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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Dimitrov Krishnan, Vice President and Head, Volvo CE India.</span><p></p><p> We are seeing most activities in the road building sector with numerous projects progressing. Understandably, we are seeing the highest levels of demand for excavators, compactors and pavers for this application and its associated industries. For other sectors, such as mining and general construction, activity levels have not been so high and, therefore, demand for equipment is not so high. But, in coal mining, we expect that more equipment will be required, particularly large excavators. </p><p>The rental market continues to grow in India and we expect the trend to continue for some time as the country's economy matures. Cost remains one of the most important factors for buyers in India, but the purchase price is only part of what constitutes a machine's overall lifetime cost. Equipment owners and contractors in India have developed quite sophisticated models for calculating 'cost per tonne' or 'cost per km' for equipment, and this considers a range of factors, including purchase price, operating costs, productivity levels, anticipated maintenance, depreciation, resale value and more. </p><p>The outlook to 2020 is still very bright. India's potential is clear, and the drive to improve infrastructure and energy supply will unquestionably facilitate further growth in the economy and the construction equipment industry. </p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Market challenges</span><br />With the newly-implemented Goods and Services Tax (GST), the construction equipment industry is likely to take a hit. For buyers, the new tax rate will translate into a 10 per cent increase in construction equipment cost, thus increasing the overall cost of infrastructure development. In addition, the new policy will also affect the cash flow of the buyers and put a heavier burden on their businesses. While there is speculation that the policy will slow infrastructure development in India, the degree of impact will largely depend on buyers' ability to claim input tax credits. We expect the effect to be fully realised over the course of the next year. </p><p> <span style="font-weight: bold;">A platform to boost market</span><br />It's always useful for customers and journalists to be able to congregate in one place and not only see the spectrum of construction equipment on offer but also to have conversations and discussions about trends and developments in the industry. I think Excon will reaffirm what we know about the push for infrastructure growth in the country and the need for ever more productive machines. In this regard, we are confident that Volvo CE will come up in these conversations and discussions as our machines are among the best when it comes to total cost of ownership after considering our superior fuel-efficiency, high levels of productivity and excellent reliability. </p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Showcasing innovation</span><br />At Excon 2017, we will be displaying the new and highly-anticipated EC200D at our booth. </p><p>Joining the EC200D on stand are its sister machine, the EC210D, similarly a 20-tonne rated excavator, and the EC950E, the largest excavator in the Volvo line and one of the largest on show in Bangalore. From our wide range of road building machines, the P6820C ABG tracked paver; and the previously-mentioned DD90B asphalt compactor and SD110BA soil compactor will be on show. Rounding out the Volvo product display at Excon 2017 is the L150H from our line of wheel loaders. </p><p> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Expectations</span><br />We hope to build on our relationships, both new and existing, with customers as well as journalists, and to discuss ways in which our industry-leading Volvo machines can meet the needs of the Indian general construction, mining, and road building sectors. As Volvo pursues development of technology to make machines ever more efficient, productive, and environmentally friendly, we expect that other manufacturers will start incorporating such technology in their machines as well. So, Excon 2017 would also be a good opportunity to see how technology is shaping for Indian customers.</p>