2020 looks promising for CE industry

Government’s recent policy pronouncements such as corporate tax breaks and renewed thrust on massive infrastructure development. Volvo CE expects the industry to log compounded annual growth of 8-10 per cent over the next five years.

what is your expectation from the EXCON ’19?
Now in its tenth edition, Excon ’19 is the biggest construction equipment exhibition in South Asia. As always, we look forward to closely interacting with both customers and prospects so they can get a closer look and attain a better understanding of our products. Further, we will look forward to forging a more meaningful and mutually beneficial relationship with our customers.

What are the new product launches you have planned for Excon 19?
Volvo CE will be showcasing a range of construction and mining equipment that serves the key industrial segments of road construction, mining and general construction. Machines that will be on display include EC750D, DD100, P5320B and more. We will also be showcasing how Volvo CE is using Electromobility and Artificial intelligence to advance the future of construction equipment.

How do you respond to the market, what are the USP of your products that allows you to stand tall?
Our products are both futuristic in technology and environment friendly – so every product is designed keeping a sustainable future in mind. Our focus on electro-mobility and automation is as sharp as our focus on fuel efficiency – which ensures our customers to get the best of both worlds. CareTrack – our advanced telematics system that gives equipment owners access to complete machine monitoring information – contributes to significant savings in terms of time and money. This system generates a wide range of reports with data on aspects such as fuel consumption, operational hours, geographical location, wear parts, machine servicing and more. Volvo CE operates through a wide network of 19 dealers and over a 100 touch points across the country. We invest heavily on competence building of our dealer staff just so that they learn to fix any maintenance or repair issue first time right.

According to you, did the government policies rejuvenate an ailing market and make way for the construction equipment manufacturers to capitalize?
The Indian Construction Equipment market has been on a major upswing since 2015. We peaked in terms of both sales and demand in 2018. This year, however, we experienced a slowdown but now we see signs of revival. 2020 certainly looks promising given the government’s recent policy pronouncements such as corporate tax breaks and renewed thrust on massive infrastructure development. We expect the industry to log compounded annual growth of 8-10 per cent over the next five years. Volvo CE India is poised to grow, on par with industry, if not better. n

Dimitrov Krishnan,Vice President and Head, Volvo CE India