Dheeraj Panda, Chief Operating Officer (Sales, Marketing & Customer Support), Sany Heavy Industry India Pvt. Ltd. In an interview with B2B Purchase.

What impact do current global tensions have on India’s mining and infrastructure industries?

It has not affected much in this part of the world. In fact, the construction equipment industry is witnessing substantial growth due to increasing road development programmes undertaken by the central and state governments. The sector is expected to register a CAGR of 4 percent during the forecast period of 2020–2025.

The reopening of the economy (post pandemic) and an optimistic outlook by investors and consumers alike will further accelerate the growth prospects. The country’s continued urbanisation and major on-going national highway projects are driving huge demand for road construction equipment. We are already seeing high demand for road construction equipment like hydraulic excavators, mobile cranes, piling rigs, and motor graders etc.

So far, how has the mining and earthmoving equipment business fared?

The metals and mining sector in India is projected to witness a major reform in the next few years, owing to reforms such as the Make in India Campaign, Smart Cities, Rural Electrification, and a focus on building renewable energy projects under the National Electricity Policy, as well as the rise in infrastructure development. We are witnessing a remarkable growth in the mining sector, especially after the introduction of mining reforms. This has certainly spurred the demand for mining equipment. With a tremendous increase in road construction and infrastructure activities, we have seen a surge in demand for earthmoving equipment as well.

How are the companies adhering to the BS IV standards for regulating and decreasing emissions and pollution at work?

As the nation is ushering in new emission standards, at Sany India, we have successfully embraced the Bharat CEV Stage IV norms, upgraded, and launched new truck cranes and motor graders in the market. Adhering to the new emission norms, the new truck cranes have been manufactured at Sany India’s stateof-the-art manufacturing plant at Chakan in Pune to support the government’s “Make in India” programme and, most importantly, to regulate and decrease emissions. Our equipment has been showing good traction in the market, led by road construction, refinery expansions, railway and metro projects, waterways etc. To meet the surging demand, we plan to launch products that are more new in the near future, complying with CEV Stage IV emissions.

How are technologies such as AI, IoT, and 3D printing used in day-to-day processes?

Today we can see that all the equipment that is made and sold in India has internet connectivity for getting data about the equipment’s performance. Customers have access to that data on a daily basis, or it is available to customers through portals. Such data is being utilised by customers on a daily basis to improve the efficiency of their operations. The construction equipment industry is working very aggressively to further improve AI so that customers will be able to get a complete analysis of the data and pro-active signals to improve performance. In the future, they will have a pro-active mechanism of getting information about their products, and, of course, they will get pro-active signals through this AI.

Looking into the technological advancements, we have already moved ahead with Sany’s telematics systems like EVI and rout cloud, which help monitor the key operational parameters and provide timely intimation to the users.

At Sany, we ensure that our customers always get extra value for their money through our cutting-edge technology and innovation, which makes our equipment more versatile and economical. Moreover, our customer-centric focus drives us to develop reliable solutions for users. In this regard, Sany India invests around a large chunk of its annual income in research and development every year.

Please tell us about your focus on the existing product range and how it will deliver better value for customers.

Depending upon the Indian market’s requirements, we keep updating our product portfolio. Our current products are on par with global standards in terms of product quality and offerings. Own, which we have achieved market leadership in various construction equipment segments. This has helped us earn the trust of our customers, be it in India or the South Asian market. Our upcoming products will definitely see an improvement in terms of technological upgrade in the coming months as per market needs. However, our adherence to stringent quality methods will continue to remain the same irrespective of the times we live in.