As the road sector is just picking up and the soil work is taking place, there is more demand for compaction equipment says Ajay Aneja, Sales Head, Case India in an interaction with EPC World.
What are the technology innovations that have been displayed at Excon?
This year, we have introduced Eagle Eye Telematic System, a real time vehicle tracking and communication based on GPS technology. This will enable the customers to monitor and trace geographical locations of CASE Loader Backhoes and Vibratory Compactor equipments. Additionally this system will also provide an update on the use of the machine, fuel levels and total number hours the machine was in operation along with its temperature. One can log on to CASE India website to view the complete historical data of the machine. This delivers better value for money and the customers.
CASE India is a Top Tier player in Loader backhoes segment with more than 20,000 units sold in the country due to its continuous upgrade & technological advancement provided specifically to match the requirements of Indian customers. A recent upgradation is the complete HVAC air-conditioned cabins for the Loader backhoes.
What is the range of products that Case offers to the Indian market?
We broadly divide our equipment into two sections i.e. general construction and the road construction. In the general construction, we have EXseries that come with all the options like two or four wheel tyre options, different bucket options along with various attachments. We also have skid steers which are made in USA. In the road segment, we have a range of compaction equipment where we are the leaders and now we have introduced the graders.
How did Case India fare this fiscal?
The figures are looking better on the compaction side, where as the graders are concerned, we can say that the response from the market is very encouraging. As the road sector is just picking up and the soil work is taking place, there is more demand for compaction equipment as the work progress may be after two quarters or so. The demand for the tendon rollers would also be robust. Similarly, the graders are also picking up but the loader backhoes segment is slow and it would not go into positive till third or fourth quarter 2016. But it is very difficult for the demand for loader backhoes to outdo the results of 2011. This is because the substitution is happening and customers are going in for the excavators rather than loader backhoes. The fleets of loader backhoes are being cut with more addition happening with more productive excavators.
What is the reason for transition from loader backhoes to excavators?
I think the customers are now more conscious about the productivity. Earlier the mobility of the machine was a factor and thus more reliance on wheel mounted equipment existed. Now the productivity has taken the preference over mobility. Also, the bidding for large projects is very competitive at almost rock bottom prices.
Please tell us about the dealer network that the company have developed in India.
Over the last 25 years CASE India has maintained a leadership position in the Indian subcontinent riding on extraordinary customer connect and support. This is achieved through an extensive network of 70 dealers with nearly 300 touch points spanning the length and breadth of the country to support the products with spares and service even in remote locations.
Since April 2011, when CASE acquired a 100% stake in its erstwhile joint venture company, an investment in excess of USD 50 M has flown into the Indian operations. As a part of our product portfolio enhancement, we have so far introduced to the Indian market Skid Steer Loaders and Motor Graders. We upgraded our bestselling Soil compactor 1107 DX to suit the evolving requirements of our customers. We topped it up with the launch of EX Series loader backhoes powered by FIAT FPT S8000 series engine.
Adding to the ongoing product development, we have also enhanced the manufacturing processes to best suit the world class manufacturing standards through which we deliver the most robust, reliable and high quality products. We have more plans to further augment our product offering and the dealership network to serve our customers at the best possible levels.
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