“Increased scale of operations and technological complexity has made telematics imperative”

What are the driving factors that are expected to fuel growth of telematics in the earthmoving equipment market?

Innovation is the key aspect driving the market today. Several new technologies have been introduced in the recent years by L&T and its partners — Komatsu, Scania and Sandvik.  L&T is a pioneer in bringing ICT tools to India. It is seven plus years since we have used ICT effectively on our machines and with over 10,000 machines fitted with Komtrax in the field today.

Increased scale of operations and technological complexity has made telematics imperative. A breakdown of advanced machines could prove costly and create disruption in worksite. Remote monitoring of expensive machines and analysis of its parameters at different locations by experts is the key benefit of ICT and telematics used on machines. For example, the engine expert located at the company head office is able to analyse the machine performance data, and suggest pre-emptive / corrective action, saving time and money while enhancing durability of the machine. Instead of waiting for post-failure reports to reach the expert for failure analysis, continuous monitoring can trigger preventive action. Similarly, application engineering can remotely study operational parameters, recommend correct modes, identify errors in machine operation, bench preparation, material fragmentation, or even the haul road profile. Energy saving operations get greater attention rather than steps to just reduce fuel consumption.

Going ahead, we have now integrated Komtrax with our L&T EquipCare Product Support System to ensure proactive and superior machine service care through various features like Automatic Caution alert, Service trigger and ticketing, Continuous Machine Health Monitoring, Spare Parts Planning, Service Call Planning etc.

Simultaneously, we have introduced VR-assisted service support and training to improve our service support levels. We are taking a lot of digitalization initiatives to enhance customer value, machine performance and productivity.

Are there any chances of further upgradation in the earthmoving equipment sector?

Technology is continuously evolving with regular upgradation of earthmoving equipment. The current generation machines are sophisticated, highly efficient and optimise operations with the help of mechatronics. As mentioned, the next level of technological innovation is through telematics by adding features to monitor various parameters. We can expect to see more advancements in telematics and machine learning, going forward. Intelligent machines, autonomous (remote) operations, fully electric machines are the next in line.

It has been our constant endeavour to offer Indian customers with the best-in-class technologies and extend the benefits of the global advancements in earthmoving equipment. We recently introduced Komatsu PC210-10M0 Hydraulic Excavator – A Truly Efficient Excavator.  It provides immense value to the customers in terms of productivity and profitability. Earlier, we upgraded Komatsu GD535 Motor Grader, PC300-8M0 and PC350-8M0 Hydraulic Excavators and Scania G440 Tipper Truck. We also offer several variants to improve the versatility of our machines in various applications.

What are the technological trends in the earthmoving equipment industry?

Presently in India, a lot of emphasis is being given to engine technology and emission control measures. Upgradation of CRI fuel system to HPCR where the injection pressures have increased from 1200 bar to 1600-1800 bar is prevalent. Usage of EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) and SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) technology is commonly used for meeting the BSVI norms. Application of variable geometry turbochargers and particulate filters will soon find itself on engines.

The extensive use of mechatronics features improves man-machine interface and the ease of operation. Moving forward, Hybrid Hydraulic Excavators and even fully electric machines should be visible in the Indian construction space. Komatsu’s Hybrid excavators are already working in Japan and the West.  Drone survey of worksites, Programmed intelligent machines with operators only to supervise having teach and replay modes would be a reality in India. Komatsu has already developed operator-less Dump Trucks and Remote-controlled Dozers. The future is certainly going to be digital and we will witness more of these developments in India in the next few years.

Were there any challenges faced with regard to adoption of telematics in earthmoving equipment?

Our customers are smart and technology savvy. After initial apprehension of reliability of sensors, telematics has been adopted very well by them. Today, users have accepted it as an enabler helping them in their asset management and making business more profitable. Customers are asking for adoption of Komtrax features even on their old assets which did not have the feature built in at the time of production. Today, a customer would not like to purchase an expensive earthmoving machine without the remote monitoring feature. The scope of Komtrax on Komatsu machines is on the rise and there is improvement in the kind of data that is captured and displayed. Fleet owners are now driving manufacturers to even install remote monitoring telematics tools on all equipment and want integration of data from different type of equipment to get a complete picture of site operations. This has created a business opportunity for start-ups, leave alone the OEMs.

What is the future outlook and growth prospects of the earthmoving equipment market?

We are in the midst of fighting COVID-19 challenge, an unexpected and unimaginable event that has disrupted business activities and personal lives of people. It has brought real challenges for the CE Industry, which faced sluggish demand last fiscal too. However, it is my firm belief that the Government will continue investment in infrastructure development since it can quickly generate employment. Already it has announced Rs 100 lakh crore National Infrastructure Pipeline to be completed by the year 2025. MoRTH and NHAI have assured to award 4500 km highway construction contracts during the year. RBI too has intervened with monetary policy measures such as extending three months moratorium to borrowers, reduced REPO and reverse repo rates, TLTRO etc. We expect the demand to revive from Q3 onwards, but overall there would be significant contraction in demand for CE this fiscal. Anyways, we are fully geared up to meet all customers’ requirements along with our partners, Komatsu and Scania.

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