Ajay Aneja, Chief Marketing Officer, AJAX in an interview with B2B Purchase.

What is your macro-level outlook on the present demand trends for concrete equipment spanning across mixing lines, transportation, and placements? What about the demand for higher capacity equipment with rising requirements for productivity? 

The last two years have been difficult for the industry, but in the quarter ending September 2021, the CE industry posted a robust 47 percent sales growth. So, we can see some green shoots and the government’s continued focus through different missions has increased the impetus and catapulted various infrastructure development projects across India. The National Infrastructure Pipeline, a `111 crore project by the government of India that has been auctioned, augurs well for the Indian construction equipment industry.

The infra projects’ award tendering activity has started to pick up and the majority of this is accounted for by road projects. The road construction activity will gather pace from now on with the withdrawal of the monsoon. Road construction has been a major volume driver for the CE industry, with an execution pace in FY-22 targeted at 40 km per day.

Apart from roads and railways, CRISIL estimates that industry investment could increase by 30 percent in FY 22–24, led by mega projects in high-speed rail, corridors, expressways, solar energy, affordable housing, and airports. This project pipeline and shortage of labour has led to an increase in demand for higher capacity and productivity equipment like batching plants, boom pumps, and transit mixers.

Catering to the demand trend, what are the newer and upgraded solutions you are offering across the concreting value chain? What newer technological inclusions have you made in your machines (such as a new range of mixers for better mixing, higher engine horsepower, advancements in drum designs for transit mixers, higher heights of boom placers with better flexibility for truck-mounted, newer pumping technologies for stationery pumps, and so on) and key deliverables have resulted?

Innovation and indigenisation have been a way of life at AJAX, and we are proud to be a self-reliant Indian company for almost three decades. We have been focused on building for success and building to endure. The foundation consists of a lean, strong, IT enabled organisation staffed by competent and committed professionals espousing the organisational values. On this foundation, we have built our 3 pillars:

• Innovative engineering capability that provides meaningful solutions to our customers
• Sales and distribution network that can reach every potential customer
• Best-in-industry customer support that can reach the customers in the shortest possible time

Over the years, we have expanded our product portfolio from self-loading concrete mixers to a total concrete equipment supplier. Our portfolio includes batching plants, boom pumps, and India’s first locally made concrete slip-form paver. Today, we have a customer base across India and across the globe. We support our customers with a network of dealerships and after-sales support touch-points. AJAX offers worldclass technology solutions to meet the growing customer demands for precision and efficiency, delivering profitability.

AJAX was the pioneer in bringing the concept of SLCM to India way back in 1992 and revolutionised the way of concreting on project sites. Over the years, we have added new features like the load cell weighing system for higher accuracy that has been patented. Further, we have introduced Smart Fleet Telematics, Rear View Camera, Admixture Dosing Units, Bidirectional Tyres, AC Cabs, EH Drum Control, High Pressure water jet, Smart CBC, etc., to name a few, and many of these have been industry first, keeping in mind our customers’ evolving needs. In August 2021, we introduced India’s first all-new CEV Stage IV compliant ARGOs that offer the best-in-class benefits with excellent fuel efficiency as well as less downtime due to longer service intervals, ensuring very high reliability due to our high-quality standards.

The shortage of manpower and the need for the quicker placement of concrete in inaccessible areas have necessitated the use of boom pumps in the current construction processes. Smaller 4X2 truck chassis mounted concrete boom pumps have been revolutionising the construction of commercial and residential buildings and structures. With its short turning radius and lower cost, it offers higher productivity and efficiency to customers. We have also built a patented product, the Self-Propelled Boom Pump, which is again an industry first, eliminating the need for a truck chassis and offering an even shorter turning radius. With its 4X4 capability, it can reach anywhere in any terrain, making it easier for customers to do difficult, narrow-access concrete jobs.

AJAX has also designed and manufactured India’s first and only slipform paver to build concrete roads up to 12 meters, thereby eliminating the need for customers to import pavers from outside the country. We are proud to say that it has worked rigorously for over 2500 hours and has built over 100 km of concrete roads in India, and we are confident of offering it for sale in India and abroad in coming quarters.

AJAX has charted an investment of `140 Cr to build a new manufacturing facility and design centre in Bangalore. These investments will further help AJAX in innovation and indigenisation to follow the Atmanirbhar Bharat mission and meet the growing demands in North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. (MENA).

The roadmap ahead for AJAX Engineering is to be a Next Gen 360° Concreting Solutions company. We have aligned ourselves in line with the GoI’s investment plans in the Indian Infrastructure segment in order to cater to the requirements of customers ranging from residential and industrial building projects to metro rail corridors, railways, irrigation canals, aqueducts, solar power plants, road tunnels and bridges, airports, and smart city projects. Our concrete solutions have been the preferred choice of contractors across the country.

Looking forward, in another five years, we see ourselves emerging as an Indian MNC and being among the top three international players in the concrete equipment space. A company that truly believes in the “Made in India, Made for the World” mission.

What are the newer challenges on the way towards after-sales services with the rising population of equipment, disruptions in skilled manpower, training, and also in parts supply owing to rising transportation costs? 

How do you propose to address these issues? AJAX has the widest network of dealers for product sales and after-sales support among all the concrete equipment players in the country. Currently, AJAX has 35+ dealers and 100+ touch points across India. AJAX serves the international market through 16+ international distributors and has a presence in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and North African (MENA) regions.

The network is equipped with a full-fledged team of skilled engineers trained to handle both preventive and general maintenance. They offer maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) for the equipment that ensures the best value for money for customers. AJAX Customer Care can be reached 24X7 for any queries and requests, thereby enabling round-the-clock support. AJAX offers excellent serviceability options to ensure maximum uptime of the machines, thereby enhancing customer satisfaction to a greater level.