JCB pioneered the integration of digital technology in our 'Intelli' series.

We shall continue to utilize these smart technologies to offer unmatched benefits to customers and end users.

Jasmeet Singh, Associate VP, Corporate Communications and Corporate Relations, JCB India

What is your take on the urgent need of rebooting the activities in the road sector and why is it so important?

Construction of roads and highways has always been an area of utmost priority for the government of India. However, the global corona virus pandemic has adversely hit the industry with slowed down infrastructure projects. The condition has recently improved with the industry witnessing some limited development now. In such a scenario, strong focus and significant spend on infrastructure development today would result in a multitude of long-term benefits, with construction of roads and highways playing a pivotal role. Hence, it has become all the more important now, to reboot and resume the activities in the road sector as quickly as possible.

How do you assess the steps initiated by the government and NHAI to reactivate sector?

To support the sector, and eventually the economy, the government has also demonstrated a clear intent. In fact, in his recent address, the Prime Minister also mentioned 'infrastructure' as one of the five pillars that would help take the economy out of the ongoing crisis. Recently, the Finance Minister also reiterated that the National Infrastructure Pipeline would be given a big push to create demand with a multiplier effect, and large projects would be frontloaded. This has certainly brought in positive sentiments in the Corona-inflicted market. To revive the economy and related activities, the government is also drawing plans to ensure the steady flow of investment of Rs. 111 lakh crore into the National Infrastructure Pipeline.

Roads & Highways would hence, continue to be key growth drivers for the revival of the sagging economy. The rising focus of the government towards rural economy will also be one of the major contributors in the near future, with rural roads development projects being in focus. These projects would facilitate better connectivity which could be leveraged for efficient and cost-effective trade. Pradhan Mantri Gram SadakYojana (PMGSY) is one such initiative focused on building rural infrastructure.

Special focus on these initiatives is also expected to give quick yields in the form of rural employment and income. Urban rejuvenation is another area that can significantly create demand if focused on as an opportunity by the government. Apart from these, Railways and Water Conservation projects have the potential to become significant growth enablers.

Furthermore, projects like Sagarmala should be given impetus at this point of time, to strengthen the logistics network and develop requisite infrastructure. Such projects areaimed at enhancing capacity at ports, improving operational efficiency and connectivity of ports to the hinterland to enable a smoother flow of trafficand building of national highways.

As a service provider what are the major constraints in today's context and how these pressure points can be eased out?

In the recent past, restriction on movement in view of the nation-wide lockdown announced to contain the spread of the global Covid-19 pandemic, had adversely impacted the import-export cycle and the demand-supply chain in India. The ongoing stress on the economy also created liquidity related challenges both for the consumers and producers of goods and services. Furthermore, movement of labourers back to their villages, could also bring new challenges, in terms of resumption of construction activities.

However, with the gradual relaxation in lockdown norms, and opening up of the markets, we are hopeful of a brighter future. The government has already announced a slew of measures to improve the detrimental impact on the economy and especially, the construction and manufacturing industry. Taking the road to economic recovery, the recent stimulus announced by the government has started off with some steps in the right direction like opening of markets, reforms in coal mining sector and support to MSMEs, etc. With such support, we are certain that the government will be able to mitigate the pressure and stress on the sector, in near future.

What is the scope and potential of leveraging the digital tools in the entire eco-system of road sector?

There is a significant scope of digitization and automation as we move forward. Newer concepts like telematics, IoT, Big Data and machine learning have the capability to play a major role in increasing the efficiency of the sector. This is because big-ticket infrastructure development projects not only demand the best quality output but also work on tight timelines thus, creating a need for specialized, intelligent and technologically advanced construction equipment.

Aligned with the same, at JCB, we have pioneered the integration of digital technology in our 'Intelli' series of construction equipment. This has improved productivity, reliability and efficiency of our machines to ultimately benefit our customers with ease of operation and cost profitability. All our machines are also equipped with would class remote monitoring telematics technology - LiveLink, which has made machine maintenance seamless.

With such intelligent and smart machines and services spread across 60 products and 8 product categories, JCB has been helping pace up India's infrastructure development till now. As we go ahead, we shall continue to utilize these smart technologies to offer unmatched benefits to customers and end users, who need these even more now to recover from the market slowdown.

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