Highway projects will be a massive boost for CE OEMs in the country.

Alok Jha

Director - Sales & Marketing, India & SAARC, CASE Construction Equipment

What is your view on the Indian CE market revival in the post-pandemic scenario?

We have started witnessing growth in latter half of 2021, which is when the market started gaining traction once again. We are pretty optimistic about the current trend we have seen, ever since the pandemic hindered the market's growth due to large-scale economic inactivity, leading to the stoppage of several construction projects across the country.

In creating a path for infrastructure and development, a considerable role is played by the government. Currently, they have announced projects towards building 65,000 km of highways by 2022, to ensure smooth and efficient vehicle mobility.

How do you assess the ongoing infrastructure development programs in the country?

The infrastructure development programs announced by the government come with tremendous hope to us. We are now witnessing a rise in the demand for loader backhoes in the coming years. The other key point is the government's focus on improving the rural infrastructure, another vital factor in developing the Indian loader backhoe market in the country. As mentioned earlier, the highway projects will be a massive boost for CE OEMs in the country.

What kind of demand are you witnessing for your products and solutions in these projects?

The construction equipment market is ever-changing, and in the coming year, it will be driven by numerous ongoing infrastructure projects and technological innovations. It is essential to adapt to the customers' needs in this competitive market and enable world-class manufacturing. The industry players consider every aspect of customers' feedback and incorporate them to manufacture best-in-class products. Also, the market is adapting to utilise digitalisation and technology for new products. This offers better quality and safety, which is the customers' priority. Therefore, the construction equipment industry is improving and changing for the good in FY 22. With new techniques and intelligent and intuitive products in the market, the coming days will be prosperous, and the market will propel to new heights.

How do you look at the future demand trends and opportunities for construction equipment?

With the changing need and requirements of the customers, incorporating automated techniques and new technology becomes essential to drive improvements. This benefits the buyers by reducing downtime and improving productivity and efficiency. At CASE, our equipment are designed with extensive research and advanced technology that provisions machines' performance, security, and efficiency that helps the equipment buyers to make informed decisions while purchasing machines.

What is the one major challenge faced by the Indian CE market currently? What is the way forward to iron out this challenge?  

As the global economy is in the process of recovery from the pandemic-based decline, the construction equipment industry is also maneuvering its way through the hurdles and is inching towards the recovery. However, the major challenges which still persist are supply chain disruption and labour shortage owing to multiple waves of Covid-19.

As CASE products are manufactured in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh, majority of our machines are localised that minimised the impact of the global supply chain disruption during the peak of the pandemic as we do source some of the parts from other countries. Aligning our business strategy with Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Made-in-India campaigns to partner with local vendors to source most of the elements from within the country itself, has helped us to perform consistently during the recent industry slowdown.

Also, automated and smart products will help reduce dependency on extra labour requirements of construction companies that will help them to finish their projects in time. At CASE, we offer technologically advanced machines which supports operators to finish their job with high efficiency and profitability in cost effective way.

What are your plans at EXCON this year? Are you launching any products?

Global platforms like EXCON allow us to meet with customers and prospects, engage with different stakeholders, and showcase our world-class and innovative products. CASE CE's pavilion at OD52 will display the full range of the fleet with more than ten pieces of equipment.

Additionally, we are excited and looking forward to launching our five new equipment at the show: an all-new 50HP loader backhoe; an all-new BS-VI compliant EX range of TLBs, vibratory compactors, and graders; and a new variant of excavator.

Moreover, EXCON 2022 will witness an important milestone of CASE construction completing 180 years of global operations, and this glorious legacy will be showcased at the show. The brand will also be showcasing its aftermarket solutions, including various service packages, service solutions, and a new e-commerce platform for spare parts buying.

What are your expectations from the EXCON platform in the new market scenario?

There is renewed confidence in the industry due to the government's ambitious target to make India a manufacturing hub of construction equipment globally. There is a huge business opportunity for the construction industry, as it is embarking on major infrastructure development projects in roads & flyovers, industrial infrastructure, and power.

Hence, global platforms like EXCON give us a perfect opportunity to meet with customers and prospects, engage with different stakeholders, and showcase our world-class and innovative products.

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