Over 700 equipment-making companies will participate in an international construction and mining machinery expo to be held in Mumbai between February 5 and 8.

The organisers, bC Expo India, also expects 40,000 trade visitors to attend the four-day programme to be held here at the MMRDA Grounds, Bandra-Kurla Complex. bC Expo is a joint venture between Messe München International and the North-American Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

The show’s 2011 premiere attracted 508 companies from 36 countries and about 25,000 visitors from 71 countries, said Thomas Loffler, Chief Executive Officer, bC India.

Road projects

After a slowdown in road projects last year, the road construction sector in India has picked up in 2012. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has awarded about 4,375 km of roads in the first nine months of 2012, as against 4,553 km in 2011 and 3,338 km in 2010.The third quarter of 2012 alone saw about 1,898 km of projects awarded, he said.

The new road projects are part of the Rs 3 lakh crore national highways development programme (NHDP) aimed at developing 50,000 km of national highways in seven phases by 2015.

As the market gears up to the sudden surge of new projects, EPC contractors and construction equipment companies are struggling to maintain their order-book growth.

Anindya Ganguly, General Manager, Operations, Mining and Construction Equipment Division, Voltas, said there were many domestic companies which held marketing licences from overseas equipment makers to sell their products in India.

Hectic project management, equipment hiring and sub-contraction are leading construction companies to look for technological advanced and efficient solutions for project execution. “The sector is showing increased interest in ready-made platforms that share technology updates in construction equipment from across the world,” he said.

shanker.s@thehindu.co.in

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