The progress of a nation is accelerated by the expanse of the developments undertaken in different sectors of real estate, mining, large-scale infra projects of dams, bridges, highways, flyovers, tunnels, etc., and other industries. These projects are scaled by the massive contribution of the heavy construction machinery industries, which offer a wide variety of equipment and machinery in mobilizing the process efficiently.

With reliable and efficient heavy machinery at its disposal, organizations and governments have witnessed speedy work in a limited time frame and within a specific budget too. The construction machinery should also suit the purpose, function in the most optimum efficiency, and provide a long and dependable service.

Having created its reputation as a strong and reliable brand in the segment of construction machinery and equipment, Sany Heavy Industry India Pvt Ltd has offered a wide variety of construction machinery to numerous multi-industry applications. Since its inception in the year 2002, the organization has been growing in leaps and bounds.

Under the resolute leadership of Dheeraj Panda, Chief Operating Officer (Sales, Marketing and Customer Support), Sany India invested more than ₹500 crores in its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Chakan MIDC, Pune, towards developing the infrastructure for R&D, manufacturing operations, quality control, inspection, testing, and service, respectively.

In the engaging rendezvous with the CIOLOOK India team, the interesting discussion unfolded the story of Sany India, its initial process, challenges faced and overcome, the advice for young entrepreneurs, and their vision for a dynamic future ahead.

Please brief our audience about Sany Heavy Industries Pvt Ltd, its USPs, and how you are currently positioned as one of the best Construction Equipment Providers.

Sany Bharat is a leading manufacturer of construction equipment and heavy machinery. Our manufacturing facility in Pune today offers the widest range of construction machinery in India and South Asia. Incorporated in 2002, our journey in India has been swift and successful. Owing to our wide product range, superior build quality, service commitment, innovative solutions, and global expertise, we have achieved market leadership in various construction equipment segments.

Our growth in revenue has been almost 12 times in the last six years, and we view this as one of our significant milestones. We are proud of the fact that Sany India has a Valid Till Date (VTD) standing at the number one market share position in categories like piling rigs, crawler cranes, truck cranes, and terrain cranes. The milestones have helped us scale great heights at the national and global levels. We have more than 23000 machines delivered on the ground, contributing to infrastructure development projects in India and other South Asian countries.

We have a strong network of around 42 dealers and 260 touchpoints across India to cater to the growing demand and provide support to all our customers and associates.

Tell us more about Sany India’s offerings and what aspects make it stand out in the cutthroat competition.

Through our manufacturing facility in Pune, we operate in multiple business verticals viz: earthmoving, lifting, foundation, mining, ports, concrete, roads, and renewable energy solutions. Presently, we offer products like excavators, truck-mounted cranes, all-terrain and rough-terrain cranes, crawler cranes, transit mixers, batching plants, boom pumps, trailer pumps, piling rigs, motor graders, pavers, milling machines, compactors, reach stackers, rubber-tyre gantry cranes, rail-mounted gantry cranes, mining equipment, wind turbine generators and many more.

In 2012, we invested more than INR 750 crores to develop infrastructure for R&D, manufacturing, quality inspection, testing, and service at our manufacturing facility in Chakan, Pune. With the Government of India’s focus on localization, we have increased the localization of machines from three excavators at the initial stage to 16 at present.  We manufactured one truck crane during inception; now, it is scaled up to seven truck crane models.

Keeping the company’s core value and mission in mind of “Quality Changes the World,” we have managed to deliver the best-in-class products that have surpassed the expectations of our customers and dealers alike. This has certainly helped us surge ahead of our competitors.

Being an experienced leader, share your opinion on how the adoption of modern technologies like AI and ML is impacting the Construction Equipment space and how is Sany India adapting to the change?

To improve the efficiency and quality of construction, the usage of telematics, AI, and ML is gaining momentum. Our unit in Pune has an integrated facility with modern manufacturing equipment, testing facilities, an R&D center, and a training center, all under one roof. Our company’s R&D team of around 60 people based out of Pune focuses primarily on the customization of global technologies for Indian requirements. We have already developed our EVI app, which helps our customers to monitor and analyze the real-time performance of the machine on-site and act accordingly.

It is helpful in managing a single fleet of machines and getting real-time updates on the machine’s performance, which is tracked by GPS-installed hardware. Our mobile-based applications eliminate the need for physical interaction with customers. Our machines are equipped with best-in-class telematics, which helps the owner know the service intervals, the hour of operation, and location of the machine, and other required details. We have already moved ahead with our telematics system, which helps monitor the key operational parameters and provide timely intimation to the users.

To adapt to change, it is necessary to embrace and incorporate modern technologies into our machines, and we have been successfully doing so.  In fact, our customers are our true brand ambassadors who not only recognize and appreciate the technological innovations in our machines but are extremely delighted that it has enhanced productivity, efficacy, and versatility.

Considering the current scenario, what initial challenges did you face and what are the challenges now, and how did you overcome them?

If we must talk about the challenges that we faced in the recent past, I must mention the pandemic times wherein many construction projects got postponed or delayed. This did have an impact on the industry. There is no denying the fact that the after-effects of the pandemic lingered on for some time… for instance, the fluctuating economic slow clearance procedure, demand-supply gap, and liquidity did hinder the growth of the construction equipment market in India to a certain extent.

To overcome the challenges of the past, present, and future, our mantra has been the same- Our stringent adherence to quality. This has helped us move ahead on the success path irrespective of volatile market conditions or buyer’ sentiments.

What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the Construction Equipment space?

Budding entrepreneurs should have a clear-cut strategy in place in terms of manufacturing, dealership, distribution, sales, and customer support. To achieve success, it’s ultimately their passion that counts, coupled with hard work, integrity, and dedication.

How do you envision scaling Sany’s operations and offerings in 2022 and beyond?

We will continue to be a partner in progress with our government in helping them build a Naya Bharat by supplying best-in-class construction equipment. In the months to come, we plan to launch technologically superior equipment, expand the dealer network and open 4s offices across key cities and towns. The next year 2023 and beyond, looks promising and bright for team Sany!