The highlight among the new products is the skid-steer loaders made in India for the world.

Puneet Vidyarthi, Head – Marketing (India Region), CASE Construction Equipment

What are the breakthrough products and technologies showcased at Excon 2023?

We have showcased six new products in the 10 exhibits at this Excon. The highlight among these is the skid-steer loaders made in India for the world. This is manufactured by all-women crew in the assembly line at our Pithampur plant. We started with a small platform of skid-steer which is now being manufactured in India and it is being exported to overseas markets. We have expanded our range on backhoes as well. We are at the moment exporting our made-in-India machines to 105 countries. Each country has got a different set of requirements for machines in terms of their local regulations. Those machines are being customised to local requirements. We export all range of compactors viz. soil, tandem and mini. In excavator exports, we have recently achieved a milestone of exporting 1,000 excavators. Recently, we exported BS-V excavators to European market which is one of the most advanced markets globally.

We have launched mini excavator which we have showcased here. As a group, we have entered into this entirely new segment in India. This is one of the fastest growing markets for that matter and now we are present in this segment as well.

How do you compare the demand for backhoe loaders and mini excavators?

Requirements are not same for backhoe loaders and mini excavators. Definitely there are some common applications where requirements are similar. However, both of them have got their own advantages. For mini excavators in India, typically half of the market is in Kerala because of the space constraints. Backhoe is more versatile and multi-utility kind of a machine. Sometimes it is the production machine and sometimes a utility machine. I don’t think beyond a point, they will clash with each other.

What are the sustainability features in your equipment ranges?

Sustainability is something we practise very seriously within our plants as well and certain products what we are showcasing here. One is the electric mini excavator which is our foray into sustainability as an exhibit. Also, there are two BS-V machines, 770NX and 1107NX, both are complying to next level of emission norms. In a way, at least these two are the very specific examples of sustainability which we are showcasing in this exhibition.

How do you look at the year ahead for your business?

The CE industry has grown around 18-20 percent this year and we are expecting a similar growth next year as well. There can be a slight dip in business around the elections period, but this will be a temporary phase. We believe industry will not go down, overall there will be a similar rate of growth in the coming year.