Mahindra Construction Equipment - Jalaj Gupta, Business Head – Commercial Vehicles
Our BS IV engines are being used in over 2 lakh vehicles across the country and they have proved to be extremely reliant.
Our new range of construction equipment comes with the new BS IV compliant engines that offer a higher torque. These engines control the emission of NOx and particulate matter, which in turn reduces pollution. We have also designed the engines to offer best-in-class fuel efficiency by optimising the fuel during the combustion process.
The higher price of BS IV machines has put extra pressure on customers in terms of their monthly expenses; so we are ready to provide them all the support, including finance, AMCs, and buyback options.
No doubt, demand has been impacted due to the increased cost of equipment and the challenge faced by the industry in accepting the technology. But we believe that this is a short-term phenomenon. With time, our customers will understand the benefits of the new BS IV compliant machines. We are conducting training sessions, demos, and digital awareness campaigns for their benefit.
Meanwhile, we are going to de-risk our consumers’ purchases to ease their apprehension about the new technology. We are even offering an increased loan tenure from 4 to 5 years courtesy our MoU financiers to help offset the higher price and ease our customers’ burden; this will also help new customers manage their finances better.
AMC and buyback options are already in place and are currently being offered through our dealers. However, these offerings vary as per the requirements and the customer’s profile.
The rise in prices will affect the entire construction equipment industry.
Mahindra Construction Equipment deals in Backhoe Loaders and Motor Graders. The new BS IV norms are applicable to all types of construction equipment be it excavators or BHLs, hence the rise in price will affect the entire construction equipment industry.
Amongst all the construction machines, the BHL is the most versatile; it is used for varied applications and across many industries. In fact, it is the minimum requirement for any project, small or big. So, we believe that demand for BHLs will not be impacted by any other equipment in the short-term.
During these challenging times, savings will be the key winning parameter for any business.
We believe in Aatmanirbhar Bharat and our machines are designed keeping in mind our customers’ needs. Our machines have the best-in-class fuel consumption, the lowest maintenance cost, and have proved to reduce the overall operating cost, which assures higher profitability to customers.
For instance, our new 50 HP backhoe loader variant SX Smart50 is specifically designed for the hirer segment where operating economics is the major concern for customers. It offers the lowest cost of ownership to customers and will prove to be an optimised solution among backhoe loaders. Our RoadMaster motor grader is also designed for optimum output with the lowest operating cost.
At a corporate level, a rental business flourishes when big companies hire equipment for big projects.
About 80% of CE customers belong to the hirer segment and rent their machines for small or big earthmoving operations. In India, the renting of big fleets is a new concept and will take time to be accepted by the market. However, we are proud of our ‘Hello Machine’ rental equipment business unit, which provides end-to-end equipment solutions.
NBM&CW August 2021
