Budget 2021-22 has put a lot of focus on reviving the infrastructure sector.

Sandeep Mathur

Brand Leader- India & SAARC, CASE Construction Equipment

How do you assess the growth prospects of the CE industry as a whole, in terms of finance and investments?

The Government of India has been investing heavily in the infrastructure and construction sector. There have been multiple initiatives and projects announced to revive the industry post Covid such as inviting bid for 1000 KM highway construction worth Rs.50, 000 cr.

In the financial year 2020-2021, 13,298 kms of highways were constructed in India and the aim is to construct 65,000 KM of national highways with an expenditure of 5.35 lakh crores by the end of 2022. 

The budget 2021-22 has put a lot of focus on reviving the infrastructure sector. It focuses on initiatives like “Housing for All” and “Smart Cities Mission” with INR 13,750 crores allocated to AMRUT and Smart Cities Mission. 

The government's effort towards further enhancing the roads and highways projects to 7,400 new projects is a welcome step which will ensure a better year for the infrastructure sector as well as for the construction equipment industry. Recently the finance ministry announced a Rs. 6 lakh crore National Monetization Pipeline (NMP) for infrastructure assets across sectors ranging from power to road and railways.

Moreover, the construction development and infrastructure activity sectors received USD 25.9 Billion and 26.08 Billion respectively between April 2000 to March 2021 via Foreign Direct Investment (FDA).

Therefore, with these investments and initiatives, Construction Equipment industry is posed to grow a positive rate.

What do you think is the current status of the industry in terms of investments for training and up-skilling of talents?

Skill development and training is an essential practice in every field. The Government of India under the National Skill Development Corporation has also introduced various programs supporting and encouraging skill development. Organizations at their level as well as the Government has increased the focus towards training and developing skill with time.

Similarly at Case, training programs to polish skills and enhance knowledge of our employees are of extreme significance.

We host training programs all around the year and conduct regular sessions for our operators, dealers and other partners to keep them updated on latest developments. For the same, CASE India has dedicated training centers in Pithampur, Guwahati and Ranchi, to host these training programs. We also have dedicated CASE manpower in product support team in each region specially to support our customers with regular training, ground check and maintenance. Even during the Pandemic, we continued to offer these trainings to our respective stakeholders via digital platforms to ensure continuity in business.

We also recently opened an all-new world class training center at Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh for equipment and technology related training for company and dealer engineers. The new center facilitates programs such as Basic Product Training, Engine- CRDI & FPT, Machine Hydraulics, Power Training, Parts Training, Training for Machine Electricals, etc. A training module for BS-IV compliant machines has also been introduced at this new training center to well equip engineers with the basic knowledge and technicalities of these equipment even before they are launched in the market.

At CASE, we believe in incorporating practices that enable people and our endeavor is to continue doing the same.

What are your expectations from the government in terms of investment, policy changes for Construction Equipment sector? 

With the current investment and plans toward infrastructure development, the CE industry is going to grow further. However, we hope that the government continues to introduce more such projects and plans to invest more money in the sector, helping dependent industries to grow further. This will also boost employment opportunities.

It is important for the Government to support companies by enabling a viable ecosystem to do business, have transparent and fair regulations and create a level playing field for all businesses to coexist cooperatively.

Industry players must get the liberty to expand their operations and new players should be able to enter the market without hesitation with ease of doing business.

Further, the focus on skill development must continue to support businesses with skilled workers who can adapt and learn new technologies easily.

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