Eyeing new heights

The year 2021 gave numerous ups and downs for the construction equipment and equipment financing industries. When the year comes to an end, the sectors look forth towards infrastructure as the ‘Growth Puller’ for the period ahead.

Financing Challenges

Devendra Kumar Vyas elaborates on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on infrastructure and financing sector and the challenges faced by NBFCs.

Cautiously Optimistic

The government's various initiatives on revival of infrastructure sector and favourable policies have driven the growth of Indian construction equipment market in the past 2-3 years.

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.

JCB opens new facilities in Jaipur

It took an investment of Rs 500 crore, an area of 115 acre of land situated 35 km from Jaipur city for JCB to come up with its single largest manufacturing footprint in India.

CIFA, back with a bang

CIFA, merged with Zoomlion five years ago, is back with a bang celebrating its 85th birthday. Half a century ago, CIFA developed the world's 1st concrete pump and created a new area of the concrete machinery in the world

We have positioned ourselves as a true infrastructure partner rather than a lender

More projects, faster enviro?nm?ent and forest clearances, support in land acquisition and a general clarity in policy are the key. Any infrastructure project takes time and stability of policy is a must to ensure that investment flows, says DK Vyas, CEO, Srei BNP Paribas.

We at Shriram treat FTUs as niche and are focused on supporting small customers.

All bottlenecks on the project execution side, i.e., environmental, land clearances, financial closures, allocation of funds, and awarding of contracts need to be tackled on an immediate basis, or else the industry will see a major down-turn and many good operators will exit the segment, says Rakesh Chandra, Vice President and Risk Head, Shriram Equipment Finance Company. Excerpts from the interview.

Used grove cranes impress in India

The performance and reliability of the used Grove cranes gave Amrit Crane Service the confidence to invest in the new 300 t capacity GMK6300L. When sales of new cranes in India slowed following the financial crisis,

The Haulotte Group strategy is driven by customer proximity.

Haulotte Group is one of the key global players of people and material lifting equipment, a leader in Europe and the third largest manufacturer worldwide. Their success is primarily due to a strong focus on innovation and safety. It is our concern for customer proximity which has driven Haulotte's international development of business and strategy over the last 15 years, says Alexandre Saubot,Chief Executive Officer, Haulotte Group. Excerpts from the interview.

We plan to invest another Rs 250 million over the next 3 years

K2 Cranes aspires to be a world class material handling equipment supplier at competitive prices. It will produce its own brands of various sub-assemblies that will go into material handling systems. In five years' time, it plans to be global player, says AG Joseph, Vice President - Marketing, K2 Cranes.

Commercial vehicle sales slip

Sales of medium and heavy trucks fell 30 per cent in November, the steepest fall seen since the height of the global financial crisis in 2008-09, as slowing industrial activity, curbs on mining and delays in infrastructure projects force buyers to postpone purchases. The trucks segment has suffered deeply due to a stagnant economy and slumping industrial activity with truck purchases at its lowest since March of 2009, despite the highest ever discounts of Rs 40,000 to 1.75 lakh.

Higher dosage needed, Doctor!

The recent reduction of repo and reverse repo rates by 50 basis points each (from 8.5 to 8 per cent) for repo rate and from 7.5 to 7 per cent for reverse repo rate) is seen as a welcome development as this initiative may spark off fresh investments,

Our vision is to provide a high-quality package for road construction

It is not just about a machine, more importantly, it?s about optimal use of scant resources and how recycling can help achieve the objective of deve?lopment with more economical and environment-friendly methods.

Bright Future

German mining equipment manufacturers set for record sales. German mining equipment manu?facturers expect a sales of almost EUR 5 billion, representing a 32 per cent sales growth for 2011.

With Ecodraulics, we provide appropriate component selection

Bucher Hydraulics' development departments work out customised solutions that are convincing in terms of compact construction, energy efficiency, and durability, says Kapil Sehgal, Executive Director Commercial, Bucher Hydraulics.

Access Equipment: We have synergic products giving complete solutions

PIX is one of the fastest emerging global players in mechanical power and fluid transmission business. Equipment India finds the trends and the product expertise offered by the com?pany from Amarpal Sethi, Chairman & Managing Director, PIX Transmissions.

Telehandlers Still in a Niche Market

Though the telehandler was introduced long back to the Indian market, it still remains a new concept, probably, due to the high cost and lack of awareness among the user industry.

Anaconda is a solution-focused company

We see a very good opportunity in the construction, demo?lition waste and solid waste recycling market and will focus on that area as our equipment is designed and built to cater to that industry as well, says Saurabh Khanna, Senior Business Development Manager - India, Anaconda Equipment International.

Kobelco machines are known for its fuel efficiency

Everywhere in the world we are amongst the top four players; we expect to do the same in India, says Vikram Sharma, Managing Director and CEO, Kobelco Construction Equipment, 0 - - 15135 14 162 2011-04-01 00:00:00.000 Equipment India Eurotire is dedicated to the mining industry

?The combined product and services capability of GmmcoEurotire allows us to provide our Indian customers with world-class OTR tyres and service,? says Kent B Henschen, Vice President, Marketing Communications, Eurotire Inc, while speaking about the company and its strengths to Equipment India. Excerpts from the interview.

How do you look at the potential of off-the-road tyres, especially for large-sized tyres?
Eurotire's focus is on supporting OTR tyre customers in the world's emerging mining markets and we believe India holds a huge potential for our products. Our products include not only OTR tyres but also our unique approach to providing service and support for large OTR tyres that we call EuroCARE. Our total focus is on creating and supporting large-sized tyres for the mining industry. As a result, we have the knowledge and expertise to help our customers maximise the value they receive from their large OTR tyres.

We believe that the potential for our products is growing and will continue to grow. There are many in the industry who also believe that it is only a matter of time before there are widespread global tyre shortages again as there was just a few years ago. Many large OTR tyre manufacturers, including Eurotire, have increased manufacturing capabilities in preparation for this next increase in demand. There has been consolidation in the supply side as well. Whether the net increase is sufficient to meet that next round of high demand is yet to be seen.

Tell us about Eurotire, its global footprint, and your tie-up with Gmmco?
Eurotire is focused on the support of the world's emerging markets and can be found on six continents. We have recently opened an office in Kolkata and have partnered with Gmmco to form GmmcoEurotire. This partnership combines high quality Eurotire products with Gmmco's expertise for providing service and support and includes more than 40 Gmmco locations strategically located throughout India's mining regions. The combined product and services capability of GmmcoEurotire allows us to provide our Indian customers with a world-class OTR tyres and support programme.

Could you brief us about the investment part?
Eurotire has taken substantial actions over the last few years to ensure that we are able to support the growing global demand for our products. We have invested over $70 million in major upgrades and expansion of our bias tyre plant in Ukraine. The increased capabilities of that plant will certainly help us in continuing to meet growing customer demand for bias tyres.

How strong is Eurotire's presence in radials?
We have invested over $300 million and nearly three years in building a ground-up, state-of-the-art radial tyre design and manufacturing facility in Romania. In fact, the plans for the new facility were expanded while in process to further increase our capabilities for meeting the needs of our customers during the next increase in demand. The OTR radial tyre product from this plant is state-of-the-art with materials compounded and tested in-house by Eurotire engineers. We began radial tyre testing in 2009 and full manufacturing of specific sizes began in 2010. We are continuing the creation and field testing process to expand our radial tyre line with tyre sizes being added over the next years. Our final goal is to have a complete range of radial tyre products from 18? to 63?. Eurotire will be in a very good position to meet our customer demand.

What about the replacement market?
Eurotire is strongly positioned in the replacement market with the majority of our products replacing the installed products of our larger, primary competitors. Our focus is value-driven, not replacement- driven. In other words, we are not only able to replace the products of our competitors because we have a quality, competitively priced, but because we sell the product to the customer that they need for the application and then stay with the customer after the sale to ensure that they receive maximum value from that product. This is EuroCARE, our start to finish value- adding service programme. Eurotire is also an approved tyre supplier for haul truck and loader OEMs. In fact, the CAT trucks purchased by CIL in 2010 carried Eurotire OTR tyres on them.

How do you look at the competition in this area?
Eurotire has formidable competition throughout the world, from large multinationals to well-entrenched regional manufacturers. In India, we have an advantage by partnering with a market leader, Gmmco, to ensure that we are able to provide world-class OTR tyres and tyre services to our Indian customers. Our dedication to bringing product value to our mining customers is what differentiates us from others.

How do you look at the retreading segment?
Retreading is not a viable longterm solution in mining applications where high temperature, medium to long hauls, rough haul roads and difficult loading conditions are a concern.

Tell us about your products and services and future expansion plans, if any?
Eurotire is dedicated to the mining industry. We design, manufacture, service and support OTR tyres for 60-tonne and larger haul trucks and large wheel loaders. There are two primary approaches that Eurotire takes which we believe are unique to the tyre industry. The first is that we are addressing the needs of emerging market customers. We believe that during the last peak demand period for large OTR tyres, there were markets that were under-served by the large tyre companies. In addition, as the emerging markets continue to grow in number, they will again be under-served by those same companies during the coming upturn in global demand. Eurotire will be there to provide the support that the emerging market customers need to succeed.

The second approach is that Eurotire is not only supplying a tyre product, we are partnering with our emerging market customers to provide full lifecycle management of our tyres. We provide supply and then work with the customer on an ongoing basis to maximise the life of the tyres. Essentially we are with our customers from start to finish, taking the burden of lifecycle tyre management from the customer and allowing them to maximise the production they receive from their tyre products. In India, Eurotire has taken a major step to ensure that our customers are well supported by partnering with Gmmco. The GmmcoEurotire alliance will support world-class OTR tyre service and support in India.

MILESTONES

* Eurotire's history dates back over 50 years. The Eurotire Ukraine facility was established in 1959 as a Tire Research Institute dedicated to the development of large OTR tyres. The Research Institute has been directly responsible for the creation of over 250 OTR tyre patents as well as development of the designs and equipment to manufacture the largest tyres in the world.
* In 2004, the Eurotire brand was established. In 2005, the first Eurotire branded tyres began shipping to the world.
* In 2007, Eurotire embarked on the creation of a new radial tyre facility in Romania and has invested over $300 million in its creation. Today that state-of-the-art facility is producing world-class radial tyre products and the product line will continue to expand.
* Eurotire is dedicated to the mining industry and through our unique approach and dedicated and experienced employees we are changing the face of the mining tyre industry.

Construction , Update , Portal , Magazine , Equipment India , April , 2011 , India , GmmcoEurotire , OTR tyres , Kent B Henschen , Eurotire Inc , Mining ,EuroCARE , Kolkata , Gammco , Ukraine , radial tyre design , Romania , CAT trucks , Tire Research Institute 0 2011-05-03 13:21:07.410 22 The combined product and services capability of GmmcoEurotire allows us to provide our Indian customers with world-class OTR tyres and service,? says Kent B Henschen, Vice President, Marketing Communications, Eurotire Inc.

Our focus is to be a partner to our customer

From being a niche equipment manufacturer to a total process solutions provider with extensive and comprehensive back up support for the tunnelling and mining industries, the success story of Normet continues its trajectory.

We hope to double our size in the next three years

Our manufacturing range includes around 15,000 products and we would be making avaiable a minimum of 33 per cent of the above range to our channel partners,? says Nishant Vora, Director, ZWZ Bearings India. 0 - - 13801 14 187 2011-02-01 00:00:00.000 Equipment India Designed for harsh environments

Fluke introduces ScopeMeter 190 series II portable oscilloscopes engineered for harsh industrial environments.

Fluke Corporation, the global leader in portable electronic test and measurement technology, has introduced the Fluke ScopeMeter 190 Series II handheld portable oscilloscopes, the first four-channel scopes designed for harsh industrial environments. These new portable scopes are the first safety rated scopes for CAT III 1000 V/CAT IV 600 V environments. The four input channels are completely isolated from each other to perform differential floating measurements, a critical consideration for troubleshooting fixed-installation three-phase power electronic devices like variable speed motor drives.

The Fluke ScopeMeter chassis is sealed from the environment with no cooling slots or fans to expose the instrument. It carries the International Protection (IP) -51 dust and drip proof rating so it?s tough enough to use safely on the factory floor and in the field. While most high-performance oscilloscopes are not designed to withstand dirty and harsh environments, the Fluke ScopeMeter is built tough to deliver accurate results where ordinary portable oscilloscopes dare not go.

The Fluke 190 series II oscilloscope meets the growing need for four-channel portable oscilloscopes in industrial environments. Power electronics are used increasingly in solar and wind energy generation and to maximise efficiency or reduce power consumption especially in heavy-duty electro-mechanical applications. With the new Fluke 190 Series II ScopeMeter, users can see more and fix more using all four channels.

Their fast sampling rate, up to 2.5 GS/sec and 400 picosecond resolution, helps users capture electrical noise and other disturbances to diagnose exactly what is going on. With 100 MHz and 200 MHz models, they deliver the bandwidth needed to cover both today?s needs, and tomorrow?s. With four channels, users can inspect input signals, output signals, feedback loops, or safety interlocks simultaneously to solve problems like:

? Signal amplitude or shape variations, induced noise or disturbances across critical circuit nodes.
? Signal timing measurements and synchronisation issues.
? Attenuation, fluctuation, drift as a result of impedance issues or environmental impacts.

Four channels are indispensable in testing variable speed motor drives and inverter power electronic technology used in green energy generation and transportation applications.

Users can:

? View and measure harmonics, transients, and loads in three-phase power systems.
? Troubleshoot DC to AC converters for faulty insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) and control circuits.
? View and measure pulse width modulated waveforms (PWM) for reflections and transients.

These new test tools are convenient and user-friendly. New, high-performance Li-Ion battery technology keeps the Series II ScopeMeter on the job for up to seven hours. An external charger and easy-access battery door makes it simple to swap batteries and extend usage. Two USB ports, electrically isolated from measurement input circuits, make it easy to capture and share waveforms. Users can conveniently store data to a USB memory device or easily connect to a PC via the USB port and transfer waveforms or screen images for data analysis or archive.

Construction , Update , Portal , Magazine , February , Equipment India , 2011 , India , Fluke Corporation , ScopeMeter , portable oscilloscopes , safety , measurement , technology , troubleshooting , International Protection , green energy , inverter , IGBTs , PWM , Li-Ion battery , USB , waveform 0 2011-03-02 15:02:38.487 22 Fluke introduces ScopeMeter 190 series II portable oscilloscopes engineered for harsh industrial environments. 0 - - 13802 14 95 2011-02-01 00:00:00.000 Equipment India Entrepreneur Award to A Sundaresan

Anand Sundaresan, Managing Director, Schwing Stetter India has been honored with ?Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2010 India?Outstanding Entrepreneurship Award? for outstanding tenacity, perseverance and courage in the business. The award was presented to Sundaresan by Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Member of Parliament on the evening of 20 November 2010 at Hyatt Regency, Delhi. Sundaresan, said ?It is indeed a very big honour to receive the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2010 India?Outstanding Entrepreneurship Award. I am absolutely delighted, and would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the jury for conferring this very prestigious award upon me.?

The award was presented by Enterprise Asia, a non-governmental organisation for entrepreneurship. The prestigious Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards are world-class awards recognising and honoring business leaders who have shown outstanding performance and tenacity in developing successful businesses within the region. Organised by Enterprise Asia and supported by local governments and businesses, the awards aim to band leading entrepreneurs across the region to spur greater innovation, fair practices and growth in entrepreneurship. It hopes to be a platform to encourage continued leadership towards sustainable economic development for the region. These awards were presented to the most recognised and established entrepreneurs in the country. The Award ceremony was attended by over 500 top-notch people from across the globe.

Construction , Update , Portal , Magazine , Equipment India , February , 2011 , India , Anand Sundaresan , Schwing Stetter India , Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2010 , Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi , Hyatt Regency , Delhi , Outstanding Entrepreneurship Award , Enterprise Asia , economic development , entrepreneurs 0 2011-03-02 15:11:09.013 22 Anand Sundaresan, Managing Director, Schwing Stetter India has been honored with ?Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2010 India?Outstanding Entrepreneurship Award? for outstanding tenacity, perseverance and courage in the business. 0 - - 13803 14 95 2011-02-01 00:00:00.000 Equipment India HEC bags Rs 306 cr Draglines order

Heavy Engineering Corporation has secured an order for the supply and commissioning of two numbers of draglines (24 cu m/88 m) valued at Rs 306 crore from Northern Coalfields. Earlier in September 2009, HEC bagged an order for one dragline from NCL against stiff global competition. The manufacturing progress was impressive and supply ahead in schedule helped early beginning of erection work. The machines are to be supplied in 20 and 32 months respectively and commissioned in 18 months subsequently at Amlori Project of NCL. HEC is the first Indian company to manufacture the heaviest machine on the earth that walks?dragline with 24 cu m bucket capacity and 96 m long boom. The machines have a state-of-the-art control system.

Construction , Update , Portal , Magazine , Equipment India , February , 2011 , India , Heavy Engineering Corporation , Northern Coalfields , erection , Amlori Project 0 2011-03-02 15:16:17.463 22 Heavy Engineering Corporation has secured an order for the supply and commissioning of two numbers of draglines (24 cu m/88 m) valued at Rs 306 crore from Northern Coalfields. 0 - - 13804 14 96 2011-02-01 00:00:00.000 Equipment India Liebherr delivers second heavy-lift crane

Recently, the second unit of the 1.600 t heavy lift offshore crane MTC 78000 was delivered from its manufacturing plant in Rostock, by Liebherr. Despite its size, the MTC 78000 has been designed as a slewing crane and is supported by traditional large-diameter anti-friction bearings. With a weight of 70 t, the swing ring has a diameter of approximately 9 m. The manufacturing of such large mechanical parts can only be accomplished through complicated custom processes like conventional gear cutting machines which are only available for large-diameter anti-friction bearings up to a diameter of 5 m. Therefore, Liebherr has acquired correspondingly sized machines and equipment specifically for the mechanical machining of these flanges. The assembly of the MTC 78000 required several spectacular heavy duty lifts. First, the slewing platform was mounted?at 370 t, the heaviest of the components. Thereafter, the machinery compartment with the drive components (approximately 240 t), the mast lower section (about 250 t) and the mast upper section (around 160 t) of which the lowest point needed to be hoisted up to over 43 m above the pier level. This hoisting height was made possible by equipping the mobile harbour cranes with two corresponding tower extensions. The MTC 78000 is one of the biggest offshore slewing cranes worldwide. With a maximum dynamic torque of 78,000 mt, the MTC 78000 is the most powerful machine within the extensive range of cranes and material handling machines offered by the Liebherr group of companies. Four units of the new heavy-lift crane have already been ordered to date.

Construction , Update , Portal , Magazine , Equipment India , February , 2011 , India , offshore crane , Rostock , Liebherr , bearings , slewing , harbour cranes 0 2011-03-02 15:21:58.690 22 Recently, the second unit of the 1.600 t heavy lift offshore crane MTC 78000 was delivered from its manufacturing plant in Rostock, by Liebherr. 0 - - 13805 14 96 2011-02-01 00:00:00.000 Equipment India New Cat Track harvester cab The Cat 501/501HD track harvesters have new cabs with significant improvements to the ergonomics and other features that customers have asked for, including better airflow, a more comfortable seat and improved night visibility. In today's market, operators are being asked to work longer hours, so we are giving them an exceptionally comfortable and functional work environment," said Glenn Brown, Track Harvester and Forwarder Product Specialist for Caterpillar Forest Products. "In re-designing the cab, however, we didn't change the industry-leading visibility these harvesters are known for." The new air suspension seat absorbs shocks and provides added comfort during extended shifts. The seat has a reinforced structure designed for track machines to absorb the added shock loads. Lumbar support armrests and neckrests are adjustable. The AC/heater system's capacity has been increased for effective cooling and heating. Set-it-and-forget-it automatic control maintains a consistent cab temperature. Airflow is channeled through louvered vents to all areas, including windows for defrosting and defogging. In summer, cool air circulates around the operator and in winter, the heat extends to the floor to keep the operator's feet warm.

Bearings of Growth

As Indian infrastructure develops and the industry modernises, there are tremendous opportunities opening up for the bearings industry.