The Panvelkar Group and Laxmi narayan Stone Industries have been steadily growing over the years and have now reached unprecedented heights. Last year, in 2014, their purchase of the Cat®320D2 excavator has indeed further spurred their growth, bringing in a new confidence to move forward in a sustainable manner.
Panvelkar Group is a front runner in real estate development in the suburbs of Mumbai since 1991. The company has, over the years, completed more than 80 projects across Mumbai suburbs, in turn developing over 30,78,247 sq ft of urban and countryside landscapes. The company has since then expanded its portfolio in various verticals like Banquets, Luxury Resorts, Water Parks, Excavations, City clubs etc. They have also developed 25 plots in Suryoday CHS Ambernath – the biggest CHS in Asia.
Laxmi Narayan Stone Industries Ambernath, another important concern of the Panvelkar Group, pertaining to quarrying and stone crushing, was acquired in 1982. With an annual turnover of Rs.20-22 crore and employee strength of 560, the Panvelkar Group and Laxmi Narayan Stone Industries delve into construction, earthmoving, stone quarries, stone crusher plants and land development projects. Current projects include quarrying applications for Laxmi Narayan Stone Industries, Dutta Kripa Stone Crushing and Metal Suppliers, and land development for V. R.Developers and Earthmovers.
The Cat320D2 is continuously deployed either for quarrying, stone crushing or excavation for land development, which includes cutting and filling. Other Cat equipment includes 2 X DG sets – one 500KV and the other 250KV.
“The performance of the Cat320D2 has been excellent, but for the initial hiccup, which was worrisome, but short-lived. Higher productivity and better reliability of the Cat320D2 have indeed boosted our confidence and reduced stress levels.” says Vishwanath Panvelkar, Proprietor, Laxmi Stone Industries.
“Our operator feedback is excellent due to the high standards in safety and comfort. The high powered Acert engine and the high level hydraulic pressure ensure more work is done per hour. The heavy duty undercarriage helps in quick movement on rough, uneven, rock strewn terrain. The long reach of the boom reduces relocation considerably, thereby saving on valuable fuel and time.”
He reminisces, “I first saw the Cat320D2 in Bauma trade show at Mumbai. I then saw the machine doing land development work at Panvel and was highly impressed. I studied the pamphlets collected at the exhibition and decided to buy one. I am glad I chose the Cat320D2, for it has lived up to my expectations.”
“I have a couple of other brand excavators, but nothing matches up to the performance of Cat excavator. I like it because of its low maintenance and excellent productivity,” says Panvelkar. “What distinguishes the Cat excavator from other machines is that it works continuously with no breakdowns. So we are stress free due to such accountability. This helps us concentrate on other core areas of the business that need our attention.”
Panvelkar has the Cat advantage figured out. “Fuel efficiency and consumption is high, but work output is also better as compared to other brands. So, non-operative costs are within acceptable limits. Return on investment is good & the cost per tonne is superior to other brands,” says Panvelkar. He explains, “The Cat320D2 excavator scoops and loads 380 brass of heavy rocks into dumpers over a period of 8 ½ hours, whereas the other brand excavator can manage to load only 310 brass in the same period. Therefore additional work output of 70 brass (or 315 tonnes) in 8.5 hours translates to 37 tons/ hour, which is remarkably good.”
Panvelkar gives a thumbs-up to Caterpillar’s after-sales service. “The support of the local GMMCO Cat Dealership is exceptionally good. They are quick in responding and work relentlessly till they have solved our problems. Initially, when the machine developed problems, I was disturbed and doubted the very credibility of the brand, but the dealership did not rest until the problem was resolved. After that, I have not faced any downtime and it has been putting in 17 hours of work every day.”
The Cat320D2 has clocked over 6000 hrs. Panvelkar says, “It has a life expectancy of 5-7 years. Even after extensive usage, it will still have a higher resale value. So it has a higher return on investment as compared to other brands.”
A satisfied customer today, Panvelkar plans on buying more machines and would definitely recommend the Cat320D2 excavator to prospective buyers. For him, this is only the beginning. He plans to go a long way. With the Cat excavator being a sturdy, dependable partner in his growth, he sums up, “My confidence in the machine’s reliability runs high. With Cat 320D2, there is absolutely no tension of downtime, which makes good business sense.”
