Wherever there’s a need for bulk material handling, Martin Engineering is present, and this all is in India with a full-fledged plant in Pune.

Anup Nair, Managing Director- India and South Asia, Martin Engineering

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 and its allied sector to improve its technological status and competitiveness in the global market?

As we all know, ‘Make in India’ is a major national flagship program of the Government of India designed to facilitate investment, foster innovation, enhance skill development, protect intellectual property, and build the best-in-class manufacturing infrastructure in the country. It has been striving to ensure that the business ecosystem in the nation is conducive for investors doing business in India and contributing to the growth and development of the Nation. This has been done through various reforms that have led to increased investment inflows and economic growth. Several trends mark a shift in Indian manufacturing, which includes an increase in domestic value addition & local sourcing, a greater focus on R & D, innovation, and sustainability measures. Our government took concrete steps towards improving various business parameters in this regard. Recently introduced initiative like the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme has been instrumental in attracting investments into the 14 core business sectors.

With this initiative at the forefront, businesses in India aim that the products that are ‘Made in India’ are also ‘Made for the World,’ adhering to global quality standards across construction equipment and its allied sector. We are aware of the impact of the ‘Make in India’ on the construction sector, which is leading towards the development of townships, roads & bridges, hospitals, recreational facilities, residential/commercial premises, hotels, resorts, educational institutes, city, and regional level infrastructure and it’s pretty remarkable.

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 into bulk material handling products and provide advanced solutions for transporting bulk materials to minimise the impact on the environment and maximise cost efficiency. We are present not only in the cement and steel sector but also in power plants, ports, food verticals such as sugar, and several other industries. Wherever there’s a need for bulk material handling, Martin Engineering is present, and this all is in India with a full-fledged plant in Pune. We are moving ahead with the ‘Make in India’ initiative. Our philosophy is well-matched with Make in India’s vocal for local ideally.

Our ‘IndoClean’ is indigenously manufacturing cost-effective products to meet the domestic market demand. Martin Engineering is leveraging its state-of-the-art manufacturing footprint in India to produce this product.

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

As per the latest survey conducted by ‘The Economist, India is now one of the 10 best countries in the world on the ‘ease of doing business’ parameter. India has achieved this because of the growth in infrastructure, good domestic demand and a young and energetic work force. This is, however, only the tip of the iceberg. There is much more to come to catapult India to a $ 5 Trillion economy. These factors clubbed with the cost-effective manufacturing capabilities in India, India will become the most growing and most sought-after hub.

Tell us on your export market in this conveyor belt and other product sector and important initiatives to cater to the requirement of International market?

We are a global leader in conveyor products such as belt cleaners and other solutions, including innovative remote monitoring systems. Wherever there’s a need for bulk material handling, Martin Engineering is present. Our technicians and engineers have been solving bulk material handling problems worldwide for over 75 years. All over the world, we are present in many applications, such as quarry aggregates. In all the other sectors, too, our deliverables are focused on cost efficiency and carbon footprint reduction.

In terms of the problems that most core business industries like cement, steel, power, and port face while transporting bulk materials and the solutions provided by Martin Engineering, the challenges lie in two areas:

In processing plants and mines, there are conveyor belts that help move the bulk material and these conveyor belts need a lot of maintenance. If the conveyor belt stops, the entire mine will stop. Our products improve the efficiency of the conveyors to a great extent. This is one part of our offerings.

Martin’s air cannons are the most influencing product in the cement industry. Cement plants have kilns and preheaters. A lot of material blockages happen in them. Our air cannons blast and push this material out. It helps in bringing down plant maintenance considerably. You don’t have to shut down the plant to deal with the blockages. This process is becoming more and more significant today as cement companies use alternative fuels. So, more blasting is required.

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

We have grown the business more than doubled in the last 3 years. The business has now become zero debt and also profitable. We have put in systems and processes viz robust forecasting and people development to utilize the growth opportunities given by the growing Indian economy.

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

At Martin Engineering, we are always looking at long-term partnership with our customers as they will definitely require solutions that reduce costs and help them make their processes more modern and competitive.

We always introduce innovative products for catering bulk material handling needs which ensure an increase in safety and cost, and energy efficiency. Our state-of-the-art manufacturing footprint in India has expansion capacity. We are also spreading out by adding more team members and with the help of our dealer network across the country. We are trying to be as close to our customers as possible as we are expanding our dealer network too. All these would surely help our customers gain a competitive edge in an overall view to further ease a business-friendly climate.

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