Hamm Compactors are equipped with isolated operator platform mounted on shock absorbers so that the vibrations are reduced.

Ramesh Palagiri, Managing Director & CEO, Wirtgen India

How do you look at the prevailing scenario in the road and highway construction segment?

As far as the CE industry is concerned, we had the peak in 2018 and since then the business had steadily declined. The volumes were down to anywhere between 20-40% depending on the type of CE equipment category. This is because the actual construction of roads per km had dropped down dramatically and also most of the projects had not started with bidders taking jobs at a minus 20-30% below the estimated costs. However this may change in the near future.

How large is the compaction equipment market in India and how big do you expect it to grow?

Indian Compactor Market is anticipated to take recovery path and expected to grow by 20% – 25% in 2023-24.The trend will continue to be for machines which offer Optimum compaction with lesser passes, fuel efficiency, digitalization  and minimal maintenance. Growth in infrastructure and construction activities are the key factors driving the growth of the compactors market.

With government putting special impetus on roads & highways in the Union Budget, has it started reflecting on the sale of compaction equipment?

The government is focusing to increase the road connectivity by increasing the length of national highway, expressway, economic corridors, industrial corridors, village roads (PMGSY) etc. The Indian government is also encouraging usage of innovative materials, automation and machine control technologies in the construction sector in order to improve efficiency and lower the impact on environment. The future trend indicate that the road construction will increase in India and new technologies will be required to fulfil this need. The compaction equipment segment will also witness increased sales as a result of this.

What are the latest technologies in your compaction machine going with the recent trends in the road construction market?  

Hamm Compactors are equipped with isolated operator platform mounted on shock absorbers so that the vibrations are reduced. The operator platform is with Antiskid material to ensure operator safety.  The sliding  seat console for operators  and excellent  drum edge  visibility are  some  striking features  which make  the machines  easier to  operate. Hamm soil Compactors are built with patented design of three point articulation joint. This  connects the front  and  rear  end  of  the  compactor  and  enables  excellent  directional stability and  provides  driver  safety  on difficult  terrains and  also  adds to drivers  comfort .This  also increases  the operator  efficiency. Wirtgen Group has always served its customers with technology intensive machines including the Hamm soil compactors and tandem rollers. We are already offering ICT based technologies and features in our compactors.

Oscillation system developed by HAMM is a recent advancement which enables compactors to achieve compaction results that are scientifically proven to be more homogeneous and higher quality. In an oscillation drum, two eccentric shafts are fitted at a 180° angle to each other. Both unbalanced masses rotate synchronously, which causes the drum to perform a rapidly alternating forwards-backwards rotational movement.

Hits: 5