At the Franna India Open Day, the company gave a tour to visitors of its manufacturing processes and products and shared its business plans for the Indian market. On the sidelines of the event, NBM&CW discussed with Kieran Hegarty, Global President of Terex, Jaideep Shekhar, MD, (Asia & EMEAR), Terex Material Processing, and Danny Black, GM, Terex Cranes, the company’s growing presence in the Indian construction sector especially in the mobile pick and carry cranes (PNC) market which is largest in the world; and also, the strategies to establish FRANNA as a major brand in the country which is currently dominated by the local manufacturers.
Franna India’s Open Day held at its production facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, on September 9th, 2022; was attended by around 300 customers and dealers from India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Middle East countries. Participants got an opportunity to see the state-of-the-art Terex facility and got a closer look at the new Franna FR-17 crane (launched in May 2022 at Excon India), along with the prototype of an exciting new capacity range. They also got a chance to see the wide range of mineral processing solutions MPS, washing systems, that are being produced at its plant for both the Indian market and for exports.
“Our Franna cranes are very safe, productive, and reliable. We are confident that with the increasing focus on safety regulations at Indian job sites, these cranes will offer all the benefits, and give customers value for money. Our business philosophy is ‘execute, innovate and grow’ and we will adhere to it for the Indian market as well and continue to support it with our new range of products and services.”
“The fact that Terex launched 28 new products in 2020 testifies to our expertise in executing and innovating. Our products come with enhanced features like Telematics which benefit the end-users and the machine owners with safety, higher productivity, and assured uptime,” added Hegarty.
Terex has been growing through several acquisitions. It is now offering Terex Advance Concreting solutions and Concrete Paving systems from Terex Bid-Well under its Concrete Product Line. Under its Environmental Product Line, it is offering shredders, screens, conveyors, and grinders. Under its Material Handling product line, it is marketing waste, scrap handling, tracked stackers, and wheeled stackers, from the fully Terex-owned Fuchs and Prostack brands. “With the growing demand in India, we will look to bring these solutions to the Indian market, albeit in phases. One of our key focus areas will be construction and demolition waste recycling, and M-sand production,” said Hegarty.
He informed that the Hosur facility has been highly instrumental to the business growth of Terex. “This holds true not only for the Indian market but also for the export markets. We are exporting to no less than 50 countries, including Europe. Our manufacturing plant in India has successfully adapted to the global production standards to meet the requirements of our global businesses. It started production of 76 machines in 2013; today, it has achieved a record production of 800 machines.”
“We are therefore confident that the totally indigenous production of the new prototype and FR 17 Franna Cranes at the Hosur facility will give us a competitive edge with respect to quality and affordability. The products will be supported by our 16 dealers (their number will increase to 26 by the year-end), and that of our in-house service engineers will be increased from the current 75 to 85,” he added.
The FR 17 is a very compact pick and carry mobile crane from Franna’s product range specially designed for Indian market with very high safety standards for higher lifting capacity applications. Franna pick and carry cranes live up to their name with the strength and easy operation to pick up heavy loads and the articulated steering flexibility to move in tight spaces. Their high road speeds get them to the jobsite quickly. This machine has a large torque converter, there is no clutch pedal which reduces driver fatigue while working for long crane hours. This crane combines safety and comfort with smooth steering flexibility, providing the operator with the ability to lift and manoeuvre in tight spaces. The heavy-duty U section fabricated boom with welding on the neutral axis offers superior durability and a competitive edge while lifting heavy loads.
The new FR 17, for instance, guarantees a substantially greater level of safety up to 25% and high productivity. With a maximum rated capacity of 17 tons, it provides operators with the flexibility and versatility for undertaking different lifting applications. This 4WD crane has been designed with clutch-free operation and is available with front outriggers. It also comes with a dragging winch and a man basket attachment.
The company’s commitment to the Indian market appears to be evident in view of its plans to widen the crane range and bring other solutions from the group’s global portfolio of products. “We are delighted to see that our Open House has been so warmly received. With India being one of the major crane markets, Franna’s expansion here with new launches is a testimony to how important the Indian market is to us,” said Jaideep Shekhar.
