The market is expected to improve starting September this year.

- Anand Sundaresan

Managing Director, Ammann India

What are the latest solutions from the company displayed at Excon?

We have a lot of high-density corridors coming up in India for which we are ready with solution. In EXCON, we have displayed lot of upcoming technologies and have set up knowledge park with Ammann think tank, showcasing high recycling (RAP), plastic additions, both in batch plants & continuous plants, highly fuel-efficient burners minimising operating cost, burners operating on Gas with Gas train - a new addition to Indian product family, SMA (Fibre) additions, liquid additives, PMB and emulsion plants which can be processed at site. We are working closely with various forums to bring up further new innovations by introducing the latest technology aligned with Atmanirbhar concept.

We are very strongly placed with the flexible pavements in terms of products as well as the spare parts and services. In EXCON, we have exhibited mini tandem rollers thereby completing our compaction family of soil compactors and heavy tandem rollers. With this, we are strongly placed in Indian market to provide 'One Stop Shop Solution' that complements with our pavers. We have introduced pavers with feather-touch console and efficient control which is synchronized with speed, thereby helping better roughness index.

Ammann has displayed its indigenous and highly innovative AS1 control system, that enables real-time updates, energy savings, quality reports and many more such innovative features. We have displayed solutions with Internet of Things (IoT) also. Altogether, we are trying to bring a lot of innovative solutions that can easily address/resolve some of the most pressing problems faced by operators, supervisors and contractors in the field. These are exactly what our customers are expecting from a pioneer in construction industry.  A partial list of Ammann's new launches include plants offering up to 60% RAP, cold mix technology using up to 90%, BS4 WM6, AP550,AP600 pavers, ARS-110.2 soil compactors, ARX 30.2, ARX 90.2 tandem rollers, Kerb Lying machine, advanced maintenance solutions etc.

How was the response at Excon? Can you share some insights into the business deals happened at Excon?

To say the least, EXCON has been fabulous thus far. Just that, the weather played a bit of spoilsport, affecting our stalls. Nevertheless, we witnessed high spirits among the visitors to the exhibition, as the sun has finally risen at the end of a long, dark pandemic. We too have great expectations with EXCON and are waiting for the best business outcomes. A lot of sensation is there with the Indian visitors wanting to witness new technologies in plants and machines be it telematics, IOT, new emission standards, various additive options, burner operations with CNG/LPG besides LDO/HSD/FO/LSHS etc.  We have finalised many orders for the asphalt plants, concrete plants, paver and compaction equipment.

Why does a customer buy from Ammann India?

Ammann being a global company and a customer-centric organization, we always believe in having our customers at the centre of everything that we do, such as continuous improvement process and invent new technologies/upgradation aimed at addressing their operational issues and reducing their total cost of ownerships.

The industry will witness a substantial demand from economies all over the world, but the emerging economies will play a major role in this.

Some of the vital trends that will promote the growth of asphalt plants market are: Maximum usage of RAP, retrofitting, remote maintenance access and online diagnosis, mobile and modular plants offering ease of trucking and installation, fuel saving, trained manpower, dependable after-sales service, and swift availability of genuine spare parts.

At Ammann India, we are fully geared up on all the above and thus we believe our customers will have exciting times ahead with our technology-enabled plants.

How are you addressing the skill development related challenges?

One of the challenges has been the availability of skilled people to meet the ever growing demand of CE industry as a result of strong growth of infrastructure. It is also true that India has strong demographic advantage of large young working population, full of energy and enthusiasm. However, it is important to build the required skill sets and make them ready for construction industry. We at Ammann India have taken a lead with our training academy in place. We believe in inducting fresh engineers and train them to impart required skill level. This is aimed at creating and adding to the talent pool of trained and certified operators, technicians and supervisors readily available for our esteemed customers.

How is Ammann India contributing to India's infrastructure development?

Infrastructure sector being a key driver for the Indian economy and with government focus on infrastructure growth orientation, capex investment in infrastructure continues to be the focus of the budget. The budget intends to provide a blueprint to steer the Indian economy for the next 25 years under the aegis of PM GatiShakti viz. transformative approach for economic growth and sustainable development recognizing infrastructure as a cornerstone. Government of India is going to invest US$1. 4 trillion till 2025 on road sector and plans to construct 83 km per day. For financing infrastructure, the government has stepped up public investment complemented by private capital at a significant scale with emphasis on PPP model. As a golden opportunity, Ammann India intends to bring cutting-edge European technology and manufacture indigenous equipment while generating local employment and supporting Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives.

What are your future plans to take Ammann brand to the next level?

Ammann has invested in India and has a lot of emphasis to create an international hub. We have started exporting plants and machines from India as well. Our core competency is the manufacturing of batching plants both in asphalt and concrete besides compactors and pavers. The expectation over the years has been increasing in the domestic and export market. With strengthening of Competence Centre, we at Ammann are quite focused in our core business. Besides that, we are increasing our manpower in line with business growth and customer needs. We offer multi-level training programs in Amman Academy, aimed at skill development and creating job opportunities, encompassing various training levels for operators, foremen, and supervisors. Ammann India is affiliated with IESC and is working closely with NSDC - a Government of India initiative.

As regards to the long run in the industry, it is Ammann's leading technology in products and the differentiated services that will give the impetus.

How do you visualise the future demand trend for your products?

I can see that government is quite supportive. Every time we find our Honourable Minister Mr Nitin Gadkari talking about bringing in lots of investment in road sector. We are seeing huge traction on high-density corridors and expressways coming such as Taj Expressway, Ganga Expressway, Delhi-Vadodara Expressway, Purvanchal Expressway, Bundelkhand, Coastal projects etc. Government's record of rapid road laying @83 km per day, emphasizes its focus on roads & highways. Of course, we have to focus on our asphalt plants along with other product lines and aim to remain as a major player in the segment.

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