The graded unlocking has revived the demand for AWP

We are noticing demands mostly for our electrical machines like scissor lifts, vertical mast and articulated booms. Our bigger booms are being used for the projects executed by the government and the defence sector says Souma Ray, Director, Haulotte India Private Limited.

How do you see Atmanirbhar Bharat to impact your sector?
India is still a very immature market for Aerial Works Platforms and the current volumes in the country don’t make it viable for global players having manufacturing locations across the world to manufacture in India. But India is an important potential market and perhaps as the market matures; we will find reputed AWP companies setting up manufacturing bases in India.

In terms of market dynamics, what will be the new state of the affair after 2020?
The pandemic has impacted countries and economies on a global scale, the economy will need substantial time to recover post which a revival will follow suit. The market dynamics will remain cautious in terms of investments and CAPEX especially in 2021, till such time the vaccine is out. All we can hope for now is that the revival happens quickly.

How will the pandemic impact the R&D for the development of future access equipment? What kind of additional features may be sought?
Access Equipment is operated by a single operator/user at a time and such equipment doesn’t have an enclosed cabin. All operators of such machines ideally wear protective gloves. Since the pandemic is a new development as of now, we haven’t received any request for additional features from our customers. If we do receive such requests, our R&D team will certainly work on it.

What kind of initiatives should the government focus on to ensure the construction and infrastructure sector remains in robust health?
Construction and infrastructure sectors are the backbone of an economy. Although these are unprecedented times and despite the Covid-19 situation still looming over us, the government needs to continue the work on the ongoing government funded construction and infra projects and also encourage the private sector work in these sectors to gather pace, whilst observing strict safety norms by the workmen.

The unavoidable lockdown has resulted in the stoppage of work, project delivery deadlines have been pushed back. Adding to that are the miseries of the workmen and labour, who lost their source of earning. Hence it’s important that despite the current situation, both these sectors should open up to the maximum extent possible to set the ball rolling again.

What are some of the products driving growth for your business in the current economic cycle?
The pandemic has affected business sentiments. However, with the graded unlocking in different parts of the country; industrial, infrastructure, construction sectors have started operating and thus the need of access equipment is being felt although at subdued levels. We are noticing demands mostly for our electrical machines like scissor lifts, vertical mast and articulated booms. Our bigger booms are being used for the projects executed by the government and the defence sector.

What are the equipment financing options and technology support you have made available for your customers?
At Haulotte, we work as solution providers to our customers. For any requirement about financing, we have Haulotte Financial Services who coordinate with our customers to work on their needs and provide the best financing options in conjunction with various banks and NBFCs.

On the technology support part, Haulotte India through its product support team provides training and technical support to our rental customers. Whilst our end user customers are catered to by our Pan India distributor Gemini Power Hydraulics Pvt Ltd under our supervision. Whenever they need specific intervention from us, we provide the necessary technical backup both offsite and onsite.