Propel has grown tremendously in the past three years and increased market share in both domestic and international arenas.

V. Senthilkumar, Managing Director, Propel Industries

How do you see the government’s ‘Make in India’ programme and mission motivating industry to participate in it? How is this helping the construction equipment sector to improve its technological status and competitiveness in the global market?

Although Propel has always been 100% localized, the “Make in India” program has provided a conducive environment for domestic manufacturing in this sector. Incentives are provided to bring down the dependence on imports, localization of products and parts are encouraged all the while providing a positive boost in the employment sector. Furthermore, it can allow us, as a collective, to take strides on the technological front by stimulating intense research and development, and adoption of new ideas, promoting indigenous manufacturing.

Foreseeing the government’s strong commitment and stable sentiments in the market, how do you evaluate your company’s growth in the coming years?

The Indian government’s strong push for infrastructure growth and stable market sentiments are strong foundations for accelerated growth of the CE industry. We foresee good growth prospects for Propel and we will ramp up our production and introduce innovative products to satisfy evolving market needs.

What are your views on making India as a global construction equipment manufacturing hub?

The opportunity of India emerging as a construction manufacturing hub is high between the vast pool of skilled workers and engineers and India being in the midst of several developing countries.

Tell us on your export market and important initiatives to cater to the requirement of International market?

Propel has a presence in 20 countries around the world, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Oman and Thailand to name a few. We are focussing on increasing our share of the export market and enter new countries. The new range of products we introduced in EXCON 2022 have kindled greater interest from across the globe. Here, high quality and safe, innovative and technologically sound solutions are at the fore front of our research and product development stages, making us the first Indian Crushing Equipment company to hold the CE certificate. Moreover, after-sales services are key to cater to our customers, both in India and abroad. Propel has many plans in place already which will roll-out in the short to medium term to ensure a premium aftersales support is in place worldwide. This will involve the set-up of regional parts and service hubs around the world, and also the set-up of a strong dealer network.

Give us an understanding of your company’s performance in the last 3 years?

Propel has grown tremendously in the past three years and increased market share in both domestic and international arenas. We have focused on IOT to improve plant uptime and productivity. 24/7 service and spare support are crucial reasons for our success. We have a system of consistent market research and customer feedback that helps us design innovative products.

What are your future strategies at a time when technological disruptions are rapidly defining businesses in the sector?

We have realized the importance of using technology, after incorporating IoT and automation, which aided in cost optimization and productivity, enhancing safety. Propel is committed to discovering potential technologies that can help improve our products and services.

How is the scarcity of skilled operators affecting the prospects of the construction equipment market?

Lack of skilled manpower is a problem for the CE industry but the government ‘s Skill India initiatives and several CSR programs by private companies are helping solve the problem. But there is a lot more to be done and we hope the government gives further impetus to its existing initiatives and also introduces new programs to further alleviate this problem.

CE manufacturers are now under pressure to manufacture machines which are not only cost effective, but also comply with the emission norms. What are your views on it?

Being energy self-sufficient was a dream, now fulfilled. 100% of the power used by Propel Industries is generated using renewable resources, Solar and Wind. Our gardens are replenished with water treated and recycled in the Sewage treatment plant. Moreover, with the number of infrastructure projects lined up for India’s betterment and transformation, the CE industry’s involvement will ascend. Low emission from the machinery will help maintain the current air quality in a particular area as the transformation occurs. At Propel, there has always been a great emphasis on innovating green technology, which has been set in motion with the electrification of our track equipment. We offer multi configuration, high capacity (in the range of 200 TPH to 400 TPH) dual powered track plants which includes Jaw, Cone, VSI and Screen. In addition to those, we have recently launched our Electric Dumper Propel 45CED that is powered by a 350 kW power motor and zero emission, India’s first of its kind. These not only lower carbon footprints the hybrid machines provide huge savings in operation costs.

What are the challenges that you face and what are your suggestions to further ease a business-friendly climate?

The CE industry hopes that the government will support the industry by introducing Production Linked Incentive schemes and making capital more available by creating a special infrastructure focussed bank. Further, improvement in ease of doing business metrics will also be welcome.

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