Heading towards a new high!

After two years of lull, the excavator market should grow again and reach 25,000 units in 2022.

NHAI to construct 14.80 km six-lane bypass ahead of Bhandara city

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) would construct a 14.80 km six-lane bypass ahead of Bhandara city for smooth flow of traffic between Nagpur-Bhandara-Raipur. The overall cost of the project is Rs 700 crore.

India Construction Festival - 2019

The festival, organised by FIRST Construction Council in New Delhi from October 15-16, successfully brought together the public and private sector to discuss probable resolutions to impediments faced by the infrastructure sector.

Indian CE Market Overview

The market for construction equipment will follow an upward trend in the next five years.,

Privatisation of coal mining

India's coal demand-supply balance still remains tilted in favour of coal imports as the state-run miners, Coal India and the Singareni Collieries Company have been unable to entirely meet India's coal demand, especially for higher grade thermal coal/washed coal and coking coal.

Indian CE Market: AN Overview

Strong domestic demand generated by ongoing infrastructure development projects resulted in the construction equipment market rising to an all-time high of 72,197 units in 2011.

Infrastructure Revival to Push CE Growth

The infrastructure sector is today undoubtedly one of the strong pillars of the Indian economy and the current Union Government is strongly focused in its approach towards development of infrastructure.

HCL to quadruple mine capacity

Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL) is planning to increase its mining capacity by four times. The miner is drawing up plans to implement mine expansion projects. In HCL?s annual general meeting, Chairman and Managing Director K D Diwan said that its flagship project, Malanjkhand (Madhya Pradesh) underground mine of 5 mtpa capacity, is progressing well.

On A moderate growth

Pick-and-carry crane is a product that is unique to India. It has a rigid (as opposed to a revolving) superstructure, and is essentially a material handler that is used on a wide variety of light lifting tasks which in other countries would probably be done by an industrial crane or a telescopic handler.

MCL's coal washery project yet to get green nod

A green panel has deferred its decision on granting environment clearance to Mahanadi Coalfields (MCL) for setting up of a Rs 334.72 crore coal washery in Odisha and asked it to get forest clearance first, and also sought other inputs.

Government should fast-track the procurement

After a lull in the past three years, mining, especially coal, is set to show significant growth in the next few years. Coal India (CIL) is doing its best to increase coal production quickly, from the current 568 million tonne per annum (mtpa) to 927 mtpa by 2020.

Mining Growth

India is on track to overtake the US as the second-largest coal consumer after China this decade. India wants to more than double coal output to 1.5 billion tonne by 2020. The central government has already taken specific actions including e-auctions of coal blocks; 28 blocks are already allocated and more blocks to be e-auctioned soon.

2015 - The year of recovery?

Off-Highway Research has predicted that the number of units sold will double to 89,030 by 2018 from the current year?s 46,755 units. As per the analysis, the real trigger of growth becomes available in 2017-18 when there is a dramatic surge

Mining Potential

With the growing demand for increased output of coal and iron ore and other minerals, the demand for mining equipment and machinery is expected grow manifold.

Demand for mining equipment from PSUs is expected to increase

Gmmco is fully geared up to serve its customers with efficient product support, so they achieve maximum uptime and productivity of CAT fleet, says S Ananthakrishnan, AVP, Mining Project Sales, Gmmco. Excerpts from the interview.

Demand for mining equipment from PSUs is expected to increase

Gmmco is fully geared up to serve its customers with efficient product support, so they achieve maximum uptime and productivity of CAT fleet, says S Ananthakrishnan, AVP, Mining Project Sales, Gmmco.

Mining Potential

With the growing demand for increased output of coal and iron ore and other minerals, the demand for mining equipment and machinery is expected grow manifold. The mining sector has gone through major challenges in the last few years. For instance, the CE industry

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,

Market trends and Future Growth

The demand for compaction equipment from the road sector has remained almost stagnant for the past three years owing to the slowdown in construction activities. Road building projects are currently facing major challenges from delays in awarding projects and policy decisions

Inter Ministerial Group meets on 10th June to discuss on 61 coal blocks

The Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) on coal blocks under the Chairmanship of Additional Secretary coal will meet on June 10 to discuss the issue of bank guarantees related to 61 mines allocated to companies like Tata Steel, Jindal Steel and Power and ArcelorMittal. In February, 2014 based on the IMG recommendation, the Coal Ministry decided to deallocate around 30 coal of companies like JSPL, ArcelorMittal and Sterlite Energy for delays in developing the mines for captive consumption

Government should fast-track the land acquisition process

Gmmco, well supported by Caterpillar, is the one-stop shop for mining equipment and solutions. We offer the complete range of Cat surface and underground mining machines

Saving the industry boat

A group of people were travelling in a boat. One of them took a drill and began to drill a hole beneath him. His companions asked him, "Why are you doing this?" The man replied, "What concern is it of yours? Am I not drilling under my own place?" Then they cautioned him: "But you will flood the boat and drown us all!"

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.

The government should award projects only after securing key sovereign clearances.

With the government planning for a major infrastructure boom in the North-Eastern states, we foresee a lot of potential for businesses to grow and flourish. The government plans to make investments in roads, railways, air connectivity, cyber and telecom connectivity and power in this region, says Amit Gossain, Vice President - Marketing and Business Development, JCB India. Excerpts of the interview.

CASE is working on introducing products from its portfolio into the Indian market.

In order to cater to the North-East market, CASEis making continuous efforts in order to consolidate its leadership position and further strengthen its market share through the introduction of new technology and advanced products that enhance the business value of its offering to its customers, says Abhijit Gupta, Managing Director, Case New Holland Construction Equipment (I). Excerpts of the interview.

Stalled but Hopeful

In spite of the present slowdown and resultant sluggishness in the CE market, the long- term growth prospects are still intact; and experts view the huge infrastructure deficit as a major growth driver and prudent steps from the government can bring India back on the growth trajectory.

BHL Continues to Rule the Roost

The world over, construction practices and methodologies determine the selection of the type of equipment, to a great extent. However, in India, backhoe loader (BHL) controls the lion's share of the total equipment sale; it is wheel loaders that dominate the Chinese CE market and crawler and mini excavators that control the European and American markets.

JCB constantly keep upgrading the machine to meet the growing requirements.

The JCB backhoe loader continues to be the most widely used equipment in India and we constantly keep upgrading the machine to meet the growing requirements of our customers, says Vipin Sondhi, Managing Director and CEO, JCB India.

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.

Magma is a well-diversified business with six business lines

No equipment group is able to drive growth which is primarily due to the fact that the overall infrastructure and mining segments have been impacted by various factors, says Sumit Mukherjee, National Sales Head, Magma Fincorp. Excerpts from the interview.

Navigating through turbulent times

Overall slowdown in demand for new equipment, absence of new channels for the deployment of equipment compared to the overall availability, plummeting value of currency, lack of clarity on private coal blocks, highly depressed rental rates - all seems to have had its negative impact on the equipment finance segment.

What's up doc?

At the 3rd Equipment India conference in September 2012 when I was sharing my views with the equipment captains over coffee, they were apprehensive and I was optimistic.

Will elections energise the economy?

It seems that we are stuck in the same narrative, which is playing on a loop, told and retold over the past couple of years. The gist of that tale is: even though short-term prospects are not too bright, the slowdown and resultant sluggishness in the CE market is a temporary blip; the long-term growth prospects still look promising

Road builders may have to pay fine to exit road projects

Union Road Minister Oscar Fernandes has said that road developers in the country will not be blamed for delays in regulatory procedure but have to take responsibility for their own faults and may have to pay up to 1 per cent of total project cost as penalty for exiting. If there is any fault on the part of the concessionaire, then there will be a penalty of a maximum of one per cent, of the total project for the developer to exit the project, he said.

Road builders asked to pay fine if want to exit projects

Union Road Minister Oscar Fernandes has said that road developers will not be blamed for delays in regulatory procedure but have to take responsibility for their own faults and may have to pay up to one per cent of total project cost as penalty for exiting. If there is any fault on the part of the concessionaire, then there will be a penalty of a maximum of one per cent, of the total project for the developer to exit the project, he said.

Sesa Goa awaits green nod to restart mining

Sesa Goa is awaiting the clearance of the union environment ministry to resume operations in its iron ore mine in Karnataka. Recently, the forest advisory committee (FAC) of the environment ministry recommended conditional clearance for the mining operation by the firm. In its recommendation, the panel opined that the company should be mandated to comply with all cond

Our products set a benchmark by way of enhancing safety and fuel efficiency

Our fully integrated and purpose built manufacturing facility at Kolkata delivers state-of-the-art design, manufacturing and product technologies. TIL distribution network offers mobile cranes: industrial cranes, truck- mounted canes, rough terrain cranes, and all terrain cranes, lattice boom crawler cranes, and lorry loaders

Upward and mobile

The requirement for higher capacity mobile cranes with advanced features is growing due to continuous change in heavy lift sizes, besides a growing customer preference for mobile cranes with better safety features and technology.

Lost opportunities?

The script of the growth story of the CE industry has undergone frequent changes. The government, a major stakeholder and the one the CE industry is primarily dependent on, seems to have lost the plot midway. It plays either a direct or indirect role in scripting the growth story,

On a recovery mode

The construction equipment industry is experiencing a slump due to the slowdown in the mining industry as well as delays in infrastructure projects and governmental clearances, shortage of funds, environmental concerns. EQUIPMENT INDIA interacts with some of the major players to get the pulse of the industry.

India is developing as an attractive manufacturing base for export of CE

In view of the infrastructure development needs in every sector and the government's massive and investment plans, Off-Highway Research forecasts the Indian construction equipment market will grow to over 100,000 units by 2017,

Getting back on track

Growth prospects in the current fiscal, 2013-1314, were expected to be sluggish, with no clear indicators towards a surge in demand for construction equipment. However, the recent developments in otherwise depressed business sentiments are something to cheer about.

Tough times for C&SE sector

One year ago, to be precise, EQUIPMENT INDIA in its May 2012 issue, came out with a cover story on the growth potential of crushing and screening equipment (C&SE) segment. We interacted with most of the major C&SE manufacturers to get the actual pulse of the industry

Odisha govt seeks status of end-use plants

The mining department of Odisha government asked the developers of Rampia and Mandakini A coal blocks to submit status of the end-use power plants. The above two blocks are allotted to captive miners who are developing power plants. While Rampia coal block is allotted jointly to Sterlite Energy, GMR Energy, ArcellorMittal India, Lanco Group, Navbharat Power and Relia

Vedanta expects Sesa Goa to restart mining

By June 2013, Vendanta Resources expects its subsidiary Sesa Goa to resume mining in Karnataka and the firm is said is in the process of securing necessary clearances. This information was shared by MS Mehta, CEO of Vedanta in a conference call, while announcing the annual results of the company. Pointing out that Sesa Goa does not plan to export the raw material from the state, Mehta said there is a "sign

Vedanta expects to resume operation in Lanjigarh unit soon

The annual financial statement 2012-13 of Vedanta Resources shows the company expects resume operation at its alumina refinery in Odisha's Lanjigarh by July 2013. The firm stopped operation at the 1-million tonne Lanjigarh refinery in December 2012 owing to paucity of bauxite -- the key raw material used to make alumina (the intermediate product for making aluminium

Environment ministry clears 18 coal projects

The union environment ministry cleared 18 coal mining projects of the monopoly coal miner Coal India (CIL), Minister of State for Coal Pratik Prakashbapu Patil informed the Rajya Sabha. The Ministry of Environment and Forests gave environmental clearances (EC) for 14 projects and stage-I forestry clearances (FC) for four projects of CIL soon after the meeting of Cabinet Committee on Inve

SAIL may produce more ore due to Gua mine clearance

The government's move to give forest clearance for mining by Steel Authority of India (SAIL) in the Gua iron ore mines in Jharkhand may boost raw material supply for its steel plant. The company plans to increase the production of iron ore, which is a key raw material for steel making, as part of its steel capacity expansion projects

Environment ministry clears 18 coal projects

The union environment ministry cleared 18 coal mining projects of the monopoly coal miner Coal India (CIL), Minister of State for Coal Pratik Prakashbapu Patil informed the Rajya Sabha. The Ministry of Environment and Forests gave environmental clearances (EC) for 14 projects and stage-I forestry clearances (FC) for four projects of CIL soon after the meeting of Cabinet Committee on Inve

Six-laning of Gurgaon-Kotputli stretch on NH-8 delayed

The Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Sarvey Sathyanarayana has said that the six-laning work on Gurgaon-Kotputli stretch on National Highway No 8 has been delayed. The main reasons for delay are due to slow progress during construction by Concessionaire, delay in the land acquisition, delay in Forest Clearance, delay in removal of religious and other structures & additional works in the project scope owing to public representations etc.

Minister clarifies on green clearance for road projects

Environmental clearances for 25 highway projects which involved diversion of forest land were pending for want of Stage?I Forest Clearance. This was stated by Jayanthi Natarajan, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Environment and Forests, in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabh

Sesa Goa confident of early nod for mining

Following the lifting of ban on mining in some areas in Karnataka by the Supreme Court, Sesa Goa hopes to secure forest clearance for its mine in Chitradurga district in some days. PK Mukherjee, Managing Director of the Vedanta group firm expressed hope that the company would secure the (forest) clearance in matter of days considering the ir

Odisha govt to complete NH works in scheduled time

Land acquisition is to be paced up to complete the National Highway projects within the scheduled time, the Odisha government has decided. The State Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who reviewed the progress of different NH projects, asked the officials to expedite the process for getting forest clearances.

CCI gets request to streamline approval process

The Cabinet Committee on Investments (CCI) received a request from the union coal ministry for streamlining approval process for mining projects. In a letter written by the union coal ministry to CCI, it suggested parallel processing of environmental clearance (EC) and forest clearance (FC) for coal proj

Equipment financing: An evolving scenario

While the government is expected to roll out more reforms soon, the key issue is implementation on the ground. If policy issues are addressed and initiatives are implemented, it will give a boost to the equipment financing in India, Infrastructure segment has been witnessing a major slowdown due to various issues around land acquisition and environmental clearances

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.

Construction Equipment Trends in India

Many companies are setting up manufacturing facilities in India, as the country is increasingly becoming a global manufacturing hub. A large and growing domestic market, lower manufacturing cost,