Versatility, reliability, durability and unmatched performance excite customer to choose CAT excavators
H Jayaram, Managing Director & CEO, Gmmco Ltd
We at Gmmco also offer from Caterpillar continuous miner equipment package along with support equipment which is a new business segment added to our line from December 2013, says H Jayaram, Managing Director & CEO, Gmmco Ltd.
Excerpts from the interview...

Which is the largest selling range in hydraulic excavators?
Traditionally, excavators with operating weight 10 to 24 tonne are classified as medium range and in the last five years, their sales constitute above 70 per cent of the total excavator sales, out of which 20-24 tonne category accounts for approximately 50 per cent and 10-15 tonne is approximately 20 per cent. The remaining 30 per cent is shared by 7-8 tonne approximately 17-18 per cent and 12-13 per cent by large excavators which are predominately sold in quarry and mining segments.

What are the main selling features of your excavators?
In my assessment, versatility, reliability, durability and unmatched performance excite customer to choose Cat brand of excavators; The Cat? 320D2 is a 21.5 tonne excavator that is well suited for construction applications, such as utility works, urban construction, demolition, water and sewage works, hiring and rental markets. It stands as one of the most versatile machines in the market and is designed to handle even the most rugged operating conditions, while providing long life and value to customers. The model has an extensive selection of work tools to optimise machine performance.

What are your comments on the changed buyers? profile?
Currently, most of the big names in the construction industry are facing tough times, both operationally and financially. However, a few smaller companies have emerged as big players and large buyers. In fact, the economic downturn in the last few years had weighed heavily on larger companies and brought them down to their current situation.

Who would be your best customers from the new breed?
Dilip Buildcon had emerged as our prized customer. Over the past few years, they have acquired a very large fleet of CAT equipment. They have a healthy order book and are doing a commendable job in infrastructure segment with their mainstay into roads.

What is the potential in the mining segment in light of the recent coal block auctions by the government?
In the two phases of coal block auction, a total of 33 coal blocks (small and big) auction has been completed by the government. In this, many blocks were already producing and balance are ready to produce. In many open cast projects, they start initial mining operations either themselves or through MDO/sub-contractors, by using on and off highway trucks, for which the matching loading tool would be a 45 tonne class excavator. However, as they go deeper, use of large rigid body off highway dumpers will be necessary for haulage because negotiating steep gradients with load would not be an easy task for on/off highway trucks. That is when the need will arise for investing in large excavators ranging 6-10 cu m Hex depending on dumper capacity. All said and done, it would take time.

Also, out of the 33 blocks auctioned, there are a few underground mines. We at Gmmco also offer from Caterpillar continuous miner equipment package along with support equipment which is a new business segment added to our line from December 2013.

What else is Gmmco doing to strengthen their position in the market?
The main strength of Gmmco is providing world class after market support to all our customers. We do not discriminate customers by existing, new, small or big; every customer is important to us since all of them demand after market support, our thrust in this aspect has been one of the salient selling points of our equipment.

Do you provide any tracking and monitoring device on your machine?
Yes, all imported CAT excavators are equipped with ?Product Link? as standard feature. Cat? Product Link? is a comprehensive remote monitoring and asset management tool, with remarkably intuitive web interfaces that transform data from a customer?s entire fleet of equipment into the essential information required to boost productivity, reduce costs and manage risks.

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