Siddharth Chaturvedi
General Manager - Marketing, Tata Hitachi
What are the innovative technologies and solutions from Tata Hitachi for infrastructure and mining customers?
Tata Hitachi is a leader in providing cutting-edge construction and mining equipment to meet the demands of large-scale infrastructure, mining, and mega industrial projects. For our customers who uses Tata Hitachi equipment for such activities, our imperative is to enhance machine performance and fuel savings, backed with advanced technology from our parent company Hitachi Construction Machinery (HCM) Japan.
Our equipment incorporates advanced technologies like IoT, telematics and mobility solutions, a standard for Tata Hitachi. Two such proprietary technologies are ConSite and InSite that enable customers to remotely monitor Tata Hitachi machines through granular, real-time operational, maintenance, location, and health data. Frequent reports include analysis of performance, fuel consumption and machine productivity, that allows customers to visualize the operation and health status of their machines, improve the efficiency of the machines, maintenance management and to work closer with Tata Hitachi for timely intervention to lower the impact on environment by keeping machines working in top condition.
How is sustainability playing a critical role in your range of equipment?
Sustainability is at the core of everything we do at Tata Hitachi. We are deeply invested and committed to reducing our carbon footprint using eco-friendly technologies and practices.
We promote the eco-friendly design of our products and services. While we ensure that our wheeled equipment adhere to the regulatory requirements of CEV-4 emission norms, we also work to ensure that our excavators are compatible with futuristic emission norms. We also maintain the target of improving the fuel efficiency and reducing the maintenance cost for all our products and models through engineering innovations. With our TL 340H PRIME, we are the first and only manufacturer in India of hydrostatic wheel loaders that assure up to 20 per cent fuel savings over conventional wheel loaders. Also, Tata Hitachi excavators are well-known in the market for their fuel efficiency, and we continue to enhance their productivity. Our machines also come with lead and chrome-free paints.
Our parent company, Hitachi Construction Machinery (HCM) in Japan, has led the way in electric excavator development. HCM has pioneered electrical excavators ranging from 190 tonne to 800 tonne, which have been operational globally for over two decades. This includes the remarkable EX 2600-6E, (260-tonne class excavator), which is actively deployed in Indian coal mines. These excavators are directly powered by electricity and AC motors are used as prime movers to operate the equipment.
HCM also offers high-capacity dump trucks in the 190-290 tonne class, equipped with AC drive technology utilizing AC motors to propel the trucks. Notably, a fleet of EH 3500AC-3 (190-tonne dump truck), has been operating successfully in India, showcasing its technological superiority within the Indian mining sector.
How do you look at the progress of Make in India initiatives in construction equipment industry?
In India, construction equipment (CE) manufacturing has come a long way from being largely imported in the 90s to a large part being manufactured locally to cater to the evolving customer requirements and tough local operating conditions.
Starting from backhoe loaders, mobile cranes and excavators, manufacturing in India now caters to most part of the CE market comprising compacting equipment, drills, crushers, concrete equipment, batching plants, pavers, graders, mining dumpers, crawler cranes, etc. With volumes going up in line with the sustained growth of Indian infrastructure investment over the last two decades, increased cost efficiencies have been achieved through modern technologically advanced design and manufacturing processes to an extent that most of the Indian construction equipment are very competitive in the international market where they are specifically required.
Indian CE industry needs to focus on enhancing exports. What is your take on this and what are the steps from the company?
Several OEMs including Tata Hitachi manufacture and export a wide variety of construction equipment to the global markets ranging from the Middle East, Africa and SAARC Nations. However, several challenges remain from a rapid and unprecedented increase in input costs, supply side disruptions due to freight delays, high freight costs, vessel uncertainty induced by the pandemic as well as recent disruption from the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The industry association ICEMA is closely working with the government to alleviate some of these issues as well to encourage increased investment in manufacturing to further enhance global competitiveness by increasing localization of critical components to the benefit of the country’s economy from exports as well as to enhance employment opportunities.
It is equally important to enhance the local manufacturing of components and aggregates in India. How do you think this is important from an OEM perspective?
In construction equipment industry, more than 90% of the machines manufactured in India have a localisation of up to 60%. A large base of vendors has also been developed over the years, many of whom are in the MSME category. This has ensured a robust manufacturing base in the country.
Components that are imported include precision aggregates such as valves, hydraulic motors, electrical sensors, and undercarriage assemblies. Because of the high investments required to set up manufacturing units in India for these components, volumes are necessary to ensure financial sustainability. This can happen through enhanced local demand through infra investments as well as export incentivization.
If the right conditions for global investment are created, many global players can set up their bases in India. We need to attract them by offering competitive environment, incentives, and ease of doing business in India.
How do you look at bauma CONEXPO INDIA 2024 as a platform of innovative solutions? What are your plans at the event?
buama CONEXPO is a premier construction equipment and technology trade fair that has both a national and international participation. The exhibition provides an exceptional platform for participants to leverage the opportunities in the construction equipment industry in India.
We at Tata Hitachi are gearing up to showcase our solutions to customers, policymakers, and other attendees - a first-hand touch and feel of our machines, this is important in an industry like ours.
The forum also provides us with an opportunity to demonstrate our technologically advanced and future-ready solutions, including our green range of equipment that comes with the promise of building a sustainable tomorrow.
In this direction, the underlying theme of our participation at bauma CONEXPO this year will continue to be our motto, ‘Chalo Desh Banaye’, under this larger theme of nation-building. With this, we continue to invest in building and strengthening the Tata Hitachi brand as a one-stop shop for reliable solutions for our customers.
