Neil Woodfin, VP CE AMEA and CE Global Alliances, Case Construction, talks about his overall experience of Excon and India being a major market player.

How has your experience been at Excon 19?
I have been really pleased with the responses we have got at Excon and especially with 2019 being a difficult year for India. We had quality customers come through at our expo.

Could you brief us about your product portfolio?
If we look at our available portfolio, we’re number one in compactors; we’re number two in TLB. We used that as a platform to launch the Grader back in 2016. And, that has been a great success. And then the following year, we launched the Dozer. In 2019, we have launched the excavator (Crawler Excavator CX220C), which is being manufactured in India, and it’s been designed to accommodate for the Indian requirements. The Grader and Dozer have very quickly attained number two and number three position within their respective marketplaces we have received a great customer response. I am optimistic that Crawler Excavator CX220C will do the same.

How important is Indian market for your company?
India is really important for us and we have been here for over 30 years. Case India has got a strong customer base, strong database, sales and service organisation here. Some of our most competitive manufacturing facilities in the world are located in India, and as a result of that we’re able to produce products at the cost point that allows us to be competitive. And that’s tough to do in India because it’s such a price sensitive market. But we don’t just produce products for India, we produce products here for export markets and excavator design will be sold into the Indian market but also will be exported to South East Asia, Africa, Middle East, and Russia. We’ve also invested in CNH Capital, which is a new financial service.

As one of the major manufacturers, what are your expectations from the government in 2020?
I was very encouraged by what Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India had to say at Excon. The fact that there is going to be continued commitment to invest in the construction industry, through infrastructure and through residential and commercial construction is good news for us and the industry. He (Gadkari) also recognizes the need for cash flow from the banks to industry stakeholders. This will ensure that the money lands up in the right hands and enables the right purchase.

What kind of steps are you taking for training of operators?
We’ve got an intensive training program and we are constantly training people all the time to make sure that they can get the most out of our products and drive productivity for the clients and owners of those companies. It’s an important part of what we do. We don’t just sell equipment; we sell the complete package which comprises all the training the customer needs and the industry. He (Gadkari) also recognizes the need for cash flow from the banks to industry stakeholders. This will ensure that the money lands up in the right hands and enables the right purchase.

What kind of steps are you taking for training of operators?
We’ve got an intensive training program and we are constantly training people all the time to make sure that they can get the most out of our products and drive productivity for the clients and owners of those companies. It’s an important part of what we do. We don’t just sell equipment; we sell the complete package which comprises all the training the customer needs.

What is your take on IoT and can it be a value addition?
We’re living in the age of information. These devices are there to provide information so people can make informed decisions. And different stakeholders require different kind of information to be able to make those informed decisions. So the operator, and the owner may need to be able to see how productive that been, and how unproductive it’s been, it has probably been in the ideal mode because other products required to complete the job was unavilable. I think giving them visibility of how efficient the work site is very important. It also helps them plan their tasks efficienctly and ultimately increases the productivity.

What is your take on IoT and can it be a value addition?
We’re living in the age of information. These devices are there to provide information so people can make informed decisions. And different stakeholders require different kind of information to be able to make those informed decisions. So the operator, and the owner may need to be able to see how productive that been, and how unproductive it’s been, it has probably been in the ideal mode because other products required to complete the job was unavilable. I think giving them visibility of how efficient the work site is very important. It also helps them plan their tasks efficienctly and ultimately increases the productivity.

Neil Woodfin, VP CE AMEA and CE Global Alliances, Case Construction