The construction of roads and essential infrastructure should continue unabated so that we are ready for business once the current pandemic comes to an end. To achieve this, world class machines need to be used.

While India continues to battle the pandemic ridden situation, the government has tried to ensure that essential infrastructure projects continue unhampered. All the stakeholders of the infrastructure industry including roads and bridges were a worried lot a few months back but after the announcement of the stimulus package a hope of optimism has set in.

VG Sakthikumar, Managing Director, Schwing Stetter India Private Limited points out “The various relief initiatives offered to banking systems, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) are intended to improve the liquidity for the economy. The stimulus package is getting clarified and we expect the impact to start very soon. It is heartening to know that more than 90 per cent of the roads and highways projects have restarted post lockdown. We, therefore, expect new purchases to start with better fund availability in the system. The other relief announced for MSME and agriculture will also help the return of bank guarantee for the finished part of the work and applying force majeure clauses for real estate projects will be useful for the industry.”

“The Government of India’s decision to allow limited construction activity from April 20 onwards has provided succour to the labour-intensive sector,” Prakasan TP, CEO, MEP Business, Sterling and Wilson Pvt Ltd “Though the construction firms have more challenges at hand due to social distancing and restrictions on mobility, which has resulted in huge productivity loss, yet the move would kick-start recovery and help the construction companies recoup from the shock induced by the coronavirus pandemic.”

Stakeholders are aware of the situation on the ground but are equally relieved at the promise that India as a market holds. Puneet Vidyarthi, Brand Leader, Case India says “The entire market is currently in a lull. We might see the market recovering soon in the upcoming time with the help of the government initiatives. The central government has outlined a number of policy related initiatives which will ease the pressure from the sector and spur the road and highways project. A report by NIP suggests that the new and upgrading infrastructure projects with Rs 111 trillion of investment will be key to raising India’s competitiveness and making it a Rs 5 trillion (US$) economy by 2025. Hence, the opportunities are on the way and Case India is ready to make the most of them in the upcoming period.”

Every year crores are spent on building roads and bridges. Some continue to bridge the gap between the cities and far flung areas while some crumble under the weight of stresses and strain. When it comes to building good roads; compaction, cold milling, paving are some of the important processes involved and for achieving it precise machines need to be used.

Wirtgen is one of the leading names in road construction equipment. Ramesh Palagiri, MD & CEO, Wirtgen Group India says The company has an extensive line-up of cold milling machines with milling widths ranging from 14 mm to 4.40 m. The customers can choose from over 30 different machine types, each also available with a variety of milling widths. One of the decisive factors in milling a surface true to line and level is precision levelling. The purpose of levelling is to regulate the milling depth and slope automatically based on a reference line, as precisely as possible.

Moreover, defined surface profiles such as specified cross slopes or crowns can also be created by means of 3D milling. A new digital surface profile generated on the computer can be transferred directly to the Wirtgen cold milling machine using 3D levelling systems. Increased quality and cost-effectiveness are major benefits offered by 3D milling technology. The powerful ‘heart’ of the cold milling machine, the milling drum assembly with all the cutting technology components also has a critical bearing on the quality, costs and performance of the milling process.

Even in the process which governs road building automation has been a key innovation. Says Sunil Sapru, Region Director – Sales & Marketing, Ammann India Pvt Ltd “Automatic Compaction Control is the future for Indian roads. Ammann Compaction Expert (ACE) has been continually improved since its introduction in 1998. It automatically adjusts amplitude and frequency based on ground characteristics in single-drum rollers, light and heavy asphalt rollers and vibratory plates. ACE provides compaction measurement, automatic control and documentation systems. It continuously adjusts frequency and amplitude depending on compaction measurements. It delivers highest compaction efficiency, minimizes the risk of over compaction. It can utilize all major manufacturers’ GPS products to provide mapping and operator guidance.”

Schwing Stetter India one of well-known companies offers sales and service for Gomaco, USA concrete slipform pavers of various sizes and options for concrete road paving. Besides this, the company also has a wide range of equipment available from Gomaco for varied paving requirements with products like curb and gutter paver, slope/cylinder finisher, sidewalk paver, safety barrier, trimmers, irrigation channel and canal pavers, etc.

Under the compaction segment another company which is a popular choice happens tobe Case India. Case India offers 752EX (9T Class) Vibratory Tandem Compactor and 450DX Mini Tandem Compactor (3T Class). In soil compactors, Case has 1110 EX-D and 1107EX, perfect for uniform compaction across the terrain. This wide range of equipment illustrates the brand’s ability to cater to activities as diverse as urban construction, road building, infrastructure and bridge construction.

Roads and Bridges ensure connectivity to different parts of the nation. In ways more than one they can be considered to be the lifeline of the other components of the built environment that follows suit. Not to mention transport which further aids trade, commerce, education etc. So while we battle the pandemic and strengthen the networks of roads and bridges in the city, villages and border areas, compaction, milling and paving machines will continue to play an important role.