Bauma Conexpo India 2016 pointed at the positive developments the CE industry in India is experiencing.

Story by: Anirudh Raheja

Messe Munchen launched the Indian version of its Bauma fair in 2011. It was called as bCIndia. For the fourth edition, held at Delhi, between December 12 and December 15, 2016, the organiser decided to change the name from bCIndia to Bauma Conexpo India. Attracting 647 exhibitors from 30 countries, the fair drew more than 31,000 participants. Catering to construction machinery, building material and machines, mining machines and construction vehicles, the fair occupied 150,000 sq. m. of space at the HUDA Ground, Gurgaon. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) was the joint organiser of the fair. Close support to the fair was lent by the Builders Association of India. Announcing a spurt in positive developments, Igor Palka, CEO, bC India Expo, expressed that signs of a turnaround in the construction equipment industry were visible. The construction equipment, industry, he added, registered a growth of close to 30 per cent over the last one year, driven largely by road construction and infrastructure development sector, which has grown by over 40 per cent due to heavy emphasis of the government. Palka mentioned, “India is currently the only Asian country that has shown great numbers in the construction equipment industry.” Referring to the immediate effect of demonetisation, Palka averred, “The Bauma Conexpo India fair makes an important platform.” With China, Italy, Spain Germany, USA and Canada showcasing their products and services in the form of their own pavilions, the fair underlined the re-emergence of positive sentiments.

Vipin Sondhi, Managing Director & CEO, JCB, said that they are getting a positive response from customers. Arvind K. Garg, Executive Vice President & Head – Construction & Mining Machinery Business. Larsen & Toubro, echoed Sondhi’s sentiments. Anand Sundaresan, President, ICEMA, and Vice Charmian and Managing Director, Schwing Stetter India, highlighted albeit a different side of the industry. He said, “ICEMA in collaboration with Department of Heavy Industries is in the process of setting up a test and certification facility for construction equipment, the feasibility study for which is currently being conducted.” Sundaresan drew attention to the skill development academy set up by the National Skill Development Corporation to train technicians and mechanics. To create a skilled workforce of two million in the next seven years.

JCB

At the fair, JCB made the most noise by launching seven new machines. The company, with an aim to help the customers to maximise productivity across mining, roads and highways sectors, announced the launch of its biggest excavator yet. The JCB 370LC is a 37-tonne hydraulic excavator designed and built to provide higher uptime with low owning and operating costs. Powering the 370LC is JCB’s new 4.8-litre Dieselmax 672 engine that uses EcoMAX combustion technology and an uprated cooling apparatus. Employing multi-stage fuel filtration system and hydraulic regeneration system, the new engine reduces fuel consumption by up to 25 per cent. Equipped with fully welded ‘x’ frame undercarriage, reinforced boom and dipper with internal baffle plates, JCB 370LC also flaunts graphite impregnated bronze bushes, which reduce its boom and dipper greasing intervals to 1000 hours for normal applications.

JCB also announced the launch of 305LC, a 30-tonne tracked excavator; JCB 220LC, a 22-tonne tracked excavator, and JCB 30Plus, a three-tonne excavator. JCB 30Plus is made at the company’s new facility at Jaipur whereas the 220LC comes equipped with a JCB engine that offers eight per cent better fuel efficiency over its predecessor. In wheel loaders, JCB launched a new 5.5-tonne 455ZX machine. In soil compactors, the company launched a new model in the form of 11-tonne VM116. Expressing that sales are yet to touch the 2011 level despite the market in growth mode, Sondi averred, “Roads and highways are leading growth. Some green shoots are also found in the irrigation sector.” Urban infrastructure, railways, and real estate have to come into play to ensure sustainable growth,” he added. Sondhi, touching upon the move to BSIV emission norms, announced that portfolio upgradation may be easy, but the need is to avail of BSIV compliant fuel. Availability of such fuel in remote areas for off-highway equipment could pose a problem, he said. At the fair, JCB launched Premier Line solutions that offer product support solutions in real time. The company has till date sold over 225 thousand machines. It has fitted Livelink advanced telematic solutions in 30,000 machines.

MAN Trucks India

MAN Trucks India unveiled CLA EVO range of trucks. Made at its plant at Pithampur near Indore, the range includes a CLA EVO 49.300 6×4 tractor and CLA EVO 25.300 6×4 tipper. The two are powered by a 300 hp, 6.9-litre six-cylinder D0836 common-rail turbo-diesel engine that generates 1150 Nm of torque at 1200-1800 rpm. The engine is mated to a nine-speed manual transmission. Clutch is a single disc asbestos free unit. Suspension is made up of parabolic leaf springs, and the front axle is a cranked forged I-beam type. Rear suspension of the truck is a bell crank design with a fully floating hypoid axle. The tipper is equipped with a planetary hub reduction axle. The rear suspension of the tipper is of the heavy-duty bogie type. Both the MAN trucks are fitted with a s cam, dual circuit, air actuated drum brakes. ABS is standard. Said Joerg Mommertz, Chairman and Managing Director, MAN Trucks India, “With the new range, we are celebrating 10 years of our existence in India. With GST round the corner, vehicle utilisation is set to go up. Our new range is well equipped for better fuel efficiency and performance.” At the fair, MAN Trucks India and Total Oil Pvt. Ltd, jointly launched MAN branded lubricants. These include engine, transmission and axle oils.

Schwing Stetter India

Schwing Stetter India (SSI) unleashed 14 new products at the show. Foraying into industrial and environmental technology products, the company displayed a truck mounted crane QY85KA-Y apart from a wheel loader (LW180K); a heavy-duty stationary pump (SP4507), a transit mixer with pump (TMP 32.6), a recycling plant (RA20), smartec sludge pump, batching plant M30Z with inline silo, crank arm type aerial work platform (GTBZ14J), piling rig (XR130E), horizontal directional drilling machine (XZ450 plus) and a scissors aerial lift platform (GT JZ10). Expressed Sundaresan, that the prices of land should go down to accelerate the development of infrastructure. He stressed upon the need for various ministries to complement each other to achieve an all-inclusive growth. “Such growth will lead to the growth of construction equipment market in India,” he said. Sources at Schwing Stetter said that they are looking at the truck mounted crane market to grow well. Growth, according to them, would come from the need to have such platforms to perform simple tasks such as trimming of trees or service utilities like street lamps to performing complex tasks such as examination and repair of structures and bridges. The QY85KA-Y truck mounted crane has a lot riding on its shoulders.

VOLVO CE

Volvo Construction Equipment launched two new compactors, DD90B and SD110BA. Both the compactors are built at the company’s Bangalore facility. The DD90B is a double drum asphalt compactor whereas the SD110BA is a single drum compactor that sports a locally built engine, which is capable of withstanding the Indian operating conditions. Volvo CE also showcased the P5320B ABG paver, which offers 2.5 to 7 m paving width across medium and large scale projects. The company also showcased a 21-tonne EC210D and 25-tonne EC 250D excavators that are claimed to be suitable for a variety of applications including material handling and irrigation projects. “In the excavator categories above 30-tonnes, we have enjoyed huge success with our D Series models. The EC300D, EC480 and EC750D are well-known and popular in India,” said Dimitrov Krishnan, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Volvo CE India. “The new models will also offer good performance,” he added.

Action Construction Equipment

Action Construction Equipment showcased five new products at the show. These included a 4WD tractor for industrial haulage and construction activites; a spider type boom placer, backhoe loader AX124, 4×4 20-tonne pick and carry crane for heavy duty applications, and a 40-tonne truck mounted crane. The crane is mounted on a dedicated chassis developed in-house to enhance the centre of gravity of the machine. “Market was expected to reach 2011 level next year. Demonetisation has impacted sales by 15-20 per cent. This could make the market to shift to a latter date. Growth would thus be delayed by six to eight months, and liquidity may take three to five months to come back,” mentioned Sorab Agarwal, Executive Director, ACE. With the implementation of GST, Agarwal said, manufacturing facilities will benefit by one to two per cent. Cross border movement, he added, will be simplified. Touching upon five to 10 per cent buyers opting for AC cabins, Agarwal opined that the shift to AC cabins will continue to be gradual going forward.

SANY India

Occupying a 2620 sq. m. display area, Sany India displayed 15 new machines at the fair. Five of these were excavators which includes five new excavators, a five-tonne tower crane (SYT63), asphalt paver (SAP200-6S), rotary drill rig (SR205C10), and two excavators (SY-220 C-9 for quarry excavation, and SY-240 C-9HD heavy-duty 24-tonne machine). Sany in India is claimed to have recorded good growth over the past few years. Said Sanjay Saxena, Vice President and Business Unit head- Heavy Equipment and Concrete, Sany India, that the Indian operations are being developed into a a global manufacturing hub. “Where it is geographically and logistically possible, the thrust is to develop India as a cost competitive manufacturing hub,” he added. Sany spends up to seven per cent of its revenues on R&D globally. The aim, Saxena said, was to localise. The cranes produced by Sany in India are up to 40 per cent localised. The batching plants are 90 pre cent localised, and the concrete mixers are 100 per cent localised. Sany India, averred Saxena, has already invested Rs.600 crores in its manufacturing facility at Chakan, Pune.

SDLG

SDLG India unveiled two new machines at Bauma Conexpo India. These include a L933 wheel loader and a G9 138 motor grader. The launch is in response to the government emphasising on infrastructure development. The G9 138 motor grader has an articulated swing frame for flexibility. The frame enables the machine to move at acute angles in confined spaces. The motor grader is powered by Deutz BF4M1013-15T3R/2 Tier III engine with a 111 kW output. Transmission is ZF 6WG 200. The L933 wheel loader is powered by a 92 kW Weichai Deutz WP6G125E331 turbocharged engine. The wheel loader is fitted with a load sensing fully hydraulic system. It is a single pump design that lowers power consumption. The wheel loader is easy to operate through a fixed shaft powershift transmission, which enhances traction. Expressed Sanu George, Business head, SDLG India, “In the three-tonne class, there has been a constant rise in the demand for wheel loaders in India. Contractors in the road building industry are under greater scrutiny than ever before, and reliability and uptime have become more important than ever.”

Case Construction

An arm of CNH industrial, Case Construction launched three new dozers at Bauma Conexpo India. The three new dozers, 1150L, 1650L and 2050M, are sourced from Brazil. They are powered by a six-cylinder 6.7-litre turbocharged diesel engine developed by FPT Industrial. The engine is air inter-cooled, and has multi-injection technology, which enhances the torque, and therefore the work output of the machine. Catering to CE operators in the 12- to 13-tonne, 16- to 18-tonne and 20- to 21-tonne segments, Case Construction also unveiled a vibratory compactor called 1107EX. Built at the company’s Pithampur plant, the 1107EX is powered by a FPT Industrial 3.9-litre S8000 engine that produces 100 hp @ 2,200 rpm and a peak torque of 435 Nm at 1,300 rpm. The engine is equipped with an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system for better fuel efficiency. The hydrostatic variable speed control ensures uniform compaction, and at good speed for every soil type. The vibratory compactor is aimed at agricultural application as well as urban construction projects. “We are developing a new plant for Case Construction in Pune for Case IH and New Holland (for agricultural machinery for large harvesters) with an investment of up to Rs.500 crores,” said Shalabh Chaturvedi, Head Marketing, Case New Holland Construction Equipment India. According to him, the launch of GST will allow free movement of machinery and will allow the customer to buy machinery from any state, and commit to new projects and machinery across any state.

Caterpillar

Caterpillar presented two new products, CAT 320D2 GC hydraulic excavator and 950L wheel loader, at the fair. With government emphasising on road construction segment, Caterpillar expects sales to grow past the peak growth the CE industry experienced in 2011. Caterpillar also showcased CAT Connect, a telematics solution, that allows operators to monitor machine health remotely. CAT Connect enables assessment of total hours of machine operation, its fuel consumption, idle time and average fuel consumption rate among others. In an effort to aid the managers to better control as well as direct their company’s operations, Caterpillar is looking at reducing costs and increasing efficiency at the job site with the help of CAT Connect.

LiuGong

LiuGong premiered a 856H wheel loader. It is fitted with a Cummins QSL 9.3-litre engine that produces 220hp power at 2,200 rpm. The BSIII compliant engine has been tailored to meet specific requirements of the construction business. The wheel loader is fitted with a ZF 4WG208 planetary type transmission. The load sensing hydraulic system of the wheel loader supplies power to the working and steering function as per the demand, saving fuel consumption in the process. To arrive at a robust structure, the company has used advanced analysis tools to achieve good dynamics and stiffness. Special attention has been given to strengthen the front and rear chassis sections, hinge joints and arms. ZF wet axles at the front and rear ensure maximum traction and reduce slippage on tricky surfaces. According to Nischal Mehrotra, Director, LiuGong India Pvt Ltd, the 856H is fitted with two pumps that offer variable displacement, extend the life of hydraulic components and increase the fuel economy. Working over an eight hour shift, the 856H saves 20-litres of fuel over its predecessor (856), he added.

Kobelco India

Kobelco India showcased a hydraulic crawler crane, CKL 2600i. Built at its Sri City plant in Andhra Pradesh, the crane is powered by a water-cooled direct injection Hino P11C-UN turbo-diesel engine. The engine generates a peak torque of 1,300 Nm @ 1,500 rpm. The body of the hydraulic crawler is of steel welded sections. The axles and crawler assemblies are designed to disconnect quickly. They are designed for individual removal from axles. The four variable displacement piston pumps are driven by a heavy duty pump drive. Two of these pumps are used for main hook hoist circuit, auxiliary hook hoist circuit, jib hoist circuit and to propel each circuit. The third pump is used for boom hoist circuit, and the fourth pump is utilised for the swing circuit. The crane now has a lifting capacity of 260-tonne with a maximum crane boom length of 91.4 m. Kobelco has received bookings for 10 cranes already from Samarth Lifters Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai.

Liebherr

Liebherr showcased a mobile crane model, LTM 1250-5.1. It is a single engine, five-axle crane, and succeeds the highly acclaimed LTM 1220-5.2 mobile crane. The LTM 1250-5.1 offers a load capacity higher than the LTM 1220-5.2 by up to 20 per cent. Liebherr has kept the length of its telescopic boom fixed at 60 m. Equipped with VarioBallast, the LTM 1250-5.1 crane can operate on different ballast radii of 5.58 m to 4.78m. Using mechanically swiveling ballast cylinders, the ballast radius of the crane can be reduced by 800 mm. This would enable it to perform well in areas where restricted operating space is less. Liebherr also showcased a top slewing NC-B tower crane with a flat top design. The crane was developed to address the requirements of infrastructure projects in urban areas, and where space is a constraint. The tower crane has been engineered for robust performance, and can lift heavy parts used for the building of shopping malls and car park. The crane is also said to suit high rise buildings in an urban landscape.

Apollo Tyres

Apollo Tyres displayed a range of construction equipment tyres. Attracting the attention of visitors was the AWL 822 tyre. It is the largest loader tyre made in India. It is designed for dozers and loaders, and is engineered for use in high abrasion environment. The tyes has strong nylon carcass and special lug design to enable high load carrying capability. The tyre also comes with a side protector to ensure that its shoulder and side walls are resistant to cuts. Designed and developed for a longer service life, the AWL 822 tyre has a special tread design with stone ejectors. The AWL 833 tyre was first unveiled by the company at the International Mining and Machinery Exhibition (IMME) 2014, Kolkata.

BKT Tyres

OTR tyre major, BKT Tyres showcased the Earthmax SR45 radial earth mover tyre at the fair. The tyre employs a steel casing and steel belts for enhanced stability and better resistance to punctures. The tread design offers more traction and mileage; it is 70 mm deep, and offers self cleaning properties for ejecting stones and rubbles. With a maximum loading capacity of 40,800 lbs at 102 psi, the deep tread design results in a smoother and silent operation. The Earthmax SR45 tyre is suitable for a variety of operations under harsh conditions, and at construction and mining sites. With five manufacturing plants in India, BKT specialises in a diverse range of OTR tyres. It has recently entered the market for two wheeler tyres. Also supplying ATV and solid rubber tyres for golf carts, fork lifts, etc., the company exports close to 90 per cent of what it produces. The export markets BKT Tyres caters to number 120. They are spread across US, Europe and Africa.