Products on display at Excon
This year, we will showcase our upgraded and new backhoe loader models in different engine horsepower categories along with our award-winning products like our special crane for piling, 360o slew pick n carry crane, and our manlift crane. We will also be displaying various other models including our new & higher tonnage next-gen cranes. Moreover, we will be commissioning one of the largest crawler and truck crane manufacturing plant in India this year, which will double our production capacity, and we will add more and bigger products to our portfolio. We follow lean manufacturing processes to improve production and save wastage, and undertake continuous upgradations of our products as per market expectations. The government has a target of building 80 kms of roads per day. No doubt, demand for road equipment will be huge. We are already working on 50-60% utilization of our current capacity and increasing production.
Expansion plans
We plan to expand our equipment capacity in almost all our range of products. In pick and carry cranes, we will increase capacities from the current 30 tons to 35-40 tons, which will be the largest in the world. We also plan to increase our capacity in the tower cranes and forklifts to 25 tons and 32 tons, respectively. We have a range of 49-74 hp backhoes and the only 95 hp 4x4 backhoe in the country. We will introduce a butterfly type outrigger backhoe model for the international market in the next 2-3 months, and are also developing the bigger 100–160-tons crawler cranes, which will be launched in the first half of 2023.
Mission to provide safer cranes
There is a growing inclination towards safer cranes in the last 10 years, and currently these types occupy 20-30% of the market. Within our product mix of pick and carry cranes, Hydras comprise 75% and new generation cranes 25%. In the last few years, we have come up with 4 game-changing products: the NX 360o, which can rotate 360 degrees, and the NXP that has a hydraulically operated manlift. Both come with best-in-class safety features. Our NXT series has self-compensated forks like telehandlers. We are also working on pick and carry cranes with high-speed winches for use in pilling operations during concreting and cage lowering. I would like to mention that while the European and American manufacturers adopt a 75% safety rating system, we adopted it at 60% for our Manlift crane.
Technology - automation, IoT, telematics
Anyone with more than 3-4 machines will need a good GPS, a trained operator, and a system for monitoring his equipment’s fuel consumption, safety, etc. This is now possible using telematics that can be installed on all our machines with a standard 3G or 4G sim. For example, safe load indicators send alerts when something is not right and the owner or fleet operator can take timely corrective action. Earlier in case of an unsafe operation, the operator could easily reset the machine, but now the machine gets locked and only a password can help start its operations. There are devices for using satellite-controlled data of the terrain for grading, which helps the machine to automatically set the required blade and reduce the number of passes, saving fuel as well. So, technologies like AI and IoT are bound to catch up soon.
Financial schemes and operator training
Cash flows in the contractor industry were affected by the pandemic lockdown for a couple of months. ACE has various schemes to help small contractors whether with finance, buyback, refurbishment, etc. We also provide operator training on all our new series. In fact, for every new model or type of machine that we supply, experienced operators give15 days training on the machines. We also ensure onsite training for operating our high-end machines. Simulator and hands-on training are provided at our facility in Faridabad on all types of machines, along with troubleshooting and preventive maintenance.
Expanding market share
In the international market, our target is to earn 15-20% of our total revenue from exports. (We are currently earning 7-8%). Our reach has expanded to the Middle East, African, South American, and Southeast Asian markets, and we have plans to explore Central Asia and East European markets.
