Government’s initiatives and programs in the last couple of years have put India back on the growth trajectory. Roads and Highways sector is leading the growth agenda at present.

All JCB products manufactured in India are based on the company philosophy of “One Global Quality”. JCB India exports to over 65 countries today. JCB India’s Head – Corporate Communications Jasmeet Singh feels this has helped the company braced its market position even during economic downtrend. Excerpts from his exclusive tête-à-tête with Subhajit Roy:

How do you look at the current pace of project execution especially in the road sector? 

The roads and highways sector is one of the first few sectors to witness an upward trend after years of overall slowdown in the construction equipment market. Significant initiatives and programs from the government have helped in the revival of the sector. Approximately 150 stalled projects have been cleared which is now leading to a sentiment in the industry. The thrust on the sector can be seen in the Union Budget as well – ` 97,000 crore have been earmarked for roads, out of which ` 19,000 crore are specifically for the rural roads.

How about JCB’s order booking? What are the new areas opening up?

After four years of sustained contraction, few sectors have finally shown green shoots. We are seeing a slow U shaped recovery.  The Q1 of this calendar year has been positive; however, sustained growth sentiment can only be determined in the coming months

Apart from roads and highways, sectors such as railways, irrigation, urban rejuvenation, and power have shown potential to drive growth. Another major growth area for the construction industry is ports which has been one of the focused areas of the government. All these sectors will open new avenues for construction and earthmoving equipment.

Seeing these new avenues, are you revisiting your product development strategy?

We offer a robust and varied product range in the industry. In the last one year, we have introduced a whole new range of “Made in India” products categories – these being Telehandlers and Skid Steer Loaders.

In 2015, we also introduced JCB Gensets which are manufactured at our facility near New Delhi. In fact, Gensets was one of the first projects of JCB India wherein we started exporting the product before catering to the domestic demand. With the product being very well accepted and appreciated across five continents, we have extended our range to 200 kVA and footprint to over 39 countries now. In India, we offer Gensets in the 62.5 kVA and 80 kVA categories.

Another major technological innovation in the Indian construction equipment came with JCB launching an advanced telematics system called JCB Livelink. This system enables our customers to remotely manage their machines. This state-of-the-art technology provides updates regarding service alerts, operations and security by using the geo fencing and time fencing features.

Our machines are already fitted with system and customers with Livelink enabled machines get SMS alerts on their mobile phones or smart devices – the information is available in real time regarding the health of the machine including engines.

To monitor these machines in real time, we have set up a world class central command centre at our Ballabgarh facility. Our dealerships have also set up similar Livelink command centres to ensure that real time support is provided to the customers.

How much do you export from India?

We currently export to over 65 countries. Middle East and Africa are the biggest export markets, followed by South East Asia and Latin America. Some of our components are even exported to developed markets. The export goods include both components and finished goods.