Batching Solutions

With the influx of fresh initiatives by the government there is a renewed focus on infrastructure development which offers big opportunities of growth for the concrete equipment industry. EQUIPMENT INDIA tracks the development in batching plants.

Accessing Heights, Safely

As the access equipment industry matures in India and users become more aware on the advantages of using such equipment over conventional practices of working at heights, the rental sector in India is poised for a very bright and promising future.

Steering the Growth

Skid steer, the little cute machine, is steadily carving a niche amidst the Goliaths of construction equipment space. Such a versatile piece of machine when clubbed with a variety of attachments, still has not got its due yet.

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.

Towering Tall

The real estate and power sectors will show a tremendous growth in the next 2-3 years. As per projections, the tower crane requirement will increase to 30-40 per cent in these two years. Current demand growth for tower cranes is mostly from realty sector.

Integrated Load Handling Solutions

With a myriad of attachments, truck-mounted cranes have created niche applications segments with faster, safer and more productive solutions.Construction industry has been witnessing a shift towards using safer, more advanced technology, especially application-oriented equipment and machinery

STILL Number One

The focused thrust on infrastructure, manufacturing and agricultural sectors is expected to boost the demand for pick-n-carry cranes, which dominate the mobile crane market with over 80 per cent of total sales.

Powered for the long haul

Commercial vehicle OEMs - domestic and global - have pumped in investments, augmented capacities, launched global platform strategies, enhanced touch points, and stressed on soft solutions to suit the demands of emerging markets.

Movers & shakers

8,500 km by March 2015: How Realistic is the Target?

The Union Finance Minister has set a target of 8,500 km of roads to be completed during the current fiscal year, which simply means construction of about 35.5 km of road per day! In the last couple of years,

The Winds of Change

A Chinese proverb reads thus ? ?When the winds of change blow, some people build walls, and others, windmills!? Agith G Antony finds out the views from the industry leaders who have been building windmills...

Grading Up

Time-bound projects need reliable machines, and all equipment manufacturers are trying to innovate and adapt to the latest trends and are in the continuous process of improving productivity of the machine. Agith G Antony finds out product and technology trends in the motor grader segment.

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.

Small is beautiful

Skid steer, a cute little machine, is steadily carving a niche amid the Goliaths of construction equipment space. Agith G Antony takes a peek at this unique machine and its myriad of application areas.Despite its sheer utility value and high adaptability with a wide variety of tools and attachments for applications such as recycling, paving, excavation, earthmoving, demolition, mining, landscaping and farming, skid steer, a compact and highly versatile machine is still somewhat in a concept sell

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

Excavators Ready to Ride the Slump

Within the Indian construction equipment industry, the crawler excavator segment is the largest by value and the second largest, after backhoe loaders, in terms of number of units sold. Now, the shrinking market and intense competition have forced OEMs to focus more on value additions. Concepts like low lifecycle cost, faster ROIs, lowest cost per tonne all have made it imperative for OEMs to innovate, both on the product design and service fronts. Agith G Antony takes a peek at the prevailing t

Looking at a Big Boom

Only about ten per cent of concrete produced is currently pumped, which tells about the huge scope for concrete pumps for the infrastructure and realty sectors. Agith G Antony trains his spotlight on the latest trends in product/technology, the growth potential for boom pumps, innovative service packages and the value additions offered by OEMs.

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

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.

Concrete moves

Despite the Rs 2,500-crore concrete equipment industry registered nearly 40 per cent fall in the market and is under severe pressure, there is tremendous growth opportunities in the long term.

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

OEMs are confident in our technical capabilities to deliver cost-effective solutions

We are working overtime with our OE customers and media supplier's to develop new high-efficiency and high-capacity filters which are a must for new generation engines as reduced clearances to meet stringent emission norms are putting extra pressure on much better contamination control,

The Big Ones Get Better

Sales of crawler excavators, which grew until 2008, declined by 20 per cent in 2009 but recovered strongly to 11,453 units in 2010, a growth of 44 per cent.

STILL NUMBER ONE!

The sales forecast for backhoes by Off-Highway Research is pegged at a target of 36,000 units by 2015, up from 30,000 in 2011, whereas for the crawler excavator alone, the forecast is 35,000 units, up from the 2011 figure of 14,500.There is the school of thought that points to the visible drift from the backhoe market towards the wheel loaders market.

We are what we are because of our customers

?Our mandate is very clear. We have a dominant market position in the Indian com?mercial vehicle industry, more so in medium and heavy trucks where we have a 68 per cent market share. Our objective is crystal clear; it?s not just to retain the market leadership position,

Is the growth story sustainable?

It is crystal clear, to reach world-class levels, infrastructure needs a tremendous boost for the next several years; this will augur well for the CE sector where most of the major players continue to upgrade capacity and widen product lines.

It?s Time to RAP

With over Rs 700 billion being invested in the road sector in 2010-11 alone, it?s high time we moved up to highly efficient and sustainable technologies that help optimise resources, considerably reduce pollutants and keep to a minimum damage to the environment

We will continue to make investments in India

Sandvik has been in India for more than 50 years and we think we are in a perfect position to support India's rapid economic growth. Our customers in India have known us for a long time and know what we can do for them.

Knuckle Boom Cranes: The Integrated Solution

While over 90 per cent of the lift-and-carry market is dominated by knuckle boom cranes the world over, in India pick-and-carry (P&C) cranes dominate, with 95 per cent sales.

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.

On A Solid Foundation

The market for foundation equipment appears to be quite buoyant with increased demand in the infrastructure segment, particularly in the power, steel, ports and transportation sectors.

CSE: Cleaner & Safer?

The crushing equipment segment has come of age in terms of technology, capacity, and safety features. As per Central Pollution Control Board of India reports, the stone crushing industry has an annual turnover of Rs 5,000 crore, equivalent to over $1 billion.

Vital Wires is aiming at leadership position in mid-sized segment

Our focus is to spread the awareness about how ideal the RoI generator could be for mid-sized companies, and we expect our net client acquisition to grow as companies begin to adopt ERP systems earlier than they have so far done, says Vinay Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Vital Wires Consulting.

Mobile & Moving Up

Out of the total market for the CE industry, the share of crushing and screening equipment (CSE) is pegged at 13 per cent - that is, US $ 30 billion across 2012-17; what's more, the CSE market is projected to grow at the rate of 15-20 per cent YoY for the next five years.

Vibratory Compactor Vs static

Agith G Antony finds out the technical aspects of compaction from Pradeep Kathuria, Head -Essar Equipment Bank, Essar Projects India.

The Road Ahead

With more than 60 per cent of the cargo movement done by India's large network of roads, the road-building sector in the country has offered major growth opportunities for the construction equipment industry.

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.

Excavators Settle In Comfortably

The market potential for hydraulic excavators in India looks to be most promising, as a large number of players have entered the scene. What's more, the boom is expected to last for quite some time. Agith G Antony digs up the facts.

Bearings of Growth

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