Local manufacturing will play a huge role in creating a better eco-system.

= Sandeep Mathur

Brand Leader, Case India

What is prospects and scope from the current scenario and government's move to award more roads & highways projects?

The government is trying its best to revive the economy and the market situation. To enable the revival, the government has announced a number of new projects to restart the momentum and at the same time several policy decisions have been taken to ensure smooth project clearances and operations. The Ministry has permitted building 34,800 km of national highways in 5 years with an expected cost of Rs 5.35 lakh crore in the Phase-I of BharatmalaPariyojana and the NHAI has been mandated to build 27,500 km. In order to ensure liquidity for the ongoing projects, government has announced quick disbursal of pending payment for the vendors. The ministry is also working to reduce arbitration cases and has eased land acquisition process. The Ministry has also set mechanisms for fast clearances of projects and have started evaluating bids for highway projects of more than 1,300 km and another 1,500 km is ready for bidding. We are confident that these measures will help bring back the construction sector on track and subsequently generate adequate equipment demand.

Tell us the key factors considered and employed in minimizing manual involvement without compromising on safety and efficiency.

At CASE India, our employees are our number one priority and we've made serious efforts to ensure their safety. In order to restart operations our team discussed every possible area that required intervention and created new protocols keeping social distancing and other safety requirements in mind.  We've increased the number of shifts at our plant from 2 to 3 which has ensured a decrease in the number of people working at a time. Our team also does rigorous planning and scheduling to keep a track of the work being done every day. This detailed roster helps us making sure that no critical processes are disturbed, the number of employees working at a time is safe and work is being prioritized accordingly.

Our facilities are stocked up with PPE kits, sanitizers and safety masks for every employee and the new protocols mandate the use of these supplies as well. We are also equipped with a thermal scanning gun, automated sanitizer sprays and CCTV cameras at the gates to ensure that each individual is thoroughly checked and safe to enter. This is a challenging time and CASE India stands with the government's order of following the strictest protocol at workplaces to ensure employee safety.

Government's Aatmanirbhar movement and 'Make in India' initiatives - how are you tapping in these potentials?

The 'Make in India' initiative has recently gained traction again, during the pandemic because the government is exploring India's potential to become a manufacturing hub. Our manufacturing plant in Pithampur, Indore (Madhya Pradesh) produces world-class construction equipment range. From CASE's Pithampur plant, products are being exported to the markets of Africa, South East Asia, Russia, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Middle East countries. The plant has recently been certified Bronze Level in the World Class Manufacturing (WCM) program. The Pithampur facility serves India's road and infrastructure sector and exports its products to around 30 markets.

The  Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan campaign, will help  OEMs in the CE sector by  generating a local component sourcing base for the construction sector and facilitating collaboration with the MSME's which could further lead to better R&D, infrastructure, logistics, delivery and subsequently a more robust product line in the country. This initiative will help in bringing down the cost of parts which will subsequently lead to low cost of the final product allowing for improved margins. The improved logistics
and infrastructure will also ensure speedy delivery of parts to the dealers and customers and is going to create better coordination with the local vendors. Local manufacturing will also result in up skilling of labour and will play a huge role in creating a better eco-system. This initiative can turn India into a manufacturing hub which can attract more foreign investment thus generating jobs and strengthening the market further.

At CASE, We have always believed in local sourcing and indigenous manufacturing. It is the way we work and we will continue to do so.

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