Soilmec Keen to Become Frontline Piling Equipment Supplier

"There has been a phenomenal rise in the piling sector in India and the focus has shifted from machines to machines delivering better productivity. The advance- ments have led to better cost of production, time saving and increased output leading to milestone success for the industrial growth. Soilmec offers a gamut of products that look into all the needs of the ground drilling industry. Apart from the products offering, we also have a dedicated service team that makes available spare parts and technical help as and when required. Our network is spread across the length and breadth of India and we also offer on site assistance for our products," says Mr. Sanjoy Chakrabarty, Managing Director, Soilmec India, in an interview with S.K.Khanna.

What is your overview of global technological developments in the area of ground drilling and foundation equipment engineering and services?
The high demand and a growth in this sector has led to many developments, innovations and the focus has shifted to machines with better productivity which are user friendly and safe to operate. There has been a constant innovation and a demand for greener technology is on a rise. There have been many achievements with regard to green technology in way of CFA piles. With constant innovation the sector is benefiting a lot  and is increasing the overall productivity.

Advanced technologies are being used in the ongoing projects across the country. Witnessing the burgeoning infrastructure development here how do you view the growth of foundation equipment market in India in the next three-four years?
There is a phenomenal growth that we expect in the coming years for this sector. India as we know has progressed leaps and bounds in the infrastructure sector and a lot of credit goes to the recent and persistent advancements in the piling industry. The piling industry has come on par with the its European counterparts with regard to the technology used and has made the most of it to bring the infrastructure industry out of its recent slump. There has been a phenomenal rise in the pilling sector in India and the focus has shifted to machines with better productivity and has become one of the essential parts of the infrastructure industry and a major contributor to the growth of India. The advancements have led to better cost of production, time saving and increased output leading to milestone success for the industrial growth.

What are Soilmec's product offerings in India and their technical attributes?
Soilmec offers a gamut of products that look into all the needs of the ground drilling industry and. We offer Rigs, Truck Mounted, Micro Piles, Soil Investigators, Crawler Unit Version, Truck Mounted Version, Tunnel Consolidation, Drilling Accessories, Casing Oscillators, Extractors, Vibrators, Drilling Tools, Buckets, Augers, Underreamers, Chisels, Rock Augers. Apart from the products offered we also have a dedicated service team that makes available spare parts and technical help as and when required. Our network is spread across the length and breadth of India therefore we also offer on site assistance for our products.

Apart from superior technical attributes of the products in this line, what are the related technical services and professional expertise essential to facilitate smooth application ground drilling and foundation solutions? Please describe in brief important technical services available at your end to facilitate this.
We have established a level of quality service which is same as provided by soilmec in other developed countries with almost 100% spare parts availability next to customers work place. We impart appropriate training to the operators all over the country and ensure that the equipment at the customer's site work to its full capability.

Your company is accredited with distinction for introducing internationally acclaimed eco-friendly CFA technology for the first time in India. A word on this technology particularly its application areas and its successful deployment on Indian projects.
Continuous Flight Augers (CFA), which is globally referred to as a dry pile, was first used by Soilmec India at a sit in Rajpura site up to a depth of 18 meters with a diameter of 600 mm where cage was driven to 18 meters depth. This technology helps to increase the functional productivity at work-sites along with added environmental benefits such as an exponential reduction in sound emissions and other pollutants. It can help in cutting down on allied machinery required pertaining to tanks and other machinery, not to mention the management cost, thus helping to cut down on overall piling costs.

Touted as the future of the ground engineering sector in India, the Continuous Flight Augers (CFA) enable excavation in a wide variety of soils ranging from dry, water-logged, loose, cohesive, also equipped to penetrate through low-capacity soft rock formations such as loamy clays, limestone and sandstone.

As one of the leading lights in the field, you're an honorary observer invitee to the Pile Foundation Sub-committee Bureau of India. What are the functions of this high-powered body and how its technical inputs are helping to raise the technological status of Pile Foundation Engineering professional in India?
Our endeavor is to see that new technology is introduced in our codes for modernization of India's piling industry.

With these credentials and strong technical fundamentals in the development of innovative products and services at company's command, how the company looks to its future in the country in the next three–four years to take advantage of emerging business opportunities in the wake of massive infrastructure development in the country?
We look forward to become a leading supplier of piling equipment and accessories in the Indian sub continent i.e India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.