Escorts Construction Equipment launched its next generation Hydra Pick-n-Carry Crane – Hydra NXT 13; EC 5511 – a new compactor in the 11-tonne class; and EC 3664, a mini compactor in the 3-tonne class, at bauma. Ajay Mandahr, CEO, shares more….

One pathbreaking offering: We will soon launch our pathbreaking offering in the Q1 of the coming fiscal – a totally new platform in the crane segment. It is a first-of-its-kind product coming to India. If you look at pick-and-carry cranes, one key aspect is safety. 

Announcement contributing to the company’s growth in 2018: The pick-and-carry crane is a product of international standards with the best technology we can give to Indian customers. Our new launches are the future for us to get the technology and then deploy it.

Challenge for the company in 2019: I foresee that demand in terms of innovation will go up because we are working on a huge pipeline, because of which, the R&D department will be constrained, but we are putting our resources there. Now is the time that Escorts will push forward.

Key strategy to success in 2019: Our strategy does not change: One is graduating from a commodity to a technology, and the next is to get into a total solution for the customer. We are filling up the voids in our products range; once that is done, we will become a full player where we will give every service to the customer. There will be rentals, used equipment, CMCs, comprehensive maintenance contracts; we will run machines for customers.

Recommendation for growth of the construction equipment market: We should limit the age of equipment for second-hand import. This is becoming a big problem for us as a manufacturer. The government is working towards this, and hopefully something concrete will come out of it.