In our factory, we are once again taking everyone through intensive training and have stringent checks in place to ensure that all necessary precautions are being observed says Wilfried Theissen, Managing Director, Putzmeister India.

How will the current market scenario increase the role of mechanisation in construction?
We all have to come to terms with the fact that social distancing, wearing masks and doing your best to stop the spread of Covid-19 is going to become the norm till we find a cure and develop the necessary vaccines. This will naturally have an impact on all industries. 

As activity resumes on job sites, the focus will be on having all the safety measures are in place. By adhering to mandatory norms set by the central, state and local authorities, we will guarantee the safety of our workforce and other staff. Putzmeister has also developed a set of norms for the safe handling of our equipment and we are currently training our customers, equipment operators and our after-sales team to enable a safe and smooth restart. 

We also expect to see an increased focus on mechanisation to reduce contact between people and to make up for time lost during the lockdown. The Indian construction industry could see increased penetration of mechanisation provided the industry gets government support in resolving long-standing liquidity issues. 

From your products table, which products are you banking on the most right now?
Our product portfolio includes stationary concrete pumps, truck mounted boom, specialized plastering and screening equipment and shotcrete equipment for tunneling and mining application. And together with Sany, we are jointly offering batching plants and transit mixers. The company’s truck mounted pumps are the ideal solution to improve speed, efficiency, security, output and social distancing on every job site.

What measures have you taken to ensure worker safety and timely deliveries of the machines?
At Putzmeister, we had already put social distancing measures in place well before the countrywide lockdown. Our office teams were working in 50 per cent rotation; our factory shifts were split to ensure we don’t have more than 50 per cent staff in the premises at any one time. Now that we have resumed activity in our factory, we are once again taking everyone through intensive training and have stringent checks in place to ensure that all necessary precautions are being observed. As mentioned earlier, we have developed guidelines for our field staff and are training them separately.

The delivery of equipment depends on a range of central, state and local guidelines. Our logistics team is working round the clock to find solutions and they adhere to the guidelines issued by different authorities. The situation is currently very dynamic and we expect it to be this way in the immediate future. 

How does constant R&D enable Putzmeister to deliver consistent performance, what are some of the new & unique features of Putzmeister concrete pumps?
With over 60 years of experience across a range of application conditions and environments, Putzmeister pumps are designed to deliver consistent performance at a lower long-term cost of ownership. When it comes to introducing new features, our focus always is on anticipating what the customer needs and meeting those demands. 

Continuous R&D enables our engineers to incorporate feedback from the field into the development process. They are also able to work on technology enhancements on an ongoing basis. We are in the process of rolling out Putzmeister Machine Cockpit, our telematics solutions to the entire fleet of Putzmeister Truck Mounted Concrete Pumps. You can also expect to see further updates to our range of Stationary Pumps. 

In the view of current market dynamics, what kind of forecast you have for the year 2020?
After witnessing a spike in growth in 2018 and a 20 per cent downturn in 2019, we expected to see demand growing in the third quarter of 2020. We will wait for the situation to reach some stability before sharing any forecasts. We are also ensuring that the company is fully prepared to meet customer demand and to offer them after-sales support required to overcome any challenges.