The biggest challenge is unavailability of skilled operators

Puneet Vidyarthi,
Brand Leader,
CASE India

Driverless machines and artificial intelligence will play a crucial role in the Indian construction sector  in the future.

How do you assess the scope and potential for digitalizing road construction, especially NHAI projects? 

The technological change is inevitable and it is a perennial process. Today, we see a fair share of technologically superior and advanced equipment for road and highway construction. Case India's products are customer centric and driven, our main focus is to give our customers whether experienced or amateur, a product which ensure their safety and give them the maximum productivity at work. There's still a lot more we can do and India is still in its nascent stages in terms of adoption of new technology, so there's immense potential for some of our most exciting technologies.

Brief us on the innovative contributions from CASE India in revolutionising road construction? 

CASE as an active player in the industry tries its best to deploy its best in class offerings when it comes to road and highway construction. Our machines come loaded with technological features focussed on productivity, fuel efficiency and customer safety and comfort. All our products are equipped with ROPS & FOP cabin systems for operator safety. We were one of the first equipment manufacturers to offer state of the art telematics in our machines.

CASE India's road construction range is driven by our very own FPT industrial engine, which saves fuel cost and provides efficiency to the product. CASE India's compactor range is packed with features like a compaction meter which provides information on amplitude, frequency and information related to density of soil compacted. The information is available to the operator on the screen. Our graders also include a CRDI electronic engine for on-board diagnostics, with laptop connectivity to download the entire data log and analyse past and ongoing operations. It also goes a long way in identifying the exact issue in case of a service / maintenance alert which ensures quick recovery and lower downtimes.

Additionally, CASE India's newly launched excavator provides an ergonomically designed mechanical seat which has 8 different adjustments enhancing the operator comfort and hence productivity. A system of vibration dampening is introduced which protects against body fatigue to maximise productivity. The cabin contains inputs like auto climate control and air conditioning with 25% more airflow through 8 vents for better efficiency during harsh summers. An integrated 7-inch LCD monitor enables real time tracking and diagnostics.

What are the major challenges in adopting such advanced IoT / embedded sensor based technologies in the design and construction of roads? 

The biggest challenge which stops the OEMs from bringing in more advanced machines in the industry is unavailability of skilled and knowledgeable operators. Operator training is paramount to ensure that the best features of the machine are used and the benefits reaped. To an extent, every machine is only as good as its operator. Lack of training also means that operators may overwork a machine beyond its capability resulting in downtimes due to frequent service requirements. CASE has a fleet of trained operators and we are working on establishing a training program to train more - to try and reduce the impact of this challenge. We are quite far off in terms of introducing such advancements in India. These technologies are being piloted in some parts of the world now. Time will tell how easily India adapts to them.

How supportive are the existing codes and specs in the adoption of such advanced technologies?

IoT and embedded sensor technologies are being adopted in pilot projects in some parts of the world currently. We shall welcome, when such technology comes to India. We are seeing some advancement in the passenger vehicle segment - however, in construction, India is still preparing ground. Our current traffic monitoring and road sensory systems have a lot to cover to support advanced technologies.

What is the current status of the road sector and how do you foresee the future trends in road construction?

The Budget 2020 has outlined a roadmap for the development of infrastructure and construction sector. The keen focus on the highway projects and monetization of the highway bundles provides a lot of chances to the stakeholders to make the most of this year with the given opportunities. We also see continuity in major projects which were launched during the previous government. We expect these steps to create better opportunities for the road construction segment in the coming time.

Tech solutions like telematics, IoT enabled sensor technologies, additive manufacturing and augmented reality are some of the technologies which are present in the Indian construction equipment sector today. The government with norms like BSVI is trying to put more environment friendly vehicles and equipment on the road. Globally, the advent of such environment friendly technologies are already available. CNH Industrial introduced one such technology globally, last year which is a project TETRA concept wheel loader. It is a sustainable powering the new natural gas (NG) methane-powered wheel loader. The concept ensures 15 percent less CO² and 99 percent less particulate matter than its diesel-based counterpart. It is cheap and helps in reducing the carbon footprint of the company.

Driverless machines and artificial intelligence will also play a crucial role in the Indian construction sector in the future. One example of such a machine is the CNH ndustrial's autonomous tractor concept boosting precision and productivity. With such concepts making a way in the industry we are hopeful to see such innovations in the construction sector of India as well.

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