53
january-february 2015
international
construction
EQUIPMENT
bC India review
capacity CDM 856 and 1.8m
3
/3.5
tonne capacity CDM 835. They
were branded inTerex-Lonking and
painted in yellow livery, as opposed
toTerex’s characteristicwhite.
Also at the show, Terex took the
wraps off a new backhoe loader for
the Indian market, the TLB740SE.
This features a curved excavator-
style boom on the digging end, as
opposed to the straight boom of
other IndianTerex backhoes. Other
innovations include anewhydraulic
system which the company says
helps reduce fuel consumption, a
new loader front end with double-
acting cylinders and a large cab.
New cranes
But perhaps the more noticeable
feature of bC India was the
number of new tower cranes being
launched. Manitowoc unveiled
two Potain flat top tower cranes
for the Indian market, and both
the 5 tonne capacity MCT 85 and
10 tonne capacity MCT 205 are
manufactured at its factory inPune,
India.
Thibault Le Besnerais,Manitowoc
global product director for tower
cranes, said of the MCT 85, “This
size is by far the most popular in
India.”
It sits on 1.2 x 1.2 metre mast
sections for a small footprint and
the crane can lift 1.1 tonnes at the
tip of its 52mmaximum jib.
TheMCT 205meanwhile can be
mountedoneither1.6x1.6mor2.0
x 2.0 mmast sections. The smaller
masts permit a 60 mmaximum jib
and39m freestandingheight, while
thebiggerunits allow a65m jib and
52m freestanding height.
Mr Le Besnerais said, “We have
seen demand in this market due
to the pre-cast concrete building
sector, which is growing in India.”
Like many other exhibitors at bC
India, Manitowoc expects business
to pick up in the country over the
coming months, following the
landslide general election victory by
NarendraModi’sBJPparty in2014.
Raman Joshi, Manitowoc India
Concrete drivers
Quality, labour costs and time pressures point to formwork
G
erman formwork
manufacturer Paschal says
the Indianmarket for its
products is set to grow due to shorter
project time lines, rising labour costs
and skills shortages.
Paschal Formwork India general
director Eldo Varghese said, “There
is a big need for formwork in India
because of the speedwe need to
build things.”
He added that higher wages and
a lack of skilledworkerswas also
steering the construction industry away from traditional hand-hadwooden
concrete forms. “Compared to 2008, labour costs are twicewhat theywere,”
saidMr Varghese. “We cannot depend on a carpenter tomake formwork on site
because the quality is just not there.”
The company has had a sales operation in India since 2008 targeting
infrastructure, power, industrial and building construction. Themainstay of its
offering is its entry-level modular wall and column formwork, whichMr Varghese
saidwas “Simple and user-friendly”, alongwith slab formwork.
Paschal has a formwork assembly plant in Vizag, on India’s Eastern coast
whichwas opened in 2010. Mr Varghese said thiswas a distinct advantage for
the company. “The point of having an assembly plant is the lead time.We supply
in 45 days on average, but if we imported it would be 90 or 120 days,” he said.
“Formwork is the future in India. There is no doubt. It is an opportunity for
everyone,” concludedMr Varghese.
Paschal Formwork India general
director Eldo Varghese.
president, said, “We are waiting for
things to start happening.There is a
newgovernment inplaceanda lotof
things have been talked about.Now
we need to see themhappening.”
Meanwhile central attraction on
Liebherr’s bC India stand was the
company’s85EC-B5iflat-top tower
crane. The model is manufactured
at the company’s factory in Pune,
India and has been designed for the
specific needs of the local market.
Themodel is only available in India.
The unit has amaximum capacity
of 5 tonnes and can lift 1.3 tonnes at
the end of a 50mmaximum length
jib.However, it sits on a footprint of
just 1.2 x 1.2 m, and the company
says this combination of high
capacity on a small cross-section
makes it ideal for the confined
construction sites often found in
Indian cities.
The 85 EC-B 5i has been
manufactured in Pune since 2012,
and Liebherr said it was developing
a second crane at the factory for the
Indianmarket, based on the success
of this firstmodel.
Concreteequipmentmanufacturer
Schwing Stetter used the exhibition
to launch a range of tower cranes on
the Indian market. The model on
display at the show is designedby its
parent company, XCMG.
Branded Schwing-XCMG, the
saddle jib crane is designated
XGT63YD (5013-5). It offers a
capacity of 5 tonnes and can lift 1.3
tonnes at its maximum jib length
of 50 metres. The maximum free
standingheight is 35mon1.2 x1.2
mmast sections, and the company
says a 6 tonne capacity version is
also available.
Anand Sundaresan, vice chairman
& managing director of Schwing
Stetter India said, “The launch of
Schwing-XCMG tower cranemarks
a very important milestone in the
journey of Schwing Stetter. This is
extremely special for us because we
are slowly foraying into thematerial
handling market with the tower
cranes.”
The five tonne capacity class is the
most popular size of tower crane
in India and Chinese construction
equipment manufacturer XCMG
is a relatievly recent entrant to the
tower crane sector, being better
known formobile cranes.
iC
One of two flat-top tower
cranes unveiled by
Manitowoc at the exhibition
Lonking-madewheeled loaders
are being distributed in India
by Terex under a dual Terex-
Lonking brand.
Eugen Egetenmeir (R) will step
down asmanaging director of
MesseMünchen International at
the end of this year. His successor
is Stefan Rummel (L).
