Cat® Machines Play Critical Role in DilipBuildcon’s Success Story
Bhopal based DilipBuildcon Ltd. (DBL) with accreditation from the IRQAO and ASCB(E), UK, is presently the largest private sector road-focused Engineering Procurement Construction player in the country, executing projects over Rs.6000 crore. DBL is also the fastest growing infrastructure development company of India with about 100% growth year-on-year for the last 10 years. The company is a key player in developing infrastructure across the country in diverse areas such as roads and bridges, water sanitation and sewage, power and telecom transmission towers, transmission lines, irrigation, industrial, commercial and residential buildings.
DBL's equipment bank plays a critical role in their business growth. DBL does not believe in subcontracting. Hence all projects are executed and completed before schedule with the help of their equipment bank. Devendra Jain, Director, DilipBuildcon Ltd. elaborates, "In 2003, when we started expanding our business by taking up several road infrastructure projects, we decided to buy internationally reputed brands. We planned on focusing over a single brand for each segment of machines, which would help in getting good service and simplify parts procurement. We now have a fleet of world famous brand machines, which have helped us complete our projects on time without compromising on quality."
Not surprisingly, DBL's biggest fleet comprises of Cat machines. The breakup is as follows: Motor grader - 97 (120H + 120K), Excavator - 153 (112X320D, 41X320D2), Excavator - 4 (329D), Track Type Tractor - 3XD6R, 3XD6G, HM 2021 Wheel Loader – 162, Backhoe loader - 58X424B, Soil Compactor - 5XCS533E, Piling Rig – 2.
One of DBL's current infrastructure development projects includes the four lane highway project between Budhani and Itarsi. The 40 km stretch is being executed with the help of 10 Cat excavators (8X320D, 2X320D2). "Cat machines have excellent performance, high reliability and remarkable productivity as compared to other machines," says Saurabh Sinha, Workshop Manager, DilipBuildcon Ltd. "The increased bucket size of the Cat 320D2 has enabled multiple functions and faster execution of projects. Our oldest machines have clocked more than 25,000 hours. They are still in peak working condition. We rarely experience premature failure."
DBL homed onto Caterpillar and GMMCO for its requirements after a lot of deliberation. "Our main criterion of machine selection is the after-sale-service network," says Jain. "We get excellent service support from GMMCO. In our association of 8 years, we have been buying many machines over the years and GMMCO has ensured that we have received excellent service in terms of operator training and maintenance. This has given maximum uptime and we have successfully completed our projects before schedule. Machine productivity follows closely as the second most important criterion for selection."
Maintaining a large fleet of Cat machines is a daunting task. But with proper after-sales-service provided by GMMCO, Cat machines have been performing in peak condition. "Total Solutions have helped us by giving us an excellent annual maintenance," says Jain. "Whenever we took up new projects and our requirements increased, we conveyed our needs to the GMMCO team. They chalked out solutions to suit our requirements. They helped us by planning the type and number of machines to be bought at various intervals. They maintained uniform pricing for those machines throughout the year and gave us an Annual Maintenance Contract which ensured our fleet was in peak condition at all times. This has indeed increased machine uptime."
Float engines system is an excellent initiative that has helped us immensely. Health auditing is another excellent system adopted by GMMCO, wherein mobile service engineers give us inputs regarding preventive care of machines to reduce their wear and tear. This has increased the life of our machines. We have together designed maintenance plans to suit our needs."
"Scheduled Oil Sampling is a very important check. We can easily run our machines and maintain them properly. With their experienced maintenance team's guidance, our workshop managers learnt some valuable methods of on-site maintenance of the fleet and this interaction has helped in developing a good rapport with each other. This harmony has led to an increase in our productivity," says Jain.
Jain is a satisfied customer and reiterates his faith in Cat machines, "This year has been a good one in terms of business growth. We have taken up new projects in 5 states in South India. We have started work and have accordingly placed an order for 500 machines, which is the largest fleet increment in a single year."
DBL has forayed into water projects and has steadily risen to become one of the top 10 infrastructure development companies. Jain signs off, "With our strong association with Caterpillar, we hope to rise further and experience exponential growth in the years to come."
NBM&CW April 2015
