We've been a part of India's growth narrative for the last 35 years and are optimistic about the future

Takahiro Ueda

Chairman and MD, President and CEO, Honda India Power Products

How do you view the progress of infrastructure development in the country?

The infrastructure industry is a major economic driver and contributes largely to the economy of India. The industry propels India's overall growth and thus receives special attention from the government in terms of implementing measures to ensure the country's timely development of world-class infrastructure. The building sector is vital to a country's overall infrastructural development. In 2021, the Indian construction market was worth $609.6 billion. The market is expected to increase at a more than 6% CAGR from 2023 to 2026. A robust pipeline of infrastructure projects across several industries will sustain growth throughout the predicted period.

Honda has been a major player in its sector with innovative products. How are these innovations contributing to the infrastructure development of the country?

With a legacy of over 35 years of serving the people of India, Honda has been a pioneer in the Indian market, effectively selling its 4-stroke technology-powered GX engines for construction equipment in India and abroad. The portability, durability, compact design, and unrivalled fuel efficiency of Honda GX engines make them ideal for continuous and heavy-duty operations at construction sites. These Honda Advanced 4-Stroke Professional series heavy duty GX engines, by Honda India Power Products Ltd (HIPP) are significantly contributing to the construction industry in India and fuelling the aspirations of over five million consumers.

Our Honda 4-stroke engines are used to power construction machines all over the world, providing clean, durable, and portable power for various construction equipment such as concrete vibrators, cutters, mixers, soil compactors, power trowels, and road rammers.

Along with being robust sources of power for construction equipment, Honda engines are compact, lightweight, durable, fuel-efficient, and environmentally friendly, hence aligning with the heavy-duty and continuous work requirements of the construction industry. With a vast and innovative product repertoire, HIPP has been and will continue to be devoted to steering the country's progress on the right path and doing our best to accomplish the Prime Minister's goal of developing an 'AatmaNirbhar Bharat' for our consumers by effectively 'Making in India'.

How has the company evolved in the recent past? What are the major achievements?

Honda India Power Products was the first in the industry to launch a 2-hp 4-stroke brush cutter in the Indian market, thereby offering Honda's legendary 4-stroke technology and providing unmatched fuel efficiency and working efficiency to Indian customers. HIPP crossed the 5-million-unit sales milestone in the year 2020, which also marked the completion of 35 years of successful business operations in India. Recently, we took a big leap towards the marine business by launching world-renowned & proven Honda 4-Stroke Outboard Motors in March 2022. We are currently offering our valued customers a delightful experience right from pre-sales guidance to after-sales service with the vision of meeting and surpassing our customers' expectations.

What are the opportunities for Honda in the upcoming market scenario?

The economic situation seems to be in turmoil with the ups and downs ongoing across the world. It has highly disrupted the supply chains, leading to further disruptions in the traditional ways of doing business through new and evolving contemporary business routes. At HIPP, we are highly conscious of meeting the evolving needs of customers. With this objective, HIPP is poised to be the first mover in the Power Products industry to launch an e-commerce platform for our esteemed customers shortly. They will be able to purchase any power product while sitting at home from any part of the country with the click of a button. To further enhance the experience, they are backed by an exclusive customer care centre to assist them. During the pandemic, we endeavoured to meet the market demands by launching high head pumps for fulfilling the irrigation needs of crops in hilly terrains and high discharge pumps for plains, thus appealing to farmers across different regions and segments in India. We could also fulfil a long-standing need for a basic compact tiller for farmers, who were demanding a powerful yet affordable power tiller for their dairy farm operations. We have already started empowering our dealers by upgrading their infrastructure for an improved customer experience. Learning from the pandemic, we have rapidly improved and adapted to the fast-shifting sands while working in a dynamic market. With the high volatility in fuel prices, our legendary 4-stroke technology-backed products will help them save money with improved productivity and high efficiency.

How is sustainability playing an important role in the company's operations and products? 

HIPP follows a rigorous process of understanding customers' needs to introduce products that meet and exceed their expectations. Given the diverse usage that HIPP products cater to, they have become the benchmark in their respective usage segments. As a company, we understand the opportunities and responsibilities in the value chain. HIPP also believes that developing value for society while pursuing economic value would result in sustainable corporate leadership and, eventually, contribute to overall sustainability. This is reflected well in our products that combine superior performance with sophisticated engineering that contributes to delivering maximum performance with reduced emissions and fuel economy.

What are the company's expansion plans and how is the company drawing its growth plans?

HIPP has carefully nurtured its sales and service network in the Indian market over the last 35 years of its successful business operations in the country. Today, with over 600 sales and service outlets in the country monitored by 16 area sales offices, HIPP is very well positioned to offer its products and services to its valued customers across the country. HIPP has also actively created a network of over 120 Honda authorised service points and about 2,000 rural mechanics with the objective of providing after-sales support even in rural areas of the country.

Today, HIPP has the best-in-class retail network in the country, which has been carefully nurtured over the last 35 years. Regular training workshops with upgradation of workshop infrastructure to keep up with the evolving technology, mobile service vans offering doorstep service convenience, and free service camps have helped HIPP to offer unmatched service support to our valued customers.

With the recent launch of Outboard Motors, HIPP hopes to establish itself in the Maritime Security, Tourism, and Leisure markets before diversifying into the vast and diverse fishing segment. Just as we did in the agriculture and construction sectors of the power product business, Honda Power will expedite the shift to 4-stroke technology by clearly demonstrating the Honda advantage to clients. We also have plans in place to accelerate the shift towards environmentally friendly 4-stroke technology for sustainable development of the waterways.

A variety of product offerings over the last few decades has built a solid foundation for us to expand our influence in the Indian market. We've been a part of India's growth narrative for the last 35 years and are optimistic about the future. The trust placed in us by the Indian consumer has always motivated us to work harder in our pursuit of providing technologically sophisticated and environmentally conscious offerings to fulfil the expectations of our customers. We are all aligned and shall continue to meet and exceed customer expectations in line with our company's vision of 2030 to 'Empower People to Do Better'.

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