State-of-the-art solutions

AMIT BANSAL, Director-Sales and Marketing, India Region-Building Construction Products, Caterpillar India, shares the company´s commitment to the Indian market. We believe that India is at the cusp of a take-off point now, with a slew of transparent and investment-friendly policy initiatives in several sectors, especially in mining, power, construction and other infrastructure sectors. At Caterpillar, we have been excited about various initiatives taken by the Government of India towards ease of doing business. These initiatives will spur growth in various segments of infrastructure such as ports, airports, roads and highways, and also projects such as Swatch Bharat (Clean India), Clean Ganga and Make in India. Caterpillar, with its state-of-the-art equipment and advanced technological solutions, can contribute to each and every initiative in these sectors. Machine of choice For the general construction market in India, the backhoe loader dominates the machinery industry and is valued for its versatility and mobility. The reasons for its emergence as the ´machine of choice´ include latest technology, robustness of design, versatility, reliability, best operator comfort and the lowest owning and operating cost over the lifetime of the machine. Leveraging Cat in Indian market Caterpillar is the world´s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. We have developed world-class R&D and product development centres and manufacturing facilities, here in India. Though Caterpillar has been serving the Indian backhoe loader market since 2003, in April 2012, we launched a new backhoe loader manufacturing facility in Tiruvallur near Chennai. This facility not only strengthens the company´s growing presence in India, but also augments the distribution channel for this popular earth-moving machine by bringing-in enhanced local production capabilities. We are now actively leveraging our capability in India to support our global business. Customised offerings We continue to invest and improve on the Cat« 424B, which continues to be the largest backhoe market in the world, to better serve our customers in India. The Cat424B backhoe loader offers unmatched reliability, durability, performance, productivity and state-of-the-art technology that every Cat product is known for. Over the product life-cycle, it provides the lowest owning and operating costs. The Cat424B is designed to meet local customer requirements and last beyond a customer´s expectations. We always try to understand customer business economics and design and manufacture products around that, in order to make our customers successful in their business. As an example, we have 424B for fuel-efficiency conscious customers and 424BHD for productivity-oriented customers. Optimal fuel consumption Cat 424B embeds state-of-the-art technology in it and has some unique features. We are the only one to offer load sensing closed centre hydraulics in backhoe, which delivers superior performance at optimal fuel consumption. The pump works as per the job demand, keeps the wastage to minimal level and the engine load at optimal level, ensuring lower fuel consumption. In this system, the wear and tear of components is low, which improves the service life of components. Also, the machine has a spacious cabin with excellent all-around visibility. Again, we are the only one in the industry to offer both ´+´ type and ´X´ type levers for operators. Integrated solutions Many customers look for collaborative partners to help them achieve the most efficient and productive operation possible. To be true partners, we are developing not only the products and technologies, but also a solutions-based organisation that can operationally partner with our customers to help them realise that value. Caterpillar focuses on partnering with the customer, through dealers, to help them understand the options available, and the capability of the machines. What we offer are integrated solutions, right from the kind of purchase that is possible (outright buy, finance option or rental), to the support services needed. Financing solutions Financing plays a key role in purchasing decision for backhoe loaders. Cat Finance has partnered with India´s leading financial institute Tata Capital to provide financing solutions to our customers. Through this alliance, we offer bundled solutions to our customers to help them buy a Cat machine on easy payment terms, at competitive interest, and with complete peace of mind. Wide distribution network Distribution and product support footprint are important aspects of this business. We have two primary dealers in India, namely GMMCO Ltd for the south and western parts of the country, and Tractors India Pvt Ltd (TIPL) serve customers in the north and eastern parts of the country with a wide distribution network. With eight territorial dealerships across India, owned by GMMCO and TIPL, they currently have more than 170 dealer outlets. One-stop-shop These territorial dealerships ensure greater focus and better coverage within each of their territories for sales (prime products and parts) and service support. They have the necessary capability to provide support to a broad base of our customers including construction, mining, and energy. Each territory has workshops, parts depots, area or resident offices, which ensure that customer needs are met. GMMCO and TIPL have also invested significantly in world-class rebuild centres, where customers can obtain international standard support, thus enabling them to maximise the life-cycle value of their Cat equipment. Both the dealers are fully geared to provide extra ordinary customer experience and serve as a one-stop-shop for all the customer needs. (Communication by the management of the company)