The ‘Make in India’ initiative has aided the construction equipment sector in improving its technological progress and global competitiveness.

Dheeraj Panda, Chief Operating Officer (Sales, Marketing & Customer Support),
SANY India & South Asia
How do you see the government’s ‘Make in India’ programme and mission motivating the industry to participate in it? How is this helping the construction equipment sector to improve its technological status and competitiveness in the global market?
We, at SANY India, believe that the Indian governments ‘Make in India’ initiative is a visionary strategy that will provide enormous prospects for the country’s manufacturing sector while also increasing its self-sufficiency. This effort supports localization and the consumption of Indian-made goods, which will eventually result in the development of a distinct manufacturing ecosystem. And as a leading manufacturer of heavy construction equipment, we stand committed to the government’s goal and aim to develop India as a major manufacturing hub to push the government’s “Make in India” initiative to new heights by manufacturing Indian products for the global market.
The ‘Make in India’ initiative has aided the construction equipment sector in improving its technological progress and global competitiveness. This programme has fostered the development of new and innovative products, as well as the use of modern manufacturing processes, resulting in higher quality.
On our part, we have planned to increase our focus on working towards the localization rate from 40% to 75% in the next 3 to 5 years, which will not only help with cost control but will also ensure that we are able to serve our customers despite global supply chain disruptions and make products that are better suited for the Indian market. Our focus is on product development and technology which is in line with evolving industry trends and future forecasts, has helped to improve the sector’s competitiveness.

Foreseeing the government’s strong commitment and stable sentiments in the market, how do you evaluate your company’s growth in the coming years?
We are optimistic on our company’s expansion in the coming years, which is in line with the government’s strong commitment and stable market sentiments. We have already seen a tremendous growth rate of around 35% in the last three years, and we expect this trend to continue we as a team focus is working on localization and provide best after sales service with the government’s emphasis on infrastructure development, further anticipating a boom in demand for our products and services.
Also, the government’s focus on the expansion of the manufacturing sector, combined with the increased infrastructural sector, leading to core demand for product like our construction equipment that will provide a considerable boost to our industry. As a result, we predict that our growth trajectory will continue to soar in the future.

What are your views on making India as a global construction equipment manufacturing hub?
We believe that India has a vast potential to become a hub for Global Construction Equipment manufacturing. The reason behind this is that our government has demonstrated a growth-oriented vision with the National Infrastructure Pipeline, The PM Gati Shakti Plan, and The National Monetisation Pipeline that has led to stellar growth in the Construction Equipment Industry so far. Apart from infrastructure, industrial development such as the construction of new factories and the expansion of capacity in steel, power, cement, fertilizers, oil refineries, and other sectors have also had a positive impact on the growth of the industry. These factors combined has pushed the Indian Construction Equipment industry to achieve highest ever sales of 1 lac plus units of Construction Equipment Sales in the country in FY22-23 despite unfavorable events like the third wave of covid and Russia Ukraine War at the beginning of 2022 that led to Supply chain Disruptions and a rise in Input costs of Construction Equipment across the globe.
This is a very strong indicator of the fact that the industry in the country is well on its way to becoming the global hub for construction equipment manufacturing.

Tell us on your export market and important initiatives to cater to the requirement of International market?
At SANY India, we have been steadily increasing our export business and catering to the needs of overseas customers. The company has gained a strong foothold in the South Asian market by selling its products to nations like Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.
Besides, we have begun exporting to the US and are looking into potential opportunities in the African market. The business is concentrating on localization to manufacture products that are future-focused and more suited to the needs of Indian customers. This approach has helped the company to increase its competitiveness in both global and Indian markets, as well as gain the trust of our customers.
How is the scarcity of skilled operators affecting the prospects of the construction equipment market?
The construction equipment market faces a significant challenge due to the scarcity of skilled operators. Construction equipment cannot perform optimally, without trained operators, resulting in inefficiencies, project delays, and safety risks.
Having qualified operators on infrastructure sites considerably improves the quality of work, benefiting the sector in a variety of ways. Skilled operators can efficiently run equipment, saving project timelines and costs. They can also swiftly identify and rectify equipment issues, minimizing downtime. Moreover, these operators can guarantee that construction work follows all safety protocols, lowering the likelihood of accidents and injuries. Overall, investing in training programmes to educate skilled operators is critical to the sector’s performance.
As an organization, SANY India not only offers training to the customer operators but also to their service team during the commissioning of products. Recently, we have also partnered with National Academy of Construction in Andhra Pradesh (NAC-AP) in order to train and provide Infrastructure Equipment Skill Council certificates for Excavator Operation.

E 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?
SANY India is devoted to the government’s vision of clean fuel and green mobility, with machines that are not only cost-effective but also comply with emission norms. We understand that E-manufacturers are under pressure to meet environmental standards, and we feel that our emphasis on localization is the key to accomplishing this goal. We can reduce costs and increase efficiency while lowering our carbon impact by using local good material and skilled labour.
In addition to localization, SANY India is focused on developing products that meet emission standards.

Hits: 13