MB Crusher: India is not a price sensitive but value sensitive market

MB Crusher has expanded its portfolio of Crushing and Screening Buckets, with a new category – the Hydraulic Drum-Cutter MB-R - for the Indian market. Piero Guizzetti, CEO, MB India, in an interview with Maria R, at Intermat Paris, talks about the potential of the Indian market and the company's plans for expanding its footprint in the country.

How is the Crushing & Screening market of India growing?

India's Crushing and Screening market is going to be a good opportunity for MB, though there has been a slowdown for some time due to the ban on mining.

The next couple of years are going to be quite good for the road sector as the Indian government, with its series of initiatives, is working on policies to attract significant investor interest.

The country also has ambitious plans for the expansion of its rail, metro, maritime and air traffic infrastructure, which is leading to a huge demand for high capacity aggregates producing equipment.

MB entered the Indian market in 2012 with its bucket crusher, which was a new concept at the time; what progress has the company made since then?

We have a presence in India through our subsidiary since the last 5 years. Our bucket crusher was a new concept for India's CE industry, and it take us a lot of time to develop the market. The year 2017 has been filled with satisfaction as we are seeing the market become aware of MB as a brand, and our core products are now well known in the market thanks to our efforts and our capillary dealer network. We got a good response from Excon 2017 in the sense that our visitors came with specific requirements and no longer high level questions related to understanding our products in more depth. Currently, MB enjoys a 90% market share in India in this product category, and in world markets, we hold the same 90% share.

For over 15 years, MB has been a leader in the field of crushing, demolition and recycling as it was designing, producing and selling the very first jaw bucket crushers. Following extensive innovation and development at its R&D center, MB now offers crusher buckets for excavators, skid loaders and backhoes of all sizes. The company is present in over 150 countries with 8 subsidiaries, including India, where its core business is primary and secondary crushers, and road construction.

To sustain our position as the major player in this business, we make regular improvements in our products based on R&D. We see a good potential in the Indian market for our products and for the next years, we will be doing business from here.


What is the uniqueness of MB products?

Being versatile, efficient, and cost-effective, our products are suitable for any application area and are applicable in all machines. Our crusher buckets and screening buckets can be used in numerous industries, particularly road building, quarries and mines, for excavations and demolitions in urban construction sites, tunneling, recycling, and for sewage systems. Our products can transform any operating machine into an actual crusher that can work with all aggregates, even directly on-site. With significant savings on transport, equipment and fuel, one can quickly earn back investments and increase profits.

Our patented product is 100% made in Italy; it has revolutionized the construction work of many companies. For a quarry owner, the MB crusher bucket can be used as a primary crusher to produce optimum feed size for the secondary crusher plant. It eliminates dependency on manual labor at the quarry and frequent bearing breakdown of secondary crusher plant due to over-sized feed material. MB screening bucket with its options of various mesh sizes can be used in large quarries to recycle waste or overburden material. Screened out material may be sold as GSB to road contractors and the rest can be processed at their crusher plants.

What are the technical features and applications of the newly launched MB-R Drum Cutter in India?

Based on customer feedback regarding their requirements, we have introduced the Hydraulic Drum-Cutters MB-R for the Indian market. Available in 4 models (MB-R900, MB-R800, MB-R700, and MB-R500) for excavators and loaders of 3 to 35 tons, the drum cutters can turn any equipment into a real milling machine, further enhancing their utility. Made with the highest standard of Italian manufacturing and the best quality raw materials, the MB-R drum-cutter is designed to offer high durability, irrespective of work hours and extreme working conditions.

MB-R Drum-cutter grinds both tough materials such as fragmented rocks and softer materials like asphalt and wall coverings, with extreme accuracy. It simplifies excavation operations, especially where the subsoil is resistant. It digs trenches for pipe laying and restores the banks of rivers and streams with speed and precision, and can be used underwater as well.

The biggest model MB-R900 for application in excavators of up to 35 tons, is designed for trenching, leveling and repairing road surfaces. It also gives excellent results in surface profiling and tunnel excavations works as well. The smallest model MB-R500 weights only 300kg, and is ideal for application in urban areas and constricted construction sites, especially those that require precision work. It works easily in city centers, where vibration and noise have to be contained.


The drums can be replaced on site by operators in less than an hour, and without the need to take it to a specialized workshop. The MB-R drum-cutter range comes with a full or low set drum head kit, with different pick configuration sets, enabling adaptation as per the material to grind, and the work to be executed. Extremely compact and designed with a low center of gravity to improve the overall balance, it is the only one in the world with the patented direct drive twin motor that can distribute equal force into the two drum heads, or prioritise based on the resistance encountered by the individual head.

How is MB creating awareness of its products in India?

We have been doing a lot of awareness programs since 2015-16 through roadshows, site demonstrations, seminars, and at tradeshows like Excon and bauma Conexpo.

Customer proximity and aftersales service have become deciding factors for repeat orders. What off and onsite support do you provide your customers?

We have a competent network of dealers covering a wide part of the territory, as every state, region and sector (mines, quarry, construction etc) have different requirements.

Our engineers are assisting our dealers directly at sites. Our direct personnel support the clients' operators on operation, installation, maintenance, and any other issues required at the project sites. In case more assistance or support is required, our engineers are sent to the project immediately. Spare parts are always available with our dealers and they are just a call way.


The Indian market wants quality at an affordable price. How is MB meeting this demand?

It has been said that India is a price sensitive market, but I think that there is no one in any part of the world who does not want to save his/her money. I will say that India is a value sensitive market where we need to explain to the client where his every rupee is going and what ROI it will bring. The Indian government has put a tight deadline on timely completion of projects along with a penalty clause, so every contractor/developer is looking for reliable partners and solutions, which will give them quality work, prompt support services, and enable good return on investment.

Our clients recognize us for our quality products that are 100% made in Italy.

How is MB catering to India's neighboring countries?

From India, we are serving countries like Bhutan and Nepal through our dealers.

What are your plans for the Indian market?

We want to continue the momentum of 2017, during which we did good business in India. We aim to continuously expand our installed base so that we may in turn showcase our products to a wider net of contractors that want to see the machines at work.