Eberhard Wedekind
VOLVO CE: "Indian Market is of Utmost Importance"
Volvo CE continues to be leader in technology and innovation worldwide including in India… We are very optimistic and confident of Indian market. The Volvo brand name is well established and recently conducted brand surveys show this impressively… For Volvo CE the Indian market is of utmost importance. We would like to encourage all construction equipment users to work with us and our Volvo dealers across India. Once a customer has experienced our products and dealer network, we can become partners for a long time. Surveys are supporting this too showing our brand position as no 1, says Mr. Eberhard Wedekind, President, Region Asia, Volvo Construction Equipment in an interview with S.K Khanna.

What is Volvo CE's overview of the impact of global recession on global construction equipment business? Why certain regions like the US and Europe were badly hit, while other regions like Asia not seriously affected? Is global equipment market about to cross the hump? What important lessons need to be learnt from this crisis to avert such future shocks?
What started as a global financial crisis, which accelerated after the Lehman crisis and became a recession of the real economy has affected Volvo CE globally, also in Asia. When the financial crisis started construction equipment customers wanted to place orders for machines but they lacked liquidity. In the second phase of the crisis, orders could not be placed because actual lacks of work since projects were stopped. US and Europe were badly hit by the bank crisis and liquidity crunch but the difference in Asia was that the banking system stayed intact. Another big positive achievement in Asia was that the stimulus packages, mainly in China and Korea, were coming in effect much quicker and effective than elsewhere. Important lessons on a global level could be that there is a need for more global regulation of the financial system, since it all started in the financial work.

Volvo CE is regarded as the technology brand in India and worldwide. How does it maintain such standards, particularly in its Indian operations?
Volvo CE continues to be leader in technology and innovation worldwide including in India. An eight year product plan should guarantee a continuation of the good position. All R&D efforts focus on our core values; safety, quality and environmental care, and are expressed by Volvo CE remaining the leader in fuel efficiency for instance. Soft products are playing an increasingly important role moving forward.

From time to time, Volvo India has been focusing on consolidating and strengthening Volvo's presence in India. What are your latest drives with new specific products and services for India in particular and Asia market in general? Will there be any differentiation that Volvo prospective clients can look from Volvo new drives / initiatives?
Volvo CE has top three positions in articulated haulers, road machinery, wheel loaders, and excavators. The road machinery position has nicely developed after having acquired Ingersoll Rand's road division. An important addition to our product range was Lingong, Chinese manufacturer of wheel loaders, and the SDLG branded products that serve the value market, just below the premium sector where we typically are with the Volvo brand.

Personally you have a vast and in - depth experience in market developments. How different is marketing and promotion of construction equipment in India vis-à-vis other countries? What induces markets in India—Government policies, price of equipment, related technical services etc? What Indian market can learn from worldwide experience that you have so as to be more competitive enabling it to garner adequate piece of global business pie?
Indian Market is Utmost Importance
My personal experience is that within the global construction equipment the differences between various countries are not so significant. One difference between the Western Europe market and India / China is that we have the split between a clear premium segment and the value segment. Customers in value markets have different buying criteria's, and one way to address this is with the dual brand strategy (Volvo and SDLG) in India. One development we've seen in the US and UK is Rental business, which is huge in some markets. India is now picking up in Rents business, which is becoming more and more important for Indian customers. We started with Rents in 2009 and have opened three outlets this year in India.

Is it easy to create a market that has established players? How optimistic Volvo is on India prospects to spearhead its new products and services with deeper penetration in market place?
We are very optimistic and confident of Indian market. The Volvo brand name is well–established and recently conducted brand surveys show this impressively. Our Volvo dealers have been investing heavily for last three to five years with enormous focus on the aftermarket and soft products. For Volvo India, as part of the BRIC countries, is of highest importance moving forward.

Where do you place China equipment industry from India's business perspective? Can there be any complementary element in their approach to business process and business developmental strategies? (we interpret this question to more sim - pler read 'Can India learn from China?')

Looking at the industry segments there are differences in these two important markets and one big difference is the massive market for local wheel loaders in China, that doesn't exist in India where instead the backhoe loader concept is more prominent. In both countries, Volvo's approach is to understand and address the customer needs in various segments better than the competitors. In that respect, the differences are not so significant.

What will be your ultimate message that you would like NBM&CW to address to its wide readership as well as your existing and new prospective clients reminding them of Volvo deep commitment in engineering, developing and sustaining global supply of equipment and components with its iconic brands in construction equipment globally and locally?
For Volvo CE the Indian market is of utmost importance. We would like to encourage all construction equipment users to work with us and our Volvo dealers across India. Once a customer has experienced our products and dealer network, we can become partners for a long time. Surveys are supporting this too showing our brand position as No 1.
Everything is Possible Through Hard Work
BRO has been at the forefront of adopting the latest technologies, which are both environment-friendly and cost-effective, and have resolved many construction problems, while facilitating speedy execution of projects. The organisation has not only constructed

Read more ...

Why India is an Important Market for TEREX
Terex enjoys a strong brand recall in India’s construction equipment market, especially in crushing and screening, pick and carry cranes, and the more recent solutions for waste recycling. John L. Garrison, Chairman of the Board, President & CEO, and Kieran

Read more ...

Escorts-Kubota - Ready to Showcase Its Strengths to the World
Sanjeev Bajaj, Chief Executive, Escorts-Kubota discusses with S.A.Faridi, the synergy that the joint venture between India’s multinational conglomerate Escorts Limited and the renowned Japanese Company Kubota Corporation will bring to India’s construction

Read more ...

SROT: Indigenizing Production
Yusuf A S Inamdar, Director - Industry, SROT, and Regional Business & Technical Head, J Kumar Infraprojects Ltd, throws light on how the SROT Incubation centre, which is a vital step towards achieving an Atmanirbhar Bharat, will help budding entrepreneurs

Read more ...

Neptune innovates artificial sand, green sand & artificial aggregates
We have four major divisions within Neptune: our Building Material and Construction Technology Division focuses on building construction materials. We are a leader in fly ash brick plants, concrete block and paver manufacturing plant, CSE brick plants, red

Read more ...

Everest Engineering Equipment - Catering to Mega Infra Construction Projects
Everest Engineering Equipment, exclusive distributor of GJJ passenger hoists and platforms in India, has grown tremendously with many new customers and repeat buyers. Discussing the company’s expansion plans, PV Ramdev, Managing Director, informs

Read more ...

Arihant Panel Fittings: Meeting Demand for Quality Products
We are providing customised products and innovative solutions by constantly investing in R&D to come up with new designs and technologies. Mahendra Jain, Director. Arihant is meeting demand for products such as quarter turn locks, compression locks

Read more ...

GMMCO: Providing a Seamless Experience to Customers
Gmmco Ltd., a part of the 2.9 billion dollar diversified CK Birla Group, is keeping up the Group’s legacy of helping build the India of tomorrow by offering world-class and innovative solutions for infrastructure and mining. V Chandrashekar, Managing

Read more ...

Moteurs Baudouin
We are fully geared up with the technological advancements required to meet the CPCB IV+norms with our flexible and dependable power solutions. Gurunath Kulkarni. For over 100 years, Baudouin has been designing the highest quality diesel and gas engines for

Read more ...

Builders Association of India: Bridging the Gaps
Nimesh Patel, President, BAI & Managing Director, Maruti Infrastructure Limited, discusses the challenges and issues faced by the construction and real estate industries of India; why BAI is propagating a Unified Standard Contract Document, and how the

Read more ...

Volvo CE India: Designing Machines to Give Power & Precision
Volvo machines are 10-15% more fuel efficient, they comply with CEV IV emission norms, and can run on alternative eco-friendly fuels such as biodiesel. We lay strong emphasis on operator training for efficient use of every machine that we sell, avers Dimitrov

Read more ...

Tata Hitachi India: Developing Indigenous High-Tech Machines
To serve the Indian infra development sector more industriously, we will continue to undertake extensive R&D and introduce machines with high-tech features, cost-effective solutions, high performance, and fuel efficiency, avers Sandeep Singh, Managing

Read more ...

L&T: Industry Leading Initiatives & Achievements
Arvind K Garg, Senior Vice President and Head, L&T Construction & Mining Machinery, enumerates the technologies and products introduced by Komatsu and L&T, the company’s extensive customer service programs, and proactive skill development initiatives which

Read more ...

ACE: Electrifying the Industry
Sorab Agarwal, Executive Director, informs that the company is set to become India’s first ‘swadeshi’ manufacturer of electric construction equipment with the launch of a fully electric mobile crane, whose technology has been developed indigenously at their

Read more ...

Terex: Strengthening Foothold Across India
Jaideep Shekhar, Managing Director, Asia & EMEAR, informs that the company will continue to strengthen its foothold in the Indian market by bringing in new technologies, expanding its product portfolio, and entering new construction territories. Its aim is to

Read more ...

Schwing Stetter India: Formulating Plans to Adapt to Demand Trends
V.G.Sakthikumar, Managing Director, informs that since sustainability is an integral part of the company, they are pursuing collaborations and R&D to bring innovative solutions, increase usage of green energy in its facilities, and reduce carbon

Read more ...

Escorts Kubota: Prioritizing Customer Benefits
Sanjeev Bajaj, Chief Executive, Escorts Kubota Limited, is confident that 2023-24 will be a great year for the CE business and demand may be more than the current capacity, largely led by domestic consumption due to the infra push by the Government before the

Read more ...

Puzzolana Group: Increasing Operational Efficiencies
Abhijeet Pai, President, informs that the company’s wide ranging value-added services for its customers has positioned it as a total solution provider in the Crushing & Screening Industry. The focus at bauma this year will be on M-sand, aggregates, railway

Read more ...

Sany India: In Sync With Changing Trends
Dheeraj Panda, Chief Operating Officer - Sales, Marketing & Customer Support, Sany India, informs that the company has taken a significant step forward towards sustainability with its B-V biodiesel machines, and is also testing electric technologies for

Read more ...

CRCHI: Making Tunnel Construction Smarter & Safer
CRCHI is positioned in world markets as a large enterprise with a strong focus on research, design, and manufacturing of customized underground engineering and rail transit equipment, informs Song Shuang, Vice Managing Director, Overseas

Read more ...