Tata Motors, a flagship company of the Tata Group, is a major manufacturer of commercial vehicles in India. Commenting on the future of construction equipment industry in India, Dr. A.K. Jindal, Head – Electric Vehicles & Defence Vehicles, Commercial Vehicle Engineering, Tata Motors, said, “We see the road construction segment booming due to the impetus provided in the budgetary allocations for roads and infrastructure projects.”

The road construction push includes the Bharatmala Pariyojana with a Rs 5.35 lakh crore investment to construct 34,800 km of roads. In addition, Rs 1.57 lakh crore will be spent on the construction of 48,877 km of roads by the state-run National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Requirement of tippers for this industry comes from primarily two applications: Aggregate Mining and Surface Transport. Both these applications will see unprecedented demand in the coming 2 years, believes Dr. Jindal.

Rajesh Kaul, Head, Sales and Marketing, Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicles, Tata Motors, adds, “There is a visible shift towards rated load regime, indicating that more vehicles are required to carry similar loads. Manufacturers of commodities like steel, coal and cement have been stressing on lower freight rates. All this will lead to the migration from low tonnage points to higher tonnage vehicles. Tata Motors is all set to cater to this growing need with its versatile range of vehicles in 31-tonne, 37-tonne, 40-tonne and 49-tonne range.”

Tata Motors at EXCON 2017

At EXCON 2017, Tata Motors’ focus was on mining and road construction industry as the company sees positive movement in macro-economic indicators in these segments. “We showcased product superiority or exclusivity with globally renowned Cummins SCR technology, heavy-duty ULTIMAAX suspension system, factory fitted comfortable AC SIGNA cabins and light weight but stronger tipper bodies. All these vehicles are powered by our range of powerful 180 to 300HP SCR technology engines,” informs Dr. Jindal.

Driver comfort is increasingly becoming more relevant due to the increased utilisation of assets, longer lead distances as well as the scarcity of drivers in this industry. Tata Motors provides options of air-conditioned comfortable cabins as well as sleeper cabins in many of its tippers to cater to this demand.

Kaul adds, “We are also working on various aggregates like engines, axles and suspension systems to reduce the maintenance costs associated and provide a long-lasting trouble-free operation. One such technological marvel that we showcased is rubber and metal, heavy-duty ULTIMAAX suspension. These technological solutions are helping our customers get better productivity and continued operating profits.”

With roads becoming wider and better and the state border toll nakas getting out due to GST regime, transporters are looking to increase the number of trips. High HP vehicles will help them in doing so.

“The look and feel of the vehicles as well as the total cost of ownership is really unmatched and we strongly feel that these vehicles will be the ‘go to, high demand’ products,” Kaul claims.

Vehicle that were showcased by Tata Motors at EXCON 2017

• SIGNA 3718.TK 24 Cum tipper
• PRIMA 3130.K 19 Scoop tipper
• PRIMA 2525.K 16 Box tipper with ULTIMAAX suspension
• SIGNA 2518.K 7 CuM RMC with Bogie Suspension
• PRIMA 3125.K 23 Cum Box tipper.
• SIGNA 4923.S double compartment side-ways tipping trailer
• First in segment features:
• Ultimaax suspension (Metal and Rubber suspension – No leaf spring, NO lubrication)
• Telematics as standard fitment with 3 years complimentary service in PRIMA tippers.