
Demand and rental rates for the higher 600 ton capacity crawler units is expected to remain fair, based on the ongoing expansion of wind farms across the country. Offtake of new units continues to remain firm from the sector. Liebherr Cranes has delivered fresh units of LR 1600/2 to wind rental agencies in 2016. The company will be delivering another brand new unit soon. Sany Heavy Industries India delivered six units of its SCC 6500 A, 650 ton crawler crane to rental agencies involved in the windmill sector during 2016. It had booked fresh orders to deliver another twelve units by the end of 2016.
Sany Heavy Industries India also delivered in 2016, ten new units of its STC 1000-S, 100 ton truck cranes as supporting cranes in the windmill sector. The 56 meters, five sections, U-shaped boom, and 22 meters fixed jib is imported by Sany India from its China facility. Sany India is looking to execute orders at least for eight to ten new units for its 130 tons truck cranes from industrial projects as well as for flyovers and metro projects for erection of precast sections and girders.
Demand Fundamentals

Greenfield nuclear power projects are also expected to be a major driver for medium capacity mobile and crawler cranes in the medium term. The government is laying major emphasis towards development of nuclear power projects across the country. 540 mw capacity is at various stages of implementation in the country. The government has set an ambitious target to set up 2800 mw of additional greenfield capacity in the years to come. It is keenly looking to set up atomic energy facility in Haryana. Punjab is also strongly on the radar of the government.

If demand fundaments are to be believed, Delhi-based crane renting heavyweight, Apollo Cranes, is in the process of undertaking a major acquisition. It is in the process of importing 20 second hand cranes of 50-500 tons. The cranes are being imported from Europe and USA. Among the cranes being procured, 150-200-300-400 tons are mobile cranes from Liebherr and Terex Demag. The company will be retaining the medium and heavier capacity cranes, while it will sell off the lighter capacities to other rental agencies in Delhi-NCR region, provided it gets a good price. The company is negotiating to acquire another mobile crane of 500-800 tons.
Proliferation of newer entrants in the rental market of Delhi-NCR in lighter mass crawler and mobile segments like JNPR Infra, MSC Cranes, Vishwakarma Enterprises, Metro Cranes, SP Equipments and GT Innova and S.B. Protech, is likely to create demand for well maintained used units as well as new crawler cranes. S.B. Protech, a major civil engineering contractor in DMRC, has in the recent past acquired one brand new Manitowoc and a Kobelco lighter capacity crawler crane. Both the cranes are working at metro sites. With strong marketing channels, the companies will surely look towards deploying the cranes in new and maintenance of industrial projects in north India.