The access equipment sales and usage, to be precise, is in a nascent stage today. However, there are strong signals that Made in India has started striking roots. Most of the requirements of access equipment mounted on LCV and HTV are wholly Indian. Juzar Vanak shares his views about the access equipment industry. 
Market potential The widening presence of famous foreign leading brands such as Genie, Skylift, Haulotte, Grove through Indian partners is a sure sign of the fast growing market for aerial work platform within India.
The potential is bound to shoot up in none too distant future when the many stalled infrastructure projects get revived and start accelerating the building and completion of scores of vital infrastructure projects in roads, bridges, flyovers, elevated metros and the dormant projects in power generation and transmission and the telecom towers and construction of mega plants and factories all over India – some of them stalled midway, others due to some reason or the other.
The Indian construction equipment market is expected to grow at 12 per cent CAGR to $ 4 bn by 2017. This in turn is creating big opportunities for access equipment and AWPs. There is no doubt that the access equipment (of which AWP is an indispensable integral part) will receive substantial boost and lead to a growth that may astonish the industry experts.
Specific strategyPlanned expansion of existing manufacturing facilities, intensive emphasis on product R&D as well as cost reduction to guard against competition – internal and from abroad – and highly organised, prompt and effective after sales service and spares support all over India will be the core planks of Vanjax’s business strategies to gain maximum advantage from the fast growing business opportunities in the near future.
Current trends in procurement Now the leading infra EPC contractors depend up on imported high-end value access equipment leaving the low-cost utilities market to the Indian MSME manufacturers. However, Mr Vanak  feels, “The scene will surely change as the planned expansion of local capacities become strong contenders with quality and price advantage to face up to the well entrenched foreign manufacturers now enjoying a virtual monopoly. The well entrenched foreign players with their superior advantages in terms of expertise and equipment strengths do prevail over the infant/young Indian industry.”
He observes, “India’s own manufacturers will gain greater acceptance and patronage from EPC contractors on account of matching quality, after-sales spares and services support and distinct price advantages.”
For customersMr Vanak outlines some points a customer must consider while dealing with access equipment. The foremost is the built-in-safety features which involves design, choice of all inputs from load bearing members down to nuts, screws, bolts, seals, electrical and electronic systems. Then comes price, the supporting after-sales services and spares.  Finally comes the resale value.———————————————————-The well entrenched foreign players with their superior advantages in terms of expertise and equipment strengths do prevail over the infant/young Indian industry.
– Juzar Vanak, JMD, Vanjax Sales Pvt. Ltd.