we expect mining business to pick up in second half of 2015.

- Sanjay Ahuja, General Manager, Atlas Copco India Ltd, Mining and Rock Excavation Technique Atlas Copco is present in both surface mining and underground mining. Mining contributes two-thirds of its business within Mining and Rock Excavation Business Area. In surface mining, the largest segment is coal, followed by limestone quarrying for cement and iron ore. The company is also active in quarrying of dimension stone like granite as well as in aggregate quarrying. Surface coal mining is today broadly with government-owned entities like Coal India and Singareni Collieries. New business prospects for blast hole drills in 2014 have been better than 2013. ¨We also envisage greater investments in the next few months,¨ states Sanjay Ahuja, General Manager, Atlas Copco India Ltd, Mining and Rock Excavation Technique, as he shares more about PowerROC D40 mining equipment. What products does Atlas Copco offer? Our product portfolio has different offerings for mining and construction. We have smaller sized underground drilling jumbos for use in underground mining. Their size and capability is completely different than the jumbos used in underground construction applications - road tunnels, railway tunnels or tunnels in hydro power. The same is true for surface drills in surface mining and construction applications. How will the proposed coal mine auction affect the industry? Much has been written about the cancellation of coal blocks at the behest of the Supreme Court. The expected auctioning of coal blocks is going to provide a great fillip to the demand for blast hole drills for production when the mines start and will also create a great pull for smaller DTH (Down The Hole) drills as well as TH (Top Hammer) drills. These will be needed for development of mines before they reach the production stage. What are the current opportunities foreseen for the mining equipment segment? We expect mining business to pick up sustainable momentum in the second half of 2015. Coal mining in both - government and private sectors, will invest as new mines start afresh. This will lead to greater demand of Rotary or DTH drills, which we offer from our Nashik plant as well as the high technology drills which are assembled in our state-of-the-art facilities in the US and Sweden. This will be volume drivers over the next few years. There has been an influx of overseas brands in this arena... This is not really applicable to Atlas Copco. We have been present in India since 1960 and have been shaping the industry in which we are operate. Our products and services make us the industry leader in most segments and markets that we serve. Which are the most recent mining equipment? PowerROC D40 is a new generation surface drill with high flexibility. It is designed to achieve optimal productivity through reliability and simplicity. It can be used for vertical drilling, angle drilling and toe hole drilling across segments like limestone, aggregate, volume mining and selective mining. It has the following standard features including ROPS and FOPS certified AC cabin; auto rod handling system; environment-friendly water injection system. Your strategies to meet the clients requirement? Our core values are interaction, innovation and commitment. Everything we do is aimed at achieving our vision of becoming and remaining First in Mind - First in Choice«. We are a direct selling organisation and two-thirds of our sales in India is done directly to customers. What are your expectations from this sector? The sector has not been able to showcase its true potential in the past three years. We import coal to meet our needs and our production of iron ore has dropped every year for the past five years from an output of 223 million tonne in 2009 to 136 million tonne in 2013. We believe that with changes in regulation, faster environment clearances and easing of land acquisition, the mining sector will contribute to the sustained growth of the Indian economy. (Communication by the management of the company)