L&T’s Hajela: Motor graders may grow at 15-20%

Motor graders are a highly-evolved technology product and now mandatory for the construction of highways. The grader has a strong role in the pre-compaction stage and sub-base preparation with fine grading, spreading and levelling the ground. It uses a hydraulic blade to push large amounts of soil and can be adjusted with a simple lever by the operator. Put together, the market size of graders in India is 1,600 annually.

“The grader has a strong role in the pre-compaction stage and sub-base preparation with fine grading, spreading and levelling the ground. It uses a hydraulic blade to push large amounts of soil and can be adjusted with a simple lever by the operator. We can roughly divide the graders into three categories – small, medium and large,” said Vivek Hajela, Vice President and Head – Construction Equipment Business, Larsen & Toubro, during an interaction with Equipment India, a sister publication of Construction World.

With the Government’s focus on infrastructure development, and with the ambitious vision of Rs 111 lakh crore NIP, the demand for motor graders remains robust for the next 5 to 10 years. “Looking at this, we see a growth potential of CAGR about 15 to 20 per cent in the coming years for the motor graders, which is extremely encouraging for the equipment manufacturers”, adds Hajela.

The Asia-Pacific region remains the largest market for the motor graders market. This growth can be attributed to the factors such as increasing construction activities in countries like China, India, which are the fastest developing nations in the world. The government in the region is spending heavily on developing world class facilities, which are driving the demand for motor graders.