Debabrata Chakraborty, Head – Sales & Marketing, Pakona Engineers. In an interview with B2B Purchase.

Excon was a fantastic opportunity in the postCovid situation since it allowed us to meet with our customers in person and have a better knowledge of their viewpoint. “Surprisingly, the government is very interested in the event, and high army officials have paid us a visit.” Furthermore, the government’s recent demand that 30 percent of precast goods be used helps us generate orders,” says Debabrata Chakraborty, Head – Sales & Marketing, Pakona Engineers.

Products and solutions at Pakona 

Pakona is a representative of ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat,’ one of India’s largest exporting manufacturers. And during the event, we launched bio-toilet pots, which are in line with the government’s Swachh Bharat mandate. These are RCC pods that can be quickly assembled on-site. In collaboration with an NGO, we will deliver six toilet pods to six Zilla Parishad schools in Palghar. That’s very exciting because it’s for a good cause. Customers can use the existing machines; all they need to do is change one of the moulds and they can begin producing those PODS. As a result, even existing manufacturers may have access to this. We hope to expand this to various locations throughout India.

How are you capitalising on the government’s push for infrastructural development?

According to government regulations, NHAI must include precast in 25 percent of all road projects. When it comes to precast, the most easily adoptable precast products are box culverts, U-drains, and hume pipes. So we’re getting inquiries, and with our setup, we’re assisting our customers in meeting their specific needs. We recently received an inquiry from a remote location in Leh and Ladakh where cast-in-situ production is difficult because they only have three to four moths due to harsh weather conditions. The work must be completed within that timeframe, so machinery is required. As a result, we are utilising our expertise to assist them with the design of not only the machine but also the raw material.

What are your business plans and projections for the coming years? 

Infrastructure and NHAI contractors account for 90 percent of our business. However, we have seen interest from smart cities because they are an option for precast box culverts and U-drains. Considering current patterns, we are confident about our growth prospects in the coming years, despite the government’s assertion that the country cannot thrive without infrastructure improvements. Having said that, OEM will receive 10 percent of total projects for infrastructure. It will be better for us if more projects are undertaken and more infrastructure is constructed. We are also considering expanding our exports to other countries.