It was attended by senior members from the Indian construction equipment industry, namely Sany India, Tata Hitachi, Terex India, Wirtgen India, Volvo Construction Equipment, and Action Construction Equipment. Also present were senior officials from the Gujarat State Public Works Department.
Addressing the gathering, Bhupinder Singh, CEO, Messe Muenchen India, said, “The bauma CONEXPO India event has proven to be a key platform to exhibit the most advanced construction equipment and technologies. This has consequentially enabled transfer of technologies and processes to the Indian infrastructure construction fraternity to help them apply new, more modern, and evolving construction methods and techniques, and thereby bring greater efficiency in construction. The event platform with its seminars and interactive events, and the support of important industry associations, has enabled the CE industry’s stakeholders to highlight issues and seek redressal. Going forward, we will strive to make the event stronger in 2022 by facilitating higher participation of equipment manufacturers, visitors, and all the stakeholders.”
Speaking at the event R.N. Gupta, President, BAI, said, “bauma CONEXPO India has been playing a pivotal role in the inculcation of new construction technologies by associations like BAI which has over one lakh members. Our association with bauma CONEXPO India chapter will further encourage mechanization of construction processes across India, especially in states like Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim in the north-east, where BAI is establishing itself more strongly.”
Commented Dimitrov Krishnan, iCEMA President & MD, Volvo CE India, “Congregations and joint activities between bauma CONEXPO India Chapter, the Gujarat Contractors Association, and BAI, will enable identification of advanced technologies which could be brought into India’s CE industry. Presently, India manufactures 68 kinds of construction equipment across all the product ranges. With a closer understanding of the advancements being made in construction equipment and methodologies, there will be greater scope for Indian companies to bring the latest machines and newer product variants, which will increase mechanization in the country’s construction sector. This will further create a robust manufacturing ecosystem in India, which will strengthen India’s position as a major exporter of construction equipment to global markets.
He added, “Presently, there is almost 80 percent localized content in about 60 percent of equipment that are made in India. But there are components like the hydraulics, the undercarriage of excavators, transmission systems etc, which are yet to see more localization.” He informed that iCEMA has set up an Infrastructure Panel to discuss avenues for bringing in new construction technologies and machines into India by identifying new areas of construction, such as the mini excavator (for example).
Sharing the concerns of the Indian infrastructure industry, Neerav Parmar, Vice President, BAI, said, “The current practice of extended payment cycles for big, medium and small-scale contractors will not be sustainable in the long run, given the large-scale expansion program of roads, bridges, airports, and the metro network by the government. Then there is the spiraling prices of cement, steel, and other construction materials, which is adding to project cost. Though there are escalation clauses, they are not sufficient for the industry. There has to be a mechanism formulated by project owners and developers so that the contractors can hedge the impact of price volatility.” Similar views were echoed by other members of BAI and the Gujarat Contractors Association.
Speaking to NBM&CW on the sidelines of the event, Parmar opined, “With the rising cost of equipment, especially those with advanced technologies, we feel that the OEMs should encourage renting and leasing of equipment over purchase.”
Expressing a similar view, Arvind Patel, MD, Patel Infrastructure and a key member of the Gujarat Contractors Association, said, “When not in use, OEMs should consider taking their equipment from the contractors and deploying it through their own sales channel in places where they could be put to work. Through such an arrangement, the equipment will continue to make money, which will help the owner to pay off his loan installments.”
