Escorts Kubota Limited - Sanjeev Bajaj

From a green perspective, we have implemented strategies for fuel efficiency, reduction of carbon footprint etc; the opportunity to scale is immense and adaptability of such technologies and systems is happening very fast.

Escorts Kubota Limited - Sanjeev Bajaj, Chief Officer

Construction equipment companies need to constantly focus on reducing their carbon emission by making their machines fully compliant with the latest emission norms set by the government. Presently, we need to meet the CEV-4 norms and deliver CEV-5 compliant products in the coming year.

Technologies for zero waste in manufacturing plant
Escorts Kubota Limited is aligned to the net zero emissions goal and is taking initiatives for sustainable manufacturing. We have stopped the use of diesel-based power generators with estimated saving of 45KL diesel in a year. This has had a direct impact by reducing emissions in our manufacturing plant. We are planning to install PNG based generators as a back-up power source and will also be increasing the capacity of our solar power by 35% this year. We have installed a water harvesting system and are working on a project for over 30% reduction in water consumption in 3 years’ time.

Alternative fuels to reduce greenhouse gases
Our endeavour is that with every new launch the fuel consumption per output is reduced from its predecessor and there is a negative carbon delta with every upgrade. We are adopting new technologies to reduce power demand, which means that for the same work done, we will consume lesser fuel per hour of operations.

We have also developed dual fuel technologies which allow the use of CNG along with diesel for the same engine, thereby reducing their carbon footprint. We have also planned to adopt EV technologies and will launch a series of products which will be operated by using electric power. In later years, we plan to have hydrogen powered engines, ensuring that no carbon is emitted into the environment and there is no dependence on fossil fuels.

Connected machines an important feature in construction industry
Connected machines are one of the most important features in equipment given the environment and conditions in which these machines operate. We offer telematic technologies on all our products so that our customers stay connected with their machines through their mobile phones. From a green perspective, we have implemented some strategies like fuel consumption monitoring, application of specific working modes for better fuel efficiency, and monitoring fuel consumption, theft etc.

We believe that there is lot of scope for advancement in this field. Apart from the technology, we also believe that systems that enhance operator education and operating behaviour including health, fatigue, etc. systems that track and give warnings, safety alerts etc built into the machines and seamlessly integrated by manufacturers’ technical teams will enhance the supervisory environment, and increase productivity and machine uptimes. There is an immense potential for scaling up production while reducing your carbon footprint by adopting such technologies and systems.