Apollo Inffratech
“At bauma CONEXPO INDIA 2018, we will be displaying our compact series batching plant of 30 m3/hr capacity; slipform concrete road paver SFP 10-17 (2.75m to 7.5m width); block-making machine model ZN- 600 with a capacity of 23000 to 25000 pavers / 8-hour shift; self-loading concrete mixer model 4TT; and (for the first-time), our 45FX (4.5 m3/batch) self-loading concrete mixer. This year, we are also celebrating the 10th glorious year of Apollo Inffratech and commencement of our new JV - Apollozenith Concrete Technologies - with Zenith of Germany, for manufacturing block-making machines.”
Apollo’s group companies have seen 25-40% growth as compared to the same period (up till October), last year.
In the current year, Apollo Inffratech group has seen high growth in sales of its high-end batching plants, Slipform Pavers, Concrete Pipe making machines, Block making machines and Self-loading Concrete Mixers, besides other products. Sales is being driven by government projects like Clean India, Smart Cities, Roads & Highways, Airports etc, since all our products are being used for making these projects a reality.
We are providing a complete range of Concrete Construction Equipment to our buyers. We do very little product R&D and avoid the trial and error process in introducing a new product. Instead, our strategy is to focus on the future requirement of our country, for which we tie up with the world’s best companies and bring them to India. We are inspired by our Prime Minister’s vision of “Make in India”.
Today, we are India’s number one company for vertical cast pipe making machines and have done almost 100 installations.
We are trying to replace conventional methods of production with the latest technologies and have even helped convert many companies that were using the old horizontal spinning system to produce concrete pipes. Today, we are positioned as India’s number one company for vertical cast pipe making machines and have done almost 100 installations. We will also revive the block making and other industries in the near future.
India’s construction industry is seeing strong growth due to the government’s initiatives to build the country’s infrastructure across all sectors. Use of concrete for making national highways to village roads and rigid pavements, has ignited growth of concrete equipment such as higher capacity batching plants and slipform pavers. If the government continues to promote rigid pavements, we will see exponential growth in the coming years. Apart from concrete pavement work, initiatives like smart city, low cost housing, airports and other infrastructure work has also supported the growth of our industry.
Our strategy is to tie-up with the world’s best companies and bring them into India.
We began by producing batching plants in 2008, after which, we began developing fixed form concrete road pavers for rural and city road projects. In line with the ‘Make in India’ mission of the government, we made several tie-ups with multinationals for facilitating technology transfers to India, and we follow all the manufacturing norms and processes of the JV companies.
Our first JV - Apollo HawkeyePedershaab Concrete Technologies - is involved in selling and manufacturing of machines that produce Concrete Pipes, Manhole systems and Box Culverts with vertical cast vibration technology. We have a technical alliance with MBK of Germany for producing cage welding machines which sell along with pipe making machines. We have a JV with Carmix of Italy to manufacture and sell Self Loading Mobile Concrete Mixers. Our exclusive partnership with HEM of USA, allows us to provide a comprehensive range of Slipform Concrete Paving equipment.
Our latest JV - Apollo Zenith Concrete Technologies with Zenith of Germany - is for producing Block Making machines, for which we are currently evaluating market demand and will come up with a new product line when the time is right.
We are offering our buyers in India the same world-class technology of our three JVs and two exclusive partnerships with internationally renowned companies.
We maintain a constant focus on imbibing the latest technology for bringing out high-quality products, which have various benefits over other competing products in the same category. For example, all our models of self-loading mobile concrete mixers have features like close gate in the bucket, cushioning valve in the bucket arm, and double spiral drum, etc.
Customers may have to pay a slightly higher premium for these features, but within a few days of operation, they realize that these features have given them 5 times better returns in terms of cement, fuel savings, and lower maintenance, resulting in lower cost of ownership. In my view, customers today are willing to pay a little extra for technologically advanced products.
We have 5S, Kanban, 6 Sigma, and SAP, for better execution of work orders.
We are using the latest tools and technology to expedite production. We have implemented 5S, Kanban system and 6 Sigma for better execution of work order, and SAP to monitor inventory etc. Our standard delivery time for any equipment is 3 to 4 weeks. But in view of the immediate requirements from customers for meeting strict project timelines, we have increased our inventories.
Based on sales projections and our past experience, we plan the production of a certain number of equipment like batching plants and self-loading machines, every month, so that we can deliver them in a week’s time.
We are focusing on big projects like national highways, airports, smart cities, metro rail projects, river linking projects etc, and expanding our product range in global markets.
Big projects require a higher range of batching plants, slipform concrete road pavers, concrete pipe making machines, automatic block making machines etc. We can provide all these products and can reach a maximum number of customer segments. We have a pan-India presence with our dealers and our in-house sales and service teams for quick support in the event of a machine breakdown. Our customers are fully satisfied with our infrastructure and we are getting repeat orders.
We have allocated special advertising and branding budget to all our JV brands including the flagship Apollo brand, and are very active in print and social media, tradeshows, roadshows, merchandising, etc. This has created a strong visual identity of our group, especially in our products like batching plants and self-loading concrete mixers in neighbouring countries.
Apollo Carmix is number one in Nepal, and we have a dealer network in Asian and Middle East markets. In this financial year, we are focusing on developing the international market for Block Making Machines and Slip Form Concrete Pavers.
Published on:
06 December 2018
Published in: NBM&CW December 2018
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