+
Indian vs. overseas brands
ROADS & HIGHWAYS

Indian vs. overseas brands

Indian brands of earthmoving equipment are making inroads in the market but still don’t measure up to machines from global brands like CAT, Wirtgen and Vogele, says Pramod Joshi, DGM, P&M Operation, JMC Projects India. “Machines from overseas brands are more expensive to buy but make up in higher productivity and lower maintenance cost, besides performing more accurately.”

“We are engaged in reputed four to eight lane expressway projects that need heavy and quality machines,” says Ashim Paul, Plant & Machinery Head, Adani Transport. “We usually prefer compactors, pavers, graders and excavators from global brands as they are more accurate, productive and meet the NHAI codes specified for equipment.”

“The lack of quality of products made in India relevant for the requirement has led to demand for foreign alternatives, Chinese or Italian machines that can fit contractors’ ROI target,” agrees Manish Arora, Business Head, Mahindra Construction Equipment.

With many global brands now manufacturing in India, it isn’t as if using a global brand implies using an imported machine. Nischal Mehrotra, Director, Sales & Marketing, LiuGong India tells us that imported construction machines form a minuscule amount of all machines in use: “Primarily, motor graders and higher tonnage excavators are being imported.”

So, what needs to be done to build world-class Indian construction equipment brands?

Joshi believes Indian companies need to be driven by quality over quantity and focus on R&D to compete with global manufacturers. He cites the example of asphalt pavers—“India is still nowhere in that segment; we need to develop a world-class machine.” 

“Government incentives to the sector may help improve the quality of machines,” believes Joshi.
Additionally, he also sees scope for the Government to support Indian brands. “To some extent, the Government is furthering the use of equipment from global brands by specifying (in tenders) the use of machines with built-in sensors; and rightly so because they perform better,” he says. “To incentivise domestic companies, the Government must insist on the use of Indian equipment for all projects.”

- CHARU BAHRI

Indian brands of earthmoving equipment are making inroads in the market but still don’t measure up to machines from global brands like CAT, Wirtgen and Vogele, says Pramod Joshi, DGM, P&M Operation, JMC Projects India. “Machines from overseas brands are more expensive to buy but make up in higher productivity and lower maintenance cost, besides performing more accurately.”“We are engaged in reputed four to eight lane expressway projects that need heavy and quality machines,” says Ashim Paul, Plant & Machinery Head, Adani Transport. “We usually prefer compactors, pavers, graders and excavators from global brands as they are more accurate, productive and meet the NHAI codes specified for equipment.”“The lack of quality of products made in India relevant for the requirement has led to demand for foreign alternatives, Chinese or Italian machines that can fit contractors’ ROI target,” agrees Manish Arora, Business Head, Mahindra Construction Equipment.With many global brands now manufacturing in India, it isn’t as if using a global brand implies using an imported machine. Nischal Mehrotra, Director, Sales & Marketing, LiuGong India tells us that imported construction machines form a minuscule amount of all machines in use: “Primarily, motor graders and higher tonnage excavators are being imported.”So, what needs to be done to build world-class Indian construction equipment brands?Joshi believes Indian companies need to be driven by quality over quantity and focus on R&D to compete with global manufacturers. He cites the example of asphalt pavers—“India is still nowhere in that segment; we need to develop a world-class machine.” “Government incentives to the sector may help improve the quality of machines,” believes Joshi.Additionally, he also sees scope for the Government to support Indian brands. “To some extent, the Government is furthering the use of equipment from global brands by specifying (in tenders) the use of machines with built-in sensors; and rightly so because they perform better,” he says. “To incentivise domestic companies, the Government must insist on the use of Indian equipment for all projects.”- CHARU BAHRI

Next Story
Real Estate

Not Just Glass Boxes!

India is moving away from the ‘glass box’ syndrome, all-glass façades that were widely used in commercial buildings in the last two decades but came at a significant environmental cost given the country’s predominantly hot and humid climate. Poor thermal performance, excessive heat gain and dependency on mechanical cooling systems made buildings with glass façades energy guzzlers and significantly increased their carbon footprint.That said, it’s important to be aware that “glass is not the enemy,” points out Heena Bhargava, Architect, Architecture Discipline. “How it is used ma..

Next Story
Real Estate

Tokenisation is definitely the future of real-estate projects in India

Nisus Finance is carving a distinctive space in India’s real-estate funding ecosystem through a sharp mix of structured finance, asset management and transaction advisory. In an exclusive conversation with CW, Amit Goenka, Chairman and Founder, shares insights into the company’s unique approach to urban infrastructure finance. He discusses how Nisus Finance is not only expanding within India but also venturing into emerging markets, offering tailor-made solutions for urban development projects.How would you define your core business model and what differentiates you in this space..

Next Story
Equipment

We're building India's top platform for construction equipment rental

Janardhan Reddy grew up in a construction environment in Tumkur, Karnataka, where his father, a Class 1 PWD contractor, managed owned and rented equipment. This early exposure gave him deep insights into the sector. Today, he leads AUEQI (pronounced Aaki), short for ‘An Aura of Equipment’ – a tech-driven platform simplifying rentals and boosting productivity. Recognised as an innovator by the Karnataka government, he is supported by the Rajiv Gandhi Entrepreneurship Programme and is a final-round applicant for Elevate 2024. In this conversation with CW, he shares how AUEQI is bridging cr..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Talk to us?