Processing and producing aggregates at the matching pace of the infrastructure sector is the need of the hour.

- Piero Guizzetti

CEO, MB Crusher India

Aggregates are essential in every construction project. What do you think is the present market dynamics/ demand drivers for the crushing and screening units?

India is the 2nd largest aggregate consumer in the world. With the heavy investment in the Infrastructure sector by the government of India, the overall demand for aggregates is bound to go up. Aggregate industry is very fragmented in India, mostly dominated by local players & small captive players who own small quarries & low capacity plants.

As the government is heavily focusing on infrastructure development, the demand for crushed & screened aggregates are required in huge quantity. Processing & producing aggregates at the matching pace of the infrastructure sector is the need of the hour and the demand for M-sand is on the rise due to the ban imposed on natural sand mining in several states of India. It is estimated that more than 50% of the M-sand demand comes from the road construction sector followed by construction and real-estate sector.

Have you introduced any new features / designs or latest technological upgrades that can enhance the utility of the crushing and screening systems?

We have recently further enhanced the weight distribution of our machines, thereby ensuring an even better experience for the operator and zero impact on the base machine and its boom. We already had the best in class parameters; we have now gone even beyond that level. We have also given India specific reinforcements in key parts of our machines. We have been able to do this thanks to our leadership in the market, internationally and in India.

How do you look at the opportunities / future market / your target avenues for crushing and screening units?

We see a relatively more positive growth prospect for our niche segment. This is owing to the fact that mobilisation and installation of other alternatives have much longer timelines as compared to our solutions. As the country kicks back into gear, contractors will be keen to promptly resume operations. With MB, you can start trenching, crushing and screening in a matter of a few days.

What are the major challenges in today's context in the crushing and screening market? 

Financing is one. Owing to the still not yet stabilised curve of cases stemming from this pandemic, there is still a bit of uncertainty. With uncertainty it is difficult to plan. Hence, for NBFCs it is difficult to frame the new criteria for creditworthiness of its clients which is in turn affecting machine sales. I do believe that the Government will ensure that liquidity is injected and that financing is re-opened; it is the only way to kick start the economy in an expedited manner. We work very closely with our clients and our finance partner in trying to find solutions whereby we all give a bit of extra effort in these extraordinary circumstances, for the mutual benefit of all.

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