Mr. Sunil Kanoria, Quipo Infrastructure Equipment Limited
"Construction equipment rental business is presently at very nascent stage and is set to grow faster. Quipo, the leader in the business is providing it the desired impetus," says Mr. Sunil Kanoria, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Quipo Infrastructure Equipment Limited, in an Interview with P.P.Basistha.

What is the total renting construction equipment market in India and percentage of market share Quipo commands? Do you have plans to enter into equipment auction business, if so, what are the plans?
As of now, however, the equipment rental market size is small, a mere 7% of total equipment market or just $245 million. But with the increasing pressure to meet deadlines of project completion, this market is expected to increase faster. By 2009-10 the equipment rental market should triple to 21 percent of the total equipment market.

The growth prospect is more significant because the rental market in India is still at a very nascent stage. The rental market in USA is 65 percent and in Japan 80 percent of the total equipment market.

Quipo is already in the used equipment auction business. Infact, this is the first Indian company to enter into this field. Henry Butcher International Valuers and Auctioneers Pvt. Limited (HBIVAPL) was incorporated in 2005 as a 50:50 Joint Venture between QIEL and Henry Butcher International Ltd., UK which is one of the largest specialist plants and machinery valuation and disposal companies in the world.

This JV offers 3 main services viz. Auctions of Commercial Equipment, Commercial Vehicles, & Cars, Auctions of Industrial equipment and Valuation of Assets.

The company’s unique format of asset disposal in India is very attractive for financial institutions, government bodies and companies in the private and public sectors whose primary objective is to obtain the highest net possible return for their assets, to turn their surplus assets into cash in the quickest and most cost effective manner.

How is renting or hiring of construction equipment a more viable option than owning it by construction companies, precisely in the present scenario when order book of construction companies are laden with large volume of projects?
The rental option has filled the much needed vacuum in the construction business. Globally, the organized equipment rental business has played a substantive role in the growth of the construction industry.

The advantages of equipment rental are many. In many cases the builder does not require all the specialized and costly equipment for long. It is therefore cost effective. If they are able to hire these on a short notice for the duration of the work. Their capital investment reduces considerably and the cost benefit can thus be shared with their customers making the service offering financially more attractive.

Even for large construction companies who normally procure such equipment, additional work pressure necessitates use of additional equipment.

They prefer rented equipment especially if they come along with trained manpower to manage that equipment. It also helps them concentrate on their service offering rather than maintaining inventory.

Also, renting the equipment gives the construction companies an opportunity to use newer equipment. This way these companies need not bother about upgrading their own equipment base from time to time to suit the dynamic needs of construction industry.

How far are Quipo’s service price competitive? How does this eventually help construction companies in hiring the equipment rather than owing it in the long run?
Our pricing is competitive and it’s really helpful for the construction companies that need equipment for a short period of time.

Services positioned by Quipo seems to be much similar as compared to the services provided by the construction equipment companies to its customers.

We intend to improvise on our quality of service to our customers. Hence, we are expanding to more locations to be at the doorstep of the customers. This would enhance efficiency and our quality of service to our esteemed customers.

How far is Quipo’s equipment bank positioned, so as to meet the heterogeneous and high capacity equipment demand requirement of the Indian construction market?
In the absence of an organized market for used infrastructure equipment and the industry organization being weak, the sector faces challenges to its growth. However, Quipo being the first equipment rental company in India offers customized solutions that cater to specific needs of customers. By expanding and strengthening its operations in the construction equipment rental business, Quipo on its part provides greater value addition to its customers.

Quipo is servicing the high growth verticals of construction, mining, oil & gas, telecom and Energy. In addition of having a state-of-the-art equipment/asset bank for construction and other infrastructure sectors, Quipo has a large pool of fully trained operations and maintenance personnel spread across various sites in India.

The joint ventures with some significant partners, global and local, as well as strategic investments act as propellants to our growth and also underline Quipo’s understanding of the infrastructure equipment rental industry.

How are Quipo’s stock yard and service network positioned? What are the plans to expand the same?
In terms of geographical presence, Quipo has state-of-the-art yards at Ahmedabad, Neemrana, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Guwahati, and Gurgaon. These yards provide wide range of latest technology and equipment to other companies. Being strategically located across the length and breadth of the country makes equipment easily accessible to the companies and can be transported to sites at much lesser time. This leads to considerable saving for its customers.

To meet the growing demand, Quipo plans to set up 9 more yards across the country. These yards will be strategically positioned to provide equipment at locations which are witnessing high infrastructure growth and would include cities like Cochin, Nagpur, Bhopal, Bhubhaneswar, Raipur, Jhansi, Lucknow, Patna, and Chandigarh.

This is a continuous process of building the service network and various operational and logistic challenges would emerge and would have to be dealt with. It is a learning exercise for Quipo and there is continuous scope of improvement. With this metamorphosis, we would be able to deliver better and world-class services to the customers.
Bauer Engineering India - Offering Global Standard Modern Solutions & Expertise in Deep Foundation Projects
As a premium foundation equipment manufacturer and foundation specialist, we are offering project owners and contractors high-tech equipment and leveraging our global standard technical expertise in the field of deep foundation construction to

Read more ...

Kobelco: Growing the Indian Market
Kobelco is bringing significant changes to the Indian market and shaping the mindset of buyers. It is delivering exceptional value to customers in terms of durability and longevity of its machines, and through constant efforts supported by R&D to enhance

Read more ...

CriticaLog: Offering Technology-Powered Solutions & Services
In-house developed ERP, hubs, resources, innovative solutions including drones, and an end-to-end supply chain, are mitigating the challenges in handling critical and sensitive products of various industries, informs Sujoy Guha, CEO, CriticaLog India

Read more ...

CJ Darcl Logistics - Forward-Thinking Approach Driving Success
Embracing a phygitally-driven marketing approach, CJ Darcl Logistics seamlessly integrates physical and digital channels, to establish a unified and strong brand presence. The company is also actively embracing eco-friendly initiatives and investing in green

Read more ...

Trimurti Staying Ahead of the Curve
By closely monitoring market trends, focusing on sustainability, and pursuing product and market expansion, providing a range of tailored solutions to meet diverse application across construction and real estate projects, Trimurti is well-equipped to meet

Read more ...

Revolutionizing High-Rise Construction With Precast Concrete Technology
Precast concrete, with its myriad benefits, is revolutionizing the way tall buildings are erected. Suhas Mohol, Managing Director, StruEngineers India, (a 100% subsidiary of StruSoft AB, Sweden) discusses the applications, advantages, and the growing

Read more ...

Welded Wire Mesh: A Growing Industry
Weldmesh Manufacturer’s Association has been helping the welded wire mesh industry of India to grow in terms of volumes, quality, and consistency, while expanding its application areas, and cutting down production cost. Zakir Ahmed, Secretary, WMA

Read more ...

Ashoka Buildcon - Satish Parakh
The Sustainable Building and Construction Initiative (SBCI) of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) reported that 30-40% of global energy demand is from the construction industry, which is expected to grow at an average rate of 1.5 to 3.4%

Read more ...

Patel Engineering - Kavita Shirvaikar
Industry associations should bring together construction companies, professionals, and stakeholders to form working groups and share knowledge on emission measurement and reduction initiatives. Engaging with government bodies responsible for climate

Read more ...

Volvo CE India - Dimitrov Krishnan
We are encouraged by the Government’s ambition to achieve net-zero emissions and are committed to support the same through our sustainability ambition. We have established a strategy with targets and aspirations in three key areas where we can

Read more ...

GR Infraprojects - Atasi Das
The major components that produce the oxides of carbon in the construction industry are cement and bitumen. For infrastructure development, usage of cement is inevitable, be it buildings, metro rails, tunnels, airports, highways, or any under or above

Read more ...

Tata Hitachi - Sandeep Singh
With a target of Net Zero emissions by 2070 taken by the Government of India, reducing the use of fossil fuels in CE machinery is both a major challenge and an opportunity. Tata Hitachi has identified various projects to be taken up for electrification of different

Read more ...

Beca - Sujatha Manoj
The Construction Industry, as one of the largest contributors of global carbon emissions, can also play a significant role in reducing the emissions. Intelligent sourcing of materials, use of alternate and less carbon emitting materials in construction, or

Read more ...

Master Builders Solutions - Nilotpol KAR
India is the second largest cement producer and consumer in the world after China. The cement industry is conducting extensive research to reduce CO2 emissions. Only conventional technical progress such as thermal efficiency, fuel switching, and

Read more ...

Wirtgen India - Ramesh Palagiri
Sustainable solutions and technologies are firmly anchored in all corporate processes of the Wirtgen Group. The future of road construction must be made smarter and safer and, above all, must maintain a consistent focus on sustainability. This is the

Read more ...

Ammann India - Anand Sundaresan
Ammann is committed to all environmentally friendly initiatives. The Ammann Group has already created a road map for the ESG initiatives, not only in the product manufactured by us but also in all its manufacturing facilities to be environmentally friendly

Read more ...

DB RRTS Operations India - Kumar Keshav
India has set ambitious target to achieve net-zero by 2070. Around 40% of the carbon footprint is generated by construction and buildings together due to various processes like lighting, cooling, and heating of building materials. In the journey to net-zero

Read more ...

ACE - Sorab Agarwal
Reducing emissions and saving the environment is the way forward and the whole world is adopting these measures at a good pace. Going forward, artificial intelligence will also have a major role in the way machines are built and operated; they will incorporate

Read more ...

Puzzolana - Abhijeet Pai
All our plants are designed for automation to ensure effective operation and to reduce power consumption & carbon emission. We are aligned with India’s goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070 and are approaching the concept of decarbonization

Read more ...

Egis - Sandeep Gulati
The construction industry faces several issues when transitioning to low-carbon construction methods. The contractors may lack awareness and understanding of low-carbon construction methods, technologies, and best practices, which can hinder

Read more ...