The Indian Construction Equipment (ICE) industry, after a four year downturn from 2012-15 made a strong comeback in the year 2016 with an increase of about 43% as compared to 2015 in seven leading product categories (Backhoe Loader, Excavator, Wheeled Loader, Compactor, Loadall, Skid Steer and Mini Excavator).
Owing to the continued momentum in the Roads and Highways sector and green shoots in sectors such as Irrigation and Railways, 2017 was a positive year wherein we saw the industry grow by 14% and reach its highest ever sales figure. The Industry saw sustained growth since Public Expenditure continued irrespective of the disruptions caused first by the confusion in the interpretation of the order on Emissions meant for Automobiles and then by GST that was rolled out in the second half of the year. The subsequent lowering of the tax from initial 28% to 18% came as a welcome relief for our industry.
Keeping up with the momentum, 2018 has also started on a positive note for the ICE industry. With the Government announcing significant allocation in projects in sectors such as Roads, Irrigation, Railways and also importantly in the Rural Economy, there seems to be opportunities for growth.
With large scale projects being implemented, there has been a significant increase in the demand of larger size equipment such as larger Excavators, Wheeled Loaders and Road Equipment.
At JCB, we offer a complete range of Excavators starting from Mini Excavator- JCB30Plus (a 3T Excavator), the JS81 (a 8T Excavator), the JS120 (a 12T Excavator), to the JS140 (a 14T Excavator).
In the large excavators segment, we offer the range from JS205LC (20T Tracked Excavator), the JCB 220LC Xtra (22T Tracked Excavator), the JCB305LC (30T Tracked Excavator) to the all-new 38T Tracked Excavator with two variants – the JCB 380LC Xtra and the JCB 380LC Quarry Master (QM).
With projects of national importance such as Bharatmala and Sagarmala gaining momentum, there would be opportunities for our industry. With over 50 products and 8 product categories, at JCB we are transforming into a full range infrastructure equipment partner and are committed to offering world class products to our customers.
JCB’s largest Design Centre outside of the UK is in India and through continual innovation; it is committed to getting world class products for customers. This Design Centre products for India not only works on products for India but also works with JCB’s Design teams for other parts of the world.
One of the game changing technologies introduced by JCB India is Livelink which is an Advanced Telematics technology that enables users to get SMS alerts on their mobile phones or smart devices regarding service alerts, operations and security of their machines. The information is available in real time regarding the health of the machine including engines and gives vital information to the customer in terms of no. of hours the machine has been operational, service intervals, fuel levels, malfunctions if any, etc.
Through this state-of-the-art technology, JCB has radically changed and improved the customer experience with its machines. Livelink also provides an opportunity to customers to maximise their returns on investment through better management of their assets.
To monitor these machines in real time, we have set up a world class command centre at our Ballabgarh facility. Our dealerships have also set up similar Livelink command centres to ensure that real time support is provided to the customers as they can now plan for service schedules and also engage with users and customers in preventive maintenance.
Today, over 75,000 Livelink enabled machines are working successfully in India.
JCB also introduced multiple mobile applications which ensure all the relevant information is just a click away for users. Applications such as JCB Livelink, Smart Diagnostic, Parts E-sell and Digital product manuals will re-define how customers interact with manufacturers. All these applications are aimed at improving the overall customer experience by providing all the important information in real time. For instance, the Parts E-Sell app is designed to ease the order for Parts, tracking of Part shipment and provides the ease of selling Parts online.
Apart from manufacturing the most technologically advanced produced, JCB has also made some noteworthy additions in their Excavator range with latest being the introduction of a 38T machine known as JCB 380LC. This world class machine comes in two variants – the JCB 380LC Xtra and the JCB 380LC Quarry Master (QM). This is JCB India’s largest Made in India Excavator.
The JCB380LCQM offers 16% Higher Lifting Capacity owing to a combination of high hydraulic power and high operating weight and provides 6% more output while handling blocks. The JCB Dieselmax engine return a 3% high fuel efficiency and generates high torque at low speed to suit the job needs.
The JCB 380LC Xtra comes with a powerful engine and its hydraulic performance gives the power to do more than expected. The wide range of heavy duty buckets can be used as per different applications and strata to maximise output which is available from 1.4 to 2.3 cu.m. Power boost feature increases hydraulic system pressure to provide higher digging force and lifting capacity when needed.
Apart from this, JCB offers a wide range of Excavators starting from 3T Mini Excavator to 38T Excavator. This exhaustive range has been developed to ensure our customers get the desired equipment as per the application.
