MAIT has been at the forefront of manufacturing & supplying tailor made foundation equipment
Market for Foundation Equipment in India is growing & even expanding segment wise. Unlike earlier times, when there were only few sizes or models which were being used for different applications, currently specific models suited to specific projects are increasingly being sought by the industry / users.
– D.V. BRAHME
Regional Manager, Mait India Foundation Equipment
What is the current market scenario of foundation equipment in India?
Market for Foundation Equipment in India is growing & even expanding segment wise.
Unlike earlier times, when there were only few sizes or models which were being used for different applications, currently specific models suited to specific projects are increasingly being sought by the industry / users.
What are the latest products and solutions offered?
MAIT has, in recent years launched new rig models like BR165 & BR300 specifically focused on Bored Piles, however existing Multipurpose HR series rigs that can be used for different foundation techniques like Diaphragm Walls (DW), Continuous Flight Auger (CFA), Stone Columns, Precast Driven Piles, Driven Cast-in-Situ Piles, Soil Mixing, Soil Displacement Auger (SDA), adaptable to large diameter Down The Hole Hammer (DTH) etc. are also continuing to be supplied in the market.
What are the Research and Development as well as technology trends in your foundation equipment and accessories?
Though the Indian market for foundation equipment is yet to mature, the process of maturing has slowly started with different & complex projects being undertaken.
Some of such projects need & in future will need specific equipment that has not yet found its application in India, like CFA, Soil Mixing etc. However in developed countries there is always a demand for specialized equipment for techniques like Double Head, Deep CFA Piles etc.
Due to its strong technological prowess, MAIT has been at the forefront of manufacturing & supplying tailor made foundation equipment particularly in developed countries for many years. Truck Mounted Piling Rigs, Rigs for mounting on Railway Tracks, Low Head Room rigs, Mini rigs for working in the basements of buildings etc. are some of the examples of specialized equipment being manufactured & supplied by MAIT.
Recently, MAIT has expanded its product range by adding MDT Micro Piling & Tunnel Consolidation rigs.
MAIT has also started commercial production of components like Cabins & cowling made of COMPOSITE MATERIAL that is being considered as “Steel of the Future.”
What are the trends in the market in terms of more fuel and energy efficient equipment, safety of the machine, training of the personnel and higher capacity?
As mentioned earlier, more and more industry players are seeking specific equipment suiting to particular segment. Earlier there were only few models or sizes of the rigs which were procured by the contractors & those were used for different applications because the quantum of work was limited.
However now a days contractors operating in particular segment for example real estate want to procure smaller equipment that suite their requirement of drilling smaller diameter bores up to limited depth. Such small equipment is not only more economical to procure but their operating cost also is lower. However this could happen only because the overall quantum of work has increased considerable & procuring such equipment for specific segment has become viable, that was not the case a few years back.
Similarly, a few years back pile designers used to design piles of only a particular diameter looking at the availability of equipment in the market for such work, however now they have started designing bigger diameter piles that helps in faster completion of projects. Looking at future potential due to anticipated growth of infrastructure construction industry in India, contractors as well as hiring companies are also procuring big sized rigs. Thus the cycle has started. Now due to availability of bigger equipment, designers are designing bigsized piles for more & more projects to save time.
MAIT has developed training modules for operation as well as maintenance staff. Such training programs are conducted for client’s staff time by time in classroom sessions and also at actual jobsites. Training programs enhances skills & safety awareness that results in increased uptime of the equipment, increased productivity & lowers chances of accidents.
How do you look at the revival of the foundation equipment market? What are the measures needed for the revival?
The Foundation Equipment market is already growing, riding on the infrastructure boom, so there is no need for specific measures to revive it. What is needed is effective and complete use of the equipment & national wealth spent on it.
What are the challenges and suggestions to iron out those bottlenecks in the foundation equipment industry?
99% of foundation Equipment in India is imported from other countries for which valuable Foreign Exchange is spent. All these equipment are very high value machines having average cost between 4 to 7 Crore depending on the model. Useful life of good quality equipment is about 15 years or say about 20000 Hours & even more if maintained well.
However due to false fear of lesser performance & safety many project awarding authorities are not allowing the use of equipment more than 5 years old.
Due to this only 33.33 % of the useful life of the equipment can be utilized by contractors or hirers resulting in wastage of 66.66 % of money spent on procurement of such costly equipment. This amounts to a loss of about Rs. 2.7 Crore & Rs. 4.7 Crore for equipment costing Rs.4 Crore & Rs. 7 Crore respectively. And India is importing about 400 such equipment every year.
No contracting company can afford such loss so it is built up in the project cost at the time of bidding & finally India as a country loses such big sum, due to wrong policy.
Jobsite safety is of utmost important, however well maintained equipment with health certification from OEM can be the right solution for it, rather than blanket ban on equipment of more than 5 years of age. There needs to be a balance between precaution & phobia.
In current context of COVID pandemic, it is like allowing foreign travellers to enter India with negative RTPCR test report, which is a reasonable measure.
What is your outlook on the foundation equipment market for the next five years?
India indeed still needs a lot of infrastructure to be built for benefit of its 140 Crore population. If things go right, growth in Infrastructure Industry will continue strongly for next 25 years.
If the current thrust by the government on Infrastructure development continues, next five years will be of unprecedented growth for the foundation equipment market.
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