Safety and comfort of operators and easy serviceability are at the top of the agenda for all equipment.
Arvind K Garg
Senior Vice President & Head, L&T Construction & Mining Machinery
What types of Motor Graders does your company manufacture?
Komatsu, through Larsen & Toubro, has introduced Motor Graders for both the Construction and Mining industries in India. Our product portfolio includes four Motor Graders, one in the construction segment. These are Komatsu GD535 for construction. For the mining industry, the range of Motor Grader includes Komatsu GD705, GD755 and GD825.
Brief overview of the key features, advancements and specifications of the Motor Graders manufactured by your company. What are the competitive advantages of your Motor Graders over others in the market?
At Excon 2022, we launched the next generation Motor Grader GD535-6 that complies with CEV-5 emission norms. This also runs on environment-friendly biodiesel and saves fossil fuel yet delivers the same power and productivity.
The machine delivers exceptional workability and environmental performance with Komatsu’s new 148 HP engine. It has improved operator comfort and maintainability over the previous models. Easy serviceability, superior comfort and high reliability are its key features.
Komatsu GD 535-6 has enhanced component life and is built to deliver maximum productivity. Ground-level re-fueling facilitates easy serviceability. Its hydraulic blade tip is freely controlled while the Grader is engaged in production. It has a lock-up torque converter for the efficiency of direct shifting and the operability of automatic shifting. The machine has a maintenance-free battery and an elevated bay with a disconnect switch. A longer wheelbase with a shorter turning radius gives it good stability. It also has a suspension seat for enhanced vibration absorption. Work equipment lever lock with Engine shutdown secondary switch and seat belt caution indicator for more safety. The standard scarifier attachment helps dig hard material that the blade cannot remove.
Komatsu manufactures the model in Japan, and it comes with advanced technology. GD535-6 is supported in India by L&T for Parts and Services.
Komatsu strongly emphasises operator comfort and safety, with spacious cabs, excellent visibility, ergonomic controls, and advanced safety features. This ensures operators can work for extended periods without fatigue, enhancing productivity.
Which are the key projects where your Motor Graders are used?
Komatsu Motor Graders are deployed across the country to build roads, expressways, and infrastructure projects for the construction segment. For mining, they are primarily used for building and maintaining haul roads so that the mobility of Dump Trucks is optimal, ensuring peak productivity.
What are the after-sales services and support provided by your company to your clients? How do you look at the availability of spare parts for your machines in India?
Komatsu and L&T offer comprehensive after-sales support, including maintenance services and prompt parts availability. L&T has created a vast network of dealerships that cater to these machines’ after-sales support and parts availability.
A Central Warehouse at Nagpur and a strong team of L&T and Dealer engineers take care of customers’ machines to ensure these receive timely assistance and maximise potential uptime. Apart from this, our strategically located Service Stations cater to the maintenance requirements of the machines on time. In some instances, our dealer engineers are stationed at project sites to ensure higher productivity and optimal performance.
What training and skilling programs are initiated for operators and maintenance staff of your machines?
Our constant endeavour has been to improve skill levels and train operators regularly to benefit the industry. L&T has focused on training for several decades and is on a mission to ensure that anyone operating a machine is trained and certified. We hope to achieve this in the next few years. We have six full-fledged Training centres with a team of 16 trainers, and we train around 6,000 people every year at various levels, from operators to equipment owners. All our Training Centres are accredited as “Training Partners” by IESC, and we have continuously won the “The Best Training Partner” award for many years.
The Government of India, through NSDC, has initiated several programs to upskill the workforce in the CE industry. We train and certify customers’ operators and mechanics in line with NOS & QPs (National Occupational Standards and Qualification Packs) for NSQF Levels 3 and 4.
Since 2015, we have trained and certified thousands of operators and mechanics under the Skill India Mission. We also train senior customer operators and maintenance teams in energy-saving operations and maintenance. Our fixed and portable simulators help operators hone their skills.
What are the safety features incorporated into your Motor Graders?
Safety and comfort of operators and easy serviceability are at the top of the agenda for all equipment. For Motor Graders, air-conditioned cabins with Roll Over Protection System (ROPS) Canopy are part of the standard fitment for the Motor Graders L&T Construction & Mining Machinery deals in. FOPS (Falling Object Protective Structure) helps protect the operator from falling objects when working in areas with a risk of items dropping from above, such as in rockfall zones or when working near other operating machinery. To enhance visibility and reduce blind spots, Komatsu Motor Graders are equipped with rearview cameras (optional) and wide-angle mirrors. This helps the operator see behind the machine clearly, lowering the risk of accidents. Seat belts are a standard safety feature. Operator presence detection systems ensure that the machine cannot operate unless the operator is correctly seated and the seat belt is fastened. Anti-slip steps and sturdy handrails are provided to prevent slips and falls when entering and exiting the Grader. Optional advanced systems can help operators maintain control of the Grader, ensuring precision and safety during operation. These systems can include GPS guidance and automated blade control. Emergency stops located within easy reach of the operator allow for the immediate shutdown of the machine in case of an emergency. Komatsu Graders are designed to minimise noise levels inside and outside the cabin to protect the operator from hearing damage and reduce fatigue.
Design features that facilitate safe and easy maintenance and service checks help prevent accidents and injuries related to machine upkeep, including large hinged lockable doors that provide easy access to the engine and radiator service points. The fuse panel is located in the cab. Circuits and fuse sizes are clearly identified.
