Caterpillar, the world’s largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, showcased its range of products at Excon 2017. Caterpillar has been active in the Indian market for long, with a growing presence in many sectors, including construction, mining, energy, oil & gas and transportation.
Responding to a question on the recent upheavals in the economy, in the wake of interventions like demonetization and GST, Mr. Vivek Anand Vanmeeganathan, Country Head – India region, and Managing Director, Caterpillar India Private Ltd., Material Handling and Underground Division, stated that the construction equipment industry witnessed strong growth last year.
“Industry data and forecast from analysts expect another year of strong growth for the Industry. We echo the same sentiment and our businesses have witnessed steady growth. We expect this trend to continue for Caterpillar,” Mr. Vanmeeganathan added.
According to him, the Government has undertaken several reforms to ease doing business, including the implementation of GST which has created a one-India market and level playing field. Going further into details he observed: “GST has had several positive effects on our business. For instance, before GST our dealers would take 15-17 days to deliver equipment to our customers. But with the implementation of GST, our dealers, GMMCO and TIPL, are able to bring this down to about 4-5 days. What is more significant is that they are now able to commit an expected date of delivery confidently and with higher accuracy.”
The company is displaying its world-class machines at Excon 2017. Among them would be many road construction and utility equipment. Also on display is customer support offerings that Caterpillar and its dealers can deliver. The company is also showcasing its Cat 360° ADVANTAGE, Cat Connect Technology and Rental & Used equipment solutions, apart from a Cat merchandise stall.
Mr. Vanmeeganathan said that Excon has always been a great platform for Caterpillar and its dealers, GMMCO and TIPL, to understand the emerging trends in the industry in terms of innovation in products and services, and to strengthen their relationships with customers. “The industry has successfully leveraged this platform to launch new products and showcase the latest machines and technologies. We expect our interactions with various stakeholders and subject matter experts to help us understand our customer’s experiences, and potential customer expectations, and most importantly help us identify our next area of focus to deliver services beyond our machines”, he added.
Sounding positive about the continued good showing of the Indian CE sector, Mr. Vanmeeganathan stated that as mentioned earlier, the industry growth has remained strong on the back of strong investments by the Government in infrastructure such as roads, railways, ports, airports and urban infrastructure, and that Caterpillar expected this trend to continue.