OEMs who wish to expand their product portfolio with future-ready products that are suitable for export and can meet any upcoming emission legislation in India, we are ready to collaborate with them and launch new products.

Jonas Nilsson,
Head, Volvo Penta in India

  Volvo Penta, one of the global majors in marine and industrial power system manufacturing, is gradually strengthening its foothold in the Indian market by introducing future-ready solutions and focusing on indigenous product development, said Jonas Nilsson, Head of Volvo Penta in India.

Early 2016, you announced about making of engines locally in India. What is the current status?
In June last year, we announced our plans of producing 5- and 8-litre industrial engines from VE Powertrain (VEPT) plant in Pithampur, near Indore. We will be rolling out the first engine in April this year. In addition, we are expanding our sales network and aftermarket touch points in India. So far we have expanded our geographical coverage by bringing in new dealerships and added 10 touch points for the Indian market to make it to 85.

Would you like to expand your product line?
As of now we have a good set up from 5 to 16 litres between 105 to 565 kW. It’s a broad range covering all the major emission standards. We are happy with this range at the moment.

How was your performance in 2016?
Our performance had been good during the past one year as some of the segments of construction did pretty well. Our sales have been increased by 20 per cent and we look positively on next year as well.

Could you tell us about your focus for 2017 when it comes to construction equipment industry?
We are typically into material handling in construction and mining equipment segments. We are working with some of the major players OEMs including Supernova Engineers Ltd, Sterling Generators Pvt Ltd, Lombardini India Pvt Ltd, Rai Prexim India Pvt Ltd and Power Engineering India Pvt Ltd for our indigenised genset. OEMs who wish to expand their product portfolio with future-ready products that are suitable for export and can meet any upcoming emission legislation in India, we are ready to collaborate with them and launch new products.

Our 5- and 8-litre industrial engines that are being developed in India are certified for Indian Bharat (CEV) Stage III emissions standards which are equivalent to EU stage IIIA/Tier 3 and are already in the field, powering a variety of applications including construction, material handling, raw material exploration and agriculture.

How do you see the demand?
Demand is coming from both the ends – OEMs who want to be future ready and operators who want to have the benefits of the lowest total cost of ownerships. We are establishing ourselves as the engine manufacturer that offers lowest total cost of ownerships.