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Universal has been focusing on the small and medium segment. Is there a shift in focus especially with the launch of higher capacity concrete pumps and batching plants?
At Universal, we want to become a total concrete solution provider and due to this reason we have started manufacturing a higher range of equipment. Now we are the only company who can provide total solutions to any sector like the small, medium and large construction projects. Depending on the concrete quantity required by the construction site, we provide the most economical solution to the customer. We have also analysed the market requirements and we have noticed that the buyers of small concrete equipment are now demanding medium size equipment and the buyers of medium size equipment are demanding the larger size concrete equipment. To cater to all the customer segments we have started developing and manufacturing higher capacity concrete equipment like concrete batching plants, truck mixers and concrete pumps.

Is the tie-up with Zoomlion a part of the shift in focus?
As we specialise in concrete mixers and concrete batching plants, it was very easy for us to develop truck mixers. As mentioned above, we want to be a total concrete solution company. We were missing out on concrete placing equipment like concrete pumps, concrete boom pumps and stationary concrete placers. As we are providing equipment with the highest quality and reliability, we decided to provide the world's best placing equipment. Zoomlion was also looking for a stable and reliable partner for handling their business in the Indian subcontinent and this partnership came through.

Brief us on the tie up with Zoomlion and the product range on offer?
Our first phase of the tie up with Zoomlion is for sales, marketing, service and parts support for India. We are also exploring the possibilities of providing this equipment to the neighboring countries where we also export our range of concrete equipment. We have also entered the second phase of tie up for assembling the smaller range of stationary concrete pumps which is being done in our Pune plant as well as in our plant at Rudrapur in Uttarakhand.

Currently we are offering various models of stationary concrete pumps in the range of 40-60 cu m/hr. which can place concrete up to a height of about 160-170 m or a horizontal distance of about 600 m. For a higher range of equipment of capacity 60-120 cu m/hr which can place concrete up to height of 800 ms or a horizontal distance more than 2 km, we will be importing the concrete pumps in a fully assembled condition from Zoomlion. We are also importing and supplying the stationary placing booms from Zoomlion and these have been very well accepted in India. Recently we supplied 10 machines to Jaiprakash Industries (Jaypee).

We can also provide truck mounted boom pumps with PTO drive, suitable to be mounted on Volvo/Isuzu/Benz chassis, which is manufactured at the Zoomlion factory. Zoomlion produces truck mounted boom pumps with a vertical reach up to 101 m. The boom pump with the slave engine suitable for Indian conditions is under development with the Zoomlion R&D team and we will be launching these truck mounted boom pumps shortly.

What is the current status of the concrete equipment industry and its growth prospects? What do you think are the major growth drivers?
Currently the concrete equipment industry is under tremendous pressure but there is good scope for the concrete equipment industry in the future. There will be lot of construction activity in the future, but we have to wait and watch till the market condition improves. To drive the construction equipment industry, the government should take a positive initiative by clearing the projects along with the funding.

What has been Universal's performance in the concrete equipment segment?
Compared to the last couple of years, the growth in the small and medium range of equipment has not been very significant. In the bigger range of equipment, we expect to close this financial year (April 2013-March 2014) with 15-20 per cent growth compared to last year.

What is the demand supply scenario for concrete pumps and batching plants?
Considering the current market situation, we can comfortably cater to the demand for concrete pumps and batching plants and we assume that the situation would be similar with other manufacturers. We would also like to stress upon the fact that when the market opens up there will be pressure on the manufacturers to cater to the demand of the market.

What is the potential from the export front?
If we compare Indian manufacturers with the overseas manufacturers, the Indian manufacturers can provide equipment required by the international market with many competitive advantages. Also considering the development happening in the African and developing countries, there is a good potential in the export front. Considering the above, we have launched our international division on 26 January 2014. Now we have a dedicated team to handle our international operations.

What are the latest products in your concrete product line? Also brief us on products launched at Excon?
Currently, we are the market leaders in small and medium range of concrete equipment and as mentioned earlier we want to become a total concrete solution provider. We have recently launched rover batching plant of capacity 60 cu m/hr which is a totally mobile plant mounted on a trailer. This plant is very popular in the wind mill construction sector. We have more than 50 per cent market share in this sector due to fast commissioning.

We have also launched the batching plant in other variants like stationary, skid mounted, on wheel etc.

We have launched Zoomlion-Universal high pressure concrete pump which is Zoomlion's highest selling model worldwide and can comfortably place concrete up to a height of 220 m (Approximately 70 floors considering floor height of 3 m) or a horizontal distance of approximately 750 m.

We have also launched our self loading mixer of capacity 2 cu m and 4 cu m which is fitted with a powerful engine and 4 x 4 transmission. These self-loading mixers also have four-wheel steering feature allowing minimum turning radius, manoeuverability and flexibility.

Could you brief us on investments made during the last couple of years?
In recent years we have invested in European and Japanese robotic welding systems which has helped in attaining the highest level of welding quality comparable with any top international manufacturer. We have also invested in our R&D centre which was inaugurated this year.