Cat® 320D – Channelizing Growth for ABC Associates

Canal and road construction projects have become the mainstay of ABC Associates, especially with the high performance Cat® 320D as an extremely reliable ally. Owner Subodh Singh Parihar vouches for its superiority and the faith that has grown over the past one year.

Co-owned by two partners, ABC Associates has completed ten years in the business of construction of canals, roads, buildings and bridges spread across Madhya Pradesh. With a dedicated workforce of 200+ and a fleet of Cat machines such as 1 X 320D, 1 X 329D, 1 X 120H Motor grader, 2 X 424B Backhoe Loaders, 1 X D5 Loader and other machines, ABC Associates are well-equipped to handle large projects with ease and efficiency.

Currently, the company is executing a Rs.131 crore project of main canal construction at Nagod in Satna. The left bank canal of the Bargi diversion project from 33.5 km to 55.6 km, covers a total length of 22 km. The Cat 320D and Cat 329D have been deployed for canal digging purposes.

"I was on the look out for a good machine for canal-digging. So I made a thorough study and decided that the Cat 320D would meet my requirement. Being one of the first Caterpillar customer from Satna, I have purchased several Cat machines due to their superior output and life-cycle," says Parihar.

Speaking about the machine's performance, Parihar comments, "The Cat 320D was basically bought for digging of canals and it has lived up to our expectations. It was a new machine with new technology, and we were extremely satisfied with its performance as compared to any other machine in the market. The overall machine performance has been good over the years."

Explaining the psyche of the typical Indian customer, Parihar explains, "In India, when you go to buy a machine or vehicle, the first question you ask is regarding the average output. Everything else comes next. On this score, Cat machines have an excellent average output and life cycle. Other than these deciding factors, the dealers are pro-active in providing good after-sales service."

"After I purchased the Cat 320D, there was a positive difference in work output. It's been almost a year since we bought the machine and our faith in its performance and reliability has grown over time. Excellent product value, great output and basic honesty and integrity in dealer service have endeared Cat machines and made us loyal to the Caterpillar brand," he adds.

Elaborating about the robustness of the machine and the economics of using the 320D, he says, "More the machine uptime -- more is the productivity. This has translated to timely completion of projects and has reaped rich dividends. So I would term the Cat 320D as a good return of investment. Though the fuel efficiency is average, the non-fuel operating costs are low. So in this respect, the Cat 320D is low on recurring expenditure, thereby proving to be economical in the long run."

Caterpillar's policy of providing prompt and quality service to its customers has drawn appreciation from Parihar. He shares his experience, "Service from dealer is readily available on call. Within 3 hours, the service engineers attend all complaints related to machine performance.

Due to sudden unforeseen expenses, the dealer has made special allowances and has been providing parts without payment for the last six months, thereby helping us complete the project on time. This has greatly enhanced the peak level performance of the machine at all times. On-site maintenance training and operator training provided by GMMCO have proved to be very helpful."

The Cat 320D has been playing a key role in major projects executed by ABC Associates. Its high performance, reliability, excellent dealer service, and long machine life have contributed positively to their business growth and the Cat 320D continues to deliver. After all, with great power, comes great responsibility.