Surat Mehta, Head-Marketing & Retail development, SDLG India, points out that the future of construction equipment lies in automation, connectivity and electro mobility.

How has your experience been at Excon 2019?
The 10th edition of Excon turned out to be quite interesting for SDLG. Keeping in mind the skepticism fueled by the economic downturn in the economy and the construction industry, the footfalls and participation we witnessed was a much-needed anti-climax. We were happy to receive a lot of visitors which included existing customers and new customers in our stalls.

Could you talk us about your product launches at Excon?
We utilised the 10th edition of Excon to reposition our products to meet the existing requirements our customers had. The repositioning was in terms of improvement in productivity and fuel efficiency desired. We had been consistently planning to increase the bucket size of our wheel loaders and improve the cabin ergonomics for the operators, factors which will impact the productivity directly. We have always believed in delivering value to our customers, while this in itself a continuous process, in the last one year or so, we have taken care of the micro aspects and improved our products accordingly to meet the needs of the Indian market.

Tell us something about the technological innovations SDLG is investing in
I think as far as our brands are concerned, we have always been technology pioneers. The products which we offer in India are imported from China, and the technology incorporated in these machines is a result of our global R&D. I think the future of construction equipment technology lies in automation, connectivity and electro mobility. It will take some time for these technologies to actually see the light of the day in India, but we are already investing in the requisite R&D and we will be ready for it in the future.

How optimistic are you with your product and company in the wake of the current market scenario?
I am quite optimistic about the market scenario. In 2019 from the month of February till August, the market showed a downward trend. But August onwards, once the monsoon came to a close, the lull has been arrested, and we have been growing at around five to six per cent month on month. I am quite optimistic that in 2020 the growth rate should be more than 10 per cent of what we achieved in 2019.

How is SDLG different from its competition in the market?
We maintain very high standards in terms of machine efficiency, product delivery and after sales service. We have a network of 19 dealers in India, helping us cover vast territories across the country. So, we provide a great experience to our customers in terms of availability & ultimate after sales engagement.

Surat Mehta, Head-Marketing & Retail development, SDLG India