We would like to retain and build on to our position in India as market leader in the premium and imported engine category.

  Jonas Nilsson, the newly appointed Head of Volvo Penta in India, is focusing on strengthening his company’s footprint in industrial and marine segment. On the sidelines of EXCON 2015, Jonas spoke to Subhajit Roy and talked about the company’s renewed focus in Indian market.

Could you brief on your primary objectives for Volvo Penta in India?
Our aim is to reach out to all the major customers in the selected sectors we are working with. Currently we are present at the industrial and marine domain. We would like to maintain our position Volvo Penta in India as market leader in the premium and imported engine category. We also plan to increase our engagement with construction industry as well as raw material exploration where we can reach and meet their requirements.

You have significant presence in industrial and marine business. Now you are focusing on construction space. Is it a global strategy?
Yes, it is a global strategy. For number of years we have consolidated our position in the industrial segment with a comprehensive product range in the 5 to 16 litres capacity engines. We have gained significant market share globally and now with the introduction of 5 to 8 litres capacity engines into India we are intensifying our focus over construction industry. We’re quite optimistic about their acceptance in India.

What are the products you launched at Excon 2015?
We have launched our new range of D5 and D8 engines with power ranging 105 kW to 235 kW which can be used to power a variety of applications including construction, material handling, raw material exploration, and agriculture.

These off-road engines share the same common electronics platform as their D11, D13, and D16 counterparts which allow them to communicate using the same protocol, regardless of emissions level — simplifying design work for OEMs. The engines’ inline 4- and 6-cylinder design and common design footprint also make the design process easier for several emissions stages.

What are the application areas of these engines in the construction equipment domain?
Though the D5 and D8 engines are suitable for many different areas, as of now it’s being used in the underground mining and crushing screening machineries. The engines are also extensively being used in concrete pumps.

OEMs can replace their existing 6- or 7-litre 6-cylinder engines with our 4-cylinder D5 engine, due to its higher power density.

What about your sister company Volvo CE? Are they using these products?
We are developing products together in the Volvo Group and the same are used by our sisters companies as and when required.

What are your short- and long-term objectives for Indian market?
Indian market is changing. The requirements of contractors to finalise the contracting time with the cost levels they have calculated for, the pressure on the market is constantly increasing. So they’re looking for products that cope up with those demands. We are offering advanced electronic engine to give them reliability and efficiency. More and more OEMs use our engines to meet the market demand and also to improve their bottom lines.

And what about replacement market?
We are quite upbeat of the growth in replacement market. Volvo Group has recently inaugurated a REMAN manufacturing in Bengaluru, India. We would like to utilise this REMAN facility for our future requirements.