We aim to ramp up capacities to meet the increasing demand.

Vikram Sharma
Advisor – India & South Asia,
Kobelco Construction Equipment India.

Kobelco has certainly impacted the market dynamics through its USP of higher fuel efficiency and productivity.

Kobelco is in India for a decade now but it has followed a path of long-term presence with a sound base, capable of meeting Customer expectations across the country. With the Indian economy showing positive growth in recent years, Kobelco expects to not only grow with the industry but also increase its market share in the coming years. Some of the planned activities include the launch of the Generation 10 series of the 38T excavator, the SK380XDLC later this year. Also, the 50Ton, SK500 will be manufactured in India from the next fiscal. The 14T SK140 is also expected to see an upgrade to Generation 10 next year. Vikram Sharma, Advisor – India & South Asia, Kobelco Construction Equipment India shares his views with Equipme nt Times

What has been your firm’s contributory role in this evolution of the CE industry?
Kobelco entered the Indian CE market in 2007 and the last ten years have been quite eventful. There were ups and downs and most of us had to be innovative to sustain ourselves while keeping the team motivated. Kobelco was a late entrant but it has made a name for itself as a reliable source providing high-performance excavators. The periods of downturn in the market has led to a consolidation of after-market support as customer expectations have grown.

Kobelco has certainly impacted the market dynamics through its USP of higher fuel efficiency and productivity. Most customers would no longer like to make a buying decision solely on the price, which still remains the most important criteria. Product differentiation has become more complex with Kobelco offering several advanced features and some others also trying to offer upgraded models.

What have been the technology trends in your product line?
Machine performance evaluation has seen a major shift in recent years with fuel efficiency, productivity and machine uptime becoming critical factors. Kobelco has been the leader in driving this trend. They have also improved the machine durability as well as reliability through several changes. Structures have become stronger, machine operation has become faster, filtration systems have been made more robust, self-diagnosis has been enhanced, etc.

Could you spell out your company’s philosophy of innovation over the years?
Kobelco, in its history of over 87 years, has had many firsts to its credit. It is one of the global leaders in excavator technology. It has, over the years, brought in successive series/ generations, each with a distinct technological level. The latest Generation-10 series takes technology and performance to the next level. It combines durability with fuel efficiency and productivity. It has the tag line ‘Power Meets Efficiency’. It takes Kobelco excavators further ahead of the competition.

What has been the shift in buying patterns from the end-user segments?
As explained above, there is a gradual shift from a large price-based assessment to value based evaluation, driven by Kobelco because of its value propositions. Criteria like fuel consumption, hourly output, field support, etc. In fact, the industry is seeing an increasing preference for machines with higher-end features, which may have a higher upfront cost but prove to be good value-for-money choices.

Is there a shift in challenges that you had faced while launching a new product?
The CE market is dynamic and there are challenges which emerge from time to time. The period of negative growth was a major concern and new launches were rare. With the positive trend of the past nearly two years, companies have managed to bring in some new products or models. Kobelco also introduced its latest series, the Generation 10 which delivers so much more value. Customer expectations play a vital part as well.

How do you rate the company’s journey so far?
Within a span of 10 years, Kobelco has established itself as a preferred choice in most common applications. It is a long-term player which opted for ‘Make-in-India’ even before it became a catch phrase. Customers trust the Kobelco brand and share long association. Our marketing and field support has been well received by the customers.

Please elaborate on the growth trajectory of your R&D?
R&D is an ongoing activity with regular inputs from the work sites around the world. The present Generation 10 was developed after very extensive feedback, studies, tests and trials. The results speak for themselves. Kobelco’s market share has been progressively improving and is estimated to be in double digits. In fact, in the premium machines segment, Kobelco is actually the leader.

Could you give an insight to us on your road map for year 2020?
The Company aims to ramp up capacities to meet the increasing demand. Overall market share is also likely to improve further.

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