JCB India: Deepak Shetty, CEO and Managing Director
We have introduced a new range of CEV Stage IV Backhoe Loaders.
Our new range of Backhoe Loaders includes the 3DX Plus, 3DX Xtra, 3DX Super and 4DX, all of which have been designed to meet a wide range of applications.
The Backhoe Loaders are powered by our reputed 55kW JCB ecoMax diesel engine.This CEV Stage IV engine is environment friendly and comes with the proven CRDI technology, a Waste-Gate Turbocharger, and a two-stage cooling EGR system. A unique feature of this engine is that its combustion system eliminates the need for any after-treatment, a DOC (Diesel Oxidation Catalyst) or a DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter). The engine also has no deration at higher altitudes, thus greatly benefitting customers and users in mountainous terrains.
With global best practices being introduced at worksites in India, we are seeing a significant focus on Safety, Efficiency and Environmental protection.
Projects are now increasingly becoming time-bound with stringent safety standards. The creation of infrastructure is not possible without use of technologically advanced products.
We have continued to invest in the business during the pandemic. Early this year we launched a new range of CEV Stage IV Backhoe Loaders. Late last year we launched the industry’s first dual-fuel CNG Backhoe Loader in India – and thus pioneered use of Alternate Fuels and commitment to the Environment.
Even with the disruption caused by the pandemic, the year 2020 was the third-best year for us. We will continue to launch newer and exciting products for our customers. At the same time, we will further invest in new digital technology and world-class quality.
JCB machines can be monitored for Security, Operations and Service (SOS) on mobile devices with our LiveLink advanced Telematics Technology.
LiveLink has proved to be vital in times such as these. JCB has over 180,000 connected machines working at various sites across the country. They relay real-time information on the Health, Performance, Location, and Utilisation, thus giving an estimate of the quantum of work done on sites.
Introduced in 2015, LiveLink connects the machine with customers, dealers and JCB on real-time 24x7 for better asset management. It helps users increase productivity, control costs, and ensure asset safety. Machines can be geo-fenced and time-fenced. Customers can get to know about the machine’s health, fuel level, battery conditions, almost all critical parameters of the machine remotely. It enables better site management and equipment utilisation.
By monitoring idle-time and real-time fuel consumption, LiveLink helps manage the whole life cost of ownership, driving down costs, and driving up productivity. LiveLink has transformed the way machine-to-machine and machine-to-customer communication is done. Additionally, the system also sends out alert SMSs to registered mobile numbers. It incorporates GPS, telecommunications, machine electronics and IoT, enabling the equipment to remain in contact with the owner, dealer and JCB.
JCB ‘Intelli’ series has further improved the productivity, reliability, and efficiency of our machines.
In 2019, with the ‘Intelli’ series of Construction Equipment, we further improved the productivity, reliability, and efficiency of our machines to ultimately benefit our customers with ease of operation and cost profitability.
An internal tool ‘Smart Serve’, has also been developed to help dealers support engineers to improve efficiency and productivity. Our customers can now order genuine parts online through our Parts App, and the parts are door delivered.
We have created a Digital Ecosystem that enables industry-leading customer support network.
Infrastructure development projects demand specialised, intelligent, and technologically advanced construction equipment, which must be supported by quick and effective after-sales service to achieve the best quality output on tight timelines.
LiveLink’s cutting-edge technology helps lower servicing and running costs by ensuring that machines are operated to their optimum performance, reducing fuel consumption and unnecessary machine wear. Alerts on the health of the machine, in addition to its performance and location parameters, and detailed machine history, enable users to plan work effectively.
With 60+ dealers and over 700 outlets across India, JCB India provides an unmatched distribution and service network to its customers, which minimises machine downtime and maximises productivity. Our dealers employ about 8,000 professionally trained personnel in India and vital product support to customers for their equipment. We have 5 strategically located parts warehouses at Pune, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Guwahati, and the recently inaugurated warehouse at Bhaproda, Haryana.
Our Parts Centre in Bhaproda, (the industry’s largest at 1,60,000 sq.ft) will cater to the parts requirement of our dealers and customers in Northern India and also for exports. Even our dealers at Coimbatore, Jodhpur and Rajahmundry invested in new dealership premises during this time.
Infrastructure development opens opportunities for allied industries like raw materials, quarrying and equipment manufacturing, among others, and creates jobs and means of livelihood.
The Government’s thrust on building Infrastructure is encouraging. At a national level, large projects like Sagarmala and Bharatmala will drive demand for construction equipment. Additionally, the creation of 100 new airports, Smart Cities and Metro projects will open newer opportunities, ultimately resulting in improved demand.
Rural India is set to emerge as a strong growth driver, especially with the recent push by the Government through programmes such as PMGSY (Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana). Schools, colleges, and industries will need to be created, while segments like municipal waste, village roads, and rural infrastructure are set to grow.
With the recent challenges around healthcare infrastructure, the sector would need to be revolutionised with world-class on-ground healthcare facilities across the country. Hospitals, institutes, and research facilities will need to be scaled up; and all this will require smart construction equipment.
The outlay for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is the highest ever this year. The capital expenditure allocation for FY 2021–2022 is also much greater than the previous years. Encouragingly, the Railways is set to emerge as a growth driver in addition to Roads and Highways, which was long overdue. A record allocation for railway corridors and other structural developments has been made; this will certainly help in generating on-ground activity in the sector.
The Government has shown strong intent towards generating funds by proposing a Privatisation drive and Monetisation of assets.
With the formation of a Development Finance Institute (DFI), the stress in capital requirements for long-term infrastructure projects will ease out. This is critical to infrastructure development.
The India growth story remains strong. Machines have restarted work on projects, which is an encouraging sign. We are hopeful of a strong recovery towards the second half of the year.
At JCB, we look forward to being a part of the infrastructure growth story. JCB products deliver value, new digital technology, and world-class quality. We aim to continue to bring global technologies and skillsets to India through indigenous manufacturing.
Right now, our focus is on the health of our employees and their families, and on how to scale up operations in a safe and sustainable manner.
Between April and May, as the second wave spread, JCB saw a surge in Covid cases in its factories. We were one of the first company to take the hard stance of temporarily pausing all manufacturing operations. But all our customer and dealer facing functions continued to operate under the Covid protocols. We also ensured that there was no disruption in product support for equipment used by our customers to the extent possible.
We set up multiple Control Rooms to monitor positive cases in our workforce, extended our telemedicine facility for all employees across the country, conducted over 7,600 tests in addition to managing beds, oxygen, and ambulances, and created a relief centre in our factory premises.
Unfortunately, we also went through the painful phase of losing some of our colleagues to the virus. We are fully committed to supporting their families through a relief package, where apart from the Term Insurance policy benefits, JCB India will be supporting the education of the children of deceased employees to the tune of ₹1 lakh per child, per year, for their schooling, and ₹2 lakhs per child, per year, for three years for their graduation. The medical insurance for their families has been extended to 10 years. For contractual employees, there will be one-time support of ₹3 lakhs.
From April onwards, over 2,600 JCB India employees and their families have been vaccinated at camps held at our Ballabgarh, Pune and Jaipur facilities, and we will get all our employees vaccinated as soon as possible. We are now cautiously re-opening our factories and offices and are hopeful of a strong recovery towards the second half of the year.
NBM&CW July 2021
