The government need to be strict in implementation of laws for work at height.

Sanjay Khanna,
Managing Director,
Mtandt Group.

Our Training Division offers WAH orientation for all types of applications of access equipment. -Sanjay Khanna Managing Director,  Mtandt Group

Mtandt is India’s largest equipment rental company providing end to end solutions to all access needs across the industries. It offers widest range of aerial work platforms, telehandlers and other access equipment. “We have crossed fleet size of 1000 machines.  There will always be capex for more products as increasing fleet size is a constant process in our organization,” states Sanjay Khanna, Managing Director, Mtandt Group. In an exclusive chat with EQUIPMENT TIMES, Khanna throws light on the access equipment market trends and the importance of seriously implementing safety regulations while work at heights.

The market for access equipment is still at a nascent stage. What is your take on this?

India, as compared to western countries and even compared to a few Asian countries has been slow in adopting access equipment for working at height.  However, recently the scene has changed. I am sure we have now crossed the nascent stage and in many segments, for example, construction of factories and warehouses, the industry has matured, though saturation has not yet happened. Some segments such as commercial and residential construction segments are yet to realize the use and benefits of powered access in a big way, so here, you could say that the market is in a nascent stage.

What is the current demand-supply scenario for access equipment and how do you assess the growth potential in the coming years? Which client / application segment is triggering the demand in the rental space?

There has been steady increase in demand, though, we at Mtandt, have been able to meet the increasing demand thanks to a larger fleet and vast range of powered access machines to suit all types of applications (different heights, terrain, power source, etc). We have been able to cater to both short term and long duration rentals.

Construction industry continues to trigger demand for rental, in fact newer applications within the construction industry has resulted in more demand. For example, there are many metro projects going on simultaneously across different cities, this has triggered demand for rentals of truck mounted and self propelled boom lifts.  Regarding supplies, most of the demand is being catered to by international manufacturers.  There are very few reputed Indian manufactures of AWP and telehandlers.  The demand-supply scenario in that respect is quite balanced.

What is the rental market scenario for access equipment especially telehandlers and AWPs? How do you assess the growth in this space? Also tell us about the major challenge the blunt the growth of the rental segment?

Rental market scenario of AWPs has been on the rise for a decade now, and growth in the coming years will also be high.  Increase in awareness on work at height safety, more MNCs and corporates implementing their global safety practices, and similar factors will fuel growth in this space. Telehandlers had been initially perceived to be mere material handling equipment for lifting smaller loads. However, their ability to reach out horizontally, their safety features, drivers/operators comfort and the ease of handling loads have made them more acceptable than before.  Mtandt offers telehandlers with many different attachments, one of them being a work platform, which means these, can double up as AWPs as well.  This makes them all the more viable.

There are no legislations in the country for working at heights. Has it adversely impacted the growth of the access equipment market?

Unlike the developed countries, in India, there is no strict enforcement of legislations for working at heights.  The government is expected to come up with such laws very soon.  Mtandt has been playing a proactive role of educating the industry and the users on work-at-height hazards and solutions available to combat such hazards.  Our Training Division offers WAH orientation for all types of applications.  Two types of training modules are available: basic and advances courses of WAH training. Also on offer are specialized operators training. This is mainly to improve the skills of the users of AWPs so as to get the best of the machines offered on rent and sale too.  If the
government becomes strict in implementation of laws for work at height, the industry would benefit for sure, though Mtandt, as explained above has been taking a proactive approach towards this.

What is impact of old access equipment on the rental industry?

We believe in maintaining a younger fleet of machines as there have modern features and better performance as compared to older machines.  Old access equipment has an impact on projects as frequent technical snags in these machines will increase downtime and affect completion dates of projects.

There is intense competition from unorganized players which has an impact on the rental rates and standard procedures. What is your take on this?

This was already anticipated by us. However, our customers stand by us, because they have continued to trust us, our machines and our services which is more important than saving a few dollars on the monthly hiring charges. Even if competition weans them away from us, it is only a short term occurrence. They return after they experience the unprofessional conduct of the unorganized players (machine breakdowns, unavailability of trained operators and other such factors prevailing in the unorganized sector drives them back to us)

What has been the impact of GST on the rental segment?

There was a temporary dip during the initial one month or so of the GST implementation period.  However, we at Mtandt were able to react fast to the GST requirements which helped us to bounce back faster.

Elaborate us on the range offered by MT&T in access equipment – variants with maximum reach and lift capacity, and what are the ideal application areas?  Also tell us the attachments on offer.

We offer the widest range of aerial work platforms ranging from push around mast lifts, push around scissor lifts, self propelled scissor lifts, boom lifts both battery and engine operated variants are available.  These are ideal for industrial construction and maintenance applications.  We offer spider lifts both wheeled and crawler mounted for applications in airports, malls, IT parks, and similar architecture related applications.  For certain applications in the power sector and metro projects, where faster mobility is also a requirement, we offer truck mounted boom type work platforms. The heights available are from as low as 4m to as much as 50m. Lift capacities are generally limited to 225kgs approx., though some of the models offer higher, upto 1000kg.  The telehandler range offers even higher capacity of upto 5000kgs.

Could you enlighten us on your fleet size? Will there be any more capex for product diversification? Please also tell us your road map for 2020?

We have crossed fleet size of 1000 machines.  There will always be capex for more products as increasing fleet size is a constant process in our organization.

What are the challenges with regard to skilled operators?

Mtandt has always believed in offering the best when it fully comes to machine utilization.  We therefore have a large operator base on our payroll.  They are trained, with skills on proper and safe machine usage, maintenance and trouble shooting. Our training division conducts refresher courses to sharpen their skills periodically, with certification. We are prepared to offer these training courses for other rental companies as well, as our goal is to increase safety during construction activities.

Tell us about the product and technology trend in the market?

There are a few, in fact we have already started offering some of these.  We offer telehandlers with many different attachments, one of them being a work platform, which means these can double up as AWPs as well. This makes the investment all the more viable and a better ROI for the users.  Another innovative product offered is the Duct lifter which helps in assembly of HVAC and water pipes at heights during construction stage of malls, hotels, IT parks and airports, etc.  These can be used in conjunction
with the AWPs to make the work easier and faster.

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