Currently, we are exporting to 40 countries. Our future agenda is to make the company truly international.
Ranjeet More, Vice Chairman & MD, Universal Construction Machinery & Equipment Ltd

  Pune-based Universal Construction Machinery & Equipment Ltd is one of the key players in construction equipment industry. Ranjeet More, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Universal Construction Machinery & Equipment Ltd, speaks about the recent performance of the construction equipment industry and the plans that the company has for the future.

An illustrious journey
“We started from a small scale to mid scale and grown up to a large scale industry. In the year 2007, we were recognised as a SME industry and today we have transformed into a mega industry. In this journey we have expanded our market and the product lines. It is due to our customers as we got an opportunity to grow,” said Mr More.

Major movements in real estate and infrastructure
“Since the month of June, the market is growing upwards. This growth is basically in the real estate and infrastructure segments,” says Mr More in response to a question about the current performance of the construction equipment industry.  He further says, “Earlier the condition of the infrastructure sector was very poor and the real estate segment was going at a very slow pace. However, there has been a substantial growth in the market.”

Focusing on the performance of Universal Construction, Mr More said that the market for Universal Construction has grown more than 30 per cent than the last year. He adds, “Though the real estate sector has further declined and the trend will continue for a while, the infrastructure industry has boosted since the last two months.”

Focusing on productivity
“We were able to focus on two sides – R&D and market expansion. We have introduced advanced equipment for concrete segment that are going to give a better control over cost and productivity. In terms of market expansion, we have enhanced our domestic market presence by increasing distribution partners. We now have 6 distributors in the state of Uttar Pradesh, ” said Mr More. Adding further, he said, “In the international market, we have revived our Dubai establishment that was discontinued for a while after our tie-up with the Tata Group.”

Focus on ‘Skill India’
Universal Construction is more focussed on establishing a Skill Development Centre. “In January, we will be launching a skilled development centre in collaboration with Universal College of Engineering under the National Skilled Development Program,” informs Mr More.

Future plans
Universal Construction has established a 4-point agenda for the future growth. Mr More says, “We are going to target four key areas. Firstly, we will be working on ‘Housing for All’ wherein we’ll be introducing advanced technologies that will help in executing cost-effective projects at faster pace. In order to work on the same, we are coming up in with collaboration with our Turkish company.”

Universal Construction is also focusing on ‘Digital India’. Speaking on this, Mr More said, “India is not just about metro cities – it is about going to the interiors of the country. With this move we are bringing an IT platform that will enable access information on our products and solutions. It will also help interacting with our team on products and services. The idea is to reach the interiors of India.”

The company is working on improving the technology. “Our main aim is to reduce pollution and power consumption of our machines. We are looking at incorporating green technology,” informs Mr More.

Universal Construction also plans to expand the market during the years 2017-2022. “Currently, we are exporting to 40 countries. Our future agenda is to make the company truly international,” concludes Mr More.