The country has ambitious infrastructure and development targets, and we are positive that these will come to fruition in the short to medium term.

What makes Putzmeister Concrete Machines unique in comparison to other players of the industry?
Performance is one of our key differentiators. 72 per cent of our customers rate the output of our machines as better. Technology is another key differentiator. Our stationary concrete pumps and truck mounted boom pumps for example have developed a reputation for higher productivity, longer life of wear parts and lower cost of replacement because of fewer parts. Good resale value is another important differentiator.

What strategies are enabling you to maintain timely deliveries and a robust after sales support?
We recently announced that Putzmeister and Sany concrete sales and service team have joined forces to offer our customers One Face, Two Brands. Customers now have access to the after sales networks of both companies. An expanded service and spares footprint and increased efficiencies in logistics will help us further improve support to our customers.

What does India as a market mean to you?
The CE industry has indeed seen a downturn in 2019. That said, Putzmeister has been able to retain its position as a leading supplier of concrete pumps. India continues to be an important market for the Putzmeister Group. The country has ambitious infrastructure and development targets, and we are positive that these will come to fruition in the short to medium term. Putzmeister India delivered its 5,000th Stationary Concrete Pump earlier this year.

In the age of industrial IoT, do you see it as a value addition in an increasingly automated world? How are you inculcating it in your products?
IoT indeed offers many advantages, the most immediate impact being our ability to offer customers more intelligent fleet management. Intelligent equipment will be able to relay real time data from the field, give timely warnings before a break down occurs and help diagnose a problem before a service engineer even reaches the site. Not only that, data analysis will help inform how to manage the next job site better. This will positively improve productivity and profitability for our customers. We are in the process of rolling out Putzmeister Machine Cockpit on our Truck Mounted Boom Pumps. Putzmeister Machine Cockpit for improved fleet management capabilities

Whatis your expectation from the upcoming edition of Excon?
As is the case in every edition, we have high expectations from Excon. We expect to see a good footfall despite the economic slowdown and generate interest in our offering to power 2020.

What are the new products you will be exhibiting at your Excon stall?
Customers and visitors to our stand will see an expanded range of Batching Plants, Transit Mixers, Stationary Concrete Pumps and Truck Mounted Boom Pumps. In addition we will also have Tower Cranes and Pavers at the Putzmeister and Sany Concrete Solutions stand. We of course have a few product launches and other developments to share with our customers. As is our practice, all will be revealed at the show.

Wilfried Theissen, Managing Director, Putzmeister India