Comments
Japanese construction equipment major Kobelco has embarked on a phased consolidation of its manufacturing facility located at Sri City in Andhra Pradesh, while awaiting nod from the head office in Tokyo to take up the next phase of expansion.
The company, which has been operating in India for 10 years, is upbeat on the country’s construction equipment market, with strong demand projected from the roads and mining sectors.
Yutaka (Mike) Goto, Managing Director & CEO, Kobelco Construction Equipment India, said: “The 2,000 units per annum manufacturing plant set up at Sri City is operating at near full capacity, mainly meeting domestic requirement and some exports. We are now in the process of further enhancing the production by internal efficiencies.
“However, given the huge demand from the market for construction equipment, we are looking at taking up expansion of the manufacturing base and are awaiting the nod from the parent. It is under their consideration.”
Towards efficiencyLaunching new generation mining excavator models SK220XD/SK220XDLC in the 20-24 tonne segment, Goto said: “From the day Kobelco started operations in India 10 years ago, we continue to provide innovative solutions to customers based on their feedback. The new models spread the message ‘Power meets efficiency’.”
Kobelco Construction Machinery, the Tokyo-headquartered company founded in 1930, is a subsidiary of Kobe Steel Ltd. The Indian arm has the capacity to produce about 2,000 units per annum.
“With the manufacturing capacity almost hitting its upper limit, we are currently in the process of further improving productivity within the existing plant. Once this is completed, we will take up further expansion,” said Vikram Sharma, Advisor and former MD of Kobelco in India.
Referring to the domestic market, Sharma said there has been gradual uptake for equipment in the past two years after about three years of slowdown. Starting with roads, gradually other sectors have shown positive growth. This will lead to more equipment sales, he said.
Pick-up in activityRajiv Sanghvi, Executive Director, Automotive Manufacturers Pvt Ltd, said: “The demand has steadily been growing for Kobelco equipment. Last year we sold more than 192 units in AP and Telangana. With construction activity picking up, we see demand for Kobelco equipment going up in a number of sectors.”
The country's $3.5-billion construction equipment market is witness to rapid growth over the past year after three-four years of tepid growth.
Given the focus on the infrastructure sector, the demand for equipment is projected to accelerate.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.