Dimitrov Krishnan, Vice President and Head of Volvo CE

Driving a Change

Volvo Construction Equipment is driven by the idea through imagination, hard work and technological innovation. Volvo believes in a sustainable future by developing a clean, smart and more connected world. In the global construction industry, Volvo works together with customers to turn this belief into reality for people everywhere. Dimitrov Krishnan, Vice President and Head of Volvo CE, has nearly two decades of experience at Volvo India. Johnny D talks to Dimitrov Krishnan about Volvo CE's 'ZERO' targets and the current scenario of the construction sector, in a short interview:

How effective and efficient are infra projects being executed in the current scenario, in various Smart Cities of India?
Dimitrov Krishnan: In terms of infrastructure, we are still seeing very high levels of activity in the road building sector. Other projects have not taken off with the same level of urgency. This applies not only to so-called Smart Cities, but also is generally true across the board.

What are the major challenges being faced by the Construction Equipment and Building Materials Companies, on the real grounds?
Dimitrov Krishnan: Generally speaking, the market in India is good at present. Activity in road building is strongest and we are also seeing good levels of interest from the mining sector. However, general construction is not as active. For India to achieve its goals, in terms of urban development and social progression, more construction work is needed and more machines will be required. It is clear, looking at the present scenario. Contractors will have to take advantage of the latest designs and technology to meet some of the ambitious targets, which are being set.

Smart Grid Equipment and Solutions, and Building Materials' Manufacturers are the soul in building Smart Cities. What are your perspectives about the Sectors' Growth?
Dimitrov Krishnan: At Volvo CE, we are driving change in the industry, in relation to smart technology and how it can be utilized in construction. We have set ourselves four key technology challenges, which we call 'Triple Zero' and '10x': Zero Emissions, Zero Accidents, Zero Unplanned Stops and 10x Higher Efficiency. To help us
achieve our goals, we have a clear focus on electro mobility, intelligent machines and total site solutions. We believe it will help us achieve our ambitious goals and pave the way, for a sustainable construction industry.

Our 'ZERO' targets are:
Zero Emissions: This will help make customers' businesses more environmentally sustainable.
Zero Accidents: This will come from pioneering safety innovations where machines could instinctively avoid accidents - generating a completely safe working environment.
Zero Unplanned Stops: This will create a world without machine breakdowns, where machines predict and plan their own maintenance - making unplanned stops a thing of the past.
Meanwhile, our 10x higher efficiency goal is directly connected to the electrification of construction equipment and site optimization, which we believe will dramatically reduce energy consumption.

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