The value digital construction delivers is huge

Simplifying increasingly complex infrastructure projects and furthering the efficiency of construction machines, Trimble’s advanced continuum of solutions and services are all about improving productivity says Rajan Aiyer, VP & MD, SAARC, Trimble Inc.

How do you see the present market situation for your construction solutions?
The construction technology solutions market is evolving and today the industry is much more aware of the benefits that technology brings. After witnessing first-hand how our products impact the efficiency and productivity of the machine in question, most of these prospective clients turn into our loyal customers. We also offer pro-bono for new entrants. We are optimistic that 2020 will be a breakthrough year for us.

What are the major challenges in India to implement industrial IoT?
Like with any new technology, the initial adoption is a key challenge to be overcome. But it is important to understand that contemporary infrastructure projects are becoming increasingly complex, so the formulaic methods of executing projects will not work anymore. Technology has to be utilised to streamline a number of factors which are involved in the execution of a project. The utiliastion of Industrial IoT can oversee the entire lifecycle of a project in question, right from project execution to its maintenance. It can augment efficiency and help in reducing the execution and maintenance cost of the project.

Do you believe that our expertise in Indian hardware and software is sufficient for an industrial revolution?
The software expertise is certainly more than sufficient. We have some of the best minds in the industry. In fact, at Trimble alone we have 1,200 people who are devising our business solutions and constantly upgrading them to cater to the industry demand. On the hardware side, it’s improving, especially with the ongoing trade war between China and US, many hardware manufacturers are looking at India as a good option. But we need more skills as far as the usage of some of these technologies is concerned. This can be addressed by providing the right amount of training to be able to take full advantage of the equipment.

For example, if we put machine control technology on a bulldozer, the end user needs to be able to utilize the digitally enhanced machine effectively. Operative knowledge is essential to view or upload any data. Even to look at the console and understand whether they are within the defined parameters, the right skill set is needed.

What are the major strategic alliances you have with construction OEMs?
Globally Trimble’s alliance with Caterpillar is very well known. Our alliance has led to the origin of Machine Control and Virtual Site solutions.

Machine control means implementing digital technologies on the machine that makes the machine work more efficiently and helps construction firms implement digital construction methods for improved productivity. Virtual site solutions enable the machine health and machine performance to be monitored closely and then relayed back to the operator or the contractor for efficient site management.

In addition, we work with a lot of third party OEMs and machine manufacturers because the technologies that we have are generic in nature and can work with different machines in the construction ecosystem.

How are your solutions cost-effective and what kind of ROI is expected from each quarter?
The value digital construction delivers is huge. If the volumes are small, the price is going to be higher. As the volumes pick up, the prices come down. More than price or cost, we believe that when our customers deploy this technology, the ROI is almost instantaneous like increase in productivity and material movement, 30-40 per cent reduction in rework, high-quality output and very tight tolerances can be built so that the amount of material that is used is optimal.

Rajan Aiyer, VP & MD, SAARC, Trimble Inc.