We have plans to increase the localisation of our existing machines.

- Puneet Vidyarthi

Head - Marketing & Business Development (CE) India & SAARC, Case New Holland Construction Equipment

CASE has introduced a range of construction equipment in India. Can you elaborate on your recent product launches and machines showcased at EXCON?

We offer a wide range of construction equipment that have become the backbone of India's infrastructure development. At the recently concluded EXCON, we displayed 10 machines out of which five are launched this year. The biggest launch is the 770NXE, a 49.5 hp tractor backhoe loader with very good productivity and fuel efficiency. The second product launched was the 770EX Plus with four-wheel drive and an extending dipper which can be extended by 1 m. Another machine showcased was the 851FX centre pivot backhoe loader with BS-IV engine.

In compactors, we launched soil compactor with a new BS-IV engine. With this machine, customers require one less pass to achieve the level of compaction prescribed by NHAI. Also showcased were our tandem compactors, 952EX and 450DX.

We have also launched the BS-IV range of motor graders. What we showcased here was the 845C which is very useful for road applications. We also have 865C Motor Grader, which is generally used in mining applications. This is also a new machine with BS-IV compliant that is introduced in India for the first time at the EXCON.

In excavators, we launched the CX220C with a few new features. We also showcased a long carriage CX220LC which is a heavy-duty machine for applications in mining and quarrying.

We also launched many after sales packages for customers of various combinations, and remanufactured transmission to reduce the maintenance cost of the machine for customers.

This EXCON was very impressive for us, as we received bulk orders for backhoe loaders, graders, and compactors. Most customers were medium and large contractors while there were also retail customers.

With new machines being introduced, operator training and skill development are becoming imperative in today's scenario. What are the skilling initiatives at CASE India?

Every year there is a need to hire many new workers to operate the new launched machines in the country. There are service engineers, back office and support staff who also require training on the latest technology developments. Skill development is a key area as people need to be trained for specialized products and we are serious about it. There are three main areas in training. Service training is a continuous process at CASE. We have a training centre at Pithampur where every engineer has to attend a number of trainings on engine, transmission, etc. This also includes employees working at our dealerships. Before Covid, these trainings were conducted physically, however, during Covid, all these programmes are conducted virtually. Now, we have restarted the offline trainings. Additionally, we also offer a combination of online and offline or hybrid model which has become a new normal way of functioning. We have created self-training modules so that every engineer can refresh his/her knowledge on a regular basis and then accumulate points and move ahead in the skill levels, without actually getting into a formal programme for that to happen.

Operator training is an ongoing process at CASE and we are going to tieup with large training organisations not only to educate the operators but also to create new entrepreneurs. For example, for rural areas, those training centres will help create more skilled operators which will eventually help create more entrepreneurs and employment in the region.

We are also engaging with the premier educational institutions in and around Pithampur, for student engagements. These students are doing a lot of projects within our manufacturing facility on AI, digital aspects, manufacturing processes, etc., to help solve many real-life problems with fresh perspectives. These students are also trained by us and we co-create solutions for a series of real-life problems.

We are also part of the course curriculum design committees of these education centres to offer perspectives on what the industry needs today and how students can be prepared to fulfill these in the future.

How is CASE preparing for the future infra development and market opportunities?

We have been present in India for the past 32 years. We have doubled our investment in capacities, products and capabilities in the last 3-4 years. We will continue to invest and we have plans to bring in new product lines to India which are being manufactured across the world. We have plans to increase the localisation of our existing machines. We strongly believe that the products of world-class quality can be produced in India and can be exported. We are already exporting our Made-in-India products to more than 75 countries. We are also helping our vendors to grow around our manufacturing facility, bringing them to a level where they can also start exporting the components. This is to ensure that their capabilities and quality levels reach that standard. So overall, it is an economical activity which we will be able to induce around our plants.

Our Pithampur facility is almost a green building comprising state-of-the-art assembly lines. We have a world-class manufacturing bronze status and are the fastest to reach that level among our group companies across the globe. We utilise one-fourth of our power needs from solar panels.

Talking about further developments of our Pithampur facility, we plan to bring in more products to be manufactured here. We have enough space at our facility for further expansion and we are evaluating the market demand and cost economics for some of the products which we can start manufacturing here. We are already in an advanced stage of bringing one more product line to be manufactured at Pithampur facility for the world and are exploring the possibilities of bringing the second one. So, there are at least two new product lines which will be added to our manufacturing footprint here soon.

What is your outlook on the Indian CE industry?

The Indian CE industry is maturing as more players are serious about bringing in new thoughts and innovations. All of us need to look at how we can bring down the owning and operating cost for the customers as the increasing commodity prices, fuel cost, labour cost and the new emission norms are changing the business scenario not only for manufacturers but also for the customers. So as an industry, all of us need to work together on these aspects to offer better products to the customers. Only if the customer is healthy and profiting, we all can survive.

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