Why is demand rising for larger batching plants?

“Demand for mid-sized 30-45 cu m batching plants is on the rise as is demand for 20-30 cu m mobile plants,” says Ranjit More, Managing Director, Universal Construction Machinery.He attributes the higher demand for mid-sized machines (as opposed to larger-capacity machines) to their suitability to the size of projects being implemented, construction companies’ fragmented approach to increasing capacity, and slow lending by non-banking financial corporations (NBFCs), compelling construction companies to rely on their internal cash flow. “If lending by NBFCs were to pick up, it would probably boost demand for equipment,” he adds.Kalpesh Soni, General Manager, Marketing, KYB Conmat, expects this trend to persist. “Given the thrust on infrastructure development, we anticipate higher demand for our mid-sized batching plants from the rail, metro rail, roads, airport, water bodies and real-estate sectors,” he says.Demand is also increasing for larger plants.“We’re seeing increased demand for bigger-capacity batching plants, concrete mixers, concrete pumps and truck-mounted boom pumps to speed up the implementation of projects and meet the need for higher productivity and reach, at a lower operating cost,” says Sanjay Saxena, Senior Vice-President, Heavy Equipment and Concrete Business, Sany India.To cater to this demand, Sany has introduced a new-generation series of batching plants of 90 to 300 cbm/hr capacity, the HZS series, with twin-shaft mixing technology batching plant. The company has also introduced 62-m, truck-mounted boom pumps in the market, the longest currently available in India, and a new series of concrete mixers with 10 cu m capacity.- CHARU BAHRI