Access Equipment Industry Awaits Rosy Days Ahead

The massive investments in infrastructure developmental projects and growing consciousness about safety, productivity and increasing uptime will lead the demand for higher quality Access Work Platform (AWP) in the Indian market in the near future. In order to grab maximum opportunities and market share, manufacturers of AWP have started focusing more on training and after-support services besides R&D for rolling out quality products. Maria R interacted with scores of leading players of AWP industry to know their views on the future market potential, demand trends, evolving advanced technologies and their renewed focus on customers support services. Excerpts:

JLG: Hybrid Technology is a Growing Trend in the Access Industry

Marketing Department, JLG Industries Inc.

How do you see the demand scenario of Access Equipment in the wake of government's strong commitment of massive investment in the transport infrastructure covering rail, metro road & airport and also in 100 smart cities project?
Currently, the AWP adoption in India is relatively low as compared to the United States and Europe, however, we are very optimistic about the growth of India's access equipment market. India is a fast-growing market and there is massive investment in infrastructure projects going on in the country.

Based on our experience in mature markets, we project that once business units and individual users become aware of the productivity advantages of AWPs, we will see growing demand for high quality, value-added access equipment

What is the product range you have in access equipment segment for different application areas? Do you have plans to launch new products and services?
JLG manufactures a wide portfolio of aerial work platforms, ranging from low level access machines, like the LiftPod, with six feet of platform height, to the 185 foot platform height 1850SJ - the largest self-propelled work platform in the market today.

Included in our line of work platforms are scissors lifts ranging from 19 to 43 feet in platform height, boom lifts from 30 to 185 feet and vertical mast lifts from 6 to 41 feet in platform height.

What are the advanced technological trends evolving in the access equipment segment? Are the customers ready to pay for the technology in India?
Hybrid technology is a growing trend in the access industry. JLG recently introduced the H340AJ, the first four-wheel electric drive hybrid with diesel-like performance. Because of the versatility, fuel savings and ownership advantages, customers are showing significant interest in innovations like this one that provide measureable benefits.

How has the company planned its programme for expansion to strengthen position in the Access equipment market? What marketing strategies are you reorienting knowing that despite marginal market recovery there would be stiff competition?
JLG has been the global leader in the access industry since its inception and has been an active participant in the India market for many years. JLG continues to expand into new and emerging markets with an increasingly broad product line and continued innovation in both products and services.

Would you please brief us about your customer support services including training, spare parts supply and regular maintenance issues?
JLG's service group, called Ground Support, ensures customers receive consistent and superior service throughout India, Asia and in the world. This includes aftermarket parts, field service, technical support, training, warranty support, and more. To ensure an immediate response, JLG-authorized distributors are designated to meet the local needs. JLG continues building a strong organization with personnel, parts inventory and tools in Singapore PDC to deliver outstanding support to our customers throughout Asia.

How has the company's performance been in the current market scenario and how you have handled the tough economic times?
JLG Industries, Inc. has been earning customers' confidence and trust through innovation since 1969. Our customers are our greatest priority, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to understanding their challenges.

As the world's leading designer and manufacturer of access equipment, JLG products and personnel are found all over the world, going above and beyond to support customers. We deliver the powerful, versatile equipment they need along with unsurpassed training and service, because we have a responsibility to be more than a manufacturing company. We are a partner in our customer's success, reaching out worldwide to enable performance, boost productivity, ensure uptime and support forward progress.

Haulotte: Close Proximity to Customers Scripts Success Story

How do you see the demand scenario of Access Equipment in the wake of government's strong commitment of massive investment in the transport infrastructure vis rail, metro road & airport and also in 100 smart cities project?
The demand for Access Equipment in India has been steadily growing across various sectors like Infrastructure, Construction, Power, Manufacturing, Hotels, Malls, Facility Management etc.

In is extremely encouraging to see the new government's strong commitment of massive investment in the transport infrastructure vis rail, metro road & airport and also in 100 smart cities project. We really hope that the execution of what has been planned commences soon. With such mega projects on the anvil, the demand for Access Equipment will definitely see a sharp increase.

What is the product range you have in access equipment segment for different application areas? Do you have plans to launch new products and services?
Haulotte Group is one of the topmost leading Full Range manufacturers of Access Equipment in the world. The use of Access platforms is multiferous. As such these equipments are used across all sectors there is a need to work at height productively and most importantly Safely.

Our product portfolio include,

Aerial Work Platforms - 7 products range over 60 models:

• Articulating booms, from 12 to 41m working height, diesel or electric powered.
• Scissors lift, from 6 to 18m working height, equipped with Rough Terrain diesel for outside applications or silent Electric for interior use, their platform capacity ranges from 230 to 1000kg
• Telescopic booms, from 14 to 43m working height
• Vertical masts, from 6 to 10m, they can be used both outdoor and indoor
• Push around, from 7 to 14m working height, this light compact machine is designed for fragile floor surfaces
• Trailer booms, from 12 to 26m, their compactness and lightweight allow them to be towed to any site

Telehandler range: The Haulotte telehandler offers maximum stability (obtained by locking the rear axle, thus solidifying the chassis) unmatchable handiness giving operational flexibility, progressiveness and precision: in addition to its wealth of on-board technology the Haulotte telehandler (or telescopic handler) is also endowed with the power of a diesel engine and the versatility of its many accessories. Its general ergonomics improve visibility and allow easy maintenance. 6 models:

• 10m working height: 3 machines with maximum lift capacity 3200kg, 3500kg and 4000kg
• 14m working height: 2 machines with maximum lift capacity 3600kg and 4000kg
• 17m working height with maximum lift capacity 3600kg and 4000kg

What are the advanced technological trends evolving in the access equipment segment? Are the customers ready to pay for the technology in India?
At HAULOTTE, we manufacture state of the art equipment which are evolved as per need of our customers. We lay a lot of emphasis on hearing the voice of our customers and meet their requirements.

Our objective is to manufacture machines with the best available technology with a view of giving maximum safety through optimised performance.

One of the recent technological advancements we have introduced in our diesel boomlifts is the Entrapment Prevention System, ACTIV' Shield© Bar. This ensures safety of the worker in an entrapment situation. The system once activated allows on reverse and down function of the machine thus preventing further danger to the worker. The system unlike some of our competitors offerings can be reset from the platform itself, thus saving both time and money.

Certainly customers in India are becoming aware of such technological advancement and even at a cost they are ready to add-on such features in their equipment..

How has the company lined up its programme for expansion to strengthen its position in the Access equipment market? What marketing strategies you are reorienting knowing that despite marginal market recovery there would be stiff competition?
Haulotte is one of the biggest manufacturers of Access Equipment in the world.

The success is primarily due to the request of safety, and secondly the necessity of finding a better productivity ratio. From 1985, Haulotte Group does it's best to manufacture, sell and provide assistance to customers, which mean providing efficient machines which meet customer needs. The success is only driven by customers!

Haulotte Group strategy is largely driven by its global strategy of "Customer Proximity". This involves the establishment of a commercial & services network closer to our customers, with teams of professionals who understand the needs and expectations of their markets, who provide the support to their clients.

In line with the same policy, Haulotte Group has its fully owned subsidiary in India, HAULOTTE INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED based out of Mumbai providing Sales, Service, Spare Parts and Training support to our esteemed customers in India.

At Haulotte, we know the immense potential that Indian market has, albeit currently the access equipment industry is still in a nascent stage. We at Haulotte India are constantly strategise in order to consolidate our presence and position in the industry. Our objective is to provide with our customers equipment that are state of the art and at an optimum price. We pride in giving the best after sales spare part, service support and training to our customers directly as well as through our network of Dealer and Resllers.

Would you please brief about your customer support services including training, spare parts supply and regular maintenance issues?
At Haulotte India its our endeavour to provide timely and efficient after sales support to our esteemed customers. Our team is available on call on a 24X7 basis.

As per Haulotte strategy, we provide direct sales and service support to the Rental sector. For end user segment based on their respective areas of operation, our Dealer Gemini and Resellers- Shakti, Gloline and JEHEL provide sales and service support.

Training is a very important subject that we focus on at Haulotte. We also provide operation and maintenance training to our customers on our equipment. Haulotte India Services have personnel who are factory trained and adept to impart training to our customers.

How has the company's performance been in the current market scenario and how have you handled the tough economic times?
Although over the last few years the economic scenario has been tough, and the market is yet to recover, at Haulotte we continue to be buoyant and confident on the promise and potential that India has.

It is indeed a matter of pride for us that Haulotte today is the leading Access Equipment brand in India. Year to year we have been consolidating our market leadership position in the country. In the recent past, we have won many prestigious projects like the 21 Nos. Haulotte machines supplied to the Mumbai International Airport Ltd. for the new Terminal 2. Today Haulotte Equipment are working in a wide gamut of sectors in across the country. This has only become possible because of the trust and confidence put on Haulotte as a brand by our customers. India is one of the fastest growing economies and we see a very bright future of the Access equipment industry in the years to come.

MACO Makes Massive Investment in Customers Support Services

How do you see the demand scenario of Access Equipment in the wake of government's strong commitment of massive investment in the transport infrastructure vis rail, metro road & airport and also in 100 smart cities project?
We are very optimistic of the demand to rise exponentially in view of the recent commitments which the political leadership of our country has put forth. Also the opening up of the market and the rush on project completion which were on go slow mode or on hold is a very interesting / encouraging signs of the good times to come.

What is the product range you have in access equipment segment for different application areas? Do you have plans to launch new products and services?
You will get a GENIE machines for every application as these machines are not application specific or industry specific. Each application is a different challenge and to cater to this we have the AWPs (Aerial Work Platforms), Scissor Lifts (Battery & Diesel), Articulating & Telescopic Boom Lifts, the trailer mounted boom lifts and whole lot of order pickers, and narrow push around machines.

Boom Lifts are mostly used for reaches from 15 m and upwards and wherever horizontal reach required is more than 3 mtrs.

Scissor Lifts where only vertical reach is needed with more people to be carried to heights.

AWP & other portable for indoor application and wherever there is a space constraints

Think of a challenge at your work place to work at height and GENIE has the solution.

GENIE is the first and the largest manufacturer in the world for Access Equipment's and has the complete range of machines. Also GENIE with its SX-180 is the highest working boom lift in service.

Our latest launches are as below:

GENIE Z-33/18 & the GENIE Z-62/40 which has been introduced knowing the strong market demand.

Z-62/40 boom lift increases the working height 20.87 m (67 ft 11in) and provides more horizontal outreach with a maximum of 12.47 m (40 ft 11 in). It still delivers excellent up and over clearance of 7.80 m (25 ft 7 in) with a maximum lift capacity of 227 kg (500 lbs). The new boom lift offers zero rear tail swing and minimal front turntable tail swing in the stowed position and has a below ground reach of up to 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in). All of these features are available on a machine that weighs only 9.934 kg (21,900 lbs) and stows to the compact size of 7.58 m (24 ft and 10.5 in) with the jib tucked. With its Genie Fast Mast™ boom system, operators can descend and retrieve needed tools or materials and quickly return to working height. The dual parallelogram lift linkage allows precise positioning of the platform on the jobsite for improved accuracy. The Z-62/40 boom lift features 4-wheel drive and full-time active oscillating axles.

Z-33/18 lift includes features to help increase efficiency on jobsites where space is tight. Its key features include solid non-marking or multi-surface tyres as option, long working cycles due to low-consumption AC drive transmission, a tight turning radius plus the benefits of the Genie® FastMast™ boom system that shortens ground-to-top lifting time. Featuring a compact 1.9 m (6.3 ft) wheelbase providing a gradeability of 30 percent, the Genie Z-33/18 articulating boom lift offers a working height of 12 m (39.4 ft), a horizontal reach of 5.6 m (18.3 ft) and an up-and-over clearance of 4.28 m (14.1 ft). In addition to a 76 cm (2.6 ft) long x 1.16 m (3.1 ft) wide platform, the man basket supports weights of up to 200 kg (440 lbs).

What are the advanced technological trends evolving in the access equipment segment? Are the customers ready to pay for the technology in India?
GENIE believes in a Continuous Improvement Journey, and through this programme Genie continuously incorporates technological developments, design inputs to enhance performance and ease the maintenance process. Some of the recent innovations are the GENIE Smart Link Control System & GENIE Lift Pro the online Tele-handler Operator Training

How has the company lined up its programme for expansion to strengthen its position in the Access equipment market? What marketing strategies you are reorienting knowing that despite marginal market recovery there would be stiff competition?
The company is investing in customer support more than ever and the rental arm will be further strengthened with more focus and vigour. The Indian market is not so diverse like the European or American markets where the customer really look for long life in products or due deligence on the servicability or after sales support before a purchase, hence our focus would be on the basics like offering the right price and the best service.

Would you please brief us about your customer support services including training, spare parts supply and regular maintenance issues?
MACO has 6 full fledged regional offices with a strong sales and service team at each location. Further the customer service system involves a decentralized but independent power centre where our regional office attends to the customer in the fastest time and our sales team still being responsible in ensuring utmost customer satisfaction level and the ensures the relations does not end with a sale. Further our spare parts stocking system gains strength with its 10 year data of most required spares in adequate quantities at the regional offices so that the customers will have this in the shortest possible time.

How has the company's performance been in the current market scenario and how have you handled the tough economic times?
The performance cannot be said to be the best but It has taught us a lot on how to hold your ground and not get carried away with the competition, the rising costs and slow opportunity generation rate etc.

Godrej Material Handling has One Mantra, i.e. to be a Total Solution Provider for All Customer Requirements

Godrej Material Handling is renowned in manufacturing lift trucks in India and has wide range of products in its portfolio including electric, LPG and diesel counterbalanced forklifts, warehouse trucks, and special trucks for specific applications. Apart from these, it also manufactures attachments of its own design for addressing a wide range of handling applications besides offering attachments made by international specialists in the field when the application demands. The company exports its equipment to over 40 countries throughout Asia, Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Europe.

In addition to the wide basket of offerings, we at Godrej Material Handling genuinely care for our customers. There is continuous focus in our company to improve aftermarket metrics and we keep investing in that. We are conscious of the fact that we need to support the customer with a well trained sales and service team which can understand their requirements.

Scissor lifts(Electric & Diesel)	Articulated Boom Lifts

Views on access equipment market in India
Access equipment started off a few years ago and has already tasted a fair bit of success with the changing trends in the Indian market. Though access equipment has been around for many years, greater demands on productivity and safety in recent times have driven growth in this category, especially in the construction sector for maintenance of facilities. As safety consciousness and understanding of how investing in such equipment actually reduces the cost of project execution and makes maintenance work more efficient, we firmly believe that the market for access equipment will grow exponentially in times to come.


Godrej has been a major player in material handling equipment. We know the market well and are equipped with required infrastructure to promote access equipment in the Indian market. Believing in the potential for this category, we have entered the market with a range of access equipment.

Commenting on market potential for Telehandlers in India
We see enormous potential in this segment. But the issues are lack of familiarity with the concept and initial cost of this equipment compared to the conventional pick-n-carry cranes, the industry is familiar with.

Tyre Handler	Bucket Attachment
Crane attachment	Merlo machine handling cement pallets

Telehandlers are much more productive, as they are multipurpose machines. This makes them versatile, efficient and safe as compared to pick-n-carry cranes the industry is familiar with.

The acceptance level five years ago and the kind of adoptation that is taking place now are quite promising. We see a positive trend and as people start to appreciate its value, growth is sure to follow.

Ispat: 'We Provide Complete Package of Best Technology, Ease of Use and Safety at Competitive Prices'

How do you see the demand scenario of Man & Material Equipment in the wake of government's strong commitment of massive investment in the transport infrastructure vis-a-vis rail, metro road & airport and also in 100 smart cities project?
With such a great number of projects in the pipeline, there would be a handsome demand for construction equipment, specifically access equipment and vertical logistics. Our company specializes in providing vertical logistics and access solutions with the best in its category, state-of-the-art equipment.

The demand would only increase with more and more people being concerned about safety as well as efficiency and increased speed of construction.

What is the product range you have in offer for different application areas? Do you have plans to launch new products and services?
Our company is already responsible for being the first to introduce a large variety of improved construction equipment especially in vertical logistics and rebar solutions. Being pioneer in this field and also passionate about newer and better technology, we have a wider range of products that are yet to be introduced to the market. Our principals GEDA, MEP, GOIAN, ICARO & Europa will be putting up stalls in the upcoming BAUMA Conexpo 2014.

Some of our products and their application areas:

• Mast Climbing Work Platforms: Brick laying, cladding, painting, glass and window installations, renovation work, façade work etc.
• Men & Material Hoists: Different capacity hoists for various vertical logistics in the construction of all heights of buildings and other structures.
• Tower Cranes & luffing Cranes
• Superdeck: An easy way to load and unload equipment and material to higher floors with cranes.
• SuperBarrier & SuperAccess: SuperBarrier is used as barricades in a variety of cases or as safety railings. SuperAccess provides a completely enclosed safe way to create access pathways both vertical and horizontal.
• Rope Suspended Platforms: For façade work, cleaning and renovation
• Building Maintenance Units: Permanent installations that can be deployed for maintenance work.
• Automatic Rebar Cutting & Shaping Machines: Complete Rebar solutions, all sorts of rebar shaping, stirrups, meshes and cages for construction work.
• Debris Chutes: Construction waste management

What are the advanced technological trends evolving in the material handling equipment segment? Are the customers ready to pay for the technology in India?
In access equipment, along with advancement in technology and ease of use, the major concern is safety. When provided with a complete package of the best technological features, ease of use, excellent quality control and safety measures at competitive prices, the customers are willing to pay up.

How has the company lined up its programme for expansion to strengthen its position in the Access equipment market? What marketing strategies are you reorienting knowing that despite marginal market recovery there would be stiff competition?
Competition is always healthy. We import standard equipment from European companies and these equipment adhere to strict international quality standards and norms. We have an all India presence and this is solidly backed by technical and service teams all over the country who provide excellent after-sales services.


Even with stiff competition, we are able to deliver both technical excellence and great quality and this takes us from strength to strength.

We have different schemes to cater to a variety of client requirements. Our products are available on sale, rental schemes and even buy-back options are provided.

Would you please brief us about your customer support services including training, spare parts supply and regular maintenance issues?
Our company has a strong after sales team controlled from our HQ in Mumbai. The teams are placed across India and are never too far from any project that needs them.

We stock OEM spares in our HQ in a good number and these are always available on demand.

We also provide OEM training and client training for our equipment. Maintenance and third party inspections are carried out for the equipment depending on the client's requirements.

How has the company's performance been in the current market scenario and how you have handled the tough economic times?
The company had envisaged this situation beforehand and moulded its strategy to maintain a good performance. Our high-rise access equipment are available on rental schemes and with buy-back options. Investments done in setting up a hiring base for the equipment during the good times have supported us in these tough economic times.