“JCB has always been launching innovative and quality products. The prime reasons for its increase in market share in 2013 are its innovative products, extensive dealer network and manufacturing facilities,” believes Amit Gossain, EVP – Marketing, Business Development and Corporate Affairs, JCB India Ltd.

 JCB India Ltd. is recongnised as one of the leaders in manufacturing road building equipment. Its continuous focus on innovation while designing its products has helped it meet ever-changing market needs. In an exclusive interview with B2B Purchase, Amit Gossain analyses the reasons behind slower growth in Indian market and also talks about JCB’s various road building equipment.

Globally, 2013 was the third most profitable year in JCB’s history. How do you look at its performance in India?
2013 was a good year for JCB. However, we witnessed a slowdown in India due to the overall economic slowdown. India remains to be one of the crucial markets for JCB and we are hopeful of seeing a turnaround in the coming months.

JCB has always continued to launch innovative and quality products. We currently offer range of construction equipment products in India and have introduced a series of new and innovative products.

In the backhoe loader range, we have introduced a new version of JCB 3DX – the new JCB 3DXcellence. Being most fuel efficient backhoe loader, the machine provides best return on investment to our customers. In the excavator segment, JCB launched JS205 – the 20 tonne excavator for earthwork, quarrying, road construction etc.
Today, JCB has 59 dealers and 575 service outlets. We have strategically expanded our after sales support around the country. Innovative products, extensive dealer network and manufacturing facilities are the prime reasons that JCB has gained market share across product categories in 2013.

Could you highlight the major reasons for slower growth in Indian market? By when can we expect to see a rise in the demand?
Delay in project execution coupled with political uncertainty, land acquisition issues, environmental clearance issues etc. are the major reasons for this hold up. Although government has shown strong intent to resolve these issues by introducing various reforms, successful implementation on the ground has yet to be seen.

Formation of Cabinet Committee on Investments (CCI) and Project Monitoring Group (PMG) to de-bottleneck and fast track big ticket infrastructure projects has helped a lot. However, it needs to be mirrored at the state level as well with a regulatory body to carry out active monitoring and to streamline end-to-end coordination.

We are hopeful to see some movement in infrastructure sector in second half of the current financial year. Now government will have to start by unleashing a wave of reforms in multiple sectors particularly in the infrastructure sector. The primary agenda is to de-bottleneck stalled infrastructure projects on ground and increase investments in the sector. The infrastructure industry hopes that mechanisms will be put into place to ensure that the top 20 projects of national importance are implemented expeditiously. The need to remove the severe infrastructure deficit across the country is evident and imperative.

Could you update us on your Jaipur facility? When is the production of new range expected?
JCB has recently showcased new manufacturing facility which is its fourth in India. The two plants are in the final stages of construction in Jaipur.

Road building is going to be a crucial area as far as Indian infrastructure sector is concerned. So, what are your long- and short-term objectives to strengthen your position in the road building equipment segment?
Road building equipment segment has seen considerable growth in the past few years. For the current financial year, NHAI plans to award 2,000 Km through cash contracts, and is ready with 3,000 Km to be bid via the public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

JCB offers road compaction equipment through its Vibromax series (VMT115, VMT860 and VMT330). VMT330 tandem roller is a latest addition to the portfolio. VMT330 tandem roller is a highly versatile compactor with high compaction forces. This machine is ideal for compaction in restricted spaces as it has got high kerb clearance.
JCB VM115 comes with dual anti-vibration isolation system which reduces the vibration, thus making it more comfortable for the operator to operate the machine. This machine also has a 3 point pre-loaded anti- vibration pads which also minimises the effect of vibration.

The 9T tandem roller VMT860 is designed to offer high productivity and reliability with maximum operating economy. It is powered by robust, fully tropicalised, low fuel consumption JCB engine ecoMAX. The ideal combination of static weights, centrifugal forces and amplitudes makes this asphalt roller perfect for a wide range of both soil and asphalt applications, from rolling sub-base to finish rolling.