Sandeep Mathur, Brand Leader, CASE India, speaks with Equipment India on the current scenario of motor graders in India, and the upcoming digital technologies in motor graders. How do you look at the current scenario of motors graders in India? This year’s budget has paved the way for more opportunities and projects in the mining sector. In a bid to increase the foreign investment, the government is also focusing on opening and commercialising the mining sector, which will result in more opportunities for the motor grader market. Their effort towards further enhancing the roads and highways projects to 7,400 new projects is a welcome step which will ensure a better year for the infrastructure sector as well as for the construction equipment industry. According to the Motor Intelligence report, ‘The motor graders market is projected to grow with a CAGR of more than 5 per cent during the forecast period’. We are hopeful that all the initiatives and projections will lead to positive growth for the motor graders market. At CASE, we’re ready to make the most of these opportunities with our portfolio of motor graders 865B and 845B customised for tough mid-mining projects and large road projects. Roads and highways is one infra sector that was back in action faster, after the Covid-19 pandemic impacting the overall industry and economy.How optimistic are you in the sector in terms of project execution and growth? The year 2020 was a tough year for all the sectors. However, announcements post mid-year helped the sector in getting back its momentum. For 2021, the Government has proclaimed multitude of announcements and new projects in the budget. The government has added around 7,400 new projects, which will ensure a better year for the infrastructure sector as well as for the construction equipment industry. More highway projects have been awarded in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Assam and all these will give a much-needed boost to the sector. Further, an announcement of introduction of the Development Finance Institution providing Rs 20,000 crore has been made to launch the National Asset Monetisation Pipeline and fund new infra projects. Hence, the prospects of this year are positive for the CE sector. In terms of project execution, the latest report from the government for last year’s road and highways project states, “During 2019-20, projects with about 8948 km length were awarded and completion was achieved in about 10,237 km length of roads. The rate of development of roads has increased significantly from about 11.7 km during 2013-14 to about 28 km now. Due to consistent efforts of the Ministry, length of the National Highways has increased from 91,287 km in April 2014 to about 1,36,155 km as on 20 December 2020.” The increase in the road development and execution will yield better results and faster incoming of projects. We at CASE are confident that all these efforts will play an important role in reviving the sector and bringing back the economy to normalcy. What are the upcoming digital technologies in motor graders? How interested are contractors towards these technologies? Equipment India 23 Feb 2021 Technological upgrades are a perennial part of CE industry and now even more so. The motor grader is an essential equipment, which could be used from road and highway maintenance to construction and mining sector. Today, the contractors/customers have become more discerning, are technologically sound and are looking for machines, which help in boosting their productivity and efficiency. At CASE our motor grader comes equipped with the remote diagnosis and monitoring technology – equipment are installed with a unique trip meter on the operator dashboard that continuously monitors the fuel consumption, hours operated and operating temperatures. Electronic indicators are also connected to the dashboard for safety or operation related parameters. CASE’s motor graders are also equipped with closed air conditioning ROPS cabins whereas most of CASE’s competitors provide open canopy. Air suspension seat further adds to the operator comfort. Our machines also come equipped with a multitude of smart features such as an eagle eye telematics system which helps in monitoring the performance, security and efficiency of the machine in real-time. The operator can also customise all the working parameters of the machine to achieve excellent controllability and faster cycle times. The automated functions in the cab, which includes an electrohydraulic joystick to customise the reversing and steering sensitivity, makes the drivers’ job easy, allowing them to achieve shorter cycle times and boost their productivity. What are the latest offerings in your product range? CASE has a strong portfolio of motor grader 865B and 845B customised for tough mid-mining projects and large road projects. CASE graders are powered by in-house FPT engines with variable horsepower, which deliver maximum performance with optimal fuel consumption in all working conditions. There are over two lakh FPT engines working extraordinarily well in the field today, which is a testament to the reliability of the performance of FPT engines. Another unique feature of CASE motor grader is the moldboard. CASE moldboards are available in a range from 12-14 ft, which are recommended on the basis of the application and strata of use. CASE moldboards have two unique features. Firstly, they are hydraulically controlled, meaning the operator can adjust the pitch of the angle of the moldboard from the comfort of the air-conditioned cabin, compared to conventional methods – thus saving time. Secondly, the CASE graders have a unique multi-radius moldboard, which ensures that maximum material is rolled off in each pass, further improving productivity by reducing the number of passes required. The “A” frame of the drawbar is robust and rigid. Larger wear surface provides longer life (reduces wear) and the externally driven circle is easy to clean and better protected in case of shocks. Consistency of controls and response of hydraulic operations, as the ability to make small and precise adjustments in the blade position has a significant impact on profitability for the job which CASE graders smoothly provide. These features make our graders a perfect solution for infrastructure and mining projects. At CASE, we strive to create equipment that increases our customers’ productivity and we will continue to do so.