Wirtgen India had three new launches at bauma CONEXPO INDIA. The Wirtgen Surface Miner 2200 SM 3.8 was a world premiere. Also launched was the MT 3000 power feeder for increasing productivity and improving quality of paving, especially express paving of six to eight-lane projects. The company also introduced a 0.5-m class milling machine; and a Road Scan, which helps know the temperature of the asphalt laid. Ramesh Palagiri, Managing Director and CEO, shares more…

One pathbreaking offering: If you look at all our pavers and our paving technology, be it concrete or asphalt paving, we are continuously coming up with new technologies such as Road Scan, Niveltronic Plus, dual-layer concrete paving and inline pave. All these help reduce cost and improve quality. This is because of our continuous innovation and investment in R&D.

Demand drivers in 2019: 2019 will see more of bigger projects, the six to eight-lane expressways.

Announcement contributing to the company’s growth in 2018: It is now exactly a year since the acquisition of the Wirtgen Group by John Deere. We will continue to stay close to our customers and stay ahead in terms of technology and innovation.

Challenge for the company in 2019: Because of the elections, there could be a certain slowdown for a few months. The challenge for the industry is in terms of financing. Long-term funding for infrastructure also continues to be a challenge.

Key strategy to success in 2019: Our strategy is to continue to innovate products, invest in R&D, and stay close to our customers with the direct sales-and-service model. Also, to focus on application support for our customers.

Recommendation for growth of the construction equipment market: What we need is stronger execution – projects in the execution mode and not in the award and announcement mode