Kindly introduce L&T–CASE to our readers both its manufacturing and marketing operations.
L&T-CASE is a joint venture of L&T and CNH America LLC (a wholly owned subsidiary of CNH Global N.V.). Its manufacturing facilities at Pithampur, MP, are certified under ISO 9001-2008 for design, manufacture, sales and service of Backhoes Loader and Vibratory Compactors.
The machines are marketed and serviced by its marketing division, headquartered at Mumbai through a network of 54 dealers and complemented by L&T-CASE Zonal and Area offices across the country.
What are the salient features and engineering facilities the company has put in place to produce high quality products?
L&T-CASE's state-of-the-art facility at Pithampur incorporates the best international practices of lean manufacturing and single piece flow technology. The new plant has been upgraded with laser cutting machine, sophisticated robots, tooling, etc. to produce high quality of product and reliability.
The latest technology incorporated has substantially enhanced the periodic oil and filter change interval in Backhoe Loader model L&T–CASE 770 machine which has reduced the operating cost almost by `75,000 to 85,000 per year for an average utilization of 2000 hrs a year.
We perceive that your company invests a lot on innovation and R&D. How does your inclination help the company to make superior products dedicated to customer requirement?
Since its inception, it has been a conscious effort of the company to continuously invest in Research and Development to ensure that our customers continuously are getting the most updated technologically superior products. The machine that helps customers to operate with low operating costs while providing the advantages of better productivity and reliability has been the USP of L&T–CASE. Our Backhoe Loaders, particularly model L&T–CASE 770, have distinct advantages and are becoming exceptionally popular with its customers.
Unwavering focus on technology development and regular interface with the customers and end users has facilitated the company with an ability to capitalise on the market trends, even as our competitors were feeling the heat of the economic slowdown. Strong customer focus has been one of the company’s guiding philosophies.
What is the USP of company’s prestigious L&T–CASE 770 Backhoe Loader?
One of the best examples of a machine that is perfectly suited to work in the tough environments that are sometimes faced in India is our L&T-CASE 770 Backhoe Loader. L&T-CASE 770 Backhoe Loader is built with an engine compliant to the latest emission norms and the world’s best hydraulic components and drive line. The machine is sturdier and very reliable.
What is your market overview of Backhoe Loaders and Vibratory Compactors?
We expect the industry numbers for FY 2010-11 to grow to 23,500 units of Backhoe Loader and to 2,600 units of Vibratory Compactors. We are quite optimistic and confident to improve our market share further both in Backhoe Loaders and Vibratory Compactors.
How do you foresee the demand for construction equipment on the back of current focus on infrastructure development?
Increased spending on urban infrastructure, railways and road construction, hydel projects, rural housing will increase demand for backhoe loaders. The infrastructure sector is getting lot of attention from the government and therefore is poised for an accelerated growth.
If you were to look at the trends, the market in India is largely skewed towards multipurpose and mobile machinery like backhoe loaders.
We are expecting that the infrastructure growth will continue as Government is serious about implementation of projects in a time bound manner. There is a wide gap in the present infrastructure and what we need in our country. Infrastructure will form a major part of India’s GDP growth in the next ten years.
