Sanjay Saxena, Senior Vice President & Head of Heavy Equipment Business Unit, Sany Heavy Industry India, speaks on the technology trends in foundation equipment and accessories, and the latest products and solutions offered by the company. What is the current market scenario of foundation equipment in India? The demand for foundation equipment in India is cyclic in nature and currently it is witnessing significant growth owing to the plethora of ongoing infrastructure projects in the country. Roads and highways are one infra sector that was back in action faster, after the Covid-19 pandemic impacting the overall industry and economy. How has this benefitted your industry? Roads and highways are the key areas that enjoy the government’s intense focus. The sectors are highly responsible for propelling India’s overall development. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic situation, the road and highways overall construction touched a high of 11,302 km till February 2021. With the rapid upsurge in road construction projects, Sany India has witnessed huge surge in demand for the equipment like excavators, motor grader, piling rigs, etc. Turning the crisis into an opportunity, we have seen growth in our product segments. What are the technology trends in foundation equipment and accessories? Telematics, artificial intelligence, big data, autonomous machine, Internet of Things (IoT) are some technology trends in foundation equipment, which are massively transforming its way of working. Looking into the technological advancement, Sany India has already taken steps to redefine the customers' experience with its digital revolution ‘EVI App’. It’s an advanced application which helps customer to manage their equipment status through ‘IoT’ data-like architecture. A user can also see the live location of the equipment without any hassle. In a true sense, it has actually paved the way for proactive product monitoring and support thus improving customer satisfaction and loyalty for Sany India’s brand. What are the latest products and solutions offered? Sany launched its first ‘Made in India’ piling rig, ‘SR235’ for the Indian market recently. The latest products that Sany India is offering in small-size rigs for soft soils are: SR 155, SR185 & SR215. Designed for the toughest application, in mid-size, we have – SR235 , SR265, and SR285. For hard rock drilling, Sany offers big SR365, SR405, SR445, and SR485, etc. The reliable structure of all the machines ensures the piling machine can operate in any harsh working condition. All the machines are equipped with a powerful engine and reliable components, which make them a solid foundation for a rotary drilling rig to achieve excellent performance. And the intelligent design makes safer operation and less troubleshooting cost. How do you look at the revival of the construction market? What are the measures needed for the revival? The government budget has given much-needed impetus to the country’s infrastructure development, which worked as a catalyst for the growth of the construction equipment market. As revival depends upon various factors, like starting of projects, returning of the manpower at the site, and adequate finance to the projects, the CE industry has been registering a stable growth after the removal of lockdown last year. The second wave of pandemic has hit the production due to restriction on manpower whereas the logistics have not been effected. We are able to provide services and products to fulfill the demand. What is your outlook on the foundation equipment market for the next five years? As the government has allocated the highest ever budget for national infrastructure development to resurrect the battered economy, the next five years seem to be very bright for the foundation equipment market. As per the reports, the demands for the foundation equipment are expected to grow at a considerable rate. The National Infrastructure Pipeline has also expanded to 7,600 projects, which will further, give a boost to the demands of pilling rigs by 2025.