Our sales of equipment into road building were at the highest for eight years for the period January to April of this year.

  “Our experience at Volvo CE, is that activity levels are highest in the road building sector with numerous projects progressing. So understandably we are seeing highest levels of demand for excavators, compactors and pavers for this application and its associated industries. For other sectors, such as mining and general construction, activity levels have not been so high, therefore we are not seeing as much demand for equipment suited to these industries. However, overall, the construction equipment industry in India is in good health at present,” said Dimitrov Krishnan, Vice President and Head of Volvo CE India while sharing his thoughts about the recent performance of the Indian construction equipment industry.

Achieving highest ever growth
Commenting about how 2016 turned out to be for Volvo CE, Dimitrov said, “For the first quarter of this year, demand for our equipment in road building projects was up 60 per cent on the same period of 2015. Our sales of equipment into road building were their highest for eight years for the period January to April of this year. The demand moderated somewhat over the course of 2016, but overall sales into road building companies were up between 30 per cent and 40 per cent compared with last year.”

Making in India
Speaking about the achievements during the year 2016, Dimitrov said, “We have continued to introduce new products, launching the P5320B ABG paver earlier in 2016 and we’re now getting ready to launch two compactors at Bauma Conexpo India 2016. All of these machines have been developed specifically with the needs of our customers in mind, and all of them are also built at our factory in Bengaluru, so we’re proud to support the Indian government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.”

Bauma Conexpo India 2016
Volvo CE would formally launch its two new compactors at BAUMA CONEXPO India, both of which are built at the Volvo CE manufacturing facility in Bengaluru. “The introduction of the units is timely, with pressure growing on contractors to ensure projects stay on schedule as the Indian government targets 40 km of new road construction per day,” said Dimitrov.

Maintaining the strong focus on road building at the expo, Volvo CE will be showing the P5320B ABG paver, which is appearing at a trade show for the first time, having launched earlier in 2016. “Like the new compactors, this advanced paver is built at the Bengaluru factory and delivers exceptional paving quality and productivity, as well as easier operation and outstanding fuel efficiency. It offers excellent versatility across both medium and large-scale projects where paving widths range from 2.5 metres to 7 metres,” claims Dimitrov.

Alongside the compactors and pavers Volvo CE will display two of its advanced excavators from the D-Series. The 21-tonne rated EC210D and 25-tonne rated EC250D represent the latest in construction technology and are well suited to a range of applications including road building, irrigation projects or work in materials handling duties. “As well as superior performance, D-Series excavators can also deliver up to 10 per cent better fuel efficiency than their predecessors,” Dimitrov informs.