Buying decision is made keeping long term holding of equipment in mind and this aspect is usually preferred by those contractors who have a number of projects and greater financial viability whereas renting decision is made by those contractors who have limited number or smaller projects.

What is your strategy for expanding business with existing product range?
CASE India provides entire range of heavy duty equipment essential for construction and mining sector. For the existing product range, we keep working towards upgrading them with latest technology for improved uptime and productivity of the machine. Some of the recent trends and advancements in technology for the construction and mining equipment are adoption of IOT, Industry 4.0 revolution, eagle-eye telematics- GPS based tracking system, artificial intelligence and advanced controlling systems to name a few. At CASE, we believe that new technology adoption will not only bring greater efficiency in the product but will also impact the futuristic product designing.

Looking at the present market scenario what would you advise for procurement of construction & earth moving equipment? Buy it or rent it, why do you say so?
Buying or renting of the construction equipment entirely depends on the choice of the contractor and nature of the project. Both, buying and renting, offer certain advantage which factor in the final decision making process. Buying decision is made keeping long term holding of equipment in mind and this aspect is usually preferred by those contractors who have a number of projects and greater financial viability whereas renting decision is made by those contractors who have limited number or smaller projects.Equipment maintenance and repair is another aspect which plays a key role in decision making regarding nature of equipment ownership. Renting has emerged as a new trend in industry. Owing to less hassle of ownership and convenient for short term project use or one-off job, renting is getting steady acceptance among contractors.

How is the demand for earthmoving equipment in India?What do you think about the growth of this industry in India?
Construction equipment demand peaked to around 30 per cent percent in the ‘year-of-construction’ 2018. Due to the earlier allotted projects and completion of 40km a day target, the roads and highway sector has performed exceptionally well. As construction equipment market highly depends on the construction happening in the country, the demand for CE has been high and is expected to further grow with greater number of projects.

What are the challenges you see are faced by the industry in dealing with liquidity crunch and what will be your suggestion to the buyers of equipment?
A number of factors including high cost of land acquisition, worsened liquidity position of NBFCs and high risk aversion of public sector banks to infrastructure projects have adversely impacted the sentiment of the industry players. They are being cautious in their spending and investments.

What is your expectation from the industry bodies and policy makers to capitalise the market on the back of possible rise in demand due to government push for infrastructure development?
As an OEM manufacturer, we understand that industry bodies like CII and ICEMA serves as a point of contact for both the industry and the government. These bodies also offer a platform for us to share the industry best practices and to air our views and to discuss and shape policy related issues.Our expectations from industry bodies and policy makers include conducive policies supporting infrastructure growth by enabling smooth/faster approval on projects and timely fund support.

How are you dealing with commitment for low emission norms?
Following government direction, all wheeled construction equipment have to change to BS IV CEV norms by October 1, 2020 and the tracked equipment, which operate in stone-breaking and quarrying have to meet the norms by April 1, 2022. So, currently we are in transition stage. We are working very closely with our R&D team to incorporate required technological changes into our machines and make them stand out in the market. We follow global standards and aim to make our product range in accordance to BS IV norms which have brought new emission technologies. With BS IV norms adoption there are going to be changes and upgradation in engine rating, which we will keep you posted about, during the time of the launch.

What are the safety procedures for the operators of the equipment?
Operator comfort and safety are the most important factors to get optimum productivity from a machine. Keeping up with these parameters, major CASE’s product offerings are equipped with closed air conditioning HVAC with FOPS/ROPS cabin.For improved safety, CASE Dozers and Graders are installed with a unique trip meter on the operator dashboard that continuously monitors the fuel consumption, hours operated and operating temperatures. Electronic indicators are also connected to the dashboard for safety related and operation related parameters.

What is your company’s outlook for 2022?
Adhering to BS IV norms we look forward for smarter product range with efficient engine by the year 2022. In the long run, CASE focusses to expand its business and serve customers according to changing market dynamics. As the government is bidding for high investment in infrastructure growth we, as a company, foresee an encouraging future.

Puneet Vidyarthi, Brand Leader, CASE India