Telehandlers are in its nascent stage in India. What is required is awareness about Telehandler and with time Telehandlers can turn out to be a genuine cost-effective replacement for smaller mobile cranes, forklifts and other material handling equipment
Amongst the various material handling equipments available in India, Telehandlers are yet to gain market share. Though Telehandlers are all purpose equipment used for multiple applications the demand for Telehandlers is in nascent stage in India. When it comes to application, Telehandlers are used in all most all applications be it moving heavy loads to and from different places, lifting and placing loads beyond the reach of forklifts, can be used as a replacement for mobile cranes, in maintenance and repairing of tall buildings and in many more application in almost all the industry be it real estate, roads and highways, bridge construction, oil and gas industry, agriculture and allied sectors, power industry, tunneling projects, warehousing, EPC works and in construction of various projects. “Telehandlers are pre-dominantly applied in industries such as infrastructure, construction, oil & gas, agriculture, mining, etc, for material handling. The activities in construction majorly constitute movement of palletised or loose materials across the job site or to heights, roofing, renovation, cladding etc. The other specialized applications can be found in airports, tyre, tunneling, container stuffing and de-stuffing, waste management, etc. In mining, Telehandlers are used for handling tyres of large dump trucks, large cylinders, and cable reels,” says Manish Mathur, CEO – Cranes, Action Construction Equipment (ACE).
Being a versatile lifting material handling equipment the list of Telehandlers applications is endless. It is just like jack of all trades. It all depends on the attachments. Depending upon the work requirement, attachment has to be fitted and once the job is done attachment can be removed and depending upon the next job requirement suitable attachment has to be fitted again. The various available attachments include bucket, bucket and shovels, extendable heavy duty boom, extendable truss boom, forks, heavy duty multi-purpose bucket, industrial grapple bucket, pallet forks, rotate carriage, sideshift carriage, standard carriages, skid steer adapter, lift hook, pipe grapple, spreader bar, trailer spotter, trash hopper, work platform, man riding basket & cage and many more. All these attachments have specific applications. It is best left to the organization to choose the best attachment for their application. Though there are various attachments available in the market. Attachments can be custom-made to suit specific application.
Telehandlers and Indian market
Coming back to India, Telehandlers awareness is in the nascent stage so is the market for Telehandlers. Bulk of the competition for Telehandlers is from forklifts and cranes which are showing steady growth. Not to be left behind Telehandlers are gaining firm footing in India. In a recently released report by 6Wresearch states, India Telehandler market is expected to register slow growth as Telehandlers are at a very nascent stage as awareness across sectors is still very limited. On the upside, demand for Telehandlers has been increasing steadily, especially from the infrastructure construction and mining segments over the coming years. The only hurdles in the Telehandlers’ market growth are lack of awareness of Telehandler’s multifarious uses and customers still preferring the conventional and cheaper pick-and-carry cranes. According to their research the India Telehandler market size is anticipated to register slow growth. In its report 6Wresearch points out the low penetration of telehandlers in India compare to the world’s advanced markets. The reports state the market size to be around 350 to 400 in 2019 in India. As per a report by Global Market Insights the global Telehandler market size exceeded USD 5.5 billion in 2019 and is expected to witness a high growth rate of 11% between 2020 and 2026. Compare to India the demand for Telehandler is more from the European countries. In Europe, the market has increased over the last five years by 23% and, in 2019, it reached over 3,000 units. According to industry experts 85% of the global market volume is in the Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.
Overseas launches
Recognising the growth in popularity of rotating machines with heavier lift capacities across Europe, JCB launched Hydraload 555-210R, a totally new Hydraload rotating telescopic handler offering a maximum lift capacity of 5.5 tonnes and a maximum working height of 20.5-m. The machines are powered by JCB’s Ecomax engines, offering a high degree of parts and service commonality with other Loadall models. The JCB LiveLink telematics system is fitted as standard and incorporates features that enable operators to fully exploit the performance of this versatile machine. With a maximum lift capacity of 5.5 tonnes, the machine offers excellent highly competitive load charts. Easily selectable lift end speed profiles and lift envelope limits help the operator to optimise the machine for specific tasks. A range of specially developed JCB attachments using RFID technology can be identified by the machine, to automatically offer the correct load chart for safe operation. The Hydraload 555-210R meets the changing requirements of contractors across the world, as a greater use of off-site pre-fabrication calls for heavier lift capacities and increased on-site versatility.
Bobcat in collaborated with Magni TH of Italy, has introduce an expanded line of new-generation rotary telescopic Telehandler for markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (MEA), Russia and the CIS region. This Telehandler comes with 10 Stage V compliant models for the European market, offering lifting capacities from 4–7 tonne and lifting heights from 18–39m while Manitou Group has launched the new NewAg XL range agricultural Telehandlers, with two new models, the MLT 841 and MLT 1041, both with a capacity of more than 4.1 tonnes for a lifting height of 7.60 to 9.65m.
Towards a promising growth
Coming to the India, market launches are few as customers prefer a quick fix option that are adjustable and fits to the pocket. In India it is the forklift and crane. But slowly things are changing, JCB India, the market leader in Telehandlers in India, offers Made in India JCB Telehandlers, The features of these Telehandlers include exceptional versatility, productivity and reliability for all material handling applications. The all-new Side Engine Telehandler 530-110 from JCB India comes with a sleek global design and Q Fit attachment which makes the product compatible with several attachments, thus improving versatility while JCB 530-70 compact Telehandler is engineered to move any material quickly and safely – enabling bottom line differentiation across various industries and applications including RMC, crusher, cotton, ceramic and more. Due to its innovative compact structure, it offers maximum operator safety, stability and support without compromising on ease of maneuverability. The lifting capacity (3000kg-6000kg), long reach and impressive lift height (7 metres to 20 metres) in JCB Telehandlers are complemented by a wide range of attachments (over 40) which makes these machines the first choice of machines in the construction and infrastructure domain. Additionally, an air-conditioned cabin features as a standard across all JCB Telehandler models to enhance operator comfort. These machines come fitted with JCB’s advanced Telematics Technology – Livelink. LiveLink benefits customers in better fleet and fuel management by enabling remote monitoring and management of their machines. JCB LiveLink incorporates GPS, Telecommunications, Machine Electronics and IoT, enabling the equipment to remain in contact with owner, dealer and JCB. Fuel efficiency, performance, and smart machine management can be experienced in these machines through LiveLink.
Action Construction Equipment (ACE) has launched NXT Nextgen Multi Activity Crane, which is a Telehandler cum Pick N Carry Crane of 15 tons capacity. The Telehandler fork attachment has a capacity of 3 tons upto the maximum height of 12.3 mtrs unlike the traditional Telehandlers, wherein the maximum capacity is limited only to very small working radius and very limited heights. “This increased capacity and height adds to the versatility of NXT model and makes it suitable for a lot of load applications, where the traditional Telehandlers are not able to work. The hydraulically operated compensated forks are designed to ensure that the load always remains parallel to the ground during the boom luffing /extension operations. The Telehandler fork fitment can be attached or detached on the crane within 5 minutes,” says Manish Mathur.
The Telescopic Telehandler HTL 3207 from Haulotte for the Indian market provides a maximum lift capacity of 3.2 tons, and is designed to lift any type of load up to a height of 6.85 m. With a short turning radius and a length of 4.67 m, it can easily access narrow spaces and is especially useful in construction and industrial sectors where performance and compactness are inextricably linked.
The Telehandler market India is still evolving. Global Telehandler manufacturing giants have their presence in India and with demand product launches too are going to increase simultaneously.
Rent it or Own it? The dilemma
It incurs a huge cost to own a Telehandler with its various attachments. Then there are the regular maintenances cost that has to be taken care of, an additional expenditure. Then there are the breakdowns. To get an assured return on investment (RoI) there has to be plenty of job works which at this Pandemic period is not forthcoming. The pandemic has dented the purchasing power. Telehandler manufacturers have tie-up with various financial institutes and banks to provide finance for those who want to own Telehandlers. Telehandler have multiple uses in various industries and it is the advantages of attachments which differentiate it from the other material handling equipment. Contractors prefer hiring Telehandler on rent rather than owing one. This has given a huge demand for the rental Telehandler market. In India the market for Telehandler being in its nascent stage for are the rental demand. “Due to lack of awareness and understanding about the specialized and diverse use of telehandlers, rental market for telehandlers in India is still in a nascent stage but rental opportunities will grow in coming years as the understanding about its multifarious uses grow. Current scenario is that rental market of telehandlers is small and limited number of telehandlers are available. Therefore the rental rates are high at the moment. As more opportunities will grow, the demand and supply will become proportionate. The demand for telehandlers will come from construction, mining and municipal government sectors,” says Satin Sachdeva, Secretary General, Construction Equipment Rental Association, (CERA).
Opportunities galore but limited awareness
It is fact Telehandler is a versatile lifting equipment and material handling solution provider for the infrastructure industry. Though badly battered by Covid 19 the country is bouncing back to normalcy. The real estate industry is back on track so are the new projects. Roads and highway construction is back to normal. Mining and power projects tendering is underway so are for renewable energy. Airports and railways constructions are underway. Waste management facility is set to increase. E-commerce has surged forward and is blooming. Multi warehouses are coming across the country. Cold chain warehouse to store agri products and pharma are being planned. Multiple tunneling projects are underway. Now, what is required is awareness about Telehandler. The manufacturer and the rental players are on a war footing on this. It is all a matter of time for Telehandlers to corner a prominent share in the India market.
