleemann screen in May 2019 from its Pune manufacturing facility.

Wirtgen inaugurates machine finishing facility at Pune plant

Wirtgen India opened a state-of-the-art machine finishing facility at its Pune plant. Domenic Ruccolo, Chairman and CEO, Wirtgen Group, and Ramesh Palagiri, Managing Director and CEO, Wirtgen India inaugurated the plant in the presence of customers, vendors and business partners.

Paving to Perfection

The projects planned in roads, highways and expressways under the National Infrastructure Pipeline for the next five years will drive the demand for pavers during the period.

Wirtgen inaugurates machine finishing facility at Pune plant

Wirtgen India opened a state-of-the-art machine finishing facility at its Pune plant.

Wirtgen Group celebrates 25 years of success in India

The Wirtgen Group is celebrating its successful presence of "25 years in India". We would continue supporting our customers with the most innovative solutions and technologies in the road building and road rehabilitation, and mineral technologies in the construction equipment segment.

THE ROAD AHEAD

The roads and highways sector is expected to bounce back soon with the government's corrective measures to combat slowdown and the large number of projects planned in the coming years. The road equipment players are bullish on the future growth prospects.

CRUSHING BARRIERS

Fragmented aggregate mining, as well as issues related to regulations and liquidity, are threatening the growth of the crushing and screening equipment segment in India.

Concrete Future

Requirement of concrete in construction is expected to increase in the future with a slew of projects in the pipeline in real estate and infrastructure projects.

New paving technologies

Paver market in India is picking up with the growing road construction projects. Both asphalt and concrete paver markets see positive growth in the coming years.

Wirtgen rolls out 5,000th HAMM compactor from its Pune factory

Wirtgen India recently rolled out the 5,000th HAMM compactor from its Pune factory. Samuel Allen, Chairman and CEO, Deere & Company and Ramesh Palagiri, Managing Director & CEO, Wirtgen India along with the global leadership team of John Deere and the leadership team of Wirtgen India graced the milestone event at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Premium solutions from a single source

Wide range of products manufactured for the global market at the Wirtgen, Vgele, Hamm, Kleemann and Benninghoven will be showcased.

Setting New Standards

6th AnnuaL EQUIPMENT INDIA Awards 2018

The Annual EQUIPMENT INDIA Awards are here again. In its sixth edition, the Annual Awards to be held on October 25, 2018 in New Delhi, will honour the top performers of construction equipment industry.

Aggregate Boom,Policy Gloom

Crushers and screens market is poised for a demand boom with the focus slowly shifting towards higher capacity machines to meet the growing demand for aggregates.

Paving to perfection

Asphalt paver market is likely to flourish in the coming years as more rural roads and highways are in the offing. The Budget 2018-19 has major focus on extension of 3.17 lakh km of rural roads which are largely asphalt roads.

bauma CONEXPO bullish on Indian CE market

With the upward trend in the Indian construction machinery market continues, bauma CONEXPO INDIA is preparing for a vibrant event this year.

New technologies gaining traction

The Wirtgen Group has been continuously innovating its products in the brands Wirtgen, Vogele, and Hamm. They are not only global market leaders but also innovation leaders, with the average age of a machine being not more than three years.

We are showcasing technologies for complete road construction process

The last few years have been very good with respect to awards and constructions of road projects. We expect this trend to continue with construction of 19 km/day and the government working towards 30 km/day.

Rolling ahead

Roads and highways is still going strong as the most happening infrastructure sector in India with many ongoing projects and many in the pipeline. India has the second largest road network across the world at 4.7 million km and is still growing.

Laying the foundation

In Punjab, the new national highway, NH-52, is under construction with two lanes in each direction. The new road will provide many communities with better links to the national road network. In some parts, the existing carriageways are being refurbished and widened, while in other sections, totally new roads are being constructed.

Crushers & Screens| High on Demand

With infrastructure and construction sector on fast-track, especially road sector, aggregate processing has become essential to support the construction activities with a matching pace.

Building Better Roads

The Ministry of Surface Transport has set an objective of building 40 km of roads a day from 2017-18 from the current level of 18 km a day. This has resulted in a paradigm shift in the use of road construction and rehabilitation methods and technologies.

Equipment India awards & ceo forum 2017

It was 6.15 p.m. with 15 minutes more to go for the mega event of the infrastructure equipment industry. Meanwhile, the Viceroy Hall at the heritage Claridges Hotel located in New Delhi's famed Lutyen's Zone was already filled to capacity.

Equipment India Awards 2017 and CEO Forum

The evening of April 21, 2017, was a proud occasion for Equipment India as the industry stakeholders gathered in large numbers at New Delhi's heritage Claridges Hotel, to celebrate the 4th Annual Equipment India Awards and be part of the high-level discussion at the CEO Forum.

Paving a Growth Path

While the paver market is gearing up for phenomenal growth, sensor pavers are expected to have a smooth ride due to the demand for quality roads in the future.

FOCUSED BUSINESS - Optimism

The BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA 2016 held during December 12-15 reflected the positive sentiments of the equipment industry on the floor. A detailed report on the expo, interaction with exhibitors and details of products and technologies showcased.

We would showcase innovations across all our four brands

With the infrastructure development polices of this government, there is good demand and growth for the CE industry. The difference from last bC India, is that two years back, the new government in place had ambitious plans to develop the road sector. Now the plans are being executed well, and due to this there is an increase in demand for equipment.

Wirtgen India bags IGCC award

Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) named Wirtgen India the fastest growing company in the Chamber. Wirtgen India bagged the award for its outstanding contribution towards the promotion of Indo-German economic relations.

Buoyant Future

An unprecedented and the highest-ever, $1 trillion has been earmarked for investment in infrastructure development by Government of India in the current Five-Year Plan period (2012-17). Speeding along the guidelines set forth by the government, the infrastructure construction activity is rapidly growing in roads and highways, bridges, airports and power, while realty sector is yet to catch up.

Wirtgen India bags IGCC award

Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) named Wirtgen India the fastest growing company in the Chamber. Wirtgen India bagged the award for its outstanding contribution towards the promotion of Indo-German economic relations.

Paving on a High

Asphalt paver was developed by Barbar Green Co that originally manufactured material handling systems. In 1929, the Chicago Testing Laboratory approached them to use their material loaders to construct asphalt roads.

Compact Road Equipment Market to Grow

Developmental work in the North-East and far-flung rural areas will drive a robust growth of road building equipment, with a twist - the market for smaller-sized equipment to suit applications and delivery logistics requirements will be the gainer.

Post Budget Vibrations India: Sustained Growth

According to Macquarie, the growth momentum in the construction equipment (CE) segment has sustained in India, despite withdrawal of discounts and price increases. Also, purchases were being done primarily by first-time buyers.

3rd Annual Equipment India Awards & CEO FORUM

The evening of March 16, 2016 was a matter of pride for EQUIPMENT INDIA as a large number of stakeholders from the construction equipment (CE) community gathered at the Commission Hall of FICCI Delhi to celebrate, in letter and spirit, the 3rd Annual Equipment India Awards.

Cold Milling Machines

Similar to developed nations, pavement milling or cold milling or cold planning of asphalt topped pavements is fast going to become a necessity in India, considering the volumes of crushed, screened, sized and shaped aggregates required for the upcoming roads and infrastructure projects, in the country.

On Course for Success

Road construction is driving the Indian compactors market. This is expected to continue. ?Most of the current demand for both soil and tandem compactors is for road projects,? says Ramesh Palagiri, Managing Director & CEO, Wirtgen India.

Concrete Paving to Flourish

Renewed thrust on building new concrete roads by Indian government spells a boom for concrete paving equipment industry in India. Most of the highway network in USA was built with concrete roads and some

An industry veteran

Pankaj Kumar, Vice President - Equipment Sales, Dozco (India), comes with 35 years of experience in the construction and mining equipment.

Intelligent Compaction

Performance and productivity remain key issues for compactor manufacturers, with firms keen to enhance output from their latest units. EQUIPMENT INDIA takes a peek into the features major OEMs have built in, in terms of improving machine

Fuelonomics Drive Developments

Man-Machine Integration

User friendly Man-Machine Integration Systems in modern construction equipment are vital to achieve enhanced productivity, desired safety and substantially improving the overall equipment performance.

First Kleemann Screen Rolled Out in India

Wirtgen India rolled out the first Kleemann range screen from the newly inaugurated plant, and is set to launch a slew of products for the Indian market.

The Road Ahead

The need for better infrastructure is pressing with India?s rapid urbanisation and burgeoning middle class. Some 590 million people will live in cities by 2030, and could account for 70 per cent of Indian GDP, according to a McKinsey report.

The real challenge is logistics when procuring parts from vendors

At our Pune plant, we manufacture the Hamm range of soil compactors and tandem rollers. We will shortly start producing the Vogele pavers and the Kleemann range of crushing and screening plants, says P Ramesh, Managing Director and CEO, Wirtgen India.

Make in India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched an ambitious campaign ?Make in India?, which aims to turn the country into a global manufacturing hub. The campaign projects India as an investment destination and develop, promote and market India as a leading manufacturing destination and as a hub for design and information.

Asphalt Recycling

Millions of tonnes of asphalt have being wasted in the country, when these could be properly treated and recycled for rehabilitation of road projects and new pavements.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

The slowdown in infrastructure development, a major driver for the construction equipment industry, had resulted in reduced demand in recent years. However, with a new stable government in place, infrastructure development is expected to be back on the fast track soon.

A Steady Course

The Bauma Conexpo Show - bC India, which took place from December 15 to 18, 2014 in the India Expo Centre in Greater Noida, Delhi, has held a steady course as regards key figures.

We are working closely with institutions

For milling and recycling, we have a wider range of equipment. Wirtgen has been pioneer in this field, not only in technology but also in market share. Last year, we have introduced new sets of cold recyclers which are already operating in India.

The Show is ON

The market sentiments are right; the government is taking right decisions for growth and development; and the construction equipment sector is sure to face a turnaround.

The Road Ahead

The need for better infrastructure is pressing with India?s rapid urbanisation and burgeoning middle class. Some 590 million people will live in cities by 2030, and could account for 70 per cent of Indian GDP, according to a McKinsey report.

We are expanding our manufacturing base in India

All machines from Wirtgen Group are designed to ensure more productivity and less fuel consumption, says Ramesh Palagiri, Managing Director & CEO, Wirtgen India.

500th Hamm 311 delivered to Dilip Buildcon

The 500th Hamm 311 soil compactor, manufactured at the Pune facility of Wirtgen Group, was recently handed over to Dilip Suryavanshi, Chairman and Managing Director

500th Hamm 311 Delivered to Dilip Buildcon

The 500th Hamm 311 soil compactor, manufactured at Pune production facility of Wirtgen Group, was recently handed over to Dilip Suryavanshi, Chairman & Managing Director of Dilip Buildcon, - a major player in the Infrastructure industry. Ramesh Palagiri ? Managing Director & CEO and K P Shetty, General Manager, Wirtgen India handed over the key to Suryavanshi at Buildcon?s Bhopal Office , in the presence of Devendra Jain , Director, Dilip Buildcon.

Intelligent Compaction

Intelligent compaction (IC) is a state-of-the-art technology, which is a combination of the absolute measurement technology with regulation system that uses measured information to adapt the equipment continuously to required conditions.

Maximising Output

Several key trends are emerging in the asphalt/soil compaction market where performance and productivity remain key issues. The OEMs are keen to maximise output from their latest units in terms of improving machine performance, O&M cost and operator safety and comfort.

Achieving Cost Efficiency

Cost efficiency is not only achieved through cleaner engines, but also through optimising the man-machine interface with a variety of machine control technologies, 'correcting' the usage patterns, and packaging solutions that take care of clients' business needs around project costs.

A Fresh Lease of Life

Crushers and screens address the supply requirements of the core infrastructure raw material inputs. The de-growth in the mining sector and the prevailing slowdown in the road sector has had a negative impact on the crushers and screens equipment (CS&E) segment. Like in many other equipment segments, the original equipment manufacturers in CS&E also have been busy with upgradation of existing range and new launches. The recent lifting of the ban on iron ore mining by the Supreme Court is expecte

Our goal is to be among the top three in the global crushing and screening segment.

Views from P Ramesh, Managing Director & CEO, Wirtgen India: With market shares ranging from 20-70 per cent, Wirtgen Group is the world market leader in mobile road construction and road rehabilitation solution. The company has made it to the top primarily because of its continuous innovation to its product line as the average age of their machines is less than three years.

Yamuna Expressway

Jaypee Infratech relied on the skills of the proven construction machines from Wirtgen for the construction of 165 km-long Yamuna Expressway between Noida and Agra. The Yamuna Expressway not only cuts travel time between Delhi and Agra by more than half but also drives the development of industry and tourism, the two major backbones of the Indian economy in the region

The growth of road equipment sector depends on a good mix of BOT and EPC projects

Currently, the road equipment sector is experiencing a slowdown, due to a number of road projects being stalled or going slow. Also, the depreciation of Indian rupee by over 20 per cent in the last quarter has made imported machines more expensive

Getting ready for the upturn

In spite of the unfavourable market dynamics, most of the OEMs have adopted innovative strategies to sustain themselves while keeping an eye on the coming boom. Innovative strategies are developed to retain existing customers

Cold Recycling: A Success Story

Larsen and Toubro (L and T) opted for a WR 2400 cold recycler and Hamm 3520 and 311 compactors to rehabilitate a motorway in the Golden Quadrilateral.The Golden Quadrilateral is a gigantic motorway network stretching 5,846 km. It connects the Indian metropolises of New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata. The four-lane sections are being rehabilitated and extended to six lanes, and Indian construction company L and T is carrying out this work as part of a public-private partnership (PPP) proj

Road 2 recovery

Despite the present day gloom in the market, the future for the construction equipment sector, especially for the road equipment segment in India, still holds much potential as this sector has a profound and immediate impact on the country?s economic growth. Off-Highway Research is optimistic about the growth in demand for road equipment and forecasts growth at a CAGR of 12.67 per cent over the next five years. Agith G Antony finds out more about the positive vibes in the industry.

Realising the mining potential

The new generation of Dash-3 pavers from Vogele will be launched at Excon 2013.

n addition to production, we are also focusing on optimising our process, improve efficiencies in operations and at the same time, stepping up investment in sales and service network for the future, says Ramesh Palagiri, Managing Director and CEO, Wirtgen India. Excerpts from the interview.

Fuelling growth

Pankaj Kumar joined Dozco (India) in 2008 as Vice-President for Equipment Sales. He is responsible for fuelling the growth of Dozco brand name in India by developing suitable business strategies. His activities includes monitoring sales, branding, achieving corporate sales

Intelligent compaction

Road construction experts as well as OEMs, vouch for the efficacy of intelligent compaction technology lauding the way it has led to improved roads. It is one of the most significant technological developments for the road construction sector