Infrastructure development has been one of the major focal points in India. Due to the emphasis on infrastructure development, construction equipment industry has gained a momentum. Speaking on it, Dheeraj Panda, VP & Business Head, Excavator Business Unit, Sany Heavy Industry India Pvt. Ltd. said, "On the numbers front, in 2016, the sales of construction equipment grew at the rate of around 36 percent YoY, in terms of units. This is a tremendous jump and the momentum is expected to be maintained as infrastructure, including Smart Cities, remains the fulcrum of the of the present government's policy." Taking this point further, Jasmeet Singh, Head - Corporate Communications & External Relations, JCB India Ltd mentioned, "2016 had been a positive year for the entire earthmoving and construction equipment industry including JCB. From 36,798 units sold in 2015, the market increased to 52,462 units in 2016 showing an increase of about 43 percent in seven leading product categories (Backhoe Loader, Excavator, Wheeled Loader, Compactor, Loadall, Skid Steer and Mini Excavator)." Adding into it, Singh further mentioned, "From over 18,000 machines in 2015, we sold over 26,000 machines in 2016 and this was after a downturn that lasted for four years. Roads and highways has been one of the key sectors in this revival and still continues to drive the growth thus, increasing the demand for earthmoving and construction equipment."

"With increase in size of the government's investment outlay, the expectations from the infra projects is on the rise. The government has made its objective of world-class infrastructure in the shortest possible time, very clear. What this translates into is for the players, especially construction equipment makers, to constantly innovate, increase operational capacities and capabilities, while reducing the capital and operational costs," noted Panda.

Role of smart cities
‘Smart cities' is has been helping the construction equipment industry to grow. Speaking on it, Panda stated, "The demand for construction equipment has been on an upswing because of the government push on infrastructure spending over past couple of years. Smart cities project will give a further fillip to this as it also entails modernisation of existing infrastructure and we see a huge demand coming from this segment." In this regard manufacturers constantly have to be on the path of innovating. To be upbeat with the demand, JCB has launched new models recently.

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