The Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative coupled with the government’s decision and policy being formulated regarding eligibility criteria for highway and infra projects points towards a very positive direction for homegrown crane manufacturers in India such as TIL says  Anil Bhatia, Vice President – Sales & Marketing, TIL Limited.

How do you see Atmanirbhar Bharat to impact your sector?
Infrastructure is a key contributor to economic growth and therefore the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ mission brings positive tidings for the CE sector and is set to boost the homegrown companies in this space. The National Infrastructure Pipeline will also play a vital role in giving fresh impetus to the sector.

For TIL, the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ poses significant opportunities. It is about India strengthening its domestic manufacturing to take on the global market. TIL has always been a self-reliant Indian company with local manufacturing, making India proud with its repertoire of products and services for over seven decades.

In terms of market dynamics, what will be the new normal for the cranes segment in the post-Covid market? Do you feel the pandemic will catalyse the use of digitization and AI in future cranes?
Economic growth cannot be achieved without growth in infrastructure. This is the reality even in new normal times post-Covid. Renewed investments in infrastructure are a key strategy to counter the impacts of a downturn and to this end, we are already witnessing various measures by the Government towards reviving infrastructure.

The Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative coupled with the Government’s decision and policy being formulated regarding eligibility criteria for highway and infra projects points towards a very positive direction for homegrown crane manufacturers in India such as TIL. The demand is already showing a healthy upward sign and TIL has a good order book for cranes going forward. The positive market outlook in the medium to long term is also attributed to the rise in urbanization. 

Thrust on NIP along with several big-ticket infrastructure projects as well as focus to make local industry more competitive is set to open up vast opportunities. Once the infrastructure projects are awarded and properly executed, we will soon see positive impacts on the infra sector. Therefore, the new normal for the crane segment spells significant opportunities. 

Digitalization, AI is the new normal that is here to stay. Crane manufacturers will have to take this into account as digital transformation will be the need of the hour and a robust digital roadmap will be imperative. Cloud-based software, mobile apps, IoT, big data, are few aspects among others in the digital roadmap that will help the CE and crane manufacturers ensure improved productivity and better performance.

TIL Cranes and Reachstackers already come equipped with intelligent features such as LMI, sophisticated CAN-based operator information and the interactive system as well as an advanced telematics system to name a few. Our R&D team works round the clock to bring in more technology ready features to provide greater efficiency in fleet management, machine productivity, the total cost of operations and operator performance – in addition to operational safety, by way of wireless asset management. 

Going forward, the new normal will also be connecting with customers through more virtual modes. Remote troubleshooting, solving complex issues over video conferencing will ensure faster response time.

What kind of infrastructure upgrade initiatives should the government focus on to ensure the construction sector remains in robust health?
The Indian government is already taking several initiatives for infrastructure development – which is further boosting demand for the construction and CE sector. Some of the projects that will ensure the sector’s robust health include – Smart City Mission, AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation of Urban Transformation), Metro Rail in urban areas, Bharatmala, among others. The government is also making all efforts to right tracking the public-private partnership (PPP) framework. Also, derisked models for the private sector, such as engineering procurement and construction (EPC) and hybrid annuity model (HAM), could result in vastly improving the rate of construction of national highways.

Private investment in physical and social infrastructure will also remain key to putting India on a high growth path. The National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP), for enhancing infrastructure in identified sectors to provide world-class infrastructure across the country, is another initiative sure to bear fruit once implemented effectively.

What are some of the products driving growth for your business in the current economic cycle?
Before Covid-19 pandemic hit us, the market for medium to heavy-duty cranes presented significant potential with demand being higher for the 40 tons – 100 tons category. In the post covid market, we should also see a sizable opportunity for Truck Cranes and high capacity Rough Terrain cranes. The infrastructure sector executes many complex and big projects that require heavy lifting jobs. 

Given this, our Rough Terrain cranes with higher lifting capacities and robust features are expected to drive growth. Customers today are looking for cranes that deliver more productivity as well as greater safety.  All TIL products are designed locally as per global standards for many decades and therefore we enjoy the distinct advantage of providing our customers ‘Make in India’ products that are self-reliant, technologically superior and cost-competitive.